Profile of a School Shooter: The Recipe Analogy

Why a Recipe?

There are so many questions after a mass shootings, most remain unanswered. It is easy to get lost trying to wrap your head around the where, and the who, and the whys of such a deep tragedy.

What could go so wrong in a persons life that they would choose to kill random people for no reason? Everybody wants to find that one thing that has the power to stop this cycle, but it isn't that simple.

When you make a cake, you don't just get out a the sugar. Likewise if you leave a bowl of flour and milk on the counter you will end up with a cake no longer how long you wait.

A few cups of flour, some sugar, eggs, milk, butter, and a little bit of baking powder are the basic ingredients. Then, after some heat is applied and some chemical reactions take place if all goes right, you will be having dessert.

There are many different kinds of cake, each with their own unique recipe. Most cakes do have similar base ingredients though, and when you think about it so do humans.

There are many people who enjoy violent media, collect guns, and may even be a little on the antisocial side without any consequence whatsoever.

Freaks and Geeks

Typically, they were young Caucasian males, average age of 16, coming from small communities in the southern or northwestern United States. They had average to above average IQ's, and no history of serious school or conduct problems. They most often attended public school, and felt themselves to be loners or social outcasts. They were usually members of alienated and fringe groups.

Psychotic, or Something Else?

Physical handicaps, disabilities, mental retardation, or severe mental illness were not normally present (though schizophrenia was a factor in two early cases). They were physically healthy. They often tended to be immature, and had problems with attachment and bonding, but appeared fairly normal to adults that knew them.

Depression was common, as was the use of anti-depressants (Paxil, Zoloft) or other medications such as Ritalin. In many cases dosages had recently been changed.

Extra-Curricular Activities

They most often possessed negative self-images and unstable self-esteem, tending to be outcasts and loners who were rejected by mainstream students. They did not participate in pro-social groups or "normal" pastimes. Interests tended towards real and fictional violence in the media.

Dysfunction and Abuse

They came from predominantly middle-class families that were superficially normal, but dysfunction was often present. Authoritarian parenting was not uncommon. Though families were outwardly loving and relationships seemed solid, the families tended to have anger problems and power struggles present in the home. Shooters were often found to have poor relationships with parents and siblings, and often a family history of mental illness, personality disorders, or substance abuse.

Previous History of Legal or Discipline Troubles

While they remained under the radar, a previous history of covert vandalism and dishonesty was present. They were distrustful and secretive to adults and authority. They had violent fantasies, often feeding those fantasies with an obsessive interest in violent media of many varieties. Usually exhibit an unusual fascination (even obsession) with weapons. Guns were common in the home, and many were proficient with firearms. Attacks were accomplished with a great deal of premeditation, planning, and surveillance of targets.

Why do mass shooters snap?

Their motives often came from a desire for vengeance and achievement of power or status. In most of these cases, what is known as the Menninger Triad was present, meaning that the individuals were suicidal, homicidal, and wanted to be killed.

They did not just snap, but had usually undergone recent, multiple psychological stressors, including rejection, discipline, or humiliation. There does tend to be a copycat influence, often looking up to previous school shooters, with prior communications of intent. Previous stalking behaviors when it comes to females is often present.They most often target female and high functioning students.

Just Like Other Kids?

These traits are common in many teenagers, and despite multiple high-level studies a useful profile was never found. While it may single out the one kid who could possibly be a shooter, it would also point out hundreds who would go on to be happy, healthy, and productive adults with no real issues.

What you will see throughout this exploration is a recurring theme. Perception was equal to reality. We must remember that though these boys were in their late teens to early twenties, they had not yet developed proper coping skills. Many of these kids were growing up with authoritarian parents. Instead of learning coping skills, they learned to hide it away inside of themselves. That frustration was bound to come out somewhere.

Teenagers all too often try to express their frustration with the world, only to be told that they had better get used to it, that it really isn't that bad, or that they should just suck it up.

For teenagers, perception is 99% of their world. What they perceive their life to be now, is also how they perceive their future to be. If you saddle someone so young with the possibility of being outcast for the rest of their life, what hope have you given them?

By focusing on the differences present, someone who already feels like an outcast only steps further into that role.

I was also bullied, grew up with guns, and was very attracted to violent music and media, and I never killed anybody either. In order to seek to understand these boys, we must cast out all notions of what we would and would not do in their situations. We are not them, and they are not us.

So often when I share this research with others, or read comments on articles, I see people insisting that they too were bullied, and yet they did not strike out, or that they grew up with guns and did not shoot someone. The idea of judging another by what you would do yourself is prevalent in our society, and I believe it strongly contributed to those who are misunderstood acting out in violent ways.

Judgment is not up to us, but with each painful moment of life comes a lesson. Judging others does not ease someone else's pain, and it does not help them to filter the rational thoughts from the irrational.

Those who are hurting need to be connected with people and resources that can help them. Those who are hurting others need to be held accountable. Those who are looking the other way while the rights of others are violated must be held accountable as well. All children and adults need a place to vent their troubles.

We must start at home with the kids we are closest to. We need to teach them that hurting another person is wrong, period.

It is time for us to see the invisible. It is time for us to listen to the silence.