My friend Julie sent me this link today… an extensive article in Newsweek about the Virginia Tech shooter, Cho. It is a long and sad read. There are many companion articles, one of which describes the victims. It seems like much more than a week ago that this tragedy occurred. So many families are still in a state of shock, not yet able to grasp the unexpected and violent death that befell their loved one.


Another companion article is entitled The Anatomy of Violence. Where do I start in my description of the information contained therein?


Perhaps I should start by commenting on how many families on ATN’s listserves, and apparently amongst you readers as well, who are saying, “That could have been my child that perpetrated that awful massacre.”


What a horrible thing for a parent to think… and yet for some of our kids—those with no cause and effect thinking, no empathy, no concept of living in community with others, and most importantly, those with unrequited rage—it is a very real possibility.


Let me see if I can dissect this lengthy Newsweek article about The Anatomy of Violence. Do you recall how many times in the past I have said I believe there are three major components to a child’s trajectory? I believe the three major influences are environment, genetics and choices and I talked about them in all of these blog posts:

Glass half empty or totally empty?

Step into my void, Part two

Liar Liar Pants on Fire!

Guns, Shooting and Mayhem


Burnout and fun times

If I knew then what I know now


To share the gist of the Newsweek article, let's begin with the end. The very last paragraph of this article has this to say:

And so the blocks stack up one by one—the biology that mass murderers carry from birth, the brain circuits laid down as they experience life, the messages they soak up from the world around them. No single experience or character trait is sufficient, no single one to blame. But even as science identifies the forces that sculpt the mind of a mass killer, explanation is neither excuse nor exculpation. Somewhere in all this is the will, the decision by the gunman to pull the trigger. Understanding that is the greatest challenge of all.

In the next post, I'll examine this perspective more in depth. But take note: although that last paragraph clearly parallels my beliefs about the making of a sociopath, there is nothing in this article that specifically addresses attachment, or even discusses intimate family dynamics much at all. More coming...


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