Terrorism Is Rational Choice Model

One of the theories that can be used to explain terrorism is rational choice model. According to Barnard et al. (2015) rational choice theory was developed in 1986 by Derek Cornish and Ronald Clarke. This theory assumes that offenders evaluate the cost and reward of committing a crime. The rational choice model presumes that intelligence and free will, discern that criminals to have limited rationality. Other most recent theories have examined situations and conditions in which a potential offender could commit a crime and they have concluded that offenders engaged in such calculated rational choice because they see the opportunity to commit a crime. The rational choice model also argued that people have the free will, which is the ability to choose whether or not they want to commit a crime while rational choice is the way in which information necessary to make decision to engage in a criminal act. There are other factors such as pain, pleasure, and punishment. In respects to pain and pleasure, rational choice theorist argued that people seek to maximize pleasure and minimize pain.
According to Barnard et al. (2015), in rational choice

The researcher also argued that rationality should be differentiated one the decision making level. Although these individuals decisions making might be rational on their own, these behaviors may still lead to unpredictable a uniform irrational behavior at the group level of the organization. Although the decision making process of terrorist organizations are intricate, the final decision making process involving attacks are not always the product of a rational decision process. The final decisions of terrorist attacks are normally the result of the individual decisions, providing no assurance on the rationality of the result even if the objectives of the individual do not contend with one