THE STUDY JANUARY 2, 2012
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A spate of arsons is rocking Los Angeles this week. More than fifty cars have been set on fire over the last three days. Authorities have detained a man identified as a “person of interest” in the case, but so far very little other information is available. What drives a person to set fires?
A 1994 study of 153 adult arsonists provides some insight. Some arsonists have obvious financial motives, but for many the urge to set fires is psychological. The survey found that most of the arsonists suffered from a mental illness, and many were mentally handicapped or had a history of special education (a finding noted in other studies as well). The most common motive cited was “revenge,” but even that factor was cited by only a third of the subjects surveyed. Still other experts cite misplaced sexual desire, a fascination with fire or control, or sadism, but each of these theories has detractors. That means authorities probably won’t be able to guess a motive until they can interview a suspect—the sooner, the better.
4 comments
Maybe the answer lies in Paris, France? That city has experienced similar acts of violence and what with easy immigration laws in the US....
- Doug12
January 2, 2012 at 5:13pm
Human beings suffer from a variety of problems, based on traits that early in our evolution may have provided some survival advantages, but at present are of fairly dubious worth. For example, we fornicate and impregnate like crazed weasels, even though there are now (by any reasonable standard, i.e., mine, too many humans). We are far more vicious than we need to defend ourselves against grizzly bears and great white sharks. Finally, we like to play with fire too much. Like these other traits, this characteristic was useful as we lurked in caves on a cold January night, with the grizzly and great white shark peering hungrily through the cavern entrance, or when our best idea for clearing a forest or clearing a field for planting was to burn the heck out of it, but now we have too many guns, too many bombs, too many flame throwers, and too many cave men and women to fit well into modern life, even Los Angeleslife (speaking as a person who escaped it).
- skahn
January 2, 2012 at 6:34pm
Want an answer? read Barn Burning by Faulkner
- arnon
January 2, 2012 at 11:42pm
I don't believe arson has a plural. It means both single and multiple acts of fire-setting.
- ironyroad
January 3, 2012 at 1:45am