• CrimeConUK – London June 2022
No Result
View All Result
Crime Traveller
 
  • Home
  • Research

    R. Kelly: Aided By A Network of Complicity Enabling His Crimes

    How Social Media Turns Online Arguments Between Teens Into Real-World Violence

    Kathleen Folbigg’s Children Likely Died Of Natural Causes, Not Murder. Here’s The Evidence My Team Found

    Do criminals freely decide to commit offences? How the courts decide

    We might not be able to understand free will with science. Here’s why

    Indian Trafficked Brides: The Stories of Three Women

    Trending Tags

    • Neuroscience
    • Mental Health
    • Criminal Brain
    • Juvenile Crime
  • Psychology
    Image: Shutterstock

    Psychopaths – Born Or Made?

    The Question of Why: Did Ted Bundy have Dissociative Identity Disorder?

    Teenage psychopathy

    What Should We Do With Teenage Psychopaths?

    A Criminal Disorder? Advances in Neurocriminology Are Leading The Way

    Mark Safarik

    An Interview With Former FBI Profiler Mark Safarik on Violent Offending and Criminal Behavioral Analysis

    The Criminal Mind: An Interview With Forensic Psychologist and Author Katherine Ramsland

    Trending Tags

    • Narcissism
    • Psychopathy
    • Profiling
    • Mental Health
    • Psychology
  • Family Violence

    Reckless Speculation about Jeffrey MacDonald

    O. J. Simpson Trial: 26 Years Later

    O. J. Simpson: Murder in the First Degree

    Reasonable Doubt: The Hendricks Family Murders

    Melanie McGuire

    A Convicted Killer, Two Criminologists, and One Podcast: Direct Appeal Investigates ‘Suitcase Killer’ Melanie McGuire Case

    Family Annihilation: The Crimes and Psychology of Familicide

    Trending Tags

    • True Crime
      Who killed Marilyn Sheppard cover image

      Who Killed Marilyn Sheppard? Ohio’s Most Enduring Murder Mystery [Part Two]

      Who killed Marilyn Sheppard?

      Who Killed Marilyn Sheppard? Ohio’s Most Enduring Murder Mystery [Part One]

      The JFK Assassination … Case Still Closed

      6 Pros And Cons Of Hiring A Private Criminal Lawyer

      Murder To Movies: ‘I Want To Live’

      Real crime stories of murders that went into movies

      From Murder to Movies

      Trending Tags

      • Unsolved
      • Serial Murder
      • Documentaries
      • Guest Posts
    • Book Reviews
      The Girl I Never Knew - Who Killed Melissa Witt?

      The Girl I Never Knew: Melissa Ann Witt Deserves Justice

      Befriending A Serial Killer: An Interview With Mark Austin

      The Husband Poisoner: Lethal Ladies and Dangerously Tasty Recipes

      Details are Unprintable: Wayne Lonergan and the Sensational Café Society Murder

      Operation Jacknap: A True Story of Kidnapping, Extortion, Ransom and Rescue

      Stephanie Scott

      United in Grief: The Murder of Stephanie Scott

      Trending Tags

      • Interviews
      • Historical Crime Books
    • Crime Spotlight
      Korean Zodiac Killer case

      A Tale of Two Zodiacs

      5 Tell-Tale Signs Of An Abusive Person

      There Were Two Killers in 10 Rillington Place: An Interview With Peter Thorley

      Has The Zodiac Finally Been Discovered? [Part 1]

      David Wilson and Emilia Fox

      If It Bleeds It Leads: A Q&A With Professor David Wilson

      A Psych For Sore Minds - An Interview with Dr Sohom Das

      A Psych For Sore Minds: An Interview with Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das

    No Result
    View All Result
    Crime Traveller
    • Home
    • Research

      R. Kelly: Aided By A Network of Complicity Enabling His Crimes

      How Social Media Turns Online Arguments Between Teens Into Real-World Violence

      Kathleen Folbigg’s Children Likely Died Of Natural Causes, Not Murder. Here’s The Evidence My Team Found

      Do criminals freely decide to commit offences? How the courts decide

      We might not be able to understand free will with science. Here’s why

      Indian Trafficked Brides: The Stories of Three Women

      Trending Tags

      • Neuroscience
      • Mental Health
      • Criminal Brain
      • Juvenile Crime
    • Psychology
      Image: Shutterstock

      Psychopaths – Born Or Made?

      The Question of Why: Did Ted Bundy have Dissociative Identity Disorder?

      Teenage psychopathy

      What Should We Do With Teenage Psychopaths?

