Terrorists and their acts can be identified as irrational on the basis of (1) a consistent failure to define or emphasize sought after political goals in their public rhetoric, (2) an ability to resort to their own self-confirming code of behavior, and (3) the act of terrorism itself being an ultimate satisfaction. Within irrational terrorism, six categories can be defined in which terror has as its goals personality fulfillment or transformation, hatred, majority acceptance, nonpolitical power-seeking, or faddism. Politically motivated forms of terrorism offer some prospects for either resolution of conflict management because rational categories can produce rational responses. In irrational terrorism, there is little prospect for dealing with the phenomenon rationally. Further, open societies provide social and political conditions conducive to irrational terrorism. Because causal or conditional factors associated with irrational terrorism can neither be preempted nor prevented, the best that is achievable is to maximize damage control efforts aimed at management rather than resolution. 18 notes.