Are mass shootings truly contagious? According to expert, Dr. Jillian Peterson, it's a form of social contagion, somewhat like a suicide contagion - that's when a high-profile suicide leads to more people to take their own lives. For example, following the suicide of actor Robin Williams, researchers documented a 10% spike in suicides in the months … [Read more...]
Mass shootings can be contagious, research shows
Four Things Most Mass Shooters Have in Common
The Trump Administration is funding studies of mass shooters in the United States. Right now, researchers are combing through a trove of social media and historical data to find similarities among these individuals. One of the researchers, James Densley from The Violence Project, joins Cheddar Business to explain his findings. Watch … [Read more...]
Mental Illness isn’t main driver of mass shootings, experts say
Dr. Jillian Peterson shares The Violence Project’s research on mass shootings and the four key commonalities that perpetrators have: (1) early childhood trauma and exposure to violence at a young age; (2) an identifiable grievance or crisis point; (3) validation for their beliefs, having studied past shootings to find inspiration; and (4) the means … [Read more...]
Shootings Tied to White Extremists On Rise, Workplace Shootings More Common
The Violence Project's research into mass shootings was highlighted by NBC News this evening. They also spoke with civil rights attorney James McElroy about the annual increase in mass shootings. Read the article here. Source: NBC San Diego … [Read more...]
Politicians suggest video games are to blame for the El Paso shooting. It’s an old claim that’s not backed by research.
“It’s become a script,” said James Densley, co-founder of The Violence Project. “People have said it so many times that because we have so many of these tragedies, it’s become routine by now. The same old tropes keep getting revisited.” Read the full article from the Washington Post here. Source: Washington Post Author: Timothy Bella … [Read more...]