Twemlow, S. -- A Crucible for Murder-The Social Context of Violent Children and Adolescents

8/13/2019 Twemlow, S. -- A Crucible for Murder-The Social Context of Violent Children and Adolescents

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A Crucible for Murder-The Social Context of Violent Children andAdolescents

Twemlow, stuart, W.Fonte:

Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 2003; v. 72 (3), p !"# "", $0p

The author %escri&es aspects o' social conte t that are o' importance in the enesis o'mur%erous violence in chil%ren an% a%olescents. *ase presentations illustrate the e''ectso' 'amily attachment patholo y, %i''erin outcomes in %estructive chil%ren, an% thecopycat phenomenon. The author conclu%es &y summari+in the continuum o'responses o' chil%ren an% a%olescents to various 'orms o' threat real attac-,unconscious threat, -in%le% threat, suppresse% threat, &ully# victim#&ystan%ersa%omasochistic ritual attac-, an% peer# roup#vali%ate% threat.

Today, the choice is no longer between violence and nonviolence. It is eithernonviolence or nonexistence.

Martin Luther King, quoted in Ayres 1 ! , ". 1#$

Introduction: The Social Context of Psychoanalysis s the social 'ace o' psychoanalysis %evelops, the psychoanalytic therapist must wi%en

his or her 'iel% o' concern to inclu%e the total environment, in a%%ition to the internalworl% o' the su&/ect. rom the social#conte t perspective, these are not %istinctly%i''erent; i.e., the in%ivi%ual is part o' an% cannot &e clearly %istin uishe% 'rom his or hersocial conte t. or the clinician, the meanin o' this %evelopin conte t 'orpsychoanalytic wor- is that it is increasin ly %i''icult to evaluate an% treat anyoneoutsi%e the social conte t within which he or she lives. Thus, in my opinion, thepsychoanalytic therapist o' the 'uture will o' necessity &ecome a team mem&er whomoves out into the 'iel% to &etter un%erstan% that social conte t.

The aim o' this paper is to hi hli ht some 'eatures o' the violent chil%1s social conte tan% how it helps to create or %estroy a min% o' one1s own, in 4ion1s (5" 7) sense,which is so %e'ective in violent chil%ren. 6ach conte tual perspective is o' criticalimportance in the clinical evaluation o' %an erous chil%ren. will &e in with thenarrower social conte t o' the 'amily, wi%enin to the school where the chil% ise%ucate%, an%, 'inally, to the &roa%est possi&le social conte t, the worl% o' me%ia an%society at lar e.

8ocial conte t, the 'oun%ation o' this paper, must 'irst &e %e'ine%. lthou h oneapproach woul% &e to 'ocus the %e'inition on the content o' that conte t (e. ., 'amily,school, an% so on), in this paper, will use a more %ynamic perspective, a%%ressinin%irect an% unconscious in'luences on the social conte t. 9' several possi&leapproaches within that perspective, have selecte% two that will %e'ine an% illustrate

: social &on%in an% attachment, an%

: a %ialectically %etermine%, open social system.

Social Bonding and Attach ent ona y (2000) approaches the uestion o' social conte t 'rom the point o' view o'

interpersonal relationships an% social &on%in .


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thin s &ein e ual, a more peace'ul an% compassionate school climate will 'acilitateaca%emic learnin an% achievement an% 'oster a happier chil%. There is an increasinnee% to reco ni+e the uni ue, su&/ective e perience o' chil%ren within the schoolconte t. n the >nite% 8tates, teacher trainin has a stron &ehavioral emphasis,ina%vertently su estin to the trainee teacher a machine#li-e view o' the internal worl%o' the chil%. Thus, school %iscipline is o'ten &ase% on a rewar%#an%#punishment mo%el,an% teachers 're uently unwittin ly convey to chil%ren the 'eelin that they are &einmana e% rather than un%erstoo%. chil% who 'eels mana e% may cease to 'unction as awhole human &ein in such a system, instea% 'unctionin li-e a collection o' &ehaviors.

