The making of a murderer: Expert reveals the psychology behind why people commit violent crimes and mass shootings
Men are the perpetrators in a staggeringly high number of homicides, especially mass shootings – up to as many as 97 per cent.
But what causes these typically young, male killers to want to commit such violent crimes?
A psychologist from Illinois suggests the reason lies in how humans have evolved, and blames it on the effect guns can have a person’s level of testosterone.
According to Frank McAndrew a professor of psychology at Knox College, powerful men have always had greater sexual access to women than men lower in the pecking order.
This has historically created power struggles as men attempt to assert their authority and boost their social status.
In a previous study co-authored by Professor McAndrew, men who were presented with a gun showed a greater increase in testosterone levels and more aggressive behaviour than males who interacted with the board game Mouse Trap.
As part of the study, each participant dismantled either a gun or the mousetrap, handled its components and then wrote instructions for how to assemble the objects.
MASS SHOOTINGS BY COUNTRY
America has the highest rate of mass shootings in the world because of the ‘dark side of exceptionalism’, a recent study claimed.
University of Alabama criminologist Adam Lankford discovered the US has experienced five times the number of mass shootings in the last 50 years than any other country – and he said the ‘cultural propensity for violence’ is to blame.
There were 291 documented mass shootings in the world between 1966 and 2012, with 90 (31 per cent) occurring in the United States.
The Philippines, with 18 mass shootings between 1966 and 2012, was second, followed by Russia (15), Yemen (11), and France (10).
Lankford outlined several factors that he believes have caused this, including America’s high rate of gun ownership, the idolisation of fame among US mass shooters, and what he calls ‘the dark side of American exceptionalism’.
Lankford also believes the failure of the US health care system to treat mental illness is partly to blame, but is not a factor in itself.
They were then given the opportunity to put hot sauce into water that was going to be consumed by another person.
The participants who handled the gun put in significantly more hot sauce, and were also more likely to express disappointment after learning that no-one was going to drink the concoction.
‘Young male violence is most likely to be initiated by young men who don’t command respect from others,’ explained Professor McAndrew.
‘They’ll often feel like slighted outcasts, deprived of what they want or feel they deserve.’
He used the example of Elliot Rodger, the college student responsible for the 2014 attack in Santa Barbara, California.
In a YouTube video, Rodger explained that after picking up the gun, he ‘felt a new sense of power’ and is recorded saying ‘who’s the alpha male now, bitches?’ – a sign which Professor McAndrew said demonstrated a surge in testosterone.
Professor McAndrew also explained that younger men find themselves especially concerned with status and dominance.
In early societies, competitive success or failure in early adulthood determined a man’s standing in a social group.
‘It wasn’t possible to simply hit the “reset” button and join another group, so what happened during the teen years mattered a lot,’ added Professor McAndrew.
High-risk competition between young males, therefore, provided an opportunity to show off and demonstrate ‘heroic or even recklessly daredevil behaviour’, which was ultimately rewarded with status and respect.
The male bias in mass shootings could also be caused by what it is known as ‘Young Male Syndrome.’
‘It’s no secret that most people fear violent behaviour by young men more than violent behaviour by older men,’ said Professor McAndrew. ‘There’s a sound basis for this fear.’
He quotes Canadian psychologists Margo Wilson and Martin Daly who studied the relationship among age, sex and homicide in the US in 1975.
The pair found that the likelihood of a woman being a murder victim doesn’t change dramatically throughout the course of her life.
AGGRESSION IN CHIMPANZEES
Studies on chimps have shown that high-ranking males exhibit the highest levels of aggression and the highest levels of testosterone.
Furthermore, all adult male chimps experience their highest testosterone levels when they’re in the presence of females who are ovulating.
And this is only associated with higher levels of aggression – not significant increases in actual sexual activity.
The pattern for the males, on the other hand, is significant.
At the age of 10, males and females have an equal probability of being murdered. But by the time men are into their 20’s, they become six times more likely to be murdered.
Consistent with Wilson and Daly’s data, 87 per cent of the 598 homicide victims in the city of Chicago in 2003 were males, and 64 per cent of the victims were between the ages of 17 and 30.
‘Nature fuels the fires of male violence by equipping young men with the high levels of testosterone necessary to get the job done’ Professor McAndrew continued.
This has been seen in other species too.
Studies on chimps, for example, have shown that high-ranking males exhibit the highest levels of aggression and the highest levels of testosterone.
Furthermore, all adult male chimps experience their highest testosterone levels when they’re in the presence of females who are ovulating.
And this is only associated with higher levels of aggression – not significant increases in actual sexual activity.
‘Researchers such as myself who study the relationship between testosterone and aggression in humans have concluded that testosterone-fuelled violence is more likely to occur when males are competing with other males, or when the social status of a male is challenged in some way,’ added Professor McAndrew.
‘The increased testosterone facilitates whatever competitive behaviours are needed to meet the challenge, which could mean physical violence.’
Elsewhere, psychologists Joseph Vandello and Jennifer Bosson previously coined the term ‘precarious manhood’.
They argue that ‘manhood’ is a status that must be continually earned, and one’s self-worth is tied to being perceived as a ‘real man.’
It is described as ‘precarious’ because it can be easily lost.
‘When I introduce this concept to my male students, they instantly recognise what I’m talking about,’ said Professor McAndrew.
‘But when I ask the women if there’s a female equivalent, I’m often met with confused looks.
‘The roots of this male dilemma reside deep in our prehistoric past.
SAN BERNARDINO SHOOTER’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS MOTHER
Detail have emerged that show the extremely close bond the San Bernardino shooter Rizwan Farook (pictured) had with his mother Rafia
On the morning of December 2, Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik left their daughter with Farook’s mother Rafia, allegedly telling her they had a medical appointment.
Instead, they burst into a holiday luncheon attended by many of Rizwan’s co-workers in the San Bernardino County public health department and opened fire.
They massacred 14 people and hours later were shot dead by police.
The FBI has branded it a terrorist attack – the deadliest by Islamic extremists on American soil since September 11, 2001.
Since the attack, Rafia Farook, 62, has emerged as an obscure figure – apparently close to her son, yet unaware of his plans.
Further details have now emerged that show the extremely close bond the San Bernardino shooter had with Rafia.
Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, was a quiet and devout Muslim, who the FBI says began veering toward radical ideology while living under his mother’s roof.
After filing for divorce and claiming she was abused, she relied on Rizwan Farook, then 19, to help supervise visits between her estranged husband and the couple’s teenage daughter.
When she left her billing job at a Southern California hospital, Rizwan helped her cover expenses.