At times, the work took a great toll on me emotionally, but I persisted because I was so tired of perpetrators having a good time while destroying other people. When they don't kill their victims, perpetrators inflict soul wounds that despite our human brilliance, we really don't know how to heal. These spiritual wounds last a lifetime, undermining quality of life and damaging life chances of millions of people. Violence not only mutilates the human spirit, but it mutilates the delicate bonds in families, communities, and nations, bonds that give meaning to life. The research I've done has shown me that violence is not what I thought it was and perpetrators are not who I think they are.
Most perpetrators are hard to detect.
Violence as Emotional Gratification Violence means many things to perpetrators. Perhaps most shocking to me were perpetrators' statements that violence brings immense thrills and emotional gratification. Thus, the Littleton school murderers seemed to enjoy themselves as they shot classmates. It was like they were having the time of their lives. He also killed two other boys.