Mass Violence

1775 Words4 Pages

Perpetrator was a 15 year-old student at Thurston High School at the time of both events. In the hours leading up to the shootings, he believed that his parents were extremely embarrassed and disappointed in him after he was caught with a gun at school and thus felt as though he had to kill them ("Who is Kinkel: Chronology", 1998; Blanco, 2014). Though he did not display any thought psychosis or disorder, he did suffer from anxiety as a child and was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder in January of 1997, just a year prior to the shooting ("Who is Kinkel: Chronology", 1998). In the years leading up to the shooting, he developed an interest in homemade bombs and guns. In fact, he even gave a talk on “how to make a bomb” in his speech class, which included detailed drawings and descriptions of explosives ("Who is Kinkel: Chronology", 1998). Additionally, beginning in the eight grade, the perpetrator began compiling a secret gun collection ("Who is Kinkel: Chronology", 1998). On the day he killed his parents, he believed that he was going to be sent to military school and appears to have targeted his parents because he believed that they would never be able to live with themselves if he were to have been convicted of the two felonies brought against him (Blanco, 2014). On the following day, in which he targeted his school, he seems to have shot indiscriminately and at random with no specific targets in mind ("Who is Kinkel: Chronology", 1998). Altogether, he shot and killed two students and wounded 25 others ("Who is Kinkel: Chronology", 1998). Eventually he was subdued by seven of his classmates and arrested by police (Blanco, 2014). Definitive warning behaviors consistent with pathways, fixation, identification, novel aggress... ... middle of paper ... ...ink that I will ever work in the field, I think these skills are beneficial within the field of psychology. In working with patients in the future, I will remember to explore all areas of their lives and do my best to not stereotype a person with mental illness. Lastly, I will use the information on warning behaviors to assess whether or not one of my patients intends on hurting others with mass violence or violence in general. I think this is the most important thing that I could take away from this experience due to the fact that research has shown that third-parties are often aware of such warning behaviors but never voice their concerns to the police. Going forward, I will definitely voice my concerns through the proper channels should I ever encounter someone that seems intent on committing any act of violence (i.e. school related, domestic, or otherwise).

Open Document