Term Paper on "Psychology of School Shootings and There Aftermath"

/>Psychology of the Youth

Even though the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre happened week ago, people appear to be asking the exact similar questions: Who could shoot children? Why are they on the rise? Envy and revenge is the motive for a lot of these shootings. That is the reason why many happen at a school or place of work where shooters felt excluded. To add to this, killers most of the time show risk factors that are mostly linked to bad behavior: a history of mistreatment or unproductive parenting, a leaning to hurt animals or set fires, a streak that is sadistic, and self-centeredness and a huge lack of compassion (Ian H. Robertson, 2012). Usually they tend to be passionate with violent video games guns, or movies. School shooters often harbor anger and paranoid delusions, have low self-esteem and hang out with an outcast group, Farrenkopf said. Actually, there is something that triggers these people such as a bad day or break up with girlfriend. All of this is interesting because it connects to the next topic which is finding out what the red flags are from the start (Bergland, 2011).

What are the Red Flags and the Violent Rampage?

In retrospect, researcher have been exposing a lot of warning signs, such as trying to recruit a friend or writing stories that are hateful, Langman told Live Science. "In a lot of cases, students really just come on out and say precisely what they are going to do: 'I' will be back with a gun to get rid of all of you,'" Langman mentioned (Toby Israel, 2011). The children who kill often have been bullied and sexually abused. Their physiological and mental state has to be one of deep dread. A lot of times they are fearful, overwhelmed and depressed. Most of them tell everyone their agenda. Most of the time people do not pick up on their pain. These people feel lonely and outcasted. Finding a weapon, tom ease their pain and kill everything around them is their means of fighting back.

When it comes to the rampage, there are many things that can trigger it. Sometimes it is a thought that has come into their mind or maybe that are angry at someone else but feel that the world id responsible for their issues. Sometimes there are deep hidden issues that they have been dealing with forever and it finally surfaces in the act of violence. For example, Darkness to Light, a sexual abuse avoidance group, grants the appalling number that 72% of school shootings were committed by kids who had been abused at a younger age (Toby Israel, 2011).

Effects on the Victims, Family and Community

Whether observed directly or by means of the media, school shootings can cause psychological trauma among the victim, family member and the community. Many of those that have been experiencing a lot of shock may continually restate the happening in their thoughts, apparently not being able to stop it. A lot of the go through flashbacks, or some of them go through periods of having nightmares. Victims frequently refrain from circumstances that will prompt them of the shooting, so they won't go to school, refrain from talking to other people involved in incident or even contribute in actions that they connect with the time of the event.

Psychological problems coming from school shootings often manifest in physical symptoms for example sleeping difficulties, gastrointestinal problems and headaches. In cooperation the trauma itself and these physical subjects can delay with daily life, as victims frequently have trouble thinking. The designs of behavior shaped after traumas for example school shootings can worsen physical indications. For example, nervousness can lead to eating habits that are poor, which sequentially lead to discomfort in the stomach. The psychological trauma is, on the other hand, habitually the original reason.

Young children frequently show regressive behavior, for instance dangerous attachment to their parents or even sucking their thumbs. As teenagers, disturbed boys incline to act out violently, whereas girls frequently draw into depression. Adolescences might turn to alcohol or other drugs to aid in coping with the feelings of weakness and blame that regularly attend surviving such trauma. There is one study that shows that there are a lot of males in specific could decline to pursue aid because of social pressure to deal with the trauma, even from family members and friends.

Psychologist makes the point that people going through psychological issues after a school shooting need to understand they are not by themselves. Being able to talk to someone about what they went through can ease some of the anxiety and decrease physical and emotional symptoms, nonetheless neither should victims reside on the occasion ever since overexposure might rise pressure. Offering to aid others affected by the shooting helps empower victims. Breaking the cycle between physical and emotional indications is a significant step in the direction of recovery also. Eating well and appealing in stress-decreasing actions for instance reasonable exercise are significant.

The Media

School shootings are an infection. And the media are reliable assistants in most every one of them. There is not really any valuable dispute on the point. The agreement of social scientists ever since David Phillips' innovative work in 1974 is that extremely broadcasted levels of different and treacherous behavior effects impersonator events (Scrooge, 2012). Phillips' and scores of succeeding studies displayed, for instance, that suicide degrees spike in the week after an unfortunately exposed celebrity suicide. Difference this tendency with no rise in suicides in the week following media strikes that inadvertently overpowers such attention.

The media suitably defends its right to contribute entirely in an open market of concepts. The risk of restraining free speech is substantial and clear. And yet I believe when free speech leads to verifiable harm, it's time to discuss limits.

Future Plans

The most clear next step is for people to come up with ways in regards to safety can be amplified and human fatalities can be reduced or eradicated in the future, if such a tragedy were to take place again. With the school shootings that happened in the past, there have been modifications for example, increasing security on campuses, zero-tolerance rules, and increased attentiveness. There are also some support groups that have been put in operation. One of these groups are the groups like TeenCentral.net have been a big help and have allegedly stopped possible school shooters (Lennihan, 2013). Other possible shooters have been become cautious classmates. There are also organizations being set up in the community to help those that have been in traumatic occasions.

Possible next steps are also increasing more psychological counseling to those that are victims of these shooting ad also people that are going through pain that no one in unaware of. A lot of people slip through society hurting and then hurt other people shooting on a campus, and a strong rule could be exposed to keep students safer in such an occasion. In disasters like Sandy Hook, some measures of safety were previously in place, and no predictable quantity of extra safety measures could perhaps have prohibited the tragedy (certainly, the quick influx of first responders more than likely condensed the period of the bout and saved lives), nonetheless making any tactics that can cut down on loss in any condition is obliging (Diamond, 2012).… READ MORE