School Shootings: Causes and Warning Signs

School injures Causes and Warning SignsThe Virginia Tech Massacre, the Sandy knock off shooting, and the aquilegia High School Massacre ar publications that people leave behind never forget. School shootings are a rare occurrence tho for the people experiencing these events clipping stands still, and they will never forget. This paper will step at the reasons why these events take mail, and the warning signs displayed by the triggermans in advance the event happens. This paper will as well as explore what the medias role in covering the shooting events, and the opposeive measures that engender been make over period to combat this render that faces domesticateings around the world.The number single issue that faces electric shaverren nowadays is b relishery in civilize. It is non just the face to face typeface of push around that is thought of when a person thinks of bullying. Todays youthfulness have to face cyber bullying along with the face to face bully ing at instill. Roland defines bullying as continuing, negative behavior directed toward a victim by an individual or grouping (2002). some other ponder c altogethers the spell of bullying marginalization. They define this as the act of pushing individuals immaterial the realm of accessible signifi give the bouncece (Mongan, Hatcher and Maschi 2009). Yet another(prenominal)(prenominal) word associated with bullying that came from Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschis study is what is called masculinity ardours (2009). There study was conducted on the columbine shooting. This is a statement from a survivor of that shooting describing what was said to the devil young men that committed the shooting.Sure we tantalised them. But what do you expect with kids who come to initiate with weird hairdos and horns on their hats? Its not just jocks the whole schools disgusted with them. Theyre a bunch of homos..If you want to get rid of someone usually you tease em. So the whole school would c all them homos (Gibbs Roche, 1996, p.48).Bullying would be a form of peer rejection. When a person is rejected by one group that they see as a positive, they may be pushed to another group that will have a negative influence or even resort to social isolation. Studies carry that if a person has a strong attachment to family, peers, and school they are less likely to be an offender of delinquent acts (Curran and Renzetti 2001). They will see themselves as outcasts from the mainstream groups, and he or she will grow a large amount of animosity toward the group that bullied them. There has been some research conducted on the effects of bullying on school shooters, but bulling may be just a atom smasher and not the main reason. Hann and Mays conducted a study and found that two thirds of all the offenders were bullied prior to the shooting incident (2013). Hanns and Mayss study does show a connection between bullying and school shooting, but also shows that the bully or bullies may n ot be the specific fools. They call forth that the stats show that bullies are the targets, but then go on to put forward that the shooters randomly target students in the school forgetting about the bullies (Hanns and Mays 2013). They may extend to more weight to the theory that bullying is more of a throttle to the shooting than a main reason. Being bullied at school can lead to indicators or warning signs that a child may be going in the wrong direction. If the child becomes very isolated from social interactions this may be a warning sign that he or she may be having problems. Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi show the stages that a person goes through before the final act of abandon. They have come up with a personate called the stages of Change Model. This informative bewilder shows people what to look for in regards to a childs behavior. The table on the next page shows the diametric stages that a child may go through before committing the school shooting. This chart is to show school administrators and parents the warning signs to look for.TABLE 1 Applying the spots-of-Change Model to Youth At Risk of Committing a School ShootingStages of change Identifying signs Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of at-risk youthStage 1 Precontemplation _ Has thoughts about planning or engaging in a school shootingStage 2 Contemplation _ Feels unfairly treated Has grandiose ideas of getting back at the school or othersStage 3 Preparation _ Weighs the pros and cons of attempting a school shooting Has morbid fantasies of death Develops a plan of attackStage 4 Action _ Commits to follow through on plan_ Withdraws from others_ Obtains weapons for attackStage 5 Maintenance _ Establishes a plan and sets a date for the attack_ Spends era rehearsing plans (i.e., thinking about it or practicing)Stage 6 Termination _ Feels attack is justified_ Completes the attack (murder and/or suicide) (p.639)These warning signs are used to alleviate interrupt a manageable shoo ting.Other issues that may also push a child to delinquency or other offensive activitys may include demoralize in the home. If a child is already having a tough time at school, and then he or she goes to an abusive home spiritedness this will have a negative effect on the child. He or she may also have a personality disorders that have an effect on the delinquency, and this can practically lead to suicide (Hann and Mays 2013). unwarranted movies and music have also been linked to cutthroat behavior along with interest in firearms and bombs. Other psychological problems including depression, impulse control, or sadistic tendencies have been linked to school shooters (Hann and Mays 2013). Another argument that is being made is the accessibility of flatulencys in the United States. Hann and Mays study headways out that this is a major(ip) factor in the persons ability to commit the act of a school shooting (2013). However, Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi (2009) point out about the approachability of guns in America that, school shootings have also occurred in countries that use strict gun control laws, and school shootings did not begin in America until 1966 even though there was a pro gun culture (p637).When these types of events take stick people want to place the damn on someone or something to achieve closure. This is when the consign game starts and blame is pushed from one person or thing to another. gibe to Hann and Mays parents are often at least partially to blame for the shooting then followed by teachers and school administrators (2013). However, there is another source that many people place at least some blame withal and that is the media.The media insurance coverage of school shooting is very highly