As one of eight proximal warning behaviors now commonly considered by researchers and threat assessment professionals, last resort is noteworthy both for its deep grounding in psychology as well as its correlation with the potential imminence of violent action. Yet it has not, to date, been explored to the degree worthy of its suggestive validity. The authors review the clinical and forensic research on last resort warning behavior, focusing on its history, definition, phenomenology, case examples, frequency across numerous targeted attack samples, comparative and postdictive studies, and its relationship to apocalypticism, mental disorders—in particular depression—, and precipitant or triggering events. The authors conclude that last resort proximal warning behavior is a correlate of targeted attacks, whether primarily fueled by personal grievance, ideology, or a mishmash of motivations inexplicable to the rational mind.
Antisocial Personality and Targeted Violence (2014)
This article reviews the role of antisocial personality traits and disorders in the context of targeted violence. While antisociality is common in criminal populations, the authors argue that its contribution to targeted violence is often indirect, mediated through...