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Assassins and their Victims: who Assassinates whom?
Robert Kaplan
Affiliation: University of Wollongong, Sydney, Australia
Keywords: Assassination, History, Psychiatric and Political Motives, Psychosis
Categories: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, News and Views
DOI: 10.17160/josha.11.6.1010
Languages: English
Assassination is the killing of a political figure such as a prime minister, president or king. It goes back to the beginning of recorded history. Many cases show that it does change the course of history. There are three groups of assassins: political; psychiatric; or Lone Wolf (marginal or fringe characters). The latter group provokes the most speculation. While some believe it is for fame, albeit brief, their motives are often confused, difficult to understand and politically shallow. We look at their characteristics. Aside from excluding over psychosis, psychiatry has little to offer in explaining their motives. A review of the phenomenon is presented.