A positive psychology to cope with radicalisation and terrorism? A case study of the speech by Barack Obama at Cairo
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24310/espsiescpsi.v9i3.13219Keywords:
Positive Psychology, speech, Obama, radicalisation, terrorismAbstract
Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, coping with radicalisation and jihadist terrorism has been at the forefront of the domestic and foreign policy agendas in Western societies. During this time, the influence that political leaders can exert in their interaction with institutions, citizens, and terrorist organizations has been demonstrated. We present a case study of the speech by Barak Obama on June 4, 2009 at the University of Cairo (“A New Beginning”). Its content and internal structure is analysed using the classification of virtues and strengths defined by Peterson and Seligman (2004) as a theoretical and conceptual reference within the framework of positive psychology. This speech marked a turning point in the relationship between the USA and the Arab-Muslim world and could be considered to be a genuine exercise in positive communication. Its implications are yet to be determined, because it continues to exert an influence on the Obama administration’s domestic and foreign policy. In a globalized and networking world in which risks and adversities require innovative responses, more than ever we suggest that social communication capable of promoting virtues and strengths associated with optimism, hope, confidence, strength, or vitality is needed more than ever.
Downloads
Metrics
References
Asal, V. y Rethemeyer, R.K. (2008). The nature of the beast: Terrorist organizational characteristics and organizational lethality. Journal of Politics, 70, 437-49. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022381608080419
Bhatia, A. (2007). Religious metaphor in the discourse of illusion: George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden. World Englishes, 26, 507-524. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-971X.2007.00525.x
Coe, K. y Reitzes, M. (2010). Obama on the Stump: Features and Determinants of a Rhetorical Approach. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 40, 391-413. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5705.2010.03777.x
Coyne, J.C., y Tennen, H. (2010). Positive psychology in cancer care: Bad science, exaggerated claims, and unproven medicine. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 39,16-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-009-9154-z
De Castella, K., McGarty, C. y Musgrove, L. (2009). Fear Appeals in Political Rhetoric about Terrorism: An Analysis of Speeches by Australian Prime Minister Howard. Political Psychology, 30, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2008.00678.x
Fawaz, G. (2012). The Obama Approach to the Middle East: The end of the American Moment? The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 89 (2). Recuperado de https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/ia/archive/view/189843
Gable, S. L. y Haid, J. (2005). What (and Why) Is Positive Psychology? Review of General Psychology, 9, 103-110. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.103
Gambetta, G. (2005). Making Sense of Suicide Missions. New York: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprofioso/9780199276998.001.0001
Hall, J.A., Coats, E.J., y LeBeau, L. S. (2005). Nonverbal behavior and the vertical dimensions of social relations: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 131, 898-924. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.898
Hall, J.A., Schmid Mast, M. y Latu, I. (2015). The vertical dimension of social relations and accurate interpersonal perception: A meta-analysis. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 39, 131-163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10919-014-0205-1
Indik, M., Liberthal, K. y O’Hanlon, M. (2010). Bending History. Barack Obama’s Foreign Policy. Maryland: Brooking Institution Press.
Jervis, R. (2003). Understanding the Bush Doctrine. Political Science Quarterly, 118, 365-388. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1538-165X.2003.tb00398.x
Kellner, D. (2007). Bushspeak and the Politics of Lying: Presidential Rhetoric in the “War on Terror”. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 37, 622–645. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5705.2007.02617.x
Kienpointner, M. (2013). Strategic maneuvering in the political rhetoric of Barack Obama. Journal of Language and Politics, 12, 357-377. https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.12.3.03kie
Krippendorf, K. (2013). Content Analysis: An Introduction to its methodology. Londres: SAGE.
Kruglanski, A.W., Crenshaw, M., Post, J.M., y Victoroff, J. (2008). What Should This Fight Be Called? Metaphors of Counterterrorism and Their Implications. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 8, 97-133. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6053.2008.00035.x
Kruglanski, A. W., Gelfand, M., Bélanger, J. J., Sheveland, A., Hettiarachchi, M., y Gunaratna, R. (2014). The Psychology of Radicalization and Deradicalization: How Significance Quest Impacts Violent Extremism. Advances in Political Psychology, 35, 9-93. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12163
Lazarus, R. S. (2003). Does the positive psychology movement have legs? Psychological Inquiry, 14, 93-109. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1402_02
Lewis, P.M. (2009). La doctrina Obama: un análisis del discurso de Obama en El Cairo. Estudios Internacionales, 163, 129-133.
