2023 exceeds 100 mass shootings nationally, studies show mass shooters’ psychological tendencies

Faith Redd, Contributing Writer

Selna Shi, News Editor

Researchers found key psychological tendencies that are frequently displayed in mass shooters, according to a VCU study.

The research studying the behaviors of over 170 mass shooters was released in 2022, the same year over 640 mass shootings were recorded, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The United States has already recorded over 100 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Researchers Samuel West, assistant professor of psychology at Virginia State University, and Nicholas Thomson, forensic psychologist and director of research for the Injury and Violence Prevention Program at VCU, co-directed the study.

“Research on mass shootings is scarce, which limits our ability to develop targeted risk assessments and prevention strategies for mass shootings,” Thomson stated in an interview with VCU News.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant funded part of the study, according to VCU News. 

“When we are isolated from our social circles, we lose that functional component of our loved ones being frank with us when our behavior might become inappropriate,” West stated in an interview with VCU News.

The investigation found 21 common behaviors between the research groups, the leading behavior being social isolation. Social isolation is a lack of social connections, according to the CDC. It has been linked to about a 50% increased risk of dementia and other serious medical conditions.

West and Thomson relied on third party observation to conduct their research, the study stated. Using third party perception data allowed researchers to assess and gauge crises among mass shooters that third parties may “readily observe,” according to the study.

Results also suggest that other common indicators of a mass shooter are mood swings, paranoia and agitation. Of the other indicators listed in the study, social isolation can be noticed months to years before the attack, according to the study.

“Public policy may also be leveraged to address social isolation on a broader societal level to not only improve social bonds within society, but to cast a wide enough net such that individuals who may have progressed along the path to mass violence will also be less isolated,” researchers stated in the study.

VCU has selected its new common book to be a novel about American loneliness, according to a previous Commonwealth Times article. The book is about “complex issues of loneliness and mental health,” the article states.

Courtney Cronin, a junior psychology student, said the effects of social isolation depends on each individual person.

“Everyone is so different. Some people that are shooters might devolved from social isolation, but some people were socially isolated because they were horrible people,” Cronin said. “There were two mass shooters who were incredibly racist towards people, were violent all the time and people didn’t want to be around them.”

Cronin said social isolation often becomes the blame but not the perpetrators’ problematic behaviors. 

Psychology student Joy Doosey said gun control is the solution to decrease mass shootings.

“Australia banned semi-automatics weapons since the 1990s and since then, they have not had a single mass shooting,” Doosey said. “A gun itself on a table isn’t going to do anything to anybody, but mental health resources are not being provided and mental health is still really stigmatized.”

Trin Miller, a senior exercise science student, said VCU should encourage more students to use the mental health resources that are available at the university.

“It boils down to an access thing like access to health care and access to therapy. People who are incredibly depressed or anxious believe that no one can help them,” Miller said.