scrutinized among the victims and researchers alike. Some researchers put a bargain of blame on the media for their coverage of these events. The people who make these claims seem to think that the medias coverage of these events cause cop y cat school shooters. Hann and Mays point out that school shootings did not attract the media attention before 1997 as they do now (2013). The first major event that got the media coverage that Hann and Mays are speaking of is the Columbine shooting in 2001. It was the worst high school shooting of the time killing 12 students and one teacher and is believed by some to inspire others to commit similar crimes in different move of the United States (Hann Mays 2013).A study was conducted by Haravuori, Suomalainen, Berg, Kivirousu, and Marttunen to see what impact the media coverage had on adolescents traumatized in a school shooting. This study was conducted on 231 students ripened 13-19 years in Finland. A similar study was conducted on students at Virginia Tech after that shooting. There were three types of journalistic behavior see during the media coverage of both events. These behaviors included behaving badly, media mod, and displaying compassion. Both studies concluded that that being approached by the media and being interviewed had a negative effect on posttraumatic distress (2011). closely media outlets would say that they were doing what the people want them to do and that is to report the news, and something as swelled as a school shooting would consume to have drawn-out coverage to get all that compulsions to be reported. They would also press that they show great sympathy for the victims and their families. Where the issue lies for the researchers is when the encompassing coverage becomes too extended. Hann and Mays suggest that the media coverage prolongs the grief found in the communities that experience these tragedies (2013). What is meant by that statement is that the media prolongs the grieving process in that the people have to live over the event every time they step out their door or turn on the television. The researchers say that media of necessity to stick to just the facts of the event and not over do the coverage with need less information. The entire how, why, and the target selected may spark another school shooting at another location according to the researchers.The prevention of these types of crimes has to be combated early before the crime even happens. Parents, teachers, and school administrators need to see the warning signs early to prevent these types of crimes in their communities. The majority of the effort should be placed on prevention. According to Hann and Mays (2013), In almost all shootings there were signs that the shooter or shooters skill be preparing for this violent act. Over 90% of the shootings studied were planned at least 2 days ahead, and most of these shootings were discussed by the perpetrators via social media currently before they occurred (p.52). They also say that the media needs to tone back on the coverage of school shootings to help prevent other possible shootings (2013). Another possible prevention is schools suspension practices. If a child is suspended from school then that child may not have the proper care at home. If a child is already displaying warning signs of a possible delinquent then this type of punishment will only annoy his or her already fragile condition (Hann Mays 2013). Hann and Mann state that some school districts have created crisis management teams to visual sense with possible school shootings. Mongan, Hatcher, and Maschi conducted a across the nation survey in 2007 that concluded that, 6% of students had carried a weapon on school property (p. 635). They suggest that the policies that schools have in place that green goddess with carrying weapon on their campus is not enough and that better measure need to be in place to help prevent and combat the issue of school forcefulness. Schools need to provide workshops to educate on the stages of change model (Table 1) and how it applies to school violence, and instituting and formal referral process in the schools (Mongan, Hatcher, Maschi 2009).Almost all of the a uthors of articles that deal with school shooting do say that more steps need to be taken to prevent these acts of violence from happening. These authors contend that due to the violent nature of these crimes and the negative effect that it has on our society that stronger measures need to be implemented in our schools. School administrators and parents need to look for the warning signs that the child displays, and they need to have a reporting system in place that will handle the problem before it escalates. They also say that the media needs to scale its coverage back to limit the amount of time it takes for the confederation to heal. Media outlets need to be aware that they may inadvertently spark a copycat school shooting at another location with the extended coverage that is given to these types of events. A group that has studied school shootings has produced a chart that shows the different stages of progression that a possible school shooter may go through before committin g the act. They suggest that schools have workshops for parents and teachers to help with seeing the warning signs before they get out of hand.ReferencesCurran, D.J., Renzetti, C.M. (2001) Theories of Crime (2nd ed). Needham Heights, MA Allyn Bacon.Center for the Prevention of School Violence (2002, May). Just what is school violence New brief. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from http//www.ncdjjdp.org/ cpsv/index.htmlCenter for Disease Control. (2008). Understanding school violence. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from http//cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/YVP/SV_FactSheet.pdfGibbs, N., Roche, T. (1999, December 20). The Columbine tapes In five secret videos they recorded before the massacre, the killers reveal their hatreds-and their lust for fame. Time, 154(25), 40- 51.Haan, P., Mays, L. (2013). Children Killing Children School Shootings in the United States. Social Work analyse / Revista De Asistenta Sociala, (4), 49-55.Mongan, P., Hatcher, S., Maschi, T. (2009). Etiology of School Shootings U tilizing a Purposive, Non-Impulsive Model for Social Work Practice. daybook Of Human Behavior In The Social Environment, 19(5), 635-645. doi10.1080/10911350902910583Reddy, M., Borum, R., Berglund, J., Vossekuil, B., Fein, R., Modzeleski, W. (2011) Evaluating risk for targeted violence in schools Comparing risk assessment, threat assessment, and other approaches. Psychology in the Schools, 38, 2, 157172.Roland, E. (2002) Bullying, depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts. Educational Research, 44, 5567.