What motivates a suicide bomber? Professor Arie W. Kruglanski of the University of Maryland, College Park, examines recent analyses of the motivations for suicidal terrorism and suggests that factors identified as personal causes of suicidal terrorism, the various ideological reasons assumed to justify it, and the social pressures brought upon candidates for suicidal terrorism may be provide an integrative framework that explains diverse instances of suicidal terrorism as attempts at significance restoration, significance gain, and prevention of significance loss. (#15142)