Description
Book SynopsisOscar, physically and sexually abusive, stabbed his partner and two stepdaughters to death, buried the bodies, and fled the state with his two younger children. Paul, a respected investment banker, donned a Halloween mask and shot his wife and two children before turning the gun on himself. What drives individuals as different as Oscar and Paul to kill their families? Why does familicide appear to be on the rise?In Familicidal Hearts, award-winning author and sociologist Neil Websdale uncovers the stories behind 196 male and 15 female perpetrators of this shocking offense, situating their emotional styles on a continuum, from the livid coercive to the civil reputable. With highly detailed and riveting case studies, Websdale explores the pivotal roles of shame, rage, fear, anxiety, and depression in the lives and crimes of the killers. His analysis demonstrates how internal emotional conflict, against a backdrop of societal pressures, is at the root of familicide, challenging the widely
Trade Review"This is an important book for anyone interested in the roots of violence...it represents the largest and most systematic of the attempts to study multiple killings....an impressive study..."--PsycCritiques "For the 211 cases (Websdale) analyzes, not only does he adopt official crime or media reports, he also conducts interviews with involved parties, collecting where possible complex and informative empirical material." -- Contemporary Sociology "This is an important book for anyone interested in the roots of violence...it represents the largest and most systematic of the attempts to study multiple killings....an impressive study..."--PsycCritiques "For the 211 cases (Websdale) analyzes, not only does he adopt official crime or media reports, he also conducts interviews with involved parties, collecting where possible complex and informative empirical material." -- Contemporary Sociology
Table of Contents1. Situating Familicide ; 2. Figurations of Feeling, Haunted Hearts, and Uncanny Acts ; 3. Familicide: A History ; 4. Livid Coercive Hearts ; 5. Civil Reputable Hearts ; 6. Familicide as a Consequence of Modern Era Emotional Formations ; 7. Some Implications: A Few Closing Thoughts ; Appendix I: The Occupational Backgrounds of the Livid Coercive and Civil Reputable Hearts ; Appendix II: The Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds of the Livid Coercive and Civil Reputable Hearts ; Appendix III: Rates of Familicide per 100,000 US Population in 10 year intervals (N= 190 US Cases) ; Appendix IV: Survey Instrument: Male Perpetrators ; Notes ; References ; Index
