The psychology of lone gunmen

James Holmes appears in court at the Arapahoe County Justice (Getty Images)

One might be mistaken for thinking that the recent shootings in Aurora and Wisconsin, as part of a trend of distinctively modern mass-murders, could only be understood with reference to distinctively modern phenomena. Indeed, factors such as resurgent neo-Nazism, an atomised society and a glorification of trigger-happy vigilantes in popular culture are all elements which can clearly been seen as contributing to an environment in which such tragedies can occur.

Increasingly though, as the crimes relentlessly re-occur, such analyses fall somewhat short. A purely modern engagement with this most troubling of issues provides an understanding of the criminal, and an understanding of society, but no clear reason for why so many individuals decide to engage with society in this particular fashion. Perhaps we must look at these cases from an alternative viewpoint to provide some insight.

Raskolnikov, the protagonist in Crime and Punishment, is an intelligent young man, who is driven to extreme ideas and madness by his retreat from society. He develops a theory of humanity which divides all people into two categories; the ordinary and the extraordinary, and in an attempt to show himself as extraordinary, and therefore able to act without regard for laws, he commits a murder.

It is of course not the case that James Holmes and Wade Michael Page were attempting to demonstrate the truth of a particular philosophical idea when they respectively decided to gun down cinema-goers and Sikh worshippers. Specifically in the case of Holmes though, there appears to be some similarities.

It was not a coincidence that Holmes committed his crime at the premiere of a superhero film, and much has been made of the possible effect that violent films and video games might have on young people, and how they might become desensitised to violence. Perhaps we should see this link from another perspective though; rather than emulating the violence of films such as this, perhaps Holmes and others like him are attempting to prove something about themselves and about humanity as a whole.

A wider cultural trait, by no means limited to superhero films, has emerged in recent years, and its origins can perhaps be traced back to the emergence of Ayn Rand in America. Both Rand and the superhero genre are currently experiencing something of a renaissance, particularly in America, and both involve the celebration of the ‘extraordinary’ individual, who transcends society in order to perform an action contributing to an abstract sense of ‘good’.

However, the development of this concept from idea into action relies upon other factors. Raskolnikov’s isolation from society is of central importance to his crime, as he becomes so separate from even those closest to him that he is indifference to their suffering. Wade Michael Page, with his neo-Nazi rock bands and prolific presence on far-right internet forums seems to have been isolated, at least politically, from mainstream society. This isolation is key, and it gives us a clue as to why modern mass murderers tend to spend so much time on the internet. The power of the internet to connect people often means that its power to isolate them is overlooked.

The fusion of extreme political individualism and isolation from mainstream society appears to create the potential for dangerous ideas such as Raskolnikov’s to emerge. The ‘extraordinary’ people in Raskolnikov’s mind ‘move the world and guide it to its goal’. There is no doubt that Anders Behring Breivik thought he was guiding the world towards better things when he opened fire on Utoya Island. We will not know whether Wade Michael Page would have said the same, but given his political views, it seems likely.

Yet the question still remains: even if you are trying to prove yourself as extraordinary, why commit this specific act? Perhaps it is because this kind of gun crime holds a special place within American culture. There is no denying that from the Civil War to the mythologized Old West to the 1960’s assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King, guns have shaped American society directly or indirectly.

For Raskolnikov, murder was an attempt to make himself ‘a Napoleon’, a man revered despite having committed obvious atrocities. There is no single clear reference point for the modern lone gunman, but we could do worse than to suggest that they commit their acts partly in an attempt to make themselves ‘superheroes’, to try and rise above society, becoming an Ubermensch. The combination of isolation, radical individualism and the idea that some people should break the law to perform acts in a common interest leads to the possibility of a tragedy like those seen in Aurora and Wisconsin.

In the aftermath of these shootings, the discussion tended to be based on gun control. The fact that these crimes appear to be so based in culture and psychology suggests that regardless of whether gun control legislation is enacted, there will still be individuals for whom the desire to perform these acts is strong.

