Feature Book of the Week
"Why
Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters
by
Peter Langman, Ph.D.
Ten years after the school massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, school shootings are a new and alarming epidemic. While sociologists have attributed the trigger of violence to peer pressure, such as bullying and social isolation, prominent psychologist Peter Langman, argues here that psychological causes are responsible.
Drawing on 20 years of clinical experience, Langman offers surprising reasons for why some teens become violent. Langman divides shooters into three categories, and he discusses the role of personality, trauma, and psychosis among school shooters.
From examining the material evidence of notorious school shooters at Columbine and Virginia Tech to addressing the mental states of the violent youths he treats, Langman shows how to identify early signs of homicide-prone youth and what preventive measures educators, parents and communities can take to protect themselves from the tragedy.The book presents psychological analyses of ten school shooters, demonstrating that rampage school shooters fall into three distinct categories. Langman discusses warning signs of potential violence and what works and doesn't work to prevent school shootings. Though the book is psychological, it is written for a mainstream audience.
The book has been endorsed by nationally recognized experts. Dr. Stuart Twemlow, former adviser to the White House commission on school violence, stated: "Dr. Langman clearly identifies the enormity of the feelings of isolation and meaninglessness that plagued these children. He shows what we can do to make schools safe and homes friendly and child-focused."
Dr. Katherine Newman, sociology professor at Princeton and author of Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings, commented: "We desperately need this book. It provides an interior view of the mind of rampage school shooters that helps us understand the origins of the narcissism, paranoia, sadism, and thwarted rage that appears to motivate them. Through the learned hands of Peter Langman, we come to understand the differences between shooters who are pyschopaths and those who are schizophrenics, and why these distinctions matter. A dispassionate, but clinically powerful analysis, Why Kids Kill, will be of great interest to teachers, parents, school administrators, and law enforcement officials who are responsible for prevention and treatment."
The book is available at Amazon.com and dozens of other websites and bookstores.Peter Langman is director of psychology at KidsPeace (www.kidspeace.org), an organization that helps kids overcome emotional crises. Winner of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's 2008 Psychology in the Media Award, he has over 20 years of experience treating at-risk youth, specializing in kids with homicidal tendencies. He has appeared on CBS, BBC, and CBC. He is the author of a number of works on mental health. He lives in Allentown, PA.
