We are accustomed to believe that people who commit mass murders are mentally ill in the classical sense of the word. This is not true. Among them, there are very few who suffer from psychosis or are obsessed with voices and hallucinations. On the contrary, many of them have a clear mind and the ability to calmly and in detail plan an attack. Their goal is quite specific groups of people, and for that they have weighty, as it seems to them, reasons.
It may seem strange, but their thinking process is quite rational, logical, only this logic is different from ours. Mass murderers don’t “break out” all of a sudden – oh no. They follow a predictable path, but the problem is that even mental health professionals can’t always figure them out. Quite often, such people manage to hide their cruel fantasies even from their parents – at least in early childhood.
The personality of such people is characterized by psychopathic, narcissistic and paranoid traits, expressed to varying degrees. In general, our personality is how we think, feel and behave, and this is what distinguishes each of us from the rest. The formation of personality is influenced by the traits we inherit, the experience we gain, and the environment (environment and life situations). In a personality disorder, a person’s way of thinking, feeling, and behaving differs from the generally accepted norm, and over time, things only get worse.
No one, waking up in the morning, suddenly decides to commit a mass execution – just like that, suddenly. Usually this is preceded by a long period when anger and rage accumulate in a person. Perhaps it seems to him that he himself is being persecuted, attacked, and he begins to yearn for revenge. Such people usually react inadequately to the slightest display of disrespect, are obsessed with thoughts of status and position in society, and envy those who are higher in the hierarchical ladder.
Mass shooters usually have an exaggerated sense of victimization that fuels their rage and fantasies of retribution. Fierce aggression begins to seem to them the only way out, a way to end their own suffering, and they increasingly indulge in fantasies on this topic. Often such people are obsessed with firearms and collect them.
They strive for fame – even if it’s a bad one – and dream of experiencing an exciting feeling of control and domination.
They also believe in their own moral superiority, which allegedly justifies the forthcoming violence. Their picture of the world is distorted – but not to such an extent as in real mental patients. Their strange and terrifying beliefs resonate with like-minded people in the darkest recesses of the internet.
Their target is people who embody their imaginary “persecutors”. They express their ideas in diaries and manifestos and often share them on social networks or send them to friends long before they commit a mass execution (and if the alarm is sounded in time, it is possible that the tragedy can be prevented).
When planning an attack, they take very specific steps: carefully select clothes (often trying to look like an anti-hero or a fighter they admire), collect certain weapons. Often, in preparation, they read about attacks that have come before them. Often, the execution is preceded by a “general rehearsal”: real or in virtual space.
They aspire to fame – even if it’s a bad one – and they dream of experiencing an exciting feeling of control and domination. Reading about other mass murderers, they dream of “surpassing” them in the number of victims, which means that the more publications in the press about such cases, the more their sick fantasy inflames.
They present themselves as celebrities and are ready to die for their beliefs. It seems to them that there is simply no alternative to violence. And, of course, they do not feel any guilt: they are sure that their act is fully justified. And precisely in view of composure and the complete absence of internal torment, it is so difficult to calculate them in advance.