Insanity And Terrorism Psychology

When we look at how fragile each one of our lives are, we need to take a minute and realize the different characteristics that form us into who we are today. Studies have shown that there are characteristics within the behavior of an individual that can be linked to the specific behaviors demonstrated by an offender that would classify them as a psychopath. Along with other research that looks into an individual’s genetics to see if that plays a role in defining or making a psychopath. John Allen Muhammad, also known as the D.C. sniper, was labeled as a psychopath when he terrorized D.C. for two weeks, taking thirteen victims and killing ten of them. This paper will go over the behaviors that constitute psychopathy, and the behaviors that

One of the reasons is why serial killers commit such tragic and gruesome actions. Nature has been the case in an abundance of different murderers when concerning mental illness. Most serial killers struggle with schizophrenia, which is a disorder that affects a persons ability to think, feel, and behave clearly(holdren 2015). A key example of schizophrenia is serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Dahmer displayed his schizophrenic habits whenever police discovered dismembered body parts and organs inside his apartment(holdren 2015). Schizophrenia is a serious issue that must be addressed when dealing with a serial

Holden Caulfield is an insane person in a sane world. What is insanity? Insanity is when you’re in a state of mind that prevents normal perception, behavior or social interaction. This state is mental illness. Insanity is when you do things in deranged or outrageous ways that could frighten people, or make people feel uncomfortable when around you. It’s when you do things out of the ordinary; yet feel as if they are ordinary. Insanity could come about when you’re depressed, or after a traumatic event, and sometimes even by keeping all your feelings bottled up inside of yourself. Sane people are sensible, reliable, well-adjusted and practice sound judgment. It’s behavior that is expected in a society. By these

In “A Behavioral Analysis of John Brown: Martyr or Terrorist,” James N. Gilbert effectively argues that John Brown’s inhumane actions clearly conform to a modern definition of a domestic terrorist. Gilbert argues that Brown justified his inhumane actions by proclaiming adherence to high political and moral values. Gilbert is a professor and former chair of the department of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska-Kearney who specializes in criminal investigative theory. In fact, Gilbert authored Criminal Investigation, which is now it its eighth edition, as well as numerous journal articles. According to Gilbert, Brown lived during a time when both the political process and democratic values had been destroyed by slavery. Gilbert offers insight throughout his argument regarding Brown’s controversial actions as Brown was unalterably opposed to slavery. Overall, in his analysis, Gilbert successfully proves that Brown’s inhumane actions relate to a modern definition of a terrorist as Brown believed that terror and violence were the only ways to abolish slavery.

The choices that were made were unforgivable and inappropriate was basically the whole thing in general. Who in their right mind would decide to murder 49 people in cold blood. This incident is a perfect reason to promote mental health. Social Psychology would be beneficial to study in this case, because it would help us understand these people with their illness.

History relating to the issue of gun violence and mass shooting can be dated back for decades. One of the most common misconceptions is that the cause of these shootings is not the availability of but that mental illnesses of those that obtain the guns are. However, there is little to no evidence that truly supports this argument. As stated in the article, Mass Shootings and Mental Illness written by James L. Knoll IV and D. Annas, “The overall contribution of people with serious mental illness to violent crimes is only about 3%. When these crimes are examined in detail, an even smaller percentage of them are found to involve firearms. (p.81/90)” This misconception among many can be attributed, as outlined in the article, to today’s media coverage.

In criminal cases where an insanity defense is used, the defense must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was not responsible for his or her actions during a mental health breakdown. There are two forms of an insanity defense, cognitive and volitional. In order for an individual to meet the requirements for cognitive insanity it must be proven that the defendant had to be so impaired by a mental disease at the time of the act that they did not know the nature of what they were doing. If they are fully aware of their actions, one must prove that they didn’t know what they were doing was wrong. Volitional insanity, also known as irresistible impulse, states that the defendant is able to differentiate between right or wrong at the time, but suffered from a mental disease that made them unable to control themselves. Volitional insanity is common in crimes of vengeance, where very few states allow the use of this defense. The insanity defense should not be confused with incompetency. In incompetency cases, the individual is not able to understand the nature and consequences of the case, nor adequately able to help an attorney with his or her defense. The insanity defense reflects the approach that an individual who can’t acknowledge the consequences of their actions should not be punished for the crime. In most jurisdictions a professional is bought in to determine if the defendant was not able to differentiate between right or wrong at the time of the

