Research on Teen Violence: Classroom Killers and Teen Suicide

The following excerpt from my column in Youth Today, July 1999, summarizes newly published research articles that is unfortunately very relevant to the concerns many Americans currently have about teen violence.

School Killers

The Classroom Avenger
James P. McGee, Ph.D. and Caren DeBernardo, Psy.D.
The Forensic Examiner
May/June 1999
Free copy available from Dr. McGee, Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, 6501 N. Charles St.,P.O. Box 6815, Baltimore, MD 21285-6815. (410) 938-3000.

Before the Littleton shootings put school shootings back on page one, two Baltimore researchers analyzed data from shooting incidents at 12 U.S. middle and high schools between 1993-98. In an eerily prescient article, they describe the "classroom avenger" by developing a profile of "an individual who may have well above average potential to behave in a lethally violent manner toward peers and/or parental/authority figures in a classroom or school setting."

The analysis is not statistical, but is based on information from previous academic articles about predictors of violence and the personalities of adult violent offenders, as well as unconfirmed anecdotal accounts from official police reports and the popular media regarding the 12 shooting incidents studied. The researchers focused on shootings that they considered "non-traditional," because the shootings did not involve gangs, drugs or other inner city problems, but instead were usually multi-victim homicides that appeared to be crimes of vengeance.

The classroom avenger is usually white and physically healthy, living in a rural area or small city. Adults think of him as "looking perfectly normal," but he has a negative body image and views himself as physically unattractive. Classroom avengers are frequently perceived by other teenagers as "geeks" or "nerds" and are frequently "friendless, immature, and socially inadequate loners." They spend time with other outsiders whose common bond is that they have been rejected by mainstream teenagers, and/or they share a common interest in a nihilistic world view or philosophy. They are not interested in usual teen preoccupations such as cars, dating and mainstream popular music, but may be fascinated by guns, bomb-making, covert action, assassinations, media violence and violent Internet websites.

Anger and hostility are prevailing emotions in their families, with parent-child power struggles. Discipline is harsh and inconsistent. One or more close relatives may be mentally ill or a substance abuser. The families usually own weapons, and "the weapon used in the shooting spree almost always comes from home."

Academic performance is normal or somewhat above average, although grades tend to decline in the weeks or months before the shooting. Vandalism, dishonesty and excessive secretiveness are common, but there is rarely a history of extensive delinquency.

Shortly before the shooting rampage, the classroom avenger has been exposed to stress, such as real or imagined losses or rejections, or experiences of frustration or humiliation. The avenger often describes the impending crime in detail in a journal or letter. "Verbal expressions of intent to kill and/or commit suicide or do something highly dramatic" often predict the attack. They may be written or oral, in the form of threats or boasts, such as "Tomorrow is the big day -- something really big is going to happen," or "Soon I'm going to get her and I plan to kill the others, too." The authors warn that these statements should be taken seriously.

There are other traits that are included in the profile, but they are too numerous to mention here. The authors caution that this profile is a first step, not a definitive portrait. And although there are many traits in the profile that fit the Littleton killers, some do not. Moreover, some of the descriptions -- such as "average or above average IQ" or "from blue collar or middle class homes" -- fit most students. Nevertheless, this article provides recognizable portraits of many of the school killers who have made headlines over the past two years.

These articles are based on Diana Zuckerman's monthly Research Watch columns that appeared in Youth Today in issues from November 1999 through November 2004, and were reprinted with permission. Youth Today is a publication of the American Youth Work Center, 1200 17th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. (800) 599-2455. E-mail: youthtoday@aol.com.