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By Aubrey Immelman

Scheduled for release Oct. 11, 2001

Preliminary findings indicate that Mohamed Atta fits the "puritanical compulsive" profile. One of the most pertinent diagnostic indicators in media reports is Peter Finn's observation that "[Atta] seemed more serious and aloof to those who had known him before" ("A fanatic’s quiet path to terror," Washington Post, Sept. 22, 2001, p. A1). Atta's seriousness likely reflects a highly conscientious, obsessive-compulsive character pattern, whereas his reported aloofness is probably indicative of a solitary, deeply introverted schizoid tendency. This "true believer" personality amalgam stands in stark contrast to the grandiose, malignant narcissism of a mastermind such as Osama bin Laden, who seems motivated by personal dreams of glory and, unlike Atta, fundamentally lacking a coherent set of core values.

These clinical impressions are generally confirmed by John Cloud's "Atta’s Odyssey" in the Oct. 8, 2001 issue of Time magazine.  This article, rich with psychodiagnostically relevant observations, offers copious evidence of obsessive-compulsive and schizoid tendencies, along with suggestive evidence of avoidant and masochistic traits.

There is no evidence of antisocial, sadistic, or narcissistic tendencies in Atta's profile, and very little evidence of true paranoia beyond the socially constructed "shared delusional elements" that one would expect of someone with an ideologically extreme, fundamentalist belief system and value orientation. 

Page maintained by Aubrey Immelman

www.csbsju.edu/Research/Atta.html

Last updated October 05, 2001