lthou h teacher trainin inclu%es 'ormal courses on chil% %evelopment, teachers areenerally uite uncom'orta&le with stu%ents1 psychopatholo y, o'ten insistin that the

teacher1s proper role is that o' an aca%emic tutor, not a parent or psychotherapist to thechil%.

nother o'ten#%enie% aspect o' the school climate in unhealthy schools, as inpatholo ically attache% 'amilies, has to %o with the social &ehavior o' authority 'i ures.

t is a -nown 'act that some teachers &ully stu%ents, re#creatin patholo ical 'amilyattachments at school, an% thus may retraumati+e at#ris- chil%ren. 6ven thou h thenum&er o' &ullyin teachers is uite small in most schools, the sin ular authority o' theteacher ma ni'ies the impact o' this phenomenon. ?y collea ues an% con%ucte% astu%y o' teachers1 perceptions o' other teachers who &ully stu%ents an% o' stu%ents who&ully teachers in a town in which seven participatin elementary schools recor%e% theirviews (Twemlow et al., unpu&lishe%) . 8i ty percent o' teachers sai% they ha%e perience% &ullyin at school while stu%ents themselves. These teachers were as-e% to%escri&e what they consi%er characteristic o' a teacher who &ullies stu%ents. 8i ni'icant'in%in s were that teachers who ha% &een &ullie% as stu%ents were &ullie% &y stu%entsin their current classrooms si ni'icantly more o'ten, an% reporte% that they themselvesha% &ullie% stu%ents, &oth insi%e an% outsi%e the classroom. 8uch teachers also ha%o&serve% more &ullyin teachers in the schools in which they ha% wor-e%. The mostsi ni'icant perceive% causes o' &ullyin &y teachers were &urnout, lac- o' trainin , an%envy o' smart stu%ents.

nterestin ly, two types o' &ullyin patterns were reveale% &y 'actor analysis o' the

%ata .2

9ne 'actor %escri&e% a teacher who was sa%istic, seemin to en/oy humiliatinstu%ents, hurtin stu%ents1 'eelin s, an% &ein spite'ul an% envious o' smart stu%ents,not %issimilar to @iet+sche1s concept o' ressenti%ent .3 8uch teachers were envious o'chil%ren onto whom they pro/ecte% %isavowe% aspects o' themselves. secon% roup o'&ully#victim teachers ten%e% to &e initially passive, lac-e% capacities 'or lea%ership orsel'#assertion, an% 'aile% to set limits. When %isruption occurre% in classrooms, they 'eltvictimi+e% &y the stu%ents an% then e plo%e% in a &ullyin way. rom ona y1s securelyattache% school perspective, such teachers may 'oster %isor ani+e% school attachmentsin mo%elin &ullyin &ehavior to stu%ents. ttempts to ree%ucate teachers are &einun%erta-en &y many=such as *ohen (2005) =utili+in comprehensive trainin un%er theae is o' metaphors such as social and e%otional literacy , employe% to intro%uce theseissues as part o' tra%itional teacher e%ucation, as well as stu%ent e%ucation. 8uchapproaches ten% to wee% out ressentiment#'ocuse% teachers, as well as those mostli-ely to &ecome provocative &ully#victims. t is to &e hope% that this %evelopmentalperspective will also in'orm the teacher1s perspective on the inner worl% o' the chil%.

rom this point o' view, the nature an% %evelopment o' 'rien%ships in a securelyattache% school environment may &e as important to rowth an% %evelopment asattachment patterns are in the 'amily o' ori in. ' the home conte t %ehumani+es thechil% an% the chil% is also loc-e% into an un'rien%ly environment at school, the 'eelin o'&ein a person an% the %evelopment o' the capacity 'or empathy with others (who arereco ni+e% as separate selves havin their own intentions, thou hts, an% emotions) are'urther impaire%, an% the chil% may %evelop a 'ra mente% sense o' sel', as well aspro&lematic a''ect mo%ulation. &elieve that the converse is also possi&le=i.e., a schoolwith a healthy, socially &on%e% climate can si ni'icantly ameliorate the e''ects o' apatholo ical home environment.

ona y (5""") e amine% chil%#care iver attachments an% their possi&le relationship tothe later capacity to thin- sel'#re'lectively in violent in%ivi%uals.


