Abstract:
The United States is not immune to the threat of homegrown jihadist terrorism. The issue demands more attention with each successful attack. Identifying individuals before they radicalize and commit acts of violence is a significant challenge. This study advances that effort by analyzing strain among homegrown jihadist terrorists. Although it is widely assumed that the lives of homegrown jihadist terrorists are uniquely different, the results show otherwise. The most common pressures and stresses experienced by terrorists are very much the same as other Americans and Muslim Americans. Clarifying these misconceptions will help eliminate biases and guide counterterrorism strategy towards evidence based solutions.
