Shared Struggles? Cumulative Strain Theory and Public Mass Murderers From 1990 to 2014

Abstract

Scholars have urged a shift in research on mass murder from the creation of typologies to theoretically-rich, data-driven comparative examinations of the phenomenon. We seek to redress such calls in two ways. First, we analyze a unique sample of public mass murderers through the multi-stage explanatory model of cumulative strain theory. Second, we use a comparison group of similarly violent offenders-lone actor terrorists-to provide context to our findings. The results demonstrate that cumulative strain theory usefully describes the trajectory toward violence of public mass murderers, more so when a concept implicit in the theory-grievanceis made explicit.

Masculinity Threat, “Incel” Traits, and Violent Fantasies Among Heterosexual Men in the United States

“…Studies often examine strains specific to domains central to masculinity-the home and workplace. We go further by addressing the absence of standard quantitative measures of (and thus, conclusions about) sexism in the study of this issue (e.g., Levin & Madfis, 2009;Silver et al, 2019). Women and children are overrepresented in mass shooting victims (Everytown for Gun Safety, 2017; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2013), yet analysis of patriarchal norms and attitudes that frame and encourage such violence-and its connection to sex-based or partner violence-is all but absent.…”

“…While most men will not commit such heinous acts, our focus on these prevalent and more general gender attitudes and processes is both worrisome and important. Actual shooters are, understandably, the focus of studies of mass murder (e.g., Levin & Madfis, 2009;Murray, 2015;Silver et al, 2019). Our approach, however, highlights the importance and possibility for exploring gendered, theoretical underpinnings of rare, extreme, tragic cases that exist in the larger population.…”

Analyzing person‐exposure patterns in lone‐actor terrorism

“…As a result, it was suggested that threat assessment inquiries should attend to patterns of dynamic stressors, the feelings these stressors invoke (e.g., desperation), and a person's coping mechanisms. In addition, Silver, Horgan, and Gill () identified findings similar to the situational PEP when they examined the role of strain, in the context of cumulative strain theory, across the trajectories of mass murderers and lone‐actor terrorist offenders. Hence, there is evidence to suggest the situational PEP is a legitimate route to lone‐actor terrorist violence.…”

Terrorism Studies and the Far Right – The State of Play

“…In a recent comparative study, Silver, Horgan and Gill compared data from research on mass shooters with that on lone actors. 14 They looked for the presence of motive linked to both political or social change, as well as more idiosyncratic individual motives, and highlighted the difficulties they encountered in the research process in attributing motive. In part this difficulty relates to the fact that the lone actors do not all define themselves as such and often characterize their attack as a hate crime.…”

“…Similarly, 'shooting sprees' , most of which occur in the USA and according to the Anti-Defamation League all of which are linked to Far-Right movements, are often overlooked in terrorism studies -although this is changing. 20 Apart from the definitional issues, other explanations for the exclusion of the Far Right from Terrorism Studies is that research on terrorism and political violence is informed by set of pre-compiled knowledge assumptions. These assumptions encompass answers to key questions such as what is terrorism and of who is the terrorist.…”