Low-level terrorist groups restrained their methods to fit their self-image as armies

Evidence

The IRA generally restricts its activities to the traditional methods of terrorism and guerrilla warfare—selective assassinations, bombings, troop ambushes, sniper fire—that accord with its self-image as an army against the British. The RAF, on the contrary, progressed to kidnappings and hijackings in order to compel the government to release imprisoned fellow terrorists. This form of bargaining with governments has since 1968 represented a significant innovation in terrorist strategies. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4078

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to organizational identity shaping strategic choice — parallels how institutions adopt tactics consistent with their self-conception, like armies vs. criminal gangs. — connects to: Terrorist leaders are constrained to ideological conformity by their followers’ expectations. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology: Key Readings, 4158