Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters

In the horrific aftermath of school shootings, distraught communities struggle to make sense of these seemingly senseless acts. Despite massive media coverage, we know little about what drives young perpetrators or how they rationalize their acts. In this breakthrough analysis, Dr. Peter Langman presents the psychological causes of school shootings and offers unprecedented insight into why certain teens exhibit the potential to kill. He shows how to identify early signs of possible violence and offers preventative measures that parents and educators can take to protect their communities.

ISBN-13: 9780230101487

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Publication Date: 08-03-2010

Pages: 256

Product Dimensions: 9.34(w) x 11.06(h) x 0.71(d)

Peter Langman is the Clinical Director of psychology at KidsPeace (www.kidspeace.org), an organization that helps kids overcome emotional crises. Winner of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's 2008 Psychology in the Media Award, he has over 20 years of experience treating at-risk youth, specializing in kids with homicidal tendencies. He has appeared on CBS, BBC, and CBC. He is the author of a number of works on mental health. Please visit www.schoolshooters.info.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Acknowledgments
School Shooters: Beyond the Sound Bite
Psychopathic Shooters
'I Am the Law': Two Psychopathic Shooters
Psychotic Shooters
'A God of Sadness': A Schizotypal Shooter
'None of This is Real': Four Schizophrenic Shooters
Traumatized Shooters
'Every Man's Nightmare': Three Traumatized Shooters
The Bigger Picture
Comparing the Perpetrators
Kids Caught in the Nick of Time
What Can Be Done: Preventing School Shootings
Notes
Bibliography

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