TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2018//
TI  - Different types of role model influence and fame seeking among mass killers and copycat offenders
JO  - American behavioral scientist
A1  - Langman, Peter
SP  - 210
EP  - 228
VL  - 62
IS  - 2
N2  - Contagion and copycat behavior among mass killers is often discussed in the media when there are multiple attacks within a short span of time. Proximity in time, however, does not necessarily mean that one attack inspired another. This study examines the clearest cases of role modeling and fame seeking among mass killers in which the perpetrators personally acknowledged these types of influence and motivation in their own lives. Instead of simply categorizing potential copycat offenders in a "yes"/"no" binary fashion, it outlines many different types of influence, imitation, and inspiration and then provides evidence on perpetrators who represent examples of each type. Overall, findings suggest that most killers were not gaining insights into attack methodology from their role models, but rather were drawn to the prior perpetrators for a variety of personal reasons. Looking ahead, because of the frequency of mass killers citing previous perpetrators as role models or sources of inspiration, it is critical that media outlets give careful consideration to how they cover such incidents.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0002-7642
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0002764217739663
ID  - ref1
ER  -