By Katherine Ramsland
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(Continued)
Who Would Do This? Some behaviors show up in these incidents often enough to become significant in risk assessment. The backgrounds of most killers who were not psychotic make it clear that many indicated that they might explode one day. Veiled threats, angry outbursts, or retaliations against others are early signals of a person's potential for large-scale violence, especially if these initial acts fail to satisfy them. A dangerous buildup of frustration derives from a need for control that hinders the ability to develop resilience. Those exposed to violence in their childhood environment appear to have a greater tendency to duplicate it, especially if they also develop sensitivity to rejection, failure, or frustration.
Revenge fantasies appear to be at the core of many mass murders. Some are victim-specific, while others pinpoint a symbolic target. Some killers focus on a specific goal, while others kill reactively. Some incidents have clear causal factors, including suicide notes that spell them out, while others appear inexplicable.
Mass murderers may feel victimized and, to compensate, they develop an inflated sense of self-worth and a sense of entitlement. They blame others for their problems. That means that others become targets for their rage.
In sum, among the most common traits or behaviors that comprise the constellation of red flags for the potential for mass murder are a preoccupation with themes of violence, low frustration tolerance, significant stressors, a tendency to collect injustices and blame others for one's problems, withdrawal and alienation, poor coping skills, and a sense of superiority or entitlement. They also seek to punish others for how life has treated them or for some specific incident they think is too unfair to be ignored. Generally, their decision to act out is also a gesture of suicide, whether by their hand or by cop.
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| Virginia Tech |
As we learn more about the shooter on the Virginia Tech campus, we'll probably see many of these signals, but we might also learn things about this person's motives and methods that will assist us with future such incidents. An early warning system to help us to prevent such tragedies depends on our ability to understand and spot the signals before they explode.
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