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The or anism1s stea%y state is a %ynamic process aimin 'or, &ut never attainin ,e uili&rium. Thus, a %ialectical open livin system cannot &e %e'ine% as a static entityseparate 'rom its social conte t; an%, there'ore, the term individual must &ereconceptuali+e%.

use'ul mo%el with which to %iscuss school violence can &e %erive% 'rom this approach.

n%ou&te%ly, the &ystan%er is si ni'icant in supportin &ully#victim relationships. variety o' &ystan%in roles can &e a%opte% &y in%ivi%ual stu%ents. The &ully#&ystan%errole (my term) appears especially si ni'icant in 'acilitatin coercive power %ynamics an%may have &een involve% in more than one o' the recent school shootin s in the >nite%8tates (Twemlow 2000) ; such chil%ren et vicarious satis'action in seein other chil%renhurt &y someone else.

The victim#&ystan%er role emer es in chil%ren who are too 'ri htene% to resist therecruitin &ully, &ut 'eel uilt an% shame a'ter witnessin their actions. They may also'eel that a ression a ainst others is %eserve%. Fenial o' &ullyin (the avoi%ant#&ystan%er role) is o'ten e empli'ie% in school personnel, who 'or political an% otherreasons %eny the e istence o' pro&lems. Power#hun ry, &ully#&ystan%er chil%ren mayact as puppet masters in settin up victims in crimes 'or which they wish to avoi%&lame, as illustrate &elow in my %escription o' a tra ic school shootin . help'ul, morealtruistic &ystan%er can recti'y patholo ical power %ynamics, since such an in%ivi%ual isuncommitte% to a role that 'acilitates the patholo ical PF, an% thus has the potential tohelp others resist those roles.

The &ully#victim#&ystan%er interaction is a %ialectically structure% one, with the&ystan%in role &ein similar to that o' an au%ience at a &i+arre play in which the &ullyan% victim are the main actors. Without such an au%ience, the actors have littlemotivation to continue reenactin &ully#victim roles. 8uch roles may &e interchan ea&le,with chil%ren a%optin any or all o' them at %i''erent times. 4ut in my e perience, whenthese roles &ecome 'i e%, serious violence can &e imminent. This is illustrate% &y thetra e%y at *olum&ine


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chil% in a %ehumani+in environment may well react &y narrowin his or her co nitivean% emotional 'ocus in a %esperate attempt to preserve 'ailin sel'#inte rity. The worl%o' such a chil% &ecomes more an% more restricte% &y a narrow an% o&sessive 'ocus,perhaps inclusive o' a retaliatory wish, as e empli'ie% in the comple , patholo icallycoherent, an% yet piti'ul e planations provi%e% &y Hle&ol% an%


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unhealthily committe% to the outcomes o' certain school activities, such as athletics an%%e&ate.

t is interestin to note that hori&ontal social dyna%ics , seen in wor-in #class or lower#socioeconomic#level school situations, are not as o&viously 'iercely competitive, an% areusually not supporte% &y stron parental in'luence. Thus, in the hori+ontal %ynamic,

survival is the central issue, not &eatin the opponent. or an s, protection o'mem&ers is the oal, an% althou h in%ivi%uals may commit homici%e an% suici%e, it isnot usually in response to the coercive vertical social %ynamics so o'ten seen in mi%%le#an% upper#mi%%le#class situations. n investi ation o' comple social roups, especiallythose in hi h schools, will o'ten assist the analyst in assessin a climate that coul%

uic-ly &ecome unhealthy i' not seriously psychopatholo ical. $

6. 6ri-son1s (5"7$) hypothesis that one can /u% e a culture &y the way it perceives itschil%ren %escriptively i%enti'ies the %ilemma as 'ollows

ur 2nowledge o( children, as well as o( young "eo"le, will re%ain rather (rag%entary-to the% as well as to us i( we do not 2now what we would li2e the% to beco%e, oreven what we would li2e to beor to have been. 3ithout this, we (eel vaguely guilty,whether we are "er%issive or "unitive. 4eeling guilty, we will overdo both. )". 101+

