The Motivational Model for

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• The Motivational Model for
• Seung-Hui Cho

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Objectives

• Use of Motivational Model for Sexual Homicide In
  Rampage Killing Case
• Does the Motivational Model fit this case?
• Are there red flags that can help us prevent
  another tragedy from happening?
• If so, what are they?

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Motivational Model

• Focuses on psychosocial and cognitive factors
  (nurture)
• Does not focus on genetic or neurological factors
  (nature)

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Serial Killer vs. Rampage Killer

• Serial Killer
• Kills three or more people in three or more
  separate events over a period of more than 30
  days
• Emotional cooling-off period
• Psychopaths with personality disorders
• Victims have something in common
• Sex may play a role

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Serial Killer vs. Rampage Killer

• Rampage Killer (Spree Killer)
• Kills at two or more locations with almost no
  time break between murders
• Spontaneous act
• Justification of act - leads up to the time of
  the attack
• Victims certain targets, and then whoever gets
  in their way
• Most end in suicide of killer

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Seung-Hui Cho

• Birth 01/18/1984, Seoul, South Korea
• Immigrated to U.S. at age 8 with parents and
  older sister, Sun-Kyung Cho
• Seoul, South Korea ? Detroit, MI ? Centreville,
  VA (permanent residence)
• English major at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
  and State University

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Stage 1 Ineffective Social Environment

• Ignore Behavior pre-college
• Seung-Hui overshadowed by Sun-Kyung
• Parents and relatives thought Seung-Hui was mute
  or mentally ill
• Parents wanted him to talk
• Would college make him talk?
• No indications of positive reinforcement
• Tough for non-U.S. born parents to communicate on
  emotional level
• Dry-cleaning business in U.S. long hours

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Stage 1 Ineffective Social Environment

• Ignore Behavior during college
• Seung-Hui recommended for counseling
• Strange behavior seen by classmates and
  professors
• Plays written caused concern
• Suicide threat was made
• Did not want to go home
• So many signs, better intervention?

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Stage 1 Ineffective Social Environment

• Support Distortions
• Continued being non-talkative through school life
• Sister went to Princeton, contractor for State
  Department
• The standards of Asian parents?
• Distortions not supported, just not addressed

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Stage 1 Ineffective Social Environment

• Non-intervening/Non-protective
• Parental protection limited by business
• Parents did not know what to protect Seung from
• Unfamiliar with American education system
• Transition to higher level education difficult
• Bigger school and less people like him
• Intimidating, scrawny for his age, English
  barrier
• Keeps to himself, showed his problems through
  subtler means

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Stage 2 Formative Events

• Physical Abuse and Sexual Abuse
• No indications of any physical abuse or sexual
  abuse
• May appear later in media when family is ready to
  be interviewed and analyzed on stricter basis
• College stories may indicate experience with
  physical abuse and sexual abuse

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Stage 2 Formative Events

• Interpersonal Failures
• Though sister was more successful than him, no
  consequences point to it
• Developmental Failures
• Know very little about any failures growing up
• Could point to parental pressure

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Stage 3 Patterned Responses

• Critical Personality Traits
• Social Isolation
• Would ignore attempts to strike conversation
• Almost never opened his mouth in school
• Did not want to share his works in class
• Students isolated him for his differences
• Short answers to questions

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Stage 3 Patterned Responses

• Critical Personality Traits
• Preference for autoerotic activities
• No indication of any autoerotic activity
• Possibility, since spends most time to himself
• Fetishes
• Stalked girls
• Imaginary girlfriend
• Emily Hilscher

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Stage 3 Patterned Responses

• Critical Personality Traits
• Rebellious
• Writings were cause for concern
• Unorthodox behavior
• Burning desire for revenge
• Lying
• More withholding the truth than lying
• Entitlement
• Feeling of revenge against those that wronged him

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Stage 4 Actions Towards Others/Self

• Childhood
• Cruelty to animals or children
• None reported, but may show up later
• Joyless, hostile, aggressive, repetitive play
• Quiet individual, kept to himself

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Stage 4 Actions Towards Others/Self

• Childhood
• Disregard for others
• No intention to talk to others
• Inner grudges with some people
• Showed in first two murders
• Firesetting, Stealing, Destroying Property
• None of the sort, unlikely to appear

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Stage 4 Actions Towards Others/Self

• Adolescence
• Assaultive Behavior
• Engaged more in passive assaulting behavior
• Burglary and Arson
• None reported, unlikely to appear
• Abduction
• None reported, personality does not match
  abductor

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Stage 4 Actions Towards Others/Self

• Adolescence
• Rape
• Passive sexual deviant (stalker)
• Any engagement in sexual activity with others is
  unlikely
• Murder
• 32 people murdered at Virginia Tech.
• (27 students and 5 professors)
• Committed suicide

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Courtesy of MSNBC and NBC News
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Stage 5 - Feedback Filter

• Justifies Act
• Suicide Note
• You caused me to do this.
• Rants about rich kids, debauchery, and deceitful
  charlatans

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Stage 5 Feedback Filter

• Sorts out Errors
• Does not pertain to this case
• No rest period to sort out errors
• 32 murders in less than 24 hours

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Stage 5 Feedback Filter

• Areas of Control
• If Seung wants to die, might as well take people
  with him
• Felt that he had finally gained control of others
  that have had control of him

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Stage 5 Feedback Filter

• Avoids Punishment
• Suicide is the ultimate avoidance of punishment
• Was able to beat NRA system of obtaining a weapon
• Somehow bypassed his hospitalization
• Was able to conceal his plans

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Stage 6 Organized or Disorganized?

• Personality Traits
• Intelligent knew how to go about his crime
• Computer was his main resource
• Reticent prevent his plan from being leaked
• Burning Anger and Insensible Courage takes a
  lot to go through a crime like this

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Stage 6 Organized or Disorganized?

• Crime Scene Characteristics
• On campus incident
• Norris Hall classrooms, one dormitory with his
  main target
• Picked a time when classing are transitioning
• Knew initially who he wanted to kill
• Classrooms may be part of rampage
• No rhyme or reason for victim selection

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Conclusions

• Much speculation needs to be done before making
  many definite conclusions
• Suspicion of behaviors within the family
• Family does not seem to be a direct cause
• Suspicion of other behavior of childhood years
• Computer and e-mail will tell us a lot
• VA Tech did everything they could to help
  Seung-Hui Cho
• Many events in Chos life led him to this point,
  not just one

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Motivational Model

• Motivational Model accounts for the rest period
  between murders
• Rampage killers usually do not have this
• Some aspects of model do not fit a rampage killer
• Can be used to build another model for a rampage
  killer

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What are the red flags?

• Anti-social or highly unorthodox behavior
• Expression of emotions rare
• Much activity kept to self
• Expression of emotions, not commonly seen,
  through passive means
• Art writing, drawing, sculpturing
• Lack of a coping mechanism
• Need a way to release negative emotion
• Tough to single people out
• Even tougher to get people to seek help

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This presentation is dedicated to all those who
are currently still suffering from the terrible
tragedy of Virginia Tech.

• May God bless the innocent souls that have been
  taken from this Earth by this tragedy!