Author on Terrorism Paints Vivid Profile of Typical Zealot

IRVINE —  The average terrorist is patient, not too bright and motivated by a deep desire for revenge, a renowned expert in the field said Wednesday at UC Irvine.

Martha Crenshaw, professor of government and director of the Public Affairs Center at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., spoke before an audience of about 70 people on “What Psychology Can Contribute to Understanding Terrorism.”

“Vengeance is a very driving, gripping, primitive sort of emotion, but it is a very powerful motive for violence against other people,” she said.

Crenshaw, who has written two books and more than two dozen articles on terrorism, said terrorists also “tend to be bored and frustrated with talk and debate. . . . They aren’t intellectuals or philosophers. They are people who want action above all else.”

Although she warned that there are no absolute psychological makeups for terrorists and that their goals vary greatly, Crenshaw said many people join terrorist groups in search of an identity.

Crenshaw’s lecture Wednesday night was part of a continuing series of discussions on terrorism sponsored by UCI’s Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies.

Larry Howard, a lecturer in the program and coordinator of the series, said more than $1 million has been pledged or donated to the program.

The terrorism series, which will continue through May, 1990, was underwritten by a $20,000 gift from Thomas and Elizabeth Tierney of Santa Ana Heights, early supporters of the interdisciplinary Global Peace and Conflict Program. The couple have also contributed $400,000.