The core patholo y is there'ore seen 'rom a social#conte t perspective as an i%entityillness, with premature 'oreclosure o' an aven in #victim i%entity. actors possi&lyin'luencin this premature 'oreclosure are, in summary

: in'ormation input, which can easily overloa% a rowin an% rapi%ly chan in &rain;

: internal %eman%s, e perience% as irresisti&le, to assume responsi&ilities an% toseparate;

: shoc-in shi'ts in hormonal &alance an% rowth spurts in &rain an% &o%y, with reat'luctuations in ener y level an% moo%;

: emer in se uality, with its moo% swin s an% social implications; an%

: an ur ent nee% to %evelop si ni'icant interpersonal s-ills.

>n%er this overloa% o' (re ressive) pressure

: early primitive &ehaviors can emer e, e. ., scape oatin ;

: premature patholo ical i%entities may &e 'orce% onto a vulnera&le chil% whoe hi&its evi%ence o' an intense, social, her% a ression;

: patholo ical su&servience an% ran%iose &ehavior can emer e as the supere os o'the in%ivi%ual roup mem&ers come un%er control o' the lea%er1s values=thus, the

pressure to 'oreclose on a roup#selecte% i%entity &ecomes enormous;: &ullies o'ten accurately perceive aspects o' a victim that he or she li-es least a&out

him#or hersel', then sa%istically attac- that sensitive area;

: &ystan%ers multiply the assault on narcissism; an%

: 'antasies o' suici%e 'or honor an% homici%e 'or reven e are 're uently in evi%ence.

t is worth remem&erin that a%ults o'ten un%erestimate how important peerrelationships are to the a%olescent, an% how sensitive teena ers are to &ein /ilte% &y&oy'rien%s or irl'rien%s.

The uestion o' why all school homici%es in the >nite% 8tates have &een committe% &y&oys is o'ten as-e%. ?ost such homici%es have &een planne% an% ritualistic in nature.Aitual, accor%in to 6. 6ri-son (5"! ) , creates a psychosocial moratorium in the

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%evelopment o' e o i%entity an% thus contains a ression an% am&ivalence. rom thisperspective, homici%al reven e as a solution to e treme humiliation is more socially

/usti'ia&le as a rite o' passa e an% more psychically accepta&le 'or &oys than 'or irls.Eirls ten% instea% to %irect a ression internally, mani'estin it in %epression, sel'#%estructiveness, an% suici%e attempts, rather than in overt violence towar% others. I.Post (2002) su este% that in most cultures, 'or men, such phallic power %emonstrationsare in%ee% a rite o' passa e.

or those who stu%y cult e tremism, a para%o lon une plaine% is why some o' themore mali nant political movements, such as @a+ism, mana e to entrain apparentlynormal in%ivi%uals to et cau ht up in the roup1s thin-in , lea%in to tra ic an% &i+arreoutcomes. t is -nown that %ol'


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n ei ht#year#ol%, &ehaviorally %istur&e% &oy ha% &een a serious pro&lem in school, withmany suspensions that ha% occupie% a reat %eal o' the sta'' an% consultin mentalhealth pro'essionals1 time.


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Case Presentation of a Bad #utco e (

school climate can create an atmosphere o' social a ression that seems to propelsuscepti&le chil%ren into a homici%al mo%e. 9ne e ample is the case o' a 5 #year#ol%&oy who, on the mornin o' 9cto&er 5, 5""7, in a hi h school in Pearl, ?ississippi, shotan% -ille% an e # irl'rien% an% her 'rien% an% woun%e% seven other stu%ents. Prior to

oin to school that mornin , the &oy ha% &eaten an% sta&&e% his mother to %eath.


