Thought is free to become deadly action.These are likely to be people who want to commit an act but would not normally do so for fear of the negative consequences. They would be people in intra-psychic conflict - or put simply "shall I or shan't I". But the psychological theory of differential identification says that copycats see these people as role models.The way the media report these events is crucial as it is important not to personify the people who commit these attacks. If the person who commits a terrorist attack is seen as a real person then people who share similar characteristics to the attackers - such as gender, age, or circumstances - can be triggered into copycat attacks.One of the key theories about social learning explains that we learn from other people rather than on our own.

When this happens, the mental conflict between urges and inhibitions may be resolved, resulting in a suicidal and possibly murderous mind being made up. Part of that phenomenon is role modelling but there is also a phenomenon of "disinhibition" which occurs when suicidal or murderous thoughts - inhibited by conscience, uncertainty or fear - are exposed to what is perceived as the positive consequences of suicide or murder. They are likely to feel that they are in a similar position to the earlier attackers either psychologically or socially or by being part of a similar group. I would not want anyone to assume that this means it must be people from Leeds or who are Muslims. In the weeks following a terrorist attack there is a greater likelihood that there will be further terrorist incidents in that area. Just after 11 September a young boy crashed a small plane into a building in Florida.Copycat events tend to peak around 10 days to two weeks after the first incident.

We don't know why, that's just what the statistics show us.The people who commit copycat attacks tend to share characteristics with the first attackers. The chances of there being attacks on one bus and three Tubes at the same time would be very small if it wasn't linked in some way to the attacks of a fortnight ago. Am I surprised? No I am not. There is evidence that terrorism is a copycat phenomenon. These explosions certainly have all the hallmarks of a copycat incident. If silly semantical niceties are deemed worthy to soften the sense of rejection of a departing Secretary of State for Education, would it be such a terrible thing if they cushioned small children from the misery of a flunked exam?. When one day Mr Blair or Gordon Brown wearies of Ms Kelly, the Prime Ministerial letter accepting her "resignation" will avoid any hint of the F word. Quite the reverse, it will thank her profusely for her many outstanding achievements, and express the hope that that she will eventually return to high office.