'A Killer At Thurston High\r'

'As with whatsoever tragedy, the circumstances surrounding Kip Kinkels homicidal move leaves one basic question to be behaveed: Why?  Why would a three-year-old small-arm choose to kill his parents, whom he citeed to love, in moth-eaten blood?  And why would he then go to tutor thirteen hours later and commit what see to be random murders?  It is likely that one rear never truly broken instand what would birth person to commit much(prenominal) heinous crimes.  However, by the practical application of certain psychological principles, it is thinkable to form a hypothetical write up for his actions.If one were to subscribe to a psychoanalytic view of what ca single-valued functiond Kinkels risky display of hate, the sequel can tardily be made that his crime for himself, as expressed in journal entries represent in his room, caused him to subconscious mindly transfer his feelings for himself onto his parents (Frontline).  It is non a far reach t o speculate that he whitethorn have felt that, finally, his parents were to hellish for his troubles.  Had it not been for them, he would never have been born.This theory is supported by his written confession, which he left at the thought of his parents murder, in which he stated â€Å"I propensity I had been aborted.”  In this same letter, he states that he loved his mom and dad â€Å"so oft” (Frontline).  This advertise lends credibility to the idea that while he felt love for his parents outwardly, he subconsciously harbored blame towards them because they were, essentially, the source of his suffering because they were the responsible for his existence.  Unfortunately, his inner upthrust manifested itself in a furious explosion of emotions, and he committed murders for reasons that correct he could not pardon.Another harsh theory that one could consider is that to some extent, Kinkels deportment can be attri scarceed to peer influence, wh ich would fall under the category of behavior modeling.  According to the chronological time table provided on the phosphate buffer solution Frontline website, Kinkel had no lucid behavioral troubles during his elementary inculcate years.Although he struggled greatly in coach, several sources stated that he worked actually hard to attempt to keep up with his classmates.  It would wait that once he entered middle school, he began to associate with young pot who were less than upstanding citizens.  It is potential that by acting out, he was gaining acceptance from his peers, as opposed to feeling inferior because of his learning disability.  It is great to respect that umteen of his offenses, particularly during his middle school years, involved friends.  Judging from his behavior, one can easily infer that Kinkel is not a softener, but a fol haplesser.It is likely that, at least in the beginning, he genuinely seldom initiated criminal behavior, but sort of blindly followed his friends down whatever path they chose. This may have likely set the stage for further misbehavior.  While his friends were not found to have any involvement in the murder of Kinkels parents or classmates, they did attribute to his delinquent attitude and fostered his fascination with guns and other acerb weapons.  So, in his attempt to conform to his friends ideas and behavior, he himself espouse their bureaus.His delinquent behavior evolved from so called â€Å"victimless” crimes, for instance, the ordering of get down order bomb books, shoplifting, etc, to increasingly violent acts.  As the chronological timeline found on the Frontline website clearly illustrates, it was not until after the relatively minor incidents occurred that his crimes became violent.  Throwing rocks off of the bridle-path overpass, though it could have potentially caused great injury, was not a blatantly violent crime.  However, approximately 3 months lat er he was suspended from school for violent assaults against his classmates. unity of the biggest controversies surrounding cases of teenage violence in the States is deciding to whom the blame belongs.  Some may subject that the childs parents are to blame; after all, they are the ones ultimately responsible for their children.  Others may blame the advent of violent video games, citing that young minds do not possess the discernment to know the difference between earth and fantasy.Still others forget claim that the media is responsible; given that well-nigh young adults have unlimited access to television, declared CDs and internet websites, they are likely over turned on(p) with inappropriate material.  From a psychological viewpoint, we would define the aforementioned(prenominal) opinions as a tendency toward cognitive heuristics, much specifically, the principle of availability.  That is to say, Kinkel may have drawn on scenarios that he had either witnessed or heard about in order to rationalize his behavior.It is also possible that the idea to open fire on his classmates was in some way influenced by the influx of school shootings around the nation.  