Traditional explanations for anti social behaviours in children consider poverty, low intelligence, dysfunctional families and the availability of guns. However the case of the Eric Harris (18) and Dylan Klebold (17) disproves these explanations. These boys – who killed a total of 13 people, and then themselves, with a homemade bomb and sawn off shot guns – were considered intelligent, and came from stable, affluent backgrounds. This is where psychology comes in, to suggest dispositional and situational explanations for these behaviours, such as social identity, media influence and childhood development.
Media Influence
Bandura’s study told us that children learn behaviour by modelling, but to what extent is modelling coming from the media? It is undeniable that the media influences us, but is it possible for this influence to become malicious? Endless coverage of the Denver school shooting lead to several “copy cat crimes”, such as a 15 year old boy in a Georgia school who started shooting at random, injuring six pupils. Along with this, doctors found that following an episode of Casualty featuring a paracetamol overdose, hospital admissions for similar emergencies rose by 20% (Bulstrode, 1997). Harris and Klebold admitted to giving up sports for computer games such as “doom”, which were graphically violent. Whilst this would have encouraged and potentially even inspired the homicide that occurred later on, there has been no causal relationship found between violent video games and anti social behaviour.
In-groups and Out-groups
The social hierarchy had a large part to play in the boy’s “outcast” image. Their interests in Marilyn Manson (the “antichrist superstar”) and KMFDM (A German rock band) orchestrated their isolation from mainstream culture. A group labelled the “Trench coat mafia” was created in the school, as a sort of counter-cultural group from the jocks. This group had Nazi undertones, obtaining a “uniform” of long black coats, berets and sunglasses. A crucial piece of information is that the boys were in this “uniform” when the homicide took place. Zimbardo identified this uniformity as contributing to a process called “deindividuation”, in which the anonymity of a uniform allows people to behave in ways that would not normally be acceptable.
The Strains of Adolescent Masculinity
Adolescence brings rapid physical change, hormonal surges and a rejection of parental values, all of which can make this a disturbing period of transition. Inter-male competition is most pronounced when sexual interests and testosterone levels are at their peak, along with cultural values which emphasise exaggerated masculinity. All of these influences can result in impulsive and violent activities. The pressures surrounding conformity and fitting into an idyllic social identity is strongly displayed in Harris and Klebold’s case, where they decided aggression with weapons was the only way they could ever acquire the social status they were previously denied. This time of unstable development in boys, accompanied by other environmental factors, is what drives a desire for a sense of meaning, even if this meaning is unacceptable to everyone else.
Conclusion
Psychological evaluation is the only way we will ever be able to establish an understanding of why these boys committed mass murder, given their “normal” background and upbringing. The psychological discoveries and applications that came from this case have provided us with an understanding of how to identify warning signs in individuals. This is a form of intervention that can help prevent anything like the Denver killings from happening again.