School Shootings: International Research, Case Studies, and Concepts for Prevention

ISBN-13: 9781489995063 / Angielski / Miękka / 2015 / 544 str.

Nils Boeckler; Thorsten Seeger; Peter Sitzer

Opis

School shootings are a topic of research in a variety of different disciplines--from psychology, to sociology to criminology, pedagogy, and public health--each with their own set of theories. Many of these theories are logically interconnected, while some differ widely and seem incompatible with each other, leading to divergent results about potential means of prevention. In this innovative work, leading researchers on the topic of school shootings introduce their findings and theoretical concepts in one combined systematic volume. The contributions to this work highlight both the complementary findings from different fields, as well as cases where they diverge or contradict each other. The work is divided into four main sections: an overview of current theoretical approaches and empirical models; application of these theories to international cases, including Columbine (USA), Emsdetten (Germany), and Tuusula (Finland); a critique of the influence of the media, both in the portrayals of past events and its effect on future events; and finally an overview of existing models for prevention and intervention, and measures of their success. The result is a comprehensive source for current research on school shootings, and will provide a direction for future research.

Recenzje

From the reviews:
"School Shootings: International Research, Case Studies, and Concepts for Prevention represents an important contribution to the emerging field of research on school rampage shootings, a field that draws from expertise in criminology, psychology, sociology, and media studies. ... The volume fills a unique niche and provides a rich foundation for this emerging area of study. This is a book for specialists in this research area as well as for practitioners focused on attenuating risk factors." (Kellina M. Craig-Henderson, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 58 (24), June, 2013)

Spis treści

Chapter 1. School Shootings: Conceptual Framework and International Empirical Trends-.-I.Theories, models and empirical findings-.-Social Disintegration, Loss of Control, and School Shootings-.-Adolescent Culture and the Tragedy of Rampage Shootings-.-School Rampage in International Perspective: The Salience of Cumulative Strain Theory-.-On the Relevance of Phantasy for the Genesis of School Shootings-.-Thirty-Five Rampage School Shooters: Trends, Patterns, and Typology-.-II. Case Studies and perspectives-.-Legitimated Adolescent Violence: Lessons from Columbine-.-Jeffrey Weise and the Shooting at Red Lake Minnesota High School: A Behavioral Perspective-.-Jokela: The Social Roots of a School Shooting Tragedy in Finland-.-A Catastrophic Solution: Psychoanalytic Perspectives on a Samurai School Attack in South Africa-.-Unforgiven and Alone: Brenda Spencer and Secret Shame-.-III. Media reporting and media effects-.-School Shootings as Mediatized Violence-.-The Role of Media Content in the Genesis of School Shootings: The Contemporary Discussion-.-Revolution of the Dispossessed: School Shooters and their Devotees on the Web-.-IV.Prevention and intervention concepts-.-International Perspectives on Prevention and Intervention in School Shootings-.-School Shootings in Germany: Research, Prevention Through Risk Assessment and Threat Management-.-The Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines: An Empirically Supported Violence Prevention Strategy-.-Indicated Prevention of Severe Targeted School Violence: NETWorks Against School Shootings (NETWASS)-.-Averted School Shootings-.-Crisis Management in School Shooting Situations: The School—A Forgotten Factor in the Equation-.-Democratic Education and Promotion of Social Skills in Schools and Classrooms as Primary Prevention: An Overview of the Discourse in Germany-.-School Shootings, Crises of Masculinities, and the Reconstruction of Education: Some Critical Perspectives.

O autorze

Nils Böckler is a member of the graduate college Group-focused Enmity which is founded by the German National Science Foundation and associated with the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence at Bielefeld University. In his PhD-project (science of education) he deals with patterns of online-hate and online-radicalization with a main focus on juveniles.

Thorsten Seeger is a member of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence at Bielefeld University. From a background of educational science his main scholarly interests lie in the fields of traumatic childhood experiences, attachment theory, socialization, and violence research. He deepened his knowledge in psychoanalytic ideas and methods during a study stay at the University of Vienna.

Dr. Peter Sitzer has studied science of education at Bielefeld University. Since 2002 he is member of the Faculty of Educational Science at the Bielefeld University. His main research interests are theories of socialization, youth violence, right-wing extremism, media and violence, and cyber bullying.

Wilhelm Heitmeyer is professor of socialization and director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence at Bielefeld University. His research interests concentrate on violence, social disintegration, right-wing extremism, and ethnic-cultural conflicts. He is editor of the International Handbook of Violence Research (co-edited with John Hagan), and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Conflict and Violence (with D. Massey et al.).

Blurb

The expert research of School Shootings: International Research, Case Studies, and Concepts for Prevention goes beyond simple "violent teen culture creates violent students" constructs to present current theories and findings, a diverse range of case studies, and examples of successful prevention programs. (Instructive cases that fall outside the general template, such as an early female shooter and a Samurai sword attack, are also included for additional insights.) Contributors from a variety of disciplines thoughtfully explore the role of media in conceptualizing school shootings and shooters for the public, the social nuances of "cool kids" versus outsiders, and the construction of male socialization for multifaceted coverage of this growing phenomenon. Among the featured topics:

 

• The relevance of fantasy in school shootings.
• Thirty-five school shootings: trends, patterns, typology.
• Legitimated adolescent violence: lessons from Columbine.
• School shooters and their followers on the Web.
• The Virginia Student Threat Assessment Guidelines: a science-based prevention strategy.
• School-level crisis management when a shooting incident occurs.

 

A groundbreaking work that opens up possibilities for future studies and interdisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration, School Shootings is imperative reading for researchers in criminology and criminal justice, especially with an interest in lifecourse studies and violence prevention/intervention. It will also be of considerable interest to researchers in youth-related fields, including child and school psychology, and education.