The Experts below are selected from a list of 4524 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Jack Levin - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Covering Mass Murder: An Experimental Examination of the Effect of News Focus—Killer, Victim, or Hero—on Reader Interest:
American Behavioral Scientist, 2018Co-Authors: Jack Levin, Julie B. WiestAbstract:Journalists often assume that consumers are drawn to stories of Mass Murder because of their morbid curiosity. As a result, cable television reports and news stories tend to focus on details of the...
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covering Mass Murder an experimental examination of the effect of news focus killer victim or hero on reader interest
American Behavioral Scientist, 2018Co-Authors: Jack Levin, Julie B. WiestAbstract:Journalists often assume that consumers are drawn to stories of Mass Murder because of their morbid curiosity. As a result, cable television reports and news stories tend to focus on details of the...
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Mass Murder in perspective guest editor s introduction
Homicide Studies, 2014Co-Authors: Jack LevinAbstract:Police reports are filled with familiar cases of homicide—those in which a killer takes the life of a single victim after having a heated argument that escalates into a physical attack. Two men in a bar have a verbal exchange; one pulls out a gun and shoots the other. Or, a married couple argues at home. One takes a knife from the kitchen drawer and stabs to death his partner. Or, a teenager shoots a rival gang member after feeling disrespected by a challenging glance or an obscenity shouted in his direction. This special issue of Homicide Studies goes beyond the more traditional and mundane cases of single-victim homicide to examine the causes, characteristics, and consequences of a type of Murder that is relatively rare but also extremely consequential. The articles in this issue focus on Mass Murder—incidents of multiple homicide in which a number of victims are slain simultaneously in one or two locations.
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Mass Murder in Perspective: Guest Editor’s Introduction
Homicide Studies, 2013Co-Authors: Jack LevinAbstract:Police reports are filled with familiar cases of homicide—those in which a killer takes the life of a single victim after having a heated argument that escalates into a physical attack. Two men in a bar have a verbal exchange; one pulls out a gun and shoots the other. Or, a married couple argues at home. One takes a knife from the kitchen drawer and stabs to death his partner. Or, a teenager shoots a rival gang member after feeling disrespected by a challenging glance or an obscenity shouted in his direction. This special issue of Homicide Studies goes beyond the more traditional and mundane cases of single-victim homicide to examine the causes, characteristics, and consequences of a type of Murder that is relatively rare but also extremely consequential. The articles in this issue focus on Mass Murder—incidents of multiple homicide in which a number of victims are slain simultaneously in one or two locations.
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Capitol Hill Mass Murder Case
Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 2007Co-Authors: James Alan Fox, Jack Levin, Ann Wolbert Burgess, Marleen Wong, Allen G. BurgessAbstract:In the early morning of March 25, 2006, 28-year-old Kyle Huff shot eight young men and women, six of them fatally, at a rave after-party on East Republican Street in the Capitol Hill section of Seattle. The gunman, a transplant fromMontana, then committed suicide just as the police arrived on the scene. Because of the perpetrator’s suicide, there was no need for a detailed investigation leading to prosecution. Though closed in a legal sense, the bewildering case was not solved or fully understood. And yet, manymembers of the Seattle community desired answers to the many perplexing questions that lingered regarding the gunman’s motives, method, and state of mind. This article reports the findings of a special panel convened by the Seattle police chief to try to answer some of the questions. We discuss the community response to the crisis and trauma experienced by the survivors and family members; precipitants and warning signs of Mass Murder; influence of raves, ravers, and Ecstasy; posttraumatic stress disorder; and the Harborview Medical Center Child Traumatic Stress Program. [Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 7:127–150 (2007)]
J. Reid Meloy - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mass Murder and the Violent Paranoid Spectrum
Psychiatric Annals, 2014Co-Authors: James L. Knoll, J. Reid MeloyAbstract:Mass Murderers who capture media attention often appear to be suffering from psychosis. However, no research has clearly established that most are psychotic or even suffering from a serious mental illness (SMI). In contrast, individual case studies examining the psychological makeup of Mass Murderers often reveal paranoid themes in their cognitions. For example, many have been found to be preoccupied with feelings of social persecution and revenge against their perceived tormentors. In addition, they share an inability to accept their apparent circumstances and choose to obliterate reality with an act of violent revenge. In this article, it is suggested that the psychology of paranoid Mass Murderers can be understood as existing on a continuum of paranoia ranging from mistrust to frank paranoid delusions. This can be demonstrated by careful forensic psycholinguistic analysis of the communications they frequently leave behind. Finally, this article seeks to outline a psychoanalytically informed cognitive progression seen in paranoid spectrum Mass Murderers in the hopes of delineating stages for earlier recognition and possible intervention.
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The Seven Myths of Mass Murder
Violence and Gender, 2014Co-Authors: J. Reid MeloyAbstract:It is important to note public misconceptions about the rare and frightening act of Mass Murder. This article sheds some light on what the author considers the 7 myths of Mass Murder.