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'eel that the &oy &ecame in part an instrument o' this patholo ical &ully#&ystan%erroup.

lthou h there are many comple in%ivi%ual 'amily an% social 'actors involve% in -illin sli-e this, it seems clear that some chil%ren are particularly vulnera&le to the intensesocial pressures o' patholo ical power %ynamics. school climate where such %ynamics

are not e''ectively %ealt with can in%ee% &ecome a lethal one. n a%%ition, me%ia reportshave a potentially catastrophic impact on a chil% see-in reven e an% reco nition, sincepu&licity 'ee%s the chil%1s sense o' omnipotence an% can serve as a 'orum to /usti'yreven e. n this way, the social system seems to 'unction li-e an a&%icatin &ystan%er&y unwittin ly promotin ran%iosity without ac-nowle% in any responsi&ility 'or theconse uences.

The Co$ycat Pheno enon& Po)er !yna ics& and School Violence Perhaps the most stri-in e ample o' the impact o' social conte t on school shootin s isthe copycat phenomenon. The 4 was overwhelme% &y cases o' copycat school threats'ollowin the *olum&ine tra e%y=over 200 in the space o' one month (91Toole 2000) , one o' which was the most closely 'ollowe% story o' the %eca%e.

copycat crime is any criminal act that emulates a crime portraye% &y the me%ia in'iction or in reality that has &een hi hly pu&lici+e% (8urette 5""0) . The criminal /usticeliterature on copycat crimes inclu%es accounts o' copycat 'ire settin ; copycat pro%ucttamperin , such as the Tylenol cyani%e threats; an% imitation o' the Hurt *o&ain suici%e&y a 'an (althou h the typical copycat crime is a property o''ense rather than a violentone). There is no conclusive evi%ence that noncriminals are in%uce% to commit crime &ythe me%ia, &ut there is a su estion that at#ris- in%ivi%uals can &ecome involve% inserious copycat criminal activity. @ote that imme%iately 'ollowin the *o&ain suici%e,there was only one other suici%e in 8eattle, where he ha% live% an% %ie%; an% in thiscase, stron pu&lic preventive e''orts were mounte% to ive in'ormation to youn peoplea&out how to %eal with suici%al i%eation an% where to et help.

Pease an% Oove (5"C$) su este% a phenomenolo ical su&%ivision o' copycat criminals,%esi natin as %ode co"iers those criminals who ain in'ormation 'rom watchin the

me%ia a&out how to commit crimes. These in%ivi%uals are unli-ely to &e emotionally%ysre ulate% or necessarily mentally ill per se. Terrorists an% other violent threateners'orm another cate ory o' copycat criminals. 4ut it seems that the copycat crimephenomenon seen in cases o' school violence %oes not easily 'it within either o' thesecate ories here we are %ealin with chil%ren, not career criminals, an% enerally, the-illin is a 'irst o''ense.

n what 'ollows, will provi%e an outline o' a psycholo ical theory o' school#violencecopycattin %erive% 'rom sel' psycholo y. will apply this theory to &oth a hi h schoolshootin in Eeor ia an% in a more %etaile% %iscussion o' a case re'erre% to me in aclinical conte t.

mitation is a normal %evelopmental phase an% a time#honore% way o' learnin ,

institutionali+e% most stri-in ly in the 9rient. or e ample, in tra%itional su%i &rushpaintin , the a%ult novice spen%s years copyin masters &e'ore &ein allowe% to createhis or her own ori inal wor-. n our culture, imitation an% learnin &y imitation areclearly evi%ent in chil%ren, who o'ten closely mimic every minute esture an% ha&it o'their parents. youn &oy who accompanies his 'ather in mowin the lawn with a toylawn mower is a party to the copycat phenomenon in its most &eni n, enrichin , an%

rowth#promotin 'orm. ?imicry is pro&a&ly un%erestimate% in psychoanalytic theory aspart o' normal i%enti'ication an% rowth. Hohut (5"C$) ac-nowle% es the %evelopmentalimportance o' mimicry in his theory o' the alter e oBtwinship rowth phase, %escri&e%&elow.

n the analysis o' ?s. , Hohut came to appreciate the importance o' merely hispresence when he %iscusse% with the patient his upcomin protracte% a&sence %ue tovacation.


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the %estructive &ully parent, thus in%irectly creatin a perverse sense o' security as ane''ective human amon humans (Hohut 5"C$ , p. 200).

