Posted on 02/07/2015 4:40:26 PM PST by ReformationFan
So, what causes someone to pick up a gun, walk on to a school campus, and start shooting people? Well, that’s not a question I sit around thinking about very often. But a recent online article in Aeon magazine has some insights that I think are worth sharing.
The article, entitled “Running Amok,” was written by Joseph Pierre, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA. In it, he surveys the clinical literature on the perpetrators of mass killings at places like Columbine High School and the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Pierre notes that in the aftermath of these killings, we try to identify some “offending agent,” such as “mental illness, guns, video games, [and] the media,” and then we “set up a kind of quarantine so that it can be banished from society and no longer threaten” us.
The problem is that none of these “offending agents” alone adequately explains these shootings. Pierre cited a paper published in the sadly-named journal “Homicide Studies” that examined these mass murders in depth.daily_commentary_02_06_15
The researchers concluded that “violent entertainment doesn’t seem to be a significant cause of mass murder.” They also concluded that neither “tighter gun control nor arming our schools are likely to reduce mass shootings.”
As for the psychological component, Pierre found that the risk factors associated with mass murder was “not necessarily the domain of mental illness, but rather the ‘psychiatry of everyday life’”—that is, the way we cope with life’s inevitable setbacks and obstacles.
And this is where culture comes in. One researcher has argued that “modern society, with its emphasis on individualism and the pursuit of material happiness, fosters narcissism.” And, in the suburban settings where nearly all the shootings have taken place, “self-worth is defined by the likes of socioeconomic status, achievements in competitive academics and athletics, and fashion.”
In this culture of narcissism, “affronts to self-esteem can be equated with threats to our very survival and … the typical response to such narcissistic injuries is a desire for revenge.”
Sadly, in suburban American parenting, the automatic response to an “affront to self-esteem” is more self-esteem. But Pierre and others suspect that the “promotion of unconditional self‑esteem of children in more affluent family structures instills a kind of”—here’s that word again—“entitlement.”
Instead of self-esteem being a reward for “good achievement or behavior,” feeling good about ourselves comes to be seen as something that the world and our peers owe us. In more extreme cases, “When the happiness and social status that one feels is deserved is not forthcoming, feelings of peer rejection, resentment and blame can become all-consuming.” Newsletter_Gen_180x180_B In the most extreme, and thankfully, extremely rare instances, it can turn violent.
Pierre asks parents to consider “re-assessing some of our cultural values and teach our children . . . how to resolve conflicts, and cope with loss.”
Agreed. But we also need to shape their expectations and get them past a sense of entitlement. They need to know that life is filled with pain, sickness, insults, and failures. And overcoming them is often difficult. Anyone who promises them otherwise is lying. Harsh words, but true.
Second, they need to know they’re not special—at least they are no more special than any other man, woman, or child made in the image of God. But they are loved. And that love—the source of true self-worth and happiness—is found at the foot of the cross.
Further Reading and Information
Self-Esteem, Entitlement, and Violence: Re-shaping Expectations
Morals were always taught to strengthen children's souls in order to resist evil.
But now, since morals are not looked on kindly by today's Bill Ayers-type educators, training the soul for a good character is not addressed.
Instead, a child is taught that their own feelings are paramount. So, care for the other person is not really taught.
Short way of describing this is to say that today's public education is teaching children how to be sociopaths.
Should it then be any wonder that some lone kids will decide to act on their lessons of selfishness?
This article is all over the place. Mostly a bunch of BS.
Most murders are committed by mentally unstable people. And due to political correctness and diversity, we can not lock these psychos up before they commit crimes.
I also think some of these events are driven by a fear of anonymity. It is so important for some people to be “noticed” that they’ll accept infamy if fame eludes them.
Most mass murders done by mentally ill? Probably. But to suggest that most murders are done by the mentally ill seems very wrong since there are some common demographics with the majority of homicides.
I can’t disagree.
By the way Caver, why the name?
Here is a CLUE to ponder:
http://libertycrier.com/nearly-every-mass-shooting-last-20-years-shares-one-thing-common-weapons/
Amoral education plus psychotropics are a lethal combination.
“One researcher has argued that “modern society, with its emphasis on individualism and the pursuit of material happiness, fosters narcissism.”
Oh horseshit. The main problem with society today is there are no healthy boundaries for anything anymore.
That’s my hobby. I’ve been a caver for over 30 years, not a spelunker.
I am not one to generally quote Chris Rock, but he makes a good point when he argues about “whatever happened to crazy.” This would do much to explain the situation. There might possibly be some underlying cause, but most likely it is just because a person is bat-s@#t insane.
Interesting. What’s the difference?
Spelunker is a term invented by the media, Cavers have a saying, “cavers rescue spelunkers”.
Spelunkers are usually unprepared. Being unprepared, means only having one source of light, no helmet, wearing tennis shoes, wearing one layer of cotton clothes in a wet cave, getting lost or trapped during a rain due to high water, going down a pit with no descending/ascending equipment or experience and usually not having any food or water with them. A lot of spelunkers are usually high or drunk too and they often carry cans of spray paint with them. They also kill bats and break formations.
Real cavers take their sport seriously and prepare accordingly. Most caves are on private land and we have to get permission from the landowners to enter their caves. There have many caves closed due to stupid crap done by spelunkers.
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