ANN ARBOR — “The Psychology of Extremism” is the topic of a series of talks sponsored by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR), the world’s largest academic survey and research organization. Psychologist James S. Jackson will kick off the series on Monday,
On Monday,
His topic is suicide terrorism, and he will present empirical data collected since this form of terrorism started in Lebanon in 1983 suggesting that terrorist suicide is an organizational rather than a personal phenomenon. Religious motives are not a pre-requisite for suicidal terrorism, Merari notes. But religion, patriotism, and hatred of the enemy are often invoked to strengthen a suicide candidate’s resolve. In the presentation, Merari will describe in detail the characteristics of the suicides as well as the process of recruiting and training them for their missions.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12 at noon, Merari will discuss “Deterring Politically Motivated Violent Groups” at the School of Social Work Education Conference Center, 1080 S. University, co-sponsored by ISR, the School of Social Work and the International Institute.

On Thursday, Feb. 14 at noon, he will discuss “Is There a Terrorist Personality?” in Room 3048 East Hall, 525 E. University, co-sponsored by ISR and the Department of Psychology.

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The second presentation in the Psychology of Extremism series is scheduled for Monday, March 25, at ISR, with subsequent talks scheduled for April 1 and April 8. Additional information on speakers will be posted soon on the Research Center for Group Dynamics web site at http://www.isr.umich.edu/rcgd/

Established in 1948, the In

stitute for Social Research (ISR) is among the world’s oldest survey research organizations, and a world leader in the development and application of social science methodology. ISR conducts some of the most widely-cited studies in the nation, including the Survey of Consumer Attitudes, the National Election Studies, the Monitoring the Future Study, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Health and Retirement Study, the Columbia County Longitudinal Study, and the National Survey of Black Americans. ISR researchers also collaborate with social scientists in more than 60 nations on the World Values Surveys and other projects, and the Institute has established formal ties with universities in Poland, China, and South Africa. Visit the ISR Web site at www.isr.umich.edu for more information.

Institute for Social ResearchSchool of Social WorkDepartment of PsychologyCentral Campus maphttp://www.isr.umich.edu/rcgd/Survey of Consumer Attitudes