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Many issues and problems surround the conceptualization of terrorism. Most definitions of the term are indefensible if only because they do not speak to those issues and problems. An assessment of contending definitions can transcend purely personal opinions; and an assessment can be undertaken without a theory, even though an impressive theory is the ultimate justification of its constituent definitions. The present conceptualization goes beyond a definition of terrorism by emphasizing the definition's bearing on five major conceptual questions, each of which introduces a major issue and/or problem. Then it is argued that thinking of terrorism and other sociological phenomena in terms of control promotes recognition of logical connections and/or empirical associations, each of which could become a component of a theory.
Jack P. Gibbs (Thu,) studied this question.