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• http://twitter.com/appledorkian prionⒼןǝʇɐd

  I have to disagree with you when you say that the comparison between real life murderers and fictional characters in Dostoyevsky’s novel is offensive. The characters are not real but the philosophy in which the protagonist is shaped is definitely influential in the real world. Fiction in a way alters one’s perception despite being fiction. Fiction is able to contribute to delusions. Fiction implants ideas into people’s heads. Those who read fiction sometimes have trouble realizing that the characters are not real but rather a figment of the author’s imagination. They have trouble realizing this because they connect with the characters quite well and agree with their trains of thought which are explicitly stated by the author. These trains of thought which are not quite as apparent in people in real life. This dissatisfaction allows the “lone gunmen” to resort to having these fictional beings (characters in a novel, characters in a role playing strategy game) to be their social support while giving up on humans in real life. The killers are fueled by their delusions rather than by access to weapons. Even if we have stricter gun control, if the delusions of criminals are strong enough they will find a way to access guns. It is not guns that kill people, it is the ill-minded people who pull the trigger. Guns are just tools like kitchen knives, machetes, and gasoline.

• http://twitter.com/appledorkian prionⒼןǝʇɐd

  In regards to your comment about all the perpetrators being male, I wonder if the topic of gun control and video game violence would ever come forth if they were female mass murderers. I think a lot of focus would be put on mental health if a female mass murderer were to arise. It would be interesting to see what the media squawks about when that happens. I do agree that Holmes has a serious mental disorder. He probably had it all his life (encoded in his genes) but that gene expression did not occur until the age he is right now. People I feel are constantly asking the question of “what went wrong” with this intelligent young man turned into a mass murderer but I think if we have to blame anything it would be gene expression modifying human behavior. If there were no psychotropic drugs involved, this would be a reasonable scientific explanation.

• adiousir

  Couldn’t agree more. the great divorce in modern thought of science and faith – particularly in america, where being christian is synonomous with blinkered fundamentalism – has led to a situation where nihilism is a logical philosophy to the intelligent mind. this has appalling consequences in wasted lives, drug addiction, amoral business practise etc. random shootings are the tip of the iceberg.

• http://twitter.com/appledorkian prionⒼןǝʇɐd

  Alex, this was a great post! When I heard about the shooting in Colorado and how the suspect was getting his Ph.D. I immediately thought of Raskolnikov and the Ubermensch. Holmes in my opinion had it made but he wanted to be “extraordinary” so he committed a crime that gained exceptional media coverage. With the informational overload present through modern media, Holmes was able to dominate a small chunk of that through the public wanting to know the answer “Who is James Holmes and why did he do what he did?”. Holmes wanted attention. He got attention. & that in his mind probably made him “extraordinary”.

• georgesilver

  The photos of the real James Holmes and this “ginger” headed guy are different.
  They are not the same person.
  This has all the hall marks of a set up. Eye witnesses say there was an accomplice who let the gun man into the cinema.
  The whole thing stinks but the media will keep silent.

• porkfright

  Agree. We are being fed disinfo and half-truths, lies and calumny on a daily basis. The whole thing seems to operate on the basis that Chicken-Licken says the sky is falling in, most people believe this fairytale-and the media report it not as unsubstantiated, but as though it were God’s own truth.

• Grimshaw12

  You are saying that people can be influenced by fictional characters. Of course this is true. My problem, was that Mr Bryan here labelled his piece ‘The Psychology of Lone Gunmen’ and then attempted to get inside the head of a lone gunman by comparing his behaviour with the behaviour of a fictional character. This, you cannot do. Our behaviours are triggered by so many factors, be they genetic or environmental. An author, no matter how great, will not be able to allow his fictional creations the same luxury, they behave in the situation the author puts them in, in the way the author decides. In other words, to progress his story in the manner in which he wants them to. So, not like real life.
  Stricter gun control is a no-brainer in the United States (or bullets, see Chris Rock), but the number of people killed in that cinema would have been vastly reduced if Holmes had only been armed with a kitchen knife. Indeed, a large number of people could have simply over-powered him. A lot harder to do when he had an array of guns wouldn’t you say?
  You cannot go down this ‘They’d have done it anyway’ road. It’s completely off the point. Yes he may have done something anyway, but at the expense of so many lives? I don’t think so.

• http://www.facebook.com/j.r.woodlandshire James Woolley

  Happeh – who is Anna Lundh please? I can’t find who you’re referring to on google.

• http://www.facebook.com/people/Rebecca-Fine/100002306266703 Rebecca Fine

  Odd that this article tries to rope in the 1960’s assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King. As has been well documented over the past several decades, it is obvious that these men were assassinated not by lone gunmen but by well-orchestrated conspiracies by those in the establishment who feared the threat to the status quo that these men represented.

• Happeh

  WOW! They went that far to cover it up huh?

  Swedish Foreign Minister. Supported the Palestinians. Stabbed to death in a department store in broad daylight.

  Try “Anna Lundh Swedish Assasination” as a search term.