In forensic psychiatry, a pseudocommando is a mass murderer who commits premeditated murder–suicide mass killings driven by revenge fantasies,[1][2] typically involving the stockpiling of weapons followed by a heavily armed commando-style attack.[3][4]
They typically see their actions through a narcissistic lens as being morally justified in revenge against their unfair treatment by an uncaring world, and wish to "go out in a blaze of glory".[5]
Some observers have divided mass killers into three categories: pseudocommandos, family annihilators, and hit-and-run killers.[6][7]
Pseudocommandos will have the tendency to possibly kill themselves after committing the crime and will plan the crime ahead of time ensuring a higher death toll, planning may include ways on how to obtain a weapon and a basic idea of where the majority of people will be.
- ^ Knoll IV, James L. (2010). "The "pseudocommando" mass murderer: Part I, the psychology of revenge and obliteration". The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 38 (1): 87–94. PMID 20305080.
- ^ Knoll IV, L. (2010). "The "Pseudocommando" mass murderer: Part II, the language of revenge". The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 38 (2): 263–272. PMID 20542949.
- ^ Joel Achenbach (July 26, 2012). "'Pseudo-commandos' defy explanation". The Journal Gazette. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ^ Elaine Cassel (April 20, 2007). "The Tragedy at Virginia Tech: Cho Seung Hui and the Psychology of School Shooters". FindLaw. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ^ James L. Knoll IV (January 6, 2012). "The "Pseudocommando" Mass Murderer: A Blaze of Vainglory". Psychiatric Times Vol 29 No 1. Psychiatric Times. Retrieved 2012-07-27.
- ^ Dietz PE (1986). "Mass, serial and sensational homicides". Bull N Y Acad Med. 62 (5): 477–91. PMC 1629267. PMID 3461857.
- ^ Kocsis, Richard N. (2007). Criminal profiling international theory, research and practice. Totowa, N.J: Humana Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-1588296849.