Five stages that can culminate in a perfect storm for an individual to decide to commit a mass shooting

In American Thinker, Taylor Day writes about mass shootings.

There are five stages that culminate in a perfect storm that leads to individuals committing these massacres (also known as the Levin & Madfis model). This is gravely important for our society to know, as identifying these factors can lead to prevention of these atrocities.

Stage one: Chronic strain – the individual has a range of negative experiences over time. There is no one specific factor except that there is a history of adverse exposure. It could be a history of mental illness, although the vast majority of mass shooters have never been diagnosed, and further those with mental illnesses are actually less likely to commit any crimes compared to those who do not. However, there must be some trouble that reoccurs or is generally unmanaged whether it is a history of sexual abuse, family violence, torment at school, drug abuse, financial problems, etc.

Stage two: Uncontrolled strain -- person has negative experiences coupled with the lack of appropriate coping strategies and pro-social relationships. The individual will often be thought of as an introvert or “loner” and their personal time is not spent on appropriate or healthy outlets.

Stage three: Acute strain – a single and serious event happens, and the person perceives it as worse than it really is, often catastrophic. This could happen directly to the individual, but it may just be an event that happens to others (like an act of terrorism or election loss), yet they feel they are personally invested -- especially if it coincides with beliefs they already have. This is the culmination and breaking point.

Stage four: Planning -- each mass shooter spends time preparing. Massacres are not done in moments of passionate rage. Red flags are most observable to others at this point. 90% of all mass shooters were surrounded by people who noticed warning signs like personality changes in the individual that tend to seem more positive than their usual mood. Some made comments that indicated upcoming action such as “they’ll be sorry,” “watch out on Tuesday” or “soon, this won’t be a problem anymore”. They can be similar to the signs of an upcoming suicide, like withdrawing from personal relationships or giving belongings away, especially when the shooter plans on killing himself afterwards. If you notice a pattern of these behaviors in someone you know, you should report it to your local police.

Stage five: The attack -- Mass shooters choose a location that is familiar and also where they believe people they are disgruntled with personally or disagree with generally will gather, whether the disagreement is political, religious or any other ideological beliefs.

Read more here, including important factors in the aftermath of mass shootings.