| Chapter 2: | Characterizations in Murder |
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that exists is the desire to distort and express oneself through violence and murder, thereby creating a “life turning against itself in the striving to make sense of it ” (p. 9). Destructive and cruel persons are awash with desires, consumed by their own needs, and blind to anything other than their goal or satisfaction even when it means that they would satisfy those needs through the victimization, cruelty, injury, and, at its most extreme, the murder of others.
Toch (1969) described two types of orientation to violence, “one of these is that of a person who sees other people as tools designed to serve his needs; the second is…the individual who feels vulnerable to manipulation” (p. 183). Each interpersonal interaction is dependent on whether one of the actors tends toward violence-prone behaviors and if they additionally consider someone as a potential target or source of threat. The perception of threat or preferred target can and frequently will result in a violent interaction. Toch furthermore stated that, “[v]iolence is habit forming…[and people may] discover that they can satisfy new unexpected needs by becoming aggressive…start seeing elements of past encounters as they approach fresh situations and…respond accordingly” (p. 186) in an aggressive manner. With each new encounter, the opportunity for aggressive behavior exists and with each new outcome resulting favorably for the aggressor, the violence-prone individual gains a sense of success. The propensity to seek new victory increases the likelihood of successive aggressive behavior. “The initial stance of the violent prone person makes violence probable; his [sic] first moves increase the probability of violence; the reaction of the victim converts probability to certainty” (p. 184). Therefore, the violence-prone person is always at the ready to be violent.
Whether the violent action stems from the view of the victim as a vehicle (instrument) used in the furtherance of the goals or the victim represents a real or perceived threat, the offender's primary interpersonal tool and medium of exchange is violence. “[P]eople in real life are dependent on and connected with each other…and as such, demographics and psychology are resources used by the individual in pursuit