Terrorist Identification: Breivik's Casus as a Methodological Case

The article deals with the problem of terrorism as the most radical kind of extremist practice. The aim of the article is to reveal the nature of terrorism in the context of the terrorist activity agent's identity peculiarities. Despite the spread of terrorism in the modern world, a general methodological programme of research of this phenomenon has not yet been formed. Meanwhile, the lack of theoretical consolidation in various areas of humanities does not allow to develop an effective methodology for counterterrorism efforts. The scientific novelty of the authors' approach is that terrorism is considered both in connection with external factors and with internal components of the identity structure of a terrorist. The methodological foundation of the study is an identity model the authors developed. The empirical basis of the study is materials related to the extremist activity, political views and childhood of Andres Breivik, published in Russian and foreign media. The study is structured as follows: primarily, attention is paid to the difficulties of conceptualisation and the lack of a unified approach to the understanding of terrorism and extremism. The methodological effectiveness of the position, which emphasises the inextricable link between extremism and terrorism, is substantiated. Further, the authors turn to the conceptions, revealing the foundations and causes of terrorism, which allows them to denote their own research strategy. The nature of terrorism is revealed in the context of the following understanding of the identity structure. Firstly, it is formed in the process of communication. Secondly, identity has a "solid core" represented by personal identity. Thirdly, its structure is a system of interrelated types and levels and is similar to a "matryoshka". Within the framework of the proposed model, the authors made the following conclusions regarding the identity of the agent of extremism and terrorism. Extremist and terrorist activity is a specific form of collective communication which excludes the individual level. In addition, in the structure of the terrorists' "matryoshka", there is no crucial part-personal identity-which is responsible for the stability of identity as an integral system. The result of the study is the conclusion that the terrorist's self-identification is built on the basis of belonging to a group and the denial of the Other, and that the value system choice is not a personal choice. Besides, education and mental health do not guarantee opposition to extremist ideas. The problem of motivations, as the authors show, lies in the very structure of identity. The authors' concept is illustrated by the example of Anders Breivik. The analysis of information materials covering the terrorist act he organised, his political views, as well as his childhood, allowed to confirm the identified features that characterise the nature and motives of the agent of terrorism.

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