UBM I think the key word here is "demonstrate". The lack of ability to show (demonstrate) empathy, and the lack of empathy are two different things. Some people with Aspergers may not have the ability to express empathy, but that does not mean that they don't feel any.
Did BR feel empathy but lacked the ability to show it? Or did he not feel any empathy at all towards his sister? JMO, but I don't think he felt any. That opinion is based not just on that interview, but his apparent lack of concern since then. I personally do not believe that his cold, flat, unfeeling attitude necessarily indicates Aspergers. However, BR's reaction to JBRs death is unnatural and very disturbing. There are a number of disorders that this behavior could fall into.
I am bothered by the fact that this talk about BR possibly having Aspergers continues to be tied to speculation that he was responsible for her death. He might have Aspergers. He might have had something to do with her death. I just do not believe that they are related matters.
Flatlander I know you are not labeling people this way. The media is the guilty party here. No apologies necessary.
Correct and thank you for astutely pointing that out! inability to DEMONSTRATE is different than an inability to FEEL.
Of course they have limited ability to demonstrate, they have a social disorder. They have an inability to demonstrate A LOT of things which is why they can come across as "off" and awkward.
It is also important to remember that as with any disorder, it is on a spectrum and continuum. From very mild to severe, and they will present accordingly. Many many are high functioning. You may not even realize that a person with mild aspergers even has it at all, as if they were severe you could never miss it. From what I have read, Lanza was most likely moderate on the continuum.
The media was irresponsible in their insinuations about the syndrome. What they did was stigmatize a disorder that was already misunderstood to begin with. A sociopath that cannot feel empathy for others, has a major personality disorder which is entirely different than a social disorder that is more biologically based than shaped by environment. They did NOT know what they were talking about and when they kept using it in the same sentence with the killer they gave the impression that people with aspergers can potentially become murderous killers.
That is patently false. Period.
There is zero empirical evidence that people with aspergers have the potential to be violent killers. Zero.
What is even more annoying to me regarding the how the media painted this is that how in the world did they go straight to mentioning aspergers and skip these very obvious facts:
1. He had recently started burning himself.
2. His mother stated to a friend one week before the shooting that she was despondent due to this and that she was "losing him" and not able to "reach him" anymore.
3. His mother had plans to relocate and have him get an assisted living apartment in another state to try and integrate him into the community more.
4. Adam Lanza was angry about this.
5. His parents had recently divorced and his father had a new woman in his life.
6. He had recently stopped speaking to his father and his brother, apparently due to this.
7. His only recreation or "social contact" was gaming. He sat in his basement alone for hours and hours on end obsessively playing first person shooter games.
8. Police were baffled when they found his magazines at the crime scenes. Most had 15 or more bullets left in them yet he reloaded in each room. In the game that he obsessively played, players were to "reload" their magazine before entering a new room so that they wouldn't run out of ammunition. Isn't it obvious that this game got into his head and conditioned him to the point that he walked around mowing down six year olds like he was in a video game?
There is empirical evidence that states that chronic exposure to violence DOES make us more aggressive. Seems to me the media should have been a little more concerned with fact rather than insinuation.
9. His mother, a "responsible" gun owner knew her son had dark tendencies and was clearly agitated over the divorce and upcoming relocation, yet she somehow thought it was a smart idea to keep a literal arsenal of assault weapons lying around their home and took him to the range to teach him how to shoot.
All of the above are facts that can point to many environmental conditions and life events that contributed to this atrocity Yet the media could not stop mentioning a disorder that we in the field know has nothing to do with this kids very obvious simmering rage and obsession with violence and guns.
The FBI threat assessment created after Columbine highlights the fact that these mass shootings do not occur because the shooter "snaps." Quite the opposite. They are usually in response to a disappointing life event where the shooter feels hopeless and out of control and the shooter is on a "path' of destruction and the signs are unfortunately missed.
In this case we can point to the divorce and the relocation. Now add the unhealthy habit of obsessive first shooter games that are proven to be bad for mental health (especially someone that is exhibiting other problems) and the culture of guns in the home. Another study showed an alarmingly high number of school shooters had access to guns because their parents had them in the home and because gun culture was part of their household.
I don't want to turn this into a gun control discussion. I am just pointing out, that with this kid (and the others before him) there are similarities across the board. Access to guns, gun culture in the home, an obsession with violence and destruction, and upsetting life events. If we are to understand why these things happen we have to truly look at them and not make snap judgments about things that have nothing to do with the atrocities, such as aspergers.