In theory, the fact that his solution to his problem was to go on a murderous rampage so shortly after other school shootings, lends credence to the idea that he was influenced by reportage of other shootings.Judging from Kinkels actions, writings, and confessional utterances, he suffered from a very low self-esteem.  Although some people naturally have a healthier self-image than others, a humanistic view of psychological science dictates that negative experiences can contribute to a persons low self-worth.  As described on the Frontline website, Kinkel struggled with school from the very beginning.  Because he started school in Spain, and spoke scarcely English, he was at a great disadvantage.Not simply did he miss out on an pedantic level, but also on a well-disposed level.  Even after returning to the joined States, he continued to struggle in many areas of schooling.  Having to arrogate the first grade likely affected his self-esteem.  Also, by all accounts, he continued to struggle with expression problems.  In an interview, his sister admits to teasing him about his deficiency.It is likely that his classmates may have done the same.  formerly he was diagnosed with a learning disability, and given the appropriate help, he apparently began to improve academically.  However, one can purpose that his feelings of low self-worth did not completely dissipate.  This may explain why he chose the friends that he did, which ultimately lead to participating in criminal activities.It has become a commonly accepted notion in the United States that puberty is the cause of many abnormal behaviors in young people.  To some extent, it is a reasonable claim; as a child matures into a teenager, they will likely push for more independ ence and individuality.  ever-changing hormones can attribute to some peculiar behavior, but in itself is not an excuse for even minor criminal behavior, let alone murdering ones parents and classmates.  However, as Frontline reports, Dr. Orin Bolstad, a psychologist who specializes in juvenile killers, stated that Kinkels behavior is agreeable with an early onset of schizophrenia.This form of schizophrenia manifested itself through several delusional beliefs, as well as the apparent voices that told Kinkel to commit the murders.  It is also important to note that the theory that his violent behavior was caused by a biological factor, in this case a chemical imbalance, is substantiated by the fact that the use of Prozac seemed to quiesce some of his erratic behavior.  One can even tie the biological aspect of his illness to the humanistic aspect by recognizing that the voices that Kinkel claimed to hear, voices that may have been his subconscious thoughts manifested, were dangerous to his self-image.  According to Kinkel, the voices told him he was worthless, which would be consistent with his low self-esteem.Of all the psychological aspects that can be used to analyze Kinkels behavior, perhaps the hardest to address is societys role.  are young people being desensitized to gun use through culturally accepted displays of violence?  argon guns too readily available to young people?  In Kinkels situation, the answer is obviously that yes, guns were made way too available.  Although his father apparently took great divvy up in trying to teach him that guns are a responsibility, he did allow the teenager to purchase a objet dart.This likely sent a message to the young man that it is ok to own a gun.  In fact, it was after his father allowed him to purchase a firearm that he continued to buy more from friends.  Once he was caught with possession of a firearm on school property, he claims he did not deficiency his parents to h ave to be ashamed.  So, in an attempt to sort out this problem, he decided to kill his parents.  His solution to the problem is not unlike the plots of many action-adventure movies, thus loaning credibility to the culturally inspired aspect of his crime.In conclusion, it is impossible to know exactly what caused Kip Kinkel to murder his parents in cold blood.  Nor is there any real explanation as to why he would then turn on to school and open fire on an wide-cut cafeteria of students.  Although modern psychology can, to some extent, offer a glimpse into the diseased mind, it can not put up with us a clear and scientific answer as to why people do the things they do.  One thing is certain in Kinkels case: he is a deeply disturbed individual.When the judge hand down the one- hundred-eleven year sentence, he confirmed what many psychologists already knew: there is no hope of rehabilitation for a young man who committed such heinous crimes.  Even if medication and therapy could alleviate the symptoms of his disease, the association of the pain that he caused will be with him until the twenty-four hours he dies.  Such is the tragic ending of a very tragic situation.Works Citedâ€Å"The Killer At Thurston High.” PBS: Frontline. (January 2000). 20 November 2006. < http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kinkel/>\r\n'