López, F. (2002). El análisis de contenido como método de investigación. XXI, Revista de Educación, 4, 169-179.
Lum, C., Kennedy, L. y Sherley, A. (2008). Is counterterrorism policy evidence-based? What works, what harms, and what is unknown. Psicothema, 20, 35-42.
Meyers, M.C., Van Woerkom, M., y Bakker, A.B. (2013). The added value of the positive: A literature review of positive psychology interventions in organizations. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22, 618-632. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2012.694689
Miller, A. (2008), A Critique of Positive Psychology—or ‘The New Science of Happiness’. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 42, 591–608. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9752.2008.00646.x
Mohammed, D., y Zarefsky, D. (2014). Pragma-Dialectical Analysis of Rhetorical Texts: The Case of Barack Obama in Cairo. Rhetorical Perspectives on Argumentation, 24, 253-265. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05485-8_20
Moyano, M., y Trujillo, H.M. (2013). Radicalización islamista y terrorismo. Claves psicosociales. Granada: Editorial de la Universidad de Granada, EUG.
Pérez-Álvarez, M. (2012). La Psicología Positiva: una moda simpática. Papeles del Psicólogo, 33, 183-201.
Peterson, C., y Seligman, M.E.P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Pyszczynski, T., Abdollahi, A., Solomon, S., Greenberg, J., Cohen, F., y Weise, D. (2006). Mortality salience, martyrdom, and military might: The Great Satan versus the axis of evil. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 525-537.https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205282157
Renshon, S.A., y Suedfield, P. (Eds.) (2007). Understand-ing the Bush Doctrine: Psychology and Strategy in an Age of Terrorism. New York-London: Routledge. Taylor & Francis Group.
Seligman, M.E.P. (2003). La auténtica felicidad. Barcelona, Ediciones Vergara.
Seligman, M.E.P., y Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14.
Seligman, M.E.P., Rashid, T. y Parks, A.C. (2006). Positive Psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 61, 774-788. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.8.774
Skidmore, D. (2012). The Obama Presidency and US Foreign Policy: Where is the Multilateralism? International Studies Perspective, 13, 43-64. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-3585.2011.00454.x
Soriano, M.L. (2014). Tres frentes del discurso de Barack Obama en el ámbito del derecho y la política: los aliados, los musulmanes y los inmigrantes. Revista Internacional de Pensamiento Político, 9, 105-124.
Stern, J. (2004). Terror in the name of God. New York, NY: Ecco.
Vázquez, C. (2013). La psicología positiva y sus enemigos: una réplica en base a la evidencia científica. Papeles del Psicólogo, 34, 91-115.
Vázquez, C. y Hervás, G. (Eds.) (2008). Psicología positiva aplicada. Bilbao: DDB.
Victoroff, J. (2005). The mind of the terrorist. A review and critique of psychological approaches. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 49, 3-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022002704272040
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
All contents published in Escritos de Psicología are protected under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. All about this license is available in the following link: <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0>
Users can copy, use, redistribute, share and exhibit publicly as long as:
- The original source and authorship of the material are cited (Journal, Publisher and URL of the work).
- It is not used for comercial purposes.
- The existence of the license and its especifications are mentioned.
There are two sets of authors’ rights: moral and property rights. Moral rights are perpetual prerogatives, unrenounceable, not-transferable, unalienable, imprescriptible and inembargable. According to authors’ rights legislation, Escritos de Psicología recognizes and respects authors moral rights, as well as the ownership of property rights. The property rights are referred to the benefits that are gained by the use or the dissemination of works. Escritos de Psicología is published in an open access form and it is exclusively licenced by any means for doing or authorising distribution, dissemination, reproduction, , adaptation, translation or arrangement of works.
Authors are responsable for obtaining the necessary permission to use copyrighted images.
10.png)
ESCRITOS DE PSICOLOGÍA por 