What happens when an entire generation grows up believing that they\u2019re so special they deserve nothing but the best in life? Well, disappointment. And worse.<\/p>\n
So, what causes someone to pick up a gun, walk on to a school campus, and start shooting people? Well, that\u2019s not a question I sit around thinking about very often. But a recent online article in Aeon magazine has some insights that I think are worth sharing.<\/p>\n
The article, entitled \u201cRunning Amok,\u201d was written by Joseph Pierre, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA. In it, he surveys the clinical literature on the perpetrators of mass killings at places like Columbine High School and the University of California at Santa Barbara.<\/p>\n
Pierre notes that in the aftermath of these killings, we try to identify some \u201coffending agent,\u201d such as \u201cmental illness, guns, video games, [and] the media,\u201d and then we \u201cset up a kind of quarantine so that it can be banished from society and no longer threaten\u201d us.<\/p>\n
The problem is that none of these \u201coffending agents\u201d alone adequately explains these shootings. Pierre cited a paper published in the sadly-named journal \u201cHomicide Studies\u201d that examined these mass murders in depth.<\/p>\n
The researchers concluded that \u201cviolent entertainment doesn\u2019t seem to be a significant cause of mass murder.\u201d They also concluded that neither \u201ctighter gun control nor arming our schools are likely to reduce mass shootings.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the psychological component, Pierre found that the risk factors associated with mass murder was \u201cnot necessarily the domain of mental illness, but rather the \u2018psychiatry of everyday life\u2019\u201d \u2014 that is, the way we cope with life\u2019s inevitable setbacks and obstacles.<\/p>\n
And this is where culture comes in. One researcher has argued that \u201cmodern society, with its emphasis on individualism and the pursuit of material happiness, fosters narcissism.\u201d And, in the suburban settings where nearly all the shootings have taken place, \u201cself-worth is defined by the likes of socioeconomic status, achievements in competitive academics and athletics, and fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this culture of narcissism, \u201caffronts to self-esteem can be equated with threats to our very survival and … the typical response to such narcissistic injuries is a desire for revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sadly, in suburban American parenting, the automatic response to an \u201caffront to self-esteem\u201d is more self-esteem. But Pierre and others suspect that the \u201cpromotion of unconditional self \u2011 esteem of children in more affluent family structures instills a kind of\u201d \u2014 here\u2019s that word again \u2014 \u201dentitlement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead of self-esteem being a reward for \u201cgood achievement or behavior,\u201d feeling good about ourselves comes to be seen as something that the world and our peers owe us. In more extreme cases, \u201cWhen the happiness and social status that one feels is deserved is not forthcoming, feelings of peer rejection, resentment and blame can become all-consuming.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the most extreme, and thankfully, extremely rare instances, it can turn violent.<\/p>\n
Pierre asks parents to consider \u201cre-assessing some of our cultural values and teach our children … how to resolve conflicts, and cope with loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
Agreed. But we also need to shape their expectations and get them past a sense of entitlement. They need to know that life is filled with pain, sickness, insults, and failures. And overcoming them is often difficult. Anyone who promises them otherwise is lying. Harsh words, but true.<\/p>\n
Second, they need to know they\u2019re not special \u2014 at least they are no more special than any other man, woman, or child made in the image of God. But they are loved. And that love \u2014 the source of true self-worth and happiness \u2014 is found at the foot of the cross.<\/p>\n
________<\/p>\n
Copyright (c) 2015 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. “BreakPoint” is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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