      A Criminal Disorder? Advances in Neurocriminology Are Leading The Way

      Mark Safarik

      An Interview With Former FBI Profiler Mark Safarik on Violent Offending and Criminal Behavioral Analysis

      The Criminal Mind: An Interview With Forensic Psychologist and Author Katherine Ramsland

      Trending Tags

      • Narcissism
      • Psychopathy
      • Profiling
      • Mental Health
      • Psychology
    • Family Violence

      Reckless Speculation about Jeffrey MacDonald

      O. J. Simpson Trial: 26 Years Later

      O. J. Simpson: Murder in the First Degree

      Reasonable Doubt: The Hendricks Family Murders

      Melanie McGuire

      A Convicted Killer, Two Criminologists, and One Podcast: Direct Appeal Investigates ‘Suitcase Killer’ Melanie McGuire Case

      Family Annihilation: The Crimes and Psychology of Familicide

      Trending Tags

      • True Crime
        Who killed Marilyn Sheppard cover image

        Who Killed Marilyn Sheppard? Ohio’s Most Enduring Murder Mystery [Part Two]

        Who killed Marilyn Sheppard?

        Who Killed Marilyn Sheppard? Ohio’s Most Enduring Murder Mystery [Part One]

        The JFK Assassination … Case Still Closed

        6 Pros And Cons Of Hiring A Private Criminal Lawyer

        Murder To Movies: ‘I Want To Live’

        Real crime stories of murders that went into movies

        From Murder to Movies

        Trending Tags

        • Unsolved
        • Serial Murder
        • Documentaries
        • Guest Posts
      • Book Reviews
        The Girl I Never Knew - Who Killed Melissa Witt?

        The Girl I Never Knew: Melissa Ann Witt Deserves Justice

        Befriending A Serial Killer: An Interview With Mark Austin

        The Husband Poisoner: Lethal Ladies and Dangerously Tasty Recipes

        Details are Unprintable: Wayne Lonergan and the Sensational Café Society Murder

        Operation Jacknap: A True Story of Kidnapping, Extortion, Ransom and Rescue

        Stephanie Scott

        United in Grief: The Murder of Stephanie Scott

        Trending Tags

        • Interviews
        • Historical Crime Books
      • Crime Spotlight
        Korean Zodiac Killer case

        A Tale of Two Zodiacs

        5 Tell-Tale Signs Of An Abusive Person

        There Were Two Killers in 10 Rillington Place: An Interview With Peter Thorley

        Has The Zodiac Finally Been Discovered? [Part 1]

        David Wilson and Emilia Fox

        If It Bleeds It Leads: A Q&A With Professor David Wilson

        A Psych For Sore Minds - An Interview with Dr Sohom Das

        A Psych For Sore Minds: An Interview with Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das

      Crime Traveller
      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • Research
      • Psychology
      • Family Violence
      • True Crime
      • Book Reviews
      • Crime Spotlight

      Home » Crime Research » Extreme Overvalued Belief and Anders Breivik: How Beliefs Can Be Mistaken For Psychosis

      Extreme Overvalued Belief and Anders Breivik: How Beliefs Can Be Mistaken For Psychosis

      by Guest Author
      27 June, 2018
      in Crime Research
      Reading Time: 3 mins read
      A A
      Anders Breivik

      Norwegian mass shooter Anders Breivik was not found to be insane.

      Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare

      A republished article from Jesslyn Chew at the University of Missouri on Futurity, a non-profit website which features the latest discoveries by scientists at top universities in the US, UK, Canada, Europe, Asia and Australia. Read the original article here.


      Researchers suggest a new forensic term to classify non-psychotic behavior that leads to criminal acts of violence—such as the mass murder committed by Anders Breivik. “When these types of tragedies occur, we question the reason behind them,” says Tahir Rahman, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and lead author of the study. “Sometimes people think that violent actions must be the byproduct of psychotic mental illness, but this is not always the case.”

      “Our study of the Breivik case was meant to explain how extreme beliefs can be mistaken for psychosis, and to suggest a new legal term that clearly defines this behavior.”

      Psychotic or not?

      Breivik, a Norwegian terrorist, killed 77 people in a 2011 car bombing in Oslo and a mass shooting at a youth camp on the island of Utøya in Norway. Claiming to be a “Knights Templar” and a “savior of Christianity,” Breivik stated that the purpose of the attacks was to save Europe from multiculturalism.

      Two teams of court-appointed forensic psychiatrists later examined Breivik. The first psychiatric team diagnosed him with paranoid schizophrenia. However, after widespread criticism, a second team concluded that Breivik was not psychotic and diagnosed him with narcissistic personality disorder. Breivik was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

      “Breivik believed that killing innocent people was justifiable, which seems irrational and psychotic,” says Rahman, who also conducts forensic psychiatric examinations but was not involved with the Breivik case. “However, some people without psychotic mental illness feel so strongly about their beliefs that they take extreme actions. Current clinical guides, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, offer vague descriptions of alternative reasons a person may commit such crimes. Our suggested term for criminally violent behavior when psychosis can be ruled out is ‘extreme overvalued belief.’”

      Rahman defines “extreme overvalued belief” as a belief that is shared by others and often relished, amplified, and defended by the accused. The individual has an intense emotional commitment to the belief and may act violently as a result of that belief. Although the individual may suffer from other forms of mental illness, the belief and the actions associated with it are not the result of insanity.

      “In courts of law, there are not clearly defined, standard methods of diagnosing insanity for legal purposes,” Rahman says. “This new term will help forensic psychiatrists properly identify the motive for the defendant’s criminal behavior when sanity is questioned.”

