John G. Horgan (born 1974) is a Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at

Georgia State University Georgia State University (Georgia State, State, or GSU) is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1913, it is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities. It is also the largest institution of hig ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He studies involvement and engagement with

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

, with a focus on disengagement and deradicalisation from terrorist movements. He has been described by the European Eye on Radicalization research group as the "world’s most distinguished expert in the psychology of terrorism". Since 2019, Horgan has been leading a team of researchers funded by the

U.S. Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

to research the

incel An incel ( , an abbreviation of "involuntary celibate") is a member of an online subculture of people who define themselves as unable to get a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one. Discussions in incel forums are often character ...

subculture.

Life and education

Horgan is a native of

Castleisland Castleisland () is a town and commercial centre in County Kerry in south west Ireland. The town is known for the width of its main street. As of the 2016 Census, Castleisland had a population of 2,486. Castleisland was described by one of its ...

, County Kerry, in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...

. Horgan was awarded his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in applied psychology in 2000 by

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one ...

. While in Ireland, he spent several years conducting detailed research on Irish Republican movements, and published several articles on the fundraising activities of the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...

Research and teaching

Horgan is a Distinguished University Professor of Psychology at Georgia State University, where he leads the Violent Extremism Research Group. He has previously held positions at the

University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of Massachusetts public ...

, Pennsylvania State University, and the

University of St Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...

. While at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell he directed their Center for Terrorism & Security Studies; while at Pennsylvania State University, he directed for their International Center for the Study of Terrorism. In 2006, Horgan became a recipient of an Airey Neave Trust Fellowship Award, and he has since been awarded multiple grants for his research on terrorist behaviour. In 2010, following his consultancy work with the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

Behavioral Analysis Unit The Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) is a department of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) that uses behavioral analysts to assist in criminal investigations. The mission of the NCAVC ...

(BAU), he was appointed to the Research Advisory Board of the FBI's

National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime The National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) is a specialist FBI department. The NCAVC's role is to coordinate investigative and operational support functions, criminological research, and training in order to provide assistan ...

(NCAVC) until its official disbandment in 2012. In August 2012 he became a member of the new NCAVC Research Working Group. In 2019, Horgan and a group of researchers at Georgia State University were awarded $250,000 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to research the growth and spread of the

subculture, a group that Horgan described as "one of the purest hotbeds of Internet radicalisation I’ve ever seen".

Writing and editing

Horgan has extensively researched involvement and engagement in terrorism. Some of his research on this subject was published in the journals ''

Terrorism and Political Violence ''Terrorism and Political Violence'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering terrorism and counter-terrorism published by Routledge. It was established in 1989 by David C. Rapoport (University of California, Los Angeles), who remains editor- ...

'', ''

Studies in Conflict & Terrorism ''Studies in Conflict & Terrorism'' is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on terrorism and insurgency. It was established in 1977 as ''Terrorism'', obtaining its current name in 1992 when ''Terrorism'' was merged with anothe ...

'', ''The Georgetown Journal of International Affairs'', and ''Dynamics of Asymmetric Conflict''. Horgan has written several books on terrorism, including ''The Psychology of Terrorism'' (2005 and 2014), ''Divided We Stand: The Strategy and Psychology of Ireland's Dissident Terrorists'' (2012), and ''The Future of Terrorism'' (1999, with Max Taylor). Horgan is editor of the journal ''Terrorism and Political Violence.'' He serves on the editorial boards of several journals including ''Studies in Conflict & Terrorism'', ''

Journal of Strategic Security The Henley-Putnam School of Strategic Security, previously Henley-Putnam University, is an online school within National American University focusing on intelligence management, counterterrorism studies and protection management. Henley-Putnam off ...

'', and '' Legal and Criminological Psychology''.

Books

* Horgan, J. (2014). ''The Psychology of Terrorism'', 2nd Edition. London: Routledge. * Horgan, J. (2013). ''Divided We Stand: The Psychology and Strategy of Ireland's Dissident Terrorists''. New York: Oxford University Press. * Horgan, J. and Braddock, K. (2011)''Terrorism: A Reader''. London and New York: Routledge. * Horgan, J. (2009). ''Walking Away from Terrorism: Accounts of Disengagement from Radical and Extremist Movements''. London and New York: Routledge. * Bjorgo, T. and Horgan, J. (Eds.) (2009). ''Leaving Terrorism Behind: Individual and Collective Disengagement''. London: Routledge. * Horgan, J. (2005). ''Psychology of Terrorism''. London: Routledge. * Taylor, M. and Horgan, J. (Eds.) (2000). ''The Future of Terrorism''. London: Frank Cass & Co.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horgan, John 1974 births Living people Irish psychologists Alumni of University College Cork People from Castleisland University of Massachusetts Lowell faculty Georgia State University faculty Pennsylvania State University faculty Academics of the University of St Andrews Forensic psychologists Irish political scientists Political psychologists