Friday, November 27, 2009

The Psychology of Mass Shootings


The view from one of the bullet holes resulting from Charles Whitman's mass killing of 14 people, leaving 31 others injured, from the University of Texas tower in 1966. The tower where Whitman was perched is framed in the bullet hole.

The shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, in October 2009 were brutal and shocking. But they are hardly an anomaly: two days after the killings, two other mass shootings occurred: one in Tampa, Fla., and one in Portland, Ore. Mass killings have had a long and painful history in the United States. Normally perpetrated by male aggressors, the motivations for these occurrences vary, ranging from acts of revenge, twisted showings of compassion, fervent ideology, and, most often, a person who for one reason or another, snaps.

What causes someone to commit mass homicide? Newsweek asked experts about the various motivations that can lead to these tragedies.

Click the banner pic to see the full article..

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