School violence comes in many forms, from systematic bullying to schoolyard skirmishes to extremely violent acts such as stabbing and shooting. Psychologists and other professionals continue to search for answers as to what motivates children to become violent, especially in the case of severe and brutal violence. Often mental illness plays a part, as well as a history of abuse or isolation.
Mental Illness
In the case of extremely violent acts such as rampage shootings, mental illness plays a large part, according to psychologist Peter Langman, Ph.D., the clinical director of psychology at KidsPeace, an organization that helps children overcome emotional crisis. In his book, "Why Kids Kill: Inside The Minds Of School Shooters," Langman states that a large proportion of school shooters have severe mental disorders, most commonly psychosis, schizophrenia or psychopathy. Psychotic and schizophrenic symptoms often include hallucinations and delusions, while psychopaths display narcissistic traits, a lack of empathy and moral sense, and problems with anger management.
Abuse and Trauma
Dorothy Lewis, Professor of Psychology at the NYU School of Medicine, says that aggressive behavior in children often relates to a history of maltreatment. Pain, she says, is "probably the most powerful generator of aggression in living beings," and seriously abused children often become more aggressive than children without a history of abuse. Abused children, states Lewis, may exhibit sings of paranoia and hypervigilance, and may lash out when they feel threatened. Further, Lewis contends that abuse can affect a child's ability to express feelings with words and, therefore, abused children frequently demonstrate their misery and anger through physical actions.
Abuse may even cause physiological changes in the brain which lead some children to become violent, contends Lewis. Extreme stress can lower the levels of certain chemicals in the brain, which can lead to irritability, depression, impulsiveness and violence.
Bullying
According to Laurence Miller, Ph.D., a clinical and forensic psychologist and an instructor at the Criminal Justice Institute of Palm Beach County and Florida Atlantic University, peer victimization, such as bullying and harassment, plays a part in why some students commit violent acts. School bullying and victimization, states Miller, can lead to a host of problems such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, low self-esteem, suicidal thoughts and post-traumatic stress disorder. Miller contends that while the majority of students do not become violent as a result of bullying, occasionally a desperate child may reach his breaking point and resort to violence.
Isolation
Loneliness and isolation, says author, educator, therapist and child protection advocate Chris Crutcher, can cause some kids to commit violent acts in school. In an article in the "School Library Journal," Crutcher, who was the director of an alternative school for at-risk children in Oakland, California, for over a decade, says that school shooters often "exist on the outside," and feel uncared for. The most important lesson we can learn from school shootings, states Crutcher, "is the value of belonging and, conversely, the damage of isolation."
Other Reasons
Targeted violence, says psychologist Peter Langman, differs from rampage-style shootings and other acts of violence where mental illness contributes. In some instances, a drug deal gone bad, an issue between a girlfriend and boyfriend, a disagreement among friends or a gang-related argument may also lead to violence in schools.
