The basic types of violence — direct, structural, cultural and all their forms are distinguished. The author shows causes of terrorism as a form of aggressive behavior, describes social background of terrorist behavior and analyzes personality traits peculiar to terrorists.

The article regards terrorism as a psychological mechanism that satisfies a number of human needs in a certain way. The authors analyze the following psychological drives of the terrorists: the death instinct, aggression, and the needs for communication, security, new experiences, selfactualization, and selfidentity.

The article examines the relationship between the spread of terrorism and the transformation processes of self-identity in contemporary society. On the example of comparing the post"modern world and fundamentalist ideology shows the contradictory nature of changing patterns of identification.

The problems of interconnection between mass media and the negative effects of terrorism are analyzed, as well as the media’s role in the process of their monitoring and reduction. It is shown that to counter terrorism effectively it is not enough to have knowledge only about the differentiation of terrorism and its purposes. It is needed to consider this type of crime in terms of its psychological and social consequences for individuals and society.

In article the critical analysis of a condition of working out of a problem terrorism in psychology is given. The new approach to understanding of essence of terrorism, ways of its preventive maintenance and suppression is proved.

The problems of interconnection between mass media and the negative effects of terrorism are analyzed, as well as the media's role in the process of their monitoring and reduction. It is shown that to counter terrorism effectively it is not enough to have knowledge only about the differentiation of terrorism and its purposes. It is needed to consider this type of crime in terms of its psychological and social consequences for individuals and society.

The nature of terrorism as an extreme situation in modern risk society of is analysed. The interconnection between terrorism and xenophobia, discrimination and the spread of intolerance attitudes are shown. Possible ways of searching for effective measures to manage xenophobia risk, combating the ideology of terrorism and accepting tolerance as an essential basis of interaction between individuals and groups in society.

The system dynamic model of security as a type of activity performance is described. The model is constructed in relation to the national psychology methodological traditions (cultural, historical, historical and evolutionary approaches and also activity approach), which allows to apply the heuristic potential of these approaches to the study of topical issues of human security, society and state.