Psychology of a killer: Recognizing the Danger
Justin Daigle
Issue date: 4/23/07 Section: News
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With the recent Virginia Tech tragedy looming in the forefront of students' minds, The Contraband wished to give our readers a professional insight into the mind of Cho Seung-Hui, the mass murdering "martyr" that caused this horrible affair.
Seung-Hui has been described as a loner who had no friends. He was delusional and thought himself to be a martyr, stating in his now famous videos "this didn't have to happen." He even went as far to reference the killers of the infamous Columbine school shooting in twisted reverence.
After news of the Virginia Tech shootings, many McNeese students became worried, fearful at best, about their safety while attending class. The McNeese Counseling Center Director, B.J. Clayton, provided professional commentary on circumstances surrounding this incident.
Clayton stated that all students should be aware of their classmates' behaviors and report to professors, advisors, or even authorities when they perceive threatening behavior.
Clayton says that students and faculty should be on the lookout for individuals who are isolated, excessively angry, or excessively depressed (excessively being the operative word).
Characteristics could include a person who is manic, who gets two to three hours of sleep a night, and who acts out with, or displays, abusive or violent behavior.
One popular form of displaying abusive or violent behavior is through creative writing. As in the case of Seung-Hui, a person's creative writing can be a warning sign of psychological problems that could potentially be harmful to others.
McNeese has reported that there are a handful of students reported to the Counseling Center each year for disturbing writing, generally in their english composition classes. The cases are handled by the McNeese Counseling Center and are usually isolated incidents that are short lived.
According to Clayton, if a student is under the age of 18, a professor is obligated to report to the appropriate authorities, any disturbing writing.
Seung-Hui has been described as a loner who had no friends. He was delusional and thought himself to be a martyr, stating in his now famous videos "this didn't have to happen." He even went as far to reference the killers of the infamous Columbine school shooting in twisted reverence.
After news of the Virginia Tech shootings, many McNeese students became worried, fearful at best, about their safety while attending class. The McNeese Counseling Center Director, B.J. Clayton, provided professional commentary on circumstances surrounding this incident.
Clayton stated that all students should be aware of their classmates' behaviors and report to professors, advisors, or even authorities when they perceive threatening behavior.
Clayton says that students and faculty should be on the lookout for individuals who are isolated, excessively angry, or excessively depressed (excessively being the operative word).
Characteristics could include a person who is manic, who gets two to three hours of sleep a night, and who acts out with, or displays, abusive or violent behavior.
One popular form of displaying abusive or violent behavior is through creative writing. As in the case of Seung-Hui, a person's creative writing can be a warning sign of psychological problems that could potentially be harmful to others.
McNeese has reported that there are a handful of students reported to the Counseling Center each year for disturbing writing, generally in their english composition classes. The cases are handled by the McNeese Counseling Center and are usually isolated incidents that are short lived.
According to Clayton, if a student is under the age of 18, a professor is obligated to report to the appropriate authorities, any disturbing writing.
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