The Implicit Religion of School Shootings
Existential Concerns of Perpetrators Prior to Their Crime
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22340243 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Birgit Pfeifer, Ruard R Ganzevoort |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 447-459 |
| Publication date | 2014-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Religion and Violence (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2159-6808 • E-ISSN: 2159-6808 |
| Publisher | Philosophy Documentation Center (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.5840/jrv20153172 |
| OpenAlex | W2329293220 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 4 |
The present paper explores which existential concerns emerge in autobiographical documents of school shooters. The perpetrators in this study discuss their hatred of humanity and existential loneliness in their video manifestos, suicide letters, or diary entries. These expressions—called leaking—contain traces of implicit religion which help us to understand strong layers of meaning in this seemingly irrational behavior. The study involves a narrative analysis of the expressions of school shooters to shed more light on the existential dimension of their motives. We discuss the relation between implicit religion and school shootings, with particular attention to religious terminology in
Criminology · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Psychology · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |