Leary et al. (2003) [excerpt] - 09/12/2007

social rejection was involved in most cases of lethal school violence.

he seemed unable to explain his actions.

a murderer’s stated reason for his behavior may reflect nothing more than a self-serving justification.

independent evidence from other students and teachers corroborates the presence of rejection in most of the cases.

It is also noteworthy that, to our knowledge, few of the perpetrators attributed their violent behavior to other equally plausible causes

Few individuals navigate their way through adolescence without being teased, bullied, or rejected in some manner

it is rarely sufficient to provoke premeditated violence even if the victim feels like killing people.

most of the perpetrators displayed at least one of the other three risk factors

a variety of psychological problems may be associated with an increased tendency for aggressive behavior.

certain personality disorders are characterized by aggressiveness, paranoia, low impulse control, lack of empathy for other people, and even sadistic behaviors, all of which may lower one’s threshold for violence

some instances of school violence may reflect extreme manifestations of an ongoing pattern of antisocial and aggressive behavior.

Many of the shooters had been in trouble previously for aggression against their peers

individuals who not only have access to guns but who are fascinated by firearms and explosives may be more likely to act on their aggressive impulses

other ‘‘dark’’ lifestyles may find the idea of carnage less revolting than most other people do

Thomas [1995] suggested that the painful feelings of shame that often result from rejection may provoke anger and aggression, much in the same way in which physical pain (such as slamming one’s own hand in a door) can make people angry.

we believe that the primary motive in most of the school shootings seems to have been retribution

many of the cases were characterized by both an ongoing pattern of rejection and a specific rejection experience, suggesting that the recent rejection may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

the evidence suggests that at least some of the perpetrators were seeking respect as well.

the Columbine killers fantasized that they would be famous and that movie directors would fight over making a movie of their story

the evidence that we obtained about the episodes from press reports may reflect reporters’ implicit theories about the link between rejection and aggression

we may have found evidence of such a relationship

We cannot discount this possibility but find it noteworthy than only a few of our sources drew an explicit connection between the rejection that the perpetrators had experienced and their subsequent violent behavior.

In most cases, information regarding the perpetrator’s relationships with other students was mentioned only in the context of describing the kind of person he or she was.

most of the perpetrators of these school shootings had been subjected to teasing, bullying, or other types of rejection

roughly 75% of elementary and middle school students are occasionally bullied at school

most of the shooters had experienced an unusually high amount of bullying or ostracism

peer mistreatment may evoke a catastrophic reaction.