| Forty-seven people were killed in mass murders in the | | | | resiliency factors, as well as stressors and coping skills |
| US in less than 30 days this year. Everyone is looking | | | | (or lack thereof) that can lead to violence. In these |
| for reasons and to make sense of these tragic events | | | | difficult economic times, losing a job is a huge stressor |
| because we all cope better with catastrophic events if | | | | for most. For those with multiple stressors whose |
| we can make some sense of them or find safety for | | | | coping is compromised, it can be overwhelming. If |
| ourselves and our loved ones. Otherwise, terrible | | | | violence was modeled by the person's childhood |
| events seem out of control, overwhelming, and | | | | caregivers as a way to solve problems and control |
| terrifying. We must study and understand mass | | | | others, the results can be horrific. Every mounting |
| murders to prevent future ones from happening. | | | | stressor pushes the person to the tipping point. Are |
| Research shows that there is not one thing that | | | | they to be excused? Is there no accountability? Not at |
| pushes a person over the edge into violence, but | | | | all, we have a criminal justice system for that. But while |
| multiple risk factors and stressors and few or | | | | they are under the direction of the Court, multiple |
| ineffective coping skills. | | | | resources are needed to keep such violence from |
| If someone feels she is chronically treated as inferior, | | | | happening again. Unless something changes within the |
| she can believe she has no value, can be | | | | person, it is likely that violence will happen again. |
| disconnected from people, and may be fueled by a | | | | Good coping skills are essential to avoiding using |
| growing rage against those who have treated her | | | | violence as a way to deal with problems. Children who |
| badly. This can happen at various developmental | | | | experience trauma sometimes have delays in the |
| stages in life. In infancy, it leads to problems in | | | | development of coping skills. So they may operate |
| attachment, which can be a factor in child | | | | with less successful coping. Stressors can more easily |
| development of communication, personal and | | | | exceed their ability to cope. If not altered, this lack of |
| interpersonal skills. Attachment problems are | | | | appropriate coping can last into adulthood. Someone |
| associated with many forms of later violence. Children | | | | can step in to increase the coping skills and/or |
| can be traumatized in early childhood by abuse and | | | | decrease stress and if it is successful, a child can veer |
| neglect and exposure to domestic or community | | | | from the path of violent rage against a world that has |
| violence. Adolescents can have an exaggerated | | | | seemingly rejected him. It is possible that the help and |
| striving for independence when rejected by peers, | | | | support to build skills and cope with stressors can |
| bullied, failing in school, and or rejected by family. In | | | | come anywhere in the lifespan. However, it is also |
| adulthood, someone who is unsuccessful in moving | | | | more likely that it is easier to build necessary skills in |
| toward a partner relationship, has conflicted | | | | children. This will cause their later life experiences to be |
| relationships, is unsuccessful at work or loses his or her | | | | more positive and confidence building. One success |
| job, can feel he is inferior to others. This rejection | | | | builds upon another. |
| (called recognition denial) can be associated with anger, | | | | So what needs to be done? Where ever or |
| rage, and lack of strong attachment bonds to family, | | | | whenever, it is apparent that a child, teen, or adult's |
| school, work, or community. It has been associated | | | | stressors routinely exceed their ability to cope, |
| with violence in a study by Timothy Brezina (2008). | | | | especially in cases of child abuse, neglect and |
| What happens if someone is rejected as a child by an | | | | domestic violence, there need to be services to |
| abusive family and rejected by peers because of | | | | resolve old trauma, increase feelings of competence |
| bullying or because he is different and has difficulty | | | | and well-being, and teach appropriate coping skills. |
| maintaining employment as an adult? If he feels that he | | | | Whether someone with a history of violence is in jail or |
| is being treated as inferior, recognition denial and rage | | | | the community, these skills need to be taught to |
| can take place. Some examples readily come to mind: | | | | prevent future violence. These are skills that should |
| Seng-Hui Cho, the Unibomber, the Columbine shooters, | | | | have been learned during the 18 years of childhood |
| and Golden and Andrews. It is alleged that Jiverly | | | | and adolescence. A six week course in anger |
| Wong killed 14 in NY. It is reported that he had been | | | | management will not make up for those lost years of |
| fired from his job, was depressed, and felt people | | | | skill building. It may take several years for adults to heal |
| made fun of him because he did not speak English | | | | from trauma and learn good interpersonal and problem |
| well. Seng-Hui Cho had trouble communicating, had | | | | solving coping skills. It is this writer's opinion that |
| obvious mental health problems from an early age, and | | | | assessment for the need for long term interventions to |
| thought people made fun of him. He killed 32 and | | | | build skills should be legally mandated for any person |
| wounded 25 at Virginia Tech. James Harrison allegedly | | | | convicted of any form of violence or committed to a |
| killed his 5 children and then himself following a fight | | | | mental health facility as a danger to self or others. This |
| with his wife, in which she left him. Child Protective | | | | can be done in jail or the community, but must be done. |
| services had been called several times to this home | | | | It is also important that youth who commit violence |
| due to the father's yelling and screaming at the children. | | | | have a similar assessment for dangerousness to the |
| It appears that all of these mass murderers felt they | | | | community and treatment needs. The cycle of |
| were treated as inferior, had major stressors and | | | | violence often goes from generation to generation, |
| ineffective coping skills. Additionally, there were signs of | | | | while we build more prisons and have one of the |
| trouble long before these terrible events took place. | | | | highest violence rates in the industrialized world. We |
| Violence occurs when risk factors are many, resiliency | | | | can reverse the trend and interrupt the cycle of |
| factors are few and/or stressors exceed one's ability | | | | violence. |
| to cope. There are many combinations of risk and | | | | |