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Adam Lanz Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre

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Adam Lanza was a 20 year-old who lived in Newtown, Connecticut. He was the mass murderer/school shooter of Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. He murdered 27 people including his mother, 20 children, 6 adults, and killed himself after. Understanding why someone would brutally murder so many innocent people is important and can also help in preventing other events like this from happening. This paper explores theories that can further explain Adam’s psychological state and the potential motivations he had to commit such violent behaviors. Crime Details The attack began in Adam's home when he killed his mother in her sleep by shooting her in the head 4 times. Adam then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School in his mother’s car. …show more content…

Along with his mental illnesses, Adam showed many behavioral traits that can be associated with antisocial personality disorder. These traits are categorized into the second branch of trait theory, the personality traits theory. Traits of ASPD include a lack of empathy, social isolation, and callousness, all of which reports indicate Adam had. He had difficulty forming relationships and displayed behaviors that were socially inappropriate or withdrawn. His fascination with mass shootings and violence was also a direct indication that he had a severe lack of empathy, a trait also seen in individuals with ASPD. An instance of Adam’s lack of empathy was that holidays couldn’t be celebrated normally, as Adam would not allow his mother to put up a Christmas tree. On another occasion, she had to get rid of a cat because he didn’t like it in the house. His mother explained it by saying Adam didn’t have any emotions or feelings, a possible indicator of alexithymia. His lack of empathy for others strained the relationship between him and his mother as during the time they lived together, Adam would only communicate with his mother through email. During one of their email conversations, his mother had asked him if he felt bad if anything happened to her, and he replied “No.” Overall, these conditions overlapped and increased his emotional and mental

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On a disastrous day in December, Adam Lanza shot and killed 27 people, one of which included his own mother. There were hundreds of components to why we think Lanza did this, but no one will know the full truth. This is just a small detail of what happened, and the aftermath of the Sandy Hook School Shooting. 20-year-old Adam Lanza lived with his 52-year-old mother, Nancy Lanza until December 14, 2012, when he broke into a school and killed 26 people. At a young age, Lanza was seen as happy, and smiling all the time, and he would partake in school activities.

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The crime Adam Lanza committed was mass murder by means of a school shooting. He shot and killed twenty first graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. He killed them all in the same time period and same location. Prior to the shooting at Sandy Hook, he also shot his mother at her home and in the end, he turned the gun on himself and took his own life (Shultz 2013). The shooting at

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