Understanding Mass Attackers by Understanding Personality Disorders

How do we make sense of mass attackers? All too often we focus on things that happened to them: school shooters were bullied, workplace attackers were terminated, and so on. Yet, the overwhelming majority of people who experience such stressors do not become killers. Such explanations fail to consider who the people were that these things happened to. In other words, personality is often ignored as a factor in violence.

Though there is no profile of a mass attacker, there are common personality traits that occur in a wide range of perpetrators. One commonality is that they are psychologically fragile people with profound vulnerabilities. How these vulnerabilities manifest, however, varies dramatically. Using the work of Theodore Millon and other personality researchers, this presentation examines critical dynamics that shed light on the psychology of mass killers.

Program Objectives:

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:

1. Explain the connection between psychological fragility and violent behavior
2. Describe two personality processes which can lead to people becoming more prone to violence
3. List three personality disorders commonly observed in violent perpetrators

This is a unique opportunity to learn from a national expert on mass violence and gain critical insights that can enhance your clinical assessment skills and threat evaluation capabilities.