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A Female Mass Murder
Journal of forensic sciences, 2011Co-Authors: Kostas A. Katsavdakis, J. Reid Meloy, Stephen G. WhiteAbstract:Keywords:forensic science;Mass Murder;female;targeted violence;threat assessment;workplace violence Abstract: A case study of a 44-year-old woman who committed a Mass Murder is presented. Following a chronic course of psychotic deterioration, and a likely diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia that remained untreated, she returned to her workplace after 3 years from her termination and killed seven people and herself. Her history is reconstructed through investigation of primary and secondary source materials. Although there are very few female Mass Murderers in recorded criminal history, this case is quite similar to the known research on Mass Murderers in general. Such individuals often have a psychotic disorder evident in violent and paranoid delusions, show a deteriorating life course before the Mass Murder, intentionally plan and prepare for their assault, and methodically kill as many individuals as possible before taking their own lives. They typically do not directly threaten the target beforehand, but do leak their intent to third parties�however, in this case, leakage and other obvious warning behaviors did not occur. Such acts are impossible to predict but depend on threat management and target security for risk mitigation.
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Offender and offense characteristics of a nonrandom sample of adolescent Mass Murderers.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2001Co-Authors: J. Reid Meloy, Anthony G. Hempel, Kris Mohandie, Andrew Shiva, B. Thomas GrayAbstract:ABSTRACT Objective The authors conducted a descriptive, archival study of adolescent (≤19 years of age) Mass Murderers—subjects who intentionally killed three or more victims in one event—to identify demographic, clinical, and forensic characteristics. Method A nonrandom sample of convenience of adolescent Mass Murderers was utilized. Results Thirty-four subjects, acting alone or in pairs, committed 27 Mass Murders between 1958 and 1999. The sample consisted of males with a median age of 17. A majority were described as "loners" and abused alcohol or drugs; almost half were bullied by others, preoccupied with violent fantasy, and violent by history. Although 23% had a documented psychiatric history, only 6% were judged to have been psychotic at the time of the Mass Murder. Depressive symptoms and historical antisocial behaviors were predominant. There was a precipitating event in most cases—usually a perceived failure in love or school—and most subjects made threatening statements regarding the Mass Murder to third parties. The majority of the sample clustered into three types: the family annihilator, the classroom avenger, and the criminal opportunist. Conclusions The adolescent Mass Murderer is often predatorily rather than affectively violent and typically does not show any sudden or highly emotional warning signs. Although the act of Mass Murder is virtually impossible to predict because of its extremely low frequency, certain clinical and forensic findings can alert the clinician to the need for further, intensified primary care, including family, school, community, law enforcement, and mental health intervention.
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Predatory violence during Mass Murder.
Journal of forensic sciences, 1997Co-Authors: J. Reid MeloyAbstract:A case of Mass Murder by a 35-year old male is reported. Following a week of separation from his spouse and temporary loss of custody of his son, the subject went to his wife's worksite and Murdered her and the store manager, wounded a passerby in a car, and Murdered a police officer arriving on the scene. Weapons used were a .32 caliber revolver, a 9-mm pistol, a 7.62-mm assault rifle, and a .50-caliber rifle. The fact pattern of the case is shown to be quite consistent with a predatory mode of aggression-violence that is planned, purposeful, emotionless, and not preceded by autonomic arousal. The forensic importance of considering mode of violence, whether predatory or affective, independently of psychiatric diagnosis, is emphasized.
Kurt Audenaert - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Predatory violence aiming at relief in a case of Mass Murder: Meloy's criteria for applied forensic practice
Behavioral sciences & the law, 2011Co-Authors: Frédéric Declercq, Kurt AudenaertAbstract:Mass Murder is the result of the complex interaction of several factors. What seems ubiquitous within Mass Murder are extreme feelings of anger and revenge. Yet despite these intense affective states, Mass Murders are, as a rule, not behaviorally impulsive, but rather prepared. The presence of extreme hate and anger evokes an impulsive outburst of rage, whereas planning and premeditation point in the direction of a cognitive, rather unemotional deed. This inconsistency is also reflected in reports of offenders' emotional states during the execution of their crimes: while some Mass Murderers have been described as calm, focused and emotionless during the events, others have shown signs of hostility, confusion, and distress. Considering Mass Murder from the perspective of its violence mode might shed some light on its nature and dynamics. With respect to the differentiation between affective and predatory violence, Meloy (1988) developed a model for applied forensic practice. The fully documented case of Mass Murder discussed in this study contains nine indices of predatory violence and one of affective violence. Furious affects of hate and anger were present but appeared to precede the cold-blooded killings. As a matter of fact, it is argued that the offender carried out the predatory Murder in order to alleviate the psychological tension and symptoms generated by these severe ego-dystonic affects. The offender thus didn't seem to strive for narcissistic gratification of omnipotence, but rather seemed to aim to solve a problem.
