Violent true believer
Encyclopedia
A violent true believer (abbr. VTB) is an individual dedicated to an ideology
or belief system
advocating homicide
and suicide
as legitimate means of advancing a particular cause. Such persons are strongly committed to their beliefs, completely ignoring any objections and alternative views. Suicide is not necessary to define a VTB. Violent true believers commonly interact with others who share their opinions, but can also be lone wolves
.
The term violent true believer was coined by forensic psychiatrist
Dr. J. Reid Meloy, who has described several categories of such individuals and their motivation
. The traits and possible disorders of VTBs are described in diagnostic systems (DSM-IV/ICD-10 F), but VTB is not a medical diagnosis in itself - the term is used in the fields of forensic psychology
and criminology
.
Law enforcement
officers and soldier
s differ from violent true believers, as they behave in a lawful context and do not embody the zealous
, homicidal and suicidal mindset
characteristic to VTBs.
believers of a political
, religious
or social cause. May, but do not necessarily, be intelligent
, aggressive
, narcissist
or paranoid
.
Affiliative - Primarily followers of an authority figure or group
.
Criminal - Action-oriented rather than motivated by beliefs or views. Criminal VTBs are rarely suicidal, as they tend to kill or commit acts of violence for its own sake.
Psychotic
- Suffering of major mental disorders, typically prone to delusion
s and paranoia
. Although their thinking may be zealous and rigid, their behaviour can appear irrational and unpredictable
. Psychotic individuals are unable to cope with stress
, and the psychotic VTB may actually break down in front of an impending act of violence.
Opportunistic - typical narcissistic
individuals, whose cause is primarily themselves and the ideological or religious cause becomes secondary.
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
or belief system
Belief system
A belief system is a set of mutually supportive beliefs. The beliefs may be religious, philosophical, ideological or a combination of these.The British philosopher Stephen Law has described some belief systems as "claptrap" and said that they "draw people in and hold them captive so they become...
advocating homicide
Homicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
and suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
as legitimate means of advancing a particular cause. Such persons are strongly committed to their beliefs, completely ignoring any objections and alternative views. Suicide is not necessary to define a VTB. Violent true believers commonly interact with others who share their opinions, but can also be lone wolves
Lone wolf (trait)
-Animal:A lone wolf is a wolf that lives independently rather than with others as a member of a pack. The term is also used in reference to people who exhibit characteristics of introversion or a strong preference for independence....
.
The term violent true believer was coined by forensic psychiatrist
Forensic psychiatry
Forensic psychiatry is a sub-speciality of psychiatry and an auxiliar science of criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry...
Dr. J. Reid Meloy, who has described several categories of such individuals and their motivation
Motivation
Motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation is said to be intrinsic or extrinsic. The term is generally used for humans but it can also be used to describe the causes for animal behavior as well. This article refers to human motivation...
. The traits and possible disorders of VTBs are described in diagnostic systems (DSM-IV/ICD-10 F), but VTB is not a medical diagnosis in itself - the term is used in the fields of forensic psychology
Forensic psychology
Forensic psychology is the intersection between psychology and the criminal justice system. It involves understanding criminal law in the relevant jurisdictions in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, attorneys and other legal professionals...
and criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
.
Law enforcement
Law enforcement
Law enforcement broadly refers to any system by which some members of society act in an organized manner to promote adherence to the law by discovering and punishing persons who violate the rules and norms governing that society...
officers and soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s differ from violent true believers, as they behave in a lawful context and do not embody the zealous
Zealotry
Zealotry was originally a political movement in 1st century Second Temple Judaism which sought to incite the people of Iudaea Province to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the Holy land by force of arms, most notably during the Great Jewish Revolt...
, homicidal and suicidal mindset
Mindset
In decision theory and general systems theory, a mindset is a set of assumptions, methods or notations held by one or more people or groups of people which is so established that it creates a powerful incentive within these people or groups to continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices,...
characteristic to VTBs.
Typology
Unfaltering - RigidRigidity (psychology)
In psychology, rigidity refers to an obstinate inability to yield. A refusal to appreciate another person's viewpoint or emotions, characterized by a lack of empathy. A specific example is functional fixedness, which is a difficulty conceiving new uses for familiar objects....
believers of a political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, religious
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
or social cause. May, but do not necessarily, be intelligent
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
, aggressive
Aggression
In psychology, as well as other social and behavioral sciences, aggression refers to behavior between members of the same species that is intended to cause humiliation, pain, or harm. Ferguson and Beaver defined aggressive behavior as "Behavior which is intended to increase the social dominance of...
, narcissist
Malignant Narcissism
Malignant narcissism has been described as "an extreme form of antisocial personality disorder that is manifest in a person who is pathologically grandiose, lacking in conscience and behavioral regulation, and with characteristic demonstrations of joyful cruelty and sadism".Malignant narcissism is...
or paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
.
Affiliative - Primarily followers of an authority figure or group
Group action
In algebra and geometry, a group action is a way of describing symmetries of objects using groups. The essential elements of the object are described by a set, and the symmetries of the object are described by the symmetry group of this set, which consists of bijective transformations of the set...
.
Criminal - Action-oriented rather than motivated by beliefs or views. Criminal VTBs are rarely suicidal, as they tend to kill or commit acts of violence for its own sake.
Psychotic
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
- Suffering of major mental disorders, typically prone to delusion
Delusion
A delusion is a false belief held with absolute conviction despite superior evidence. Unlike hallucinations, delusions are always pathological...
s and paranoia
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
. Although their thinking may be zealous and rigid, their behaviour can appear irrational and unpredictable
Predictability
Predictability is the degree to which a correct prediction or forecast of a system's state can be made either qualitatively or quantitatively.-Predictability and Causality:...
. Psychotic individuals are unable to cope with stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
, and the psychotic VTB may actually break down in front of an impending act of violence.
Opportunistic - typical narcissistic
Narcissistic personality disorder
Narcissistic personality disorder is a personality disorder in which the individual is described as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, prestige and vanity...
individuals, whose cause is primarily themselves and the ideological or religious cause becomes secondary.
See also
- Malignant narcissismMalignant NarcissismMalignant narcissism has been described as "an extreme form of antisocial personality disorder that is manifest in a person who is pathologically grandiose, lacking in conscience and behavioral regulation, and with characteristic demonstrations of joyful cruelty and sadism".Malignant narcissism is...
- PsychopathyPsychopathyPsychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
- Personality disorderPersonality disorderPersonality disorders, formerly referred to as character disorders, are a class of personality types and behaviors. Personality disorders are noted on Axis II of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-IV-TR of the American Psychiatric Association.Personality disorders are...
- TerrorismTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...