There was no past evidence of mental illness so that cannot be a reason why he committed these murders. He deserves to go to jail for murdering those innocent people. Although he killed these people he admits to it but does not seem to care whatsoever. Normally this would lead for people to think he has mental issues but, this is not the case according to police. He was just a person who even has a wife and two kids. To me this seems like he was just angry with something or someone according to the phone call he got, and that led him to a killing spree. The phone call certainly triggered something, so once that phone call is investigated maybe the mourning families of the murdered people would have somewhat of a reason to why they lost their loved

The insanity defense is a topic that is commonly argued about. It is a topic that is helpful to be informed about. While my research was limited since there are not many cases of the insanity defense , many individuals believe that this defense is only used to allow defendants to get less time in prison and get away with a crime. Although this has been true in some cases, my objective is to bring light into this topic because the insanity defense serves as an appropriate punishment for someone that is mentally ill, the public has a widely misconception of it, and it provides mental help for an “insane” defendant.

The insanity defense is a difficult defense for defendants to use and only 2% charged with serious crimes use it. Defendants who successfully use the insanity defense are found not guilty by reason of insanity and they are committed to a mental institution. They are kept in a mental institution until they are no longer mentally ill and a threat to society. When using the insanity defense it is up to the defendant to prove that he/she is insane by a preponderance of the evidence. There is three rules/test that can be used in an insanity case they are: the M’Naghten rule, the “Product of Mental Illness” rule, and the “Substantial Capacity” test.

The insanity defense is a very complex criminal defense plea. Over hundreds of years, the insanity defense has evolved. The correct term for the insanity defense in a criminal case will be “not guilty by reasons of insanity” (NGRI). Many people have used the insanity defense without success. When someone uses the NGRI defense it is argued that a mental illness took full effect leading to an individual to commit a criminal act. Many have tried to use such a defense, yet one after another they have failed. The insanity defense is one of the hardest, if not the hardest defense to use. Pleading insanity can be tricky. One cannot simply plead insanity and expect for it to work.

Society has a noteworthy part with how individuals think, what they choose, what they decide to do, and how they act. The way that Breivik will clearly assert insanity plays directly into the issue that “having a worldview that shapes our attention, informs even what we believe to be real is perfectly normal.” There are a lot of individuals who will believe the allegation that Breivik must be insane on the grounds that only an insane individual could do what he did. Yet, Breivik is so distant from the legitimate meaning of insanity; the legitimate meaning of insanity is the state of being seriously mentally ill. Breivik doesn’t show insanity when he arranged his criminal acts no less than a year ahead of time. All that he did shows phenomenal

Terrorism is a difficult issue to understand and grasp for many people. What is even more difficult to understand is what drives an individual to become radicalized to the point of joining a terrorist organization and committing terrorist acts. While there is not specific criteria or a “cookie cutter” approach to understanding what motivates and radicalizes an individual to participate in such atrocities, there are however, several psychological and behavioral factors that have been common among these individuals. The following paper will outline some of the psychological and behavioral factors that attribute to an individual’s radicalization and eventual willingness and even perhaps

The ever evolving subject of terrorism and terrorists is the subject of significant study worldwide. The psychological and behavioral factors involved in terrorism are one of the most studied issues. It has implications across the board for both the detection and deterrence of terrorism. How terrorists communicate and the influence that it plays in growing terroristic ideology, mission, and goals are also of significant importance, as well.

Since the late 1970’s, there has been a strong correlation between mental health disorders and the perpetrators of mass shootings. “Up to 60% of the perpetrators have displayed symptoms including acute paranoia, delusions and depression before committing their crimes” (Metzl & Macleish, 2015). In the case of Adam Lanza, infamously known for the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, the history of his mental illnesses is quite extensive. However, it has been discovered that when it comes to mental illnesses, it is not influenced by one factor, but rather many factors that have integrated into the individual’s life (Sue, 2014). These factors began affecting Lanza’s life at only two years old, continuing throughout his lifetime until his heinous act of murder at the age of twenty. Throughout his