Date
8-29-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Kelly Gorbett
Keywords
school shooter, school shootings, moral identity, morality, qualitative
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Rand, Danielle Caprice, "The Moral Identity of School Shooters As Perceived by Impacted Community Members: A Qualitative Study" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7377.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7377
Abstract
This qualitative study investigated the moral identity of school shooters as perceived by impacted community members. The existing literature lacks agreement on the root cause of school shootings and has been unable to provide a unified identification of school shooters. Discussed throughout school shooter research was the lack of a moral identity in school shooters. Further, research on moral identity has not covered one specialized group of individuals: school shooters. Moral identity, the mien of an individual’s moral thoughts and behaviors, was researched as a potential predictor of school shootings. This study employed a case study research design and used an anonymous online survey to gather data. The data collected addressed four key topics: the moral identity of school shooters, their verbal and behavioral expressions of that moral identity, and recommendations for prevention. The 11 participants took part in interviews consisting of two closed-ended questions and four open-ended questions. The participants self-identified as members of communities impacted by school shootings between 2019 and 2024. Participant responses were thematically coded and analyzed to identify commonalities in the preincident moral identities of school shooters. This research study found that school shooters were typical or atypical in their moral identity in that they expressed themselves through assimilation, isolation, deviance, and dominance, and that impacted community members find that the acuity of others is the key to prevention. Ultimately, this research did not yield a conclusive outcome; however, it suggested potential factors for stakeholders to consider when developing initiatives to recognize warning signs of potential school shootings.
