If you ask most people why there are school shootings, they
will give you one of two answers: guns or psychological issues. Both answers hold weight. I intend to break both down and look at some
of the ways that teachers, police officers and governmental officials can
combat these issues.
Psychology is defined by Mirriam Webster as the mental or
behavioral characteristics of an individual or group. Psychologists study these characteristics. Studies on direct school shooters proves
difficult as most of them commit suicide or die in their attacks. In a study conducted by James Densey and
Jillian Peterson, of 180 school shooters, the pair were only able to speak to 5
of the individuals in the study. Other
shooters were studied by speaking with family, friends, teachers and other acquaintances.
(Warner, 2022)
Densey and Peterson found that school shooters do not go
into a school intending to come out. The
main idea behind their acts is suicide. (Warner, 2022) School shooters usually experience
childhood trauma. This builds self-loathing
and is often fueled by bullying in school.
The difference between a school shooter and other suicide attempts seems
to be the question “who did this?” The shooter externalizes the self-loathing
and finds someone to blame; including other students who bullied them,
sometimes parents, teachers, or a specific social group. The shooter goes in with suicidal ideation
and has decided the people at the school are the ones to blame for how they
feel. There may also be an element of
being seen after feeling as though they are not seen. Easy access to a gun along with suicidal thoughts,
focus on fault and the need to be seen is usually the combination that leads to
school shooting.
It is possible to profile a school shooter. Keep in mind that a criminal profile is
better made when you are looking at a specific case and that profiling is not
an exact science. There are some things
that we can learn about school shootings from a general profile of a school
shooter, giving us a general idea of what most school shooters may look
like. Since Columbine in 1999, most
school shooters have been male, middle class, Caucasian students attending or
previously attending a suburban school.
School shooters generally have a tenuous social situation in
school. Shooters are often reclusive,
with few friends and defined by teachers and other students as socially
awkward. Many shooters were the subject
of peer lead bullying. Home lives are
not necessarily bad, but the shooters have often had adverse childhood
experiences. These events caused trauma
in the child’s life. Sometimes at a very
young age these shooters have had a major trauma in their lives, the death of a
parent and physical abuse are both examples although there are many other
traumas that can later be seen as adverse childhood experiences. (Dowdell, 2021) Bullying and adverse childhood experience can
come together to form a child unable to cope in a healthy way with their experiences. This inability to cope leads to suicidal
ideation and in some, it can also lead to a desire to blame someone for the way
they feel. If the person blames the
bullies, a teacher or a specific peer group, then they may become a school
shooter if they have access to weapons.
With all this study, it is obvious that one piece of the
school shooter equation is psychology. How
do we proceed? We cannot point to every
troubled child and decide they are a school shooter. School shooters often take to social media to
announce their intentions. Many post
pictures of guns and announce on social media intentions to commit violent
acts. If a teen is suspected of adverse
behavior, we can keep an eye on their social media accounts.
Even before that we need to address the issues that the teen
is attempting to handle. Regular
discussions and check-ins with teens by a teacher are a good place to start.
Contacting parents and letting them know and working out a plan to help the
student make strong community connections, and to check and see if the family
may need some assistances are all very good suggestions. Parents can spend regular time with their teens
and listen to what they are struggling with.
Keeping an eye on social media accounts is imperative. These strategies can help identify a student
in crisis, and, hopefully, prevent an incident.
The focus of schools should be that of creating a place
where children feel respected and are able to learn social interactions and
emotional health in a safe and bully-free space. There should be counselors available and
resource officers who can identify and stop bullying behaviors. Anonymous
reporting lines can be set up to allow students and staff to report on concerns
they may have regarding bullying and potential students in crisis.
Psychologists should be available to families and students regardless
of ability to pay. Regular health screenings should include mental health
screening. Parenting classes and
parenting assistance within the community should focus on parents talking to their
children regularly, and being aware of friendships that their children hold and
changes in the social structure that they live in. Parents and educators need to be aware of changes
in the behavior of their students.
Creating a space to maintain mental health and well-being is
an important piece of the puzzle of school shootings. From a governmental standpoint psychological
treatment should be available to every person in America regardless of socioeconomic
status. Putting psychologists and
counselors into schools in the spaces where students are most vulnerable is a
big part of maintaining youth mental health.
Having mental health professionals available in settings where students
are on a regular basis makes interactions with these adults normal and students
are more likely to seek them out. Regular
training regarding what to look for in troubled teens is also necessary for
teachers and, whenever possible, parents.
Encouraging and supporting parents as a community is imperative, this
includes both monetarily and emotionally.
If we are going to stop school shootings at their source,
then as a country we need to acknowledge the psychological piece. Providing psychological care for everyone who
needs or wants it should be the highest priority. Helping to boost community support for
parents and teachers should be the norm in each community. Resource officers and psychological support
should be available in every school.
Protecting our children starts with maintaining the mental health of
everyone.
Dowdell, E. B., Freitas, E., Owens, A., & Greenle, M. M.
(2022). School shooters: Patterns of adverse childhood experiences, bullying,
and social media. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 36(4),
339–346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2021.12.004
Merriam-Webster. (2024). America’s most trusted
dictionary. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/
Warner, Melanie. (2022, May 27). Two professors found
what creates a mass shooter. will politicians pay attention? - politico.
Politico.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/05/27/stopping-mass-shooters-q-a-00035762
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