Case Illustration of the Co$ycat Pheno enon: A SuccessfulCrisis Inter%ention

This view o' the copycat phenomenon can &e applie% to the %ata availa&le a&out theshootin spree o' a 5!#year#ol% stu%ent at


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Psychoanalytic evaluation reveale% a &oy with many as#i' personality traits. Theintensity o' his ra e at his 'ather1s &ullyin an% his mother1s passivity resulte% in apatholo ical i%enti'ication with his 'ather1s phallic %estructive interests throu h &ullyin ,an% with his mother1s e presse% helpless %esperation at the 'amily situation throu hprovocatively victimi+e% passivity.


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seen in such chil%ren are inappropriate humor an% a num&e% 'eelin . t is my opinionthat this patholo ical suppression o' the e o1s response to such threats can lea% to a%eeper unconscious level o' primitive %e'ensiveness, with operations li-e splittin an%omnipotent %enial. n such circumstances, &ehavioral actin out ten%s to occur, an%chil%ren may %isconnect 'rom their peer roups &ecause their &ehavior alienates others.

To this scenario may &e a%%e% the more recent concept o' 2indling (R. 4. 8e al et al.5"" ) . irst applie% to the treatment o' patients with mi raine an% epilepsy, -in%linmo%els have recently &een use% to e plain a variety o' psychiatric %isor%ers, inclu%in4ipolar Fisor%er an% Post#Traumatic 8tress Fisor%er (Post et al. 5"" ) . n the -in%linmo%el, the num&er an% intensity o' psychosocial stressors necessary to precipitate the%isor%er is re%uce% as repeate% episo%es o' the %isor%er occur. The -in%lin mo%el thenpostulates that the &rain &ecomes sensiti+e% &y recurrent cycles o' an iety, re uirin'ewer an% 'ewer stressors to respon% with 'ull#&lown psychopatholo ical mala%aptation.

Ta&le 5 *ontinuum 9' Aesponses 4y *hil%ren To Threat 4iopsychosocial nte ration

,ature ofThreat

+es$onse of

*go

Victi Victi i"er

!ialectic

Conscious

Affect

Mentali"ing

Action

Possible#utcoes

Aealttac-

?o&ili+es%e'enses

@ot involve% ear

voi%ance or'i httosurvive

8urvival

>nconscious Threat

8i nalan ietyrepression

nvo-e% withpatholo ical

trans'erences in o&/ectrelationships

n iet

y (hi hlevel)

@eurosis

Psychiatric illness

Hin%le% Threat

ncrease%sensitivity tothreatescapin

'rom

e ocontrols

nvo-e% withpatholo icaltrans'erences in o&/ectrelationship

intensi'ie%

num&,humor,%issociate%'eelin

U

ntisocial&ehavioraltraits

Fisconnection'rompeer

roup

4ully#ictim#

4ystan%er8a%omasochisticAitual

ttac-

utistic#conti uousre ression

nvo-e% with#* 'eatures

6 plosivera ean%shame

U

Aetaliatory #attac-;surren%er #%e'eat


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ali%ate%

roup%estructive'antasy

me alomania, spiralin

h an%e citement

attac-;surren%er #%e'eat

chronican ersuici%e,%epression

The -in%lin mo%el helps inte rate a psychoanalytic un%erstan%in o' e o %e'enses an%their interaction with the o&servation o' patholo ical o&/ect relationships, inclu%intrans'erences an% the &iolo ical su&strate, since a 'ee%&ac- loop o' patholo icaltrans'erences may mo%i'y the neuronal su&strate, lowerin the threshol% 'or violentout&ursts with successive episo%es. 9ne such -in%le% stressor coul% &e coercive power%ynamics, with each e posure re uirin less coercion to precipitate a %estructiveout&urst.