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A case of Mass Murder: Personality disorder, psychopathology and violence mode
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2011Co-Authors: Frédéric Declercq, Kurt AudenaertAbstract:This paper presents a fully documented case of a Mass Murder. The offender willingly underwent a psychological assessment and discussed his motivation and subjective experience of the slaying. The researchers also had access to the official records maintained by criminal justice entities. The data thus were gathered from both interviews with the offender and a review of the official record. The diagnosed borderline personality disorder was coherent with the offender's pervasive feelings of loneliness, the lack of availability of the attachment figure in childhood and the clinical depression during the incubation phase of the Murders. The ruminations about revenge appeared to be compulsive and ego-dystonic, which is in line with what has emerged as the goal of predatory violence, namely relief. The crime also grew out of the offender's perception of himself as a powerless victim of a malevolent world and his systematic rejection of responsibility. The mild psychopathic dimension that was found may characterize the anxious, secondary psychopath.
Frédéric Declercq - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Predatory violence aiming at relief in a case of Mass Murder: Meloy's criteria for applied forensic practice
Behavioral sciences & the law, 2011Co-Authors: Frédéric Declercq, Kurt AudenaertAbstract:Mass Murder is the result of the complex interaction of several factors. What seems ubiquitous within Mass Murder are extreme feelings of anger and revenge. Yet despite these intense affective states, Mass Murders are, as a rule, not behaviorally impulsive, but rather prepared. The presence of extreme hate and anger evokes an impulsive outburst of rage, whereas planning and premeditation point in the direction of a cognitive, rather unemotional deed. This inconsistency is also reflected in reports of offenders' emotional states during the execution of their crimes: while some Mass Murderers have been described as calm, focused and emotionless during the events, others have shown signs of hostility, confusion, and distress. Considering Mass Murder from the perspective of its violence mode might shed some light on its nature and dynamics. With respect to the differentiation between affective and predatory violence, Meloy (1988) developed a model for applied forensic practice. The fully documented case of Mass Murder discussed in this study contains nine indices of predatory violence and one of affective violence. Furious affects of hate and anger were present but appeared to precede the cold-blooded killings. As a matter of fact, it is argued that the offender carried out the predatory Murder in order to alleviate the psychological tension and symptoms generated by these severe ego-dystonic affects. The offender thus didn't seem to strive for narcissistic gratification of omnipotence, but rather seemed to aim to solve a problem.
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A case of Mass Murder: Personality disorder, psychopathology and violence mode
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2011Co-Authors: Frédéric Declercq, Kurt AudenaertAbstract:This paper presents a fully documented case of a Mass Murder. The offender willingly underwent a psychological assessment and discussed his motivation and subjective experience of the slaying. The researchers also had access to the official records maintained by criminal justice entities. The data thus were gathered from both interviews with the offender and a review of the official record. The diagnosed borderline personality disorder was coherent with the offender's pervasive feelings of loneliness, the lack of availability of the attachment figure in childhood and the clinical depression during the incubation phase of the Murders. The ruminations about revenge appeared to be compulsive and ego-dystonic, which is in line with what has emerged as the goal of predatory violence, namely relief. The crime also grew out of the offender's perception of himself as a powerless victim of a malevolent world and his systematic rejection of responsibility. The mild psychopathic dimension that was found may characterize the anxious, secondary psychopath.
George B. Palermo - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Mass Murder, Suicide, and Moral Development: Can We Separate the Adults from the Juveniles?:
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 1999Co-Authors: George B. Palermo, Lee E. RossAbstract:Mass Murder—the sudden, explosive killing of a group of people—when committed by adults often is followed by the offender committing suicide. Recently in the United States, frequent cases of Mass Murder are reported as committed by adolescents. However, among juvenile Mass Murderers, there are no reported suicides (or attempts) by the offenders. This article provides a typology of Mass Murderers and offers a dynamic interpretation of the development of conscience and moral decisional capacity in adult and juvenile offenders. Preventive measures are explored along with methodological techniques that may distinguish between adult and juvenile Mass Murderers in their propensity to commit suicide after the events.
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The berserk syndrome: A review of Mass Murder
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 1997Co-Authors: George B. PalermoAbstract:Abstract In discussing the problem of Mass Murder, an ever increasing expression of violence in society, the typology of the perpetrators of such crimes is presented. Illustrations of some of the most notorious killers are provided and the unique case of a Mass Murderer who left, as a suicide “note,” a videotaped soliloquy is presented. The dynamics of Mass Murder and of Mass Murder-suicide are discussed; the killings are viewed as the outcome of deep frustration and perceived rejection in a highly narcissistic person, wounded in his ego, hostile towards society, and in search of identity and notoriety through a cathartic self assertion. Similarities are shown between the Mass Murderer and the mythological Norse “berserk” and it is speculated that the superman complex may be at the core of the killer's behavior. It is contended that the personal psychopathology of the killer is determinant of the destructive behavior, although social factors are highly contributory.