- Knowing the psychological profile of a person who is capable of committing a crime as heinous as the one that happened on May 23 by Salvador Ramos in the state of Texas, USA, is essential.
- Salvador took the lives of 21 people, including students and teachers, in addition to injuring another 15.
- Next, we apply a theory of social control from a psychological perspective to understand school shootings.
meet the psychological profile of a person who is capable of committing a crime as heinous as the one that occurred on May 23 in the state of Texas, USA It is essential to understand the reasons why a young person of only 18 years old can get up on a normal day, like any other, to collect the weapons that he has acquired with total impunity and go to a school and take the lives of 21 people between students and teachersin addition to injuring 15 others.
Important is the detail that, before leaving his house, according to local authorities, the subject maintains an argument with his grandmother, which ends with a shot to the head. He leaves the woman seriously injured and does not request help for her at any time.
This is how the day begins Salvador Ramos, who, after this incident, decides to go out into the street, take his truck and drive until he reaches the educational center. that’s when Salvador gets out of the vehicle, jumps over the fence of the school center and starts shooting indiscriminately.
APPLICATION OF SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY TO SCHOOL SHOOTINGS
Unlike most criminological theories from psychology that explain why people get involved in mass shootings and other crimes, Hirschi’s theory IS THE MOST INTERESTING and consists of four main “social links”.
When one or more of the following social ties are weakened or completely broken, people are more susceptible to crime and deviance.
1. ATTACHMENT
Attachment is expressed as compassion and empathy towards friends, family, coworkers, and even acquaintances such as classmates.
School shooters lack attachment. Harbor and internalize anger, frustration, and disappointment that can stem from bullying from peers, whether real or perceived. These antagonistic emotions build up in the days, weeks, or months leading up to the attack. While some school shooters have targeted specific individuals, many of them, like Salvador, have fired indiscriminately. The random aim direction of these shooters suggests that they have no regard for human life and have NOT rationalized their actions. This is very similar to the cognitive restructuring process used by terrorists to justify the killing of innocent life.
2. COMMITMENT
Commitment refers to the time and energy that an individual devotes to achieving a goal or specific social activity, such as earning a college degree or seeking a particular position within your desired profession.
Most people know that engaging in crime will likely jeopardize their career ambitions and educational goals; therefore, they conform to the norms and expectations of society. Nevertheless, many school shooters adopt a mindset where they don’t envision a future beyond a shootout. That is why many of them display a kill-or-be-killed attitude and are willing to take their own lives by suicide or suicide by the police.
3. PARTICIPATION
People who are engrossed in conventional and satisfying social activities often do not have the time or interest to participate in illegal activities. One of the main reasons parents want their children to participate in sports, extracurricular activities, or any other socially appropriate activity is that it keeps them out of trouble and gives them a sense of belonging to a team, club, or social organization.
People who commit school shootings are often described as lonely or marginalizedwhich means that they do not feel like a significant part of any group or community.
4. BELIEF
The fourth and final link is when an individual believes in the social rules, expectations, and laws of society taught to them by their parents, family, and friends, as well as educational and religious institutions. The stronger one’s moral beliefs in social norms, the less likely he is to engage in criminal or delinquent activities.
Criminal offenders ignore the shared beliefs of society or rationalize their own deviant behavior. For example, the belief that killing is wrong is reinforced by parents, education, and religion; however, a shooter will either ignore what he has been taught or rationalize his behavior in order to continue the mass shooting.
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