The continuation o' a bullying sado%asochistic ritual causes a %eeper level o' re ressionto the autistic conti uous position o' 9 %en (5"C") ; ra e an% shame are stron a''ects,which lea% to retaliatory attac- an% %e'eat, with possi&le suici%e an% homici%e. n&ullyin , the response to the threat occurs via a %eeper level o' re ression than thatseen in suppression an% -in%lin , lea%in to e plosive ra e 'uele% &y the real or'antasi+e% &ystan%er component.

inally, "eer5grou"5validated threat can lea% to comple an% even more intense, roup#ampli'ie% %ynamics an% %estructive 'antasies, with roup#enhance% me alomania an%manic triumph resultin in %estructive actions. The a&ove#mentione% case vi netteinvolvin a school shooter illustrates the roup#enhance% e''ect on a suscepti&le chil%.

Conclusions With %an erous chil%ren, the peer roup has a %evelopmentally e a erate% in'luence.

%%in the actions o' in'luential a%ults to the mi can intensi'y patholo ical, paranoi%trans'erences in these chil%ren that then interact with comple social phenomena, li-ecopycattin an% me%ia in'luences on chil%ren1s rowth an% %evelopment. lso,sa%omasochistic &ullyin rituals are perhaps unwittin ly encoura e% &y mi%%le#class

vertical social %ynamics. This perspective compels the analyst who elects to treatseriously %istur&e% chil%ren to wor- in an inter%isciplinary way within the chil%1s socialconte t.

Acknowledgments The i%eas ela&orate% in this paper owe much to the author1s%iscussions with Hai 6ri-son, Ph.F.; Peter ona y, Ph.F.; 8teven ?arans, Ph.F.; ran-8acco, Ph.F.; an% Ao&ert Wel-er, Ph.F.

Footnotes 5 The containin an% hol%in ualities o' the school environment, necessary to create a'eelin o' sa'ety an% well#&ein in chil%ren (in 8an%ler1s M5" 0N sense), are ela&orate% inmore %etail in Twemlow, ona y, an% 8acco (2002&) .

2 actor analysis is a statistical techni ue that roups similar varia&les.

3 7essenti%ent is a term @iet+sche intro%uce% as part o' his analysis o' the master#slaverelationship. @or%strom, rie%en&er , an% Eol% (5" C) e ten%e% it to encompass asocial phenomenon roote% in envy an% rancor, where&y those who are impoverishe%hol% an ill#tempere% hostility towar% those with a so#calle% over#'ullness o' li'e. This 'ree#'loatin , envious ill temper rows in relation to the nee% to inhi&it it, as one mi hte pect in the teacher#stu%ent relationship.

$ way to con%uct this assessment is outline% in Twemlow, ona y, an% 8acco ( 2005a , 2005& , 2002a ).

! Thanatos as a metaphor 'or the %eath instinct is %epicte% in mytholo y &y a mon-wearin a cowl. Thanatos was a entle 'orce, not a satanic one, perhaps the uar%ian o'a merci'ul sleep to en% misery, not unli-e the &eni n %epiction o' 8hiva in


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essence. reu% %i% not use the metaphor o' Thanatos, in spite o' its %esi nation as thecounterpoint o' 6ros &ein attri&ute% to him.

This was the Peace'ul 8chools Pro/ect o' the ?ennin er *linic, Tope-a, Hansas,co%irecte% &y Peter ona y, Ph.F.; 8tuart W. Twemlow, ?.F.; an% 6ric ern&er , Ph.F.

7

gentle warrior is a chil% who em&o%ies sel'#control, respect 'or sel' an% others, an%who helps others. The Eentle Warrior Pro ram is tau ht in a martial arts#&ase% pro ramthat su&stitutes 'or physical e%ucation classes in some elementary schools.

C n'ormation 'or this vi nette was %erive% 'rom a 'ive#%ay wor-in roup convene% &ythe 4 at its 8ymposium on 8chool 8hooters, Iuly 52 throu h 5 , 5""", in Oees&ur ,

ir inia. The oal was to come up with recommen%ations to assist in assessment o'chil%ren who threaten to commit homici%es in school. This roup, in which the authorparticipate%, inclu%e% e perts 'rom aroun% the worl% %istrict attorneys, 4 pro'ilers,an% police o''icers, as well as school personnel 'rom ei hteen school %istricts wherethere ha% &een homici%es or serious threats o' violence.

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Documents

Twemlow, S. -- A Crucible for Murder-The Social Context of Violent Children and Adolescents