In The Cult of Osama, Psychiatrist Peter Olsson examines Osama bin Laden's early life experiences and explains, from a psychoanalytical perspective, how those created a mind filled with perverse rage at America, as well as why his way of thinking makes bin Laden in many cases a hero to Arab and Muslim youths. Many other writings totally demonize bin Laden, and therein strangely play into putting this troubled man onto a pedestal, says Olsson, who spent 25 years on a social psychological and psychoanalytical study of destructive cults and cult leaders. There are many journalistic, political, military, and intelligence books about bin Laden and his terror cult group. But this one offers a purely psychological and psychobiographical perspective on bin Laden and his mushrooming influence. Bin Laden's destructive Pied Piper appeal, leading youths to murder others and even themselves in suicide missions, stems from the peculiar and profoundly important synchrony of shared trauma and pain between bin Laden and Arab/Muslim youth, says Olsson. And we in the West neglect this topic, at our own peril.
Among the insights Olsson provides as he traces the psychological threads of narcissistic wounds and unresolved grief from Osama's childhood are the death of his father when Osama was 10, separation from his mother even earlier, the humiliation of Osama as the son of a slave in his father's household, and his lifelong search for a surrogate older brother and father figures among radical Islamist teachers and mentors. Olsson also spotlights the idea that Osama experienced dark epiphanies as a young adult which further magnified and focused his unresolved disappointments and narcissistic rage. This psychobiography of one of the world's most notorious terrorists, written by an Assistant Professor at Dartmouth Medical School, shows how understanding the psychohistory and mindset of bin Laden could help prevent the development and actions of home-grown American and Western terrorists and their cells.
Show moreIn The Cult of Osama, Psychiatrist Peter Olsson examines Osama bin Laden's early life experiences and explains, from a psychoanalytical perspective, how those created a mind filled with perverse rage at America, as well as why his way of thinking makes bin Laden in many cases a hero to Arab and Muslim youths. Many other writings totally demonize bin Laden, and therein strangely play into putting this troubled man onto a pedestal, says Olsson, who spent 25 years on a social psychological and psychoanalytical study of destructive cults and cult leaders. There are many journalistic, political, military, and intelligence books about bin Laden and his terror cult group. But this one offers a purely psychological and psychobiographical perspective on bin Laden and his mushrooming influence. Bin Laden's destructive Pied Piper appeal, leading youths to murder others and even themselves in suicide missions, stems from the peculiar and profoundly important synchrony of shared trauma and pain between bin Laden and Arab/Muslim youth, says Olsson. And we in the West neglect this topic, at our own peril.
Among the insights Olsson provides as he traces the psychological threads of narcissistic wounds and unresolved grief from Osama's childhood are the death of his father when Osama was 10, separation from his mother even earlier, the humiliation of Osama as the son of a slave in his father's household, and his lifelong search for a surrogate older brother and father figures among radical Islamist teachers and mentors. Olsson also spotlights the idea that Osama experienced dark epiphanies as a young adult which further magnified and focused his unresolved disappointments and narcissistic rage. This psychobiography of one of the world's most notorious terrorists, written by an Assistant Professor at Dartmouth Medical School, shows how understanding the psychohistory and mindset of bin Laden could help prevent the development and actions of home-grown American and Western terrorists and their cells.
Show more"Both scholar and psychoanalyst, with this in-depth study Dr. Olsson paints a picture, not only of what drives Osama Bin Laden, but also of what makes young people, both Muslim and non-Muslim, susceptible to his preaching. Dr. Olsson presents an approach to understanding terrorism that adds to our ability to fight this threat to our civilization." -- Althea J. Horner, Ph.D., Scientific Associate, The American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry, Associate Editor, Journal of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry. "It would be true enough to say that Peter Olsson has written a clinically astute and thoroughly researched book on Osama bin Laden and his zealous followers, but that would not go far enough. The Cult of Osama is in fact a gripping murder mystery on a global scale. Dr. Olsson's achievement is not only to demonstrate how Osama's life history set the stage for the unprecedented acts of terrorism on September 11, 2001, but also to demonstrate with equal authority the psychological fit between leader and followers, and further explore the process by which susceptible people are recruited and transformed into cult members. This is a work that synthesizes many fields of thought, and does so seamlessly, with a minimum of jargon." -- Howard F. Stein, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center "This exploration of Osama and his followers is an absorbing and fascinating read. The author demonstrates how the application of psychoanalytic thinking to large group phenomena and to the dark recesses of Osama's mind illuminates a matter of great urgency at a time when understanding has become essential for the world to live in harmony. I highly recommend it." -- Glen O. Gabbard, M.D., Brown Foundation Chair of Psychoanalysis and Professor of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine
PETER ALAN OLSSON, M.D., is a Psychiatrist at Monadnock Community Hospital, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School, and an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine. He practiced Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Houston for 25 years and in New Hampshire for eight years. His training and residency was completed at Baylor College of Medicine.
Olsson believes that delving into the mind of former US agent Osama
and into the minds of anyone who supports his opposition to US
hegemony, will help defeat terrorism. He also believes that Muslims
and Arabs cheered the September 11th attacks. His insights include
Osama's dark epiphany as prototype of Islamist leaders'
pathological narcissism, and Osama and company's apocalyptic
scenarios and rebellious group martyrdom in terror cults.
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