Are school shootings such as the Columbine massacre simply the result of deranged individuals acting independently? What does social psychology suggest about why school shootings occur and about how the problem might be addressed?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: Social psychology suggests that school shootings such as the Columbine massacre are not simply the result of individual pathology. In many ways, the students who perpetuate such horror are functioning quite effectively. For example, Harris and Kleibold were attending classes, getting good grades, and did not display any behavior problems. They were loners and dressed a bit strangely, but this is not unusual for high school students. What social psychology suggests is that, rather than pathological individuals, a pathological school environment was created where students excluded, mocked, and bullied other students. To change this environment, bullying behavior could be dealt with using programs modeled on that developed by Olweus, where the community was sensitized to the problem, lunchrooms, bathrooms, and playgrounds were supervised, and bullies receive mild counseling and intensive therapy. In addition, a more cooperative and understanding environment could be developed using cooperative learning methods and programs to develop empathy such as that instituted by Norma Feshbach, in which children participated in a number of activities designed to increase their ability to take the perspective of others.