      Psychosis

      Amplification of beliefs

      Rahman says that more research on extreme overvalued beliefs is needed to understand how they develop. Identifying those at risk will give mental health professionals an opportunity to intervene before violent behavior occurs.

      “Certain psychological factors may make people more vulnerable to developing dominating and amplified beliefs,” Rahman says. “However, amplification of beliefs about issues such as immigration, religion, abortion or politics, also may occur through the internet, group dynamics or obedience to charismatic authority figures.

      “We already warn our youth about the dangers of alcohol, drugs, teen pregnancy, and smoking. We need to add the risk of developing extreme overvalued beliefs to that list as we work toward reducing the violence often associated with them.”

      The study appears in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. The University of Missouri School of Medicine and psychiatry department supported this work. The researchers have no conflicts of interest to declare related to this study.

      Source: University of Missouri

      Read the full research study “Anders Breivik: Extreme Beliefs Mistaken for Psychosis”

      ‘Beliefs, not just psychosis, can spur violence’ posted by Jesslyn Chew, University of Missouri on futurity.org.
      Republished under CC-BY-4.0

      Tags: Guest PostsMental HealthPsychology
      Share69Tweet21Pin8
      Previous Post

      Homicidal Thoughts May Be Key To Identifying Chronic Offenders

      Next Post

      Dark Valleys: Foul Deeds Among The South Wales Valleys 1845-2016

      Related Posts

      R. Kelly: Aided By A Network of Complicity Enabling His Crimes

      23 January, 2022

      Researchers have found patterns revealed in R Kelly's abuse trial to be classic examples of how unethical, even criminal, conduct can persist in organizations for...

      Read more

      How Social Media Turns Online Arguments Between Teens Into Real-World Violence

      23 January, 2022

      Social media isn’t just mirroring conflicts happening in schools it’s triggering new conflicts and for young people this dynamic can be deadly.

      Read more

      Kathleen Folbigg’s Children Likely Died Of Natural Causes, Not Murder. Here’s The Evidence My Team Found

      23 January, 2022

      Some 90 prominent scientists are calling for convicted child murderer Kathleen Folbigg to be pardoned and released from jail.

      Read more
      Load More
      Next Post

      Dark Valleys: Foul Deeds Among The South Wales Valleys 1845-2016

      An Innocent Man [Part I]: The Trial of Dr Jeffrey MacDonald - A Critique of the Case

      The Tottenham Outrage by Geoff Barton

      The Tottenham Outrage and Walthamstow Tram Chase

      CrimeCon UK

      What's New?

      Korean Zodiac Killer case
      Crime Spotlight

      A Tale of Two Zodiacs

      13 May, 2022
      Who killed Marilyn Sheppard cover image
      True Crime & Justice

      Who Killed Marilyn Sheppard? Ohio’s Most Enduring Murder Mystery [Part Two]

      22 May, 2022
      Who killed Marilyn Sheppard?
      True Crime & Justice

      Who Killed Marilyn Sheppard? Ohio’s Most Enduring Murder Mystery [Part One]

      22 May, 2022
      Load More

      Stay Connected

      Search

      No Result
      View All Result

      Categories

      You Might Also Like

      Crime Research

      An Untrustworthy Face Can Push A Jury To Harsher Sentencing

      26 August, 2018
      Book Reviews

      5 Eye-Opening True Crime Books By Ann Rule

      13 November, 2020
      True Crime & Justice

      Charleston’s Most Inhospitable Hosts: The Story of John and Lavinia Fisher

      3 June, 2019
      True Crime & Justice

      The Secrets of Broadmoor: New Channel 5 Documentary Tells All

      26 December, 2021

      RECENT

      The Girl I Never Knew - Who Killed Melissa Witt?

      The Girl I Never Knew: Melissa Ann Witt Deserves Justice

      22 May, 2022

      A Tale of Two Zodiacs

      13 May, 2022

      Who Killed Marilyn Sheppard? Ohio’s Most Enduring Murder Mystery [Part Two]

      22 May, 2022

      POPULAR

      An Untrustworthy Face Can Push A Jury To Harsher Sentencing

      5 Eye-Opening True Crime Books By Ann Rule

      Charleston’s Most Inhospitable Hosts: The Story of John and Lavinia Fisher

      The Secrets of Broadmoor: New Channel 5 Documentary Tells All

      Site Links

      • About Crime Traveller
      • Contact Page
      • Request A Book Review
      • True Crime & Justice
      • CrimeCon UK: June 2022, London
      No Result
      View All Result
      • Terms
      • Privacy
      • Disclaimers
      • Cookies
      • DMCA
      • Newsletter

      Copyright © 2016 - 2022 Crime Traveller, a website owned and operated by Alythium | All Rights Reserved.

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • About
      • Contact
      • Crime Research
      • Psychology of Murder
      • Family Violence & Homicide
      • True Crime & Justice
      • Crime Spotlight
      • Book Reviews
      • Request A Book Review
      • Newsletter

      Copyright © 2016 - 2022 Crime Traveller, a website owned and operated by Alythium | All Rights Reserved.

      This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.