About the Book
Of the approximately 38,500 deaths by suicide in the U.S. annually, about two percent - between 750 and 800 - are murder-suicides. The horror of the murder-suicide looms large in the public consciousness-they are reported in the media with more frequently and far more sensationalism than most suicides, and yet very little research has been conducted on this grave form of violence.
In The Perversion of Virtue, suicide researcher Thomas Joiner explores the nature of murder-suicide and offers a unique new theory to explain this nearly unexplainable act: that 'true' murder-suicides always involve the wrongheaded invocation of one of four interpersonal virtues: mercy, justice, duty, and glory. The parent who murders his child and then himself seeks to 'save' his child from a fatherless life of hardship; the wife who murders her husband and then herself seeks to right the wrongs he committed against her, and so on.
Rather than distorting these four virtues beyond recognition, murder-suicide involves the gross misperception of when and how these virtues should be applied. Drawing on case studies from the media as well as from scholarly literature, Joiner meticulously examines, deconstructs, and finally rebuilds our understanding of murder-suicide in such a way as to bring tragic reason to what may seem an unfathomable act of violence. Along the way he also dispels some of the most enduring myths of suicide - for instance, that suicide is usually an impulsive act (it is almost always premeditated), or that alcohol or drugs are involved in most suicides (usually they are not).
Sure to be controversial, this book seeks to make sense of one of the most difficult-to-comprehend types of violence in modern society, shedding new light that will ultimately lead to better understanding and even prevention.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Section 1: Introductory Material
Chapter 1 Murder-Suicide: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Initial Conceptualization
Chapter 2 Understanding Murder
Chapter 3 Understanding Suicide
Chapter 4 Understanding Virtue
Section 2: Understanding Murder-Suicide as a Perversion of Virtue
Chapter 5 A Perversion of Mercy
Chapter 6 A Perversion of Justice
Chapter 7 A Perversion of Duty
Chapter 8 A Perversion of Heroic Glory
Chapter 9 The Neighboring But Distinct Categories of Perverting Self-Control and Fate
Section 3: Implications and Conclusions
Chapter 10 Prevention, Clinical, and Other Real-World Applications
Chapter 11 Conclusion: Human Nature and the Perversion of Virtue
Notes
References
Index
About the Author :
Thomas Joiner, PhD, is The Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at Florida State University (FSU), Tallahassee. Dr. Joiner's work is on the psychology, neurobiology, and treatment of suicidal behavior and related conditions. Author of over 475 publications, Dr. Joiner has received several prestigious awards for his research. He also runs a part-time clinical and consulting practice specializing in suicidal
behavior, including legal consultation on suits involving death by suicide.
Review :
"Psychologist and Guggenheim Fellow Joiner offers in-depth analyses and real-life examples, placing 'true murder-suicides' in four categories--'mercy, justice, duty, and glory'--while two other categories cover related acts involving both murder and suicide. In addition to psychological and evolutionary research, Joiner draws from the Bible, Shakespeare, Thomas Aquinas, and elsewhere. This important study could save lives, and Joiner's suggestion for mental
health professionals to engage patients on the topic of virtue is well-founded." -Publishers Weekly
"If you want to really understand suicide, anything Thomas Joiner says is worth listening to. To have a book on murder-suicide by him is an enormous contribution. Not only is it chock-full of science, but the science is imbedded in compassion-and compassion is surely needed to understand both suicide and murder-suicide." -Marsha M. Linehan, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychology, and Director, Behavioral Research & Therapy Clinics (BRTC), University
of Washington
"The Perversion of Virtue combines Dr. Joiner's remarkable expertise with a critical analysis and logic for understanding murder-suicide. Readers will find his arguments provocative, explanatory, and elegantly stated." -Timothy W. Lineberry, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Mayo Clinic
"In the scholarly, penetrating, and thought-provoking manner that we have come to expect from Dr. Joiner, this important book examines the disturbing and largely misunderstood topic of murder-suicide. Penned by one of the most innovative and insightful intellectual leaders in contemporary psychology, The Perversion of Virtue is an absolute must-read for anyone remotely interested in this tragic, complex, and fascinating topic." -David A. Jobes, PhD,
ABPP, Professor of Psychology and Associate Director of Clinical Training, Department of Psychology, The Catholic University of America
"Cases of murder-suicide do occur quite frequently around the world. Surprisingly, the literature on the topic is scarce and far from providing a unifying reading of these terrible human tragedies. As he beautifully did for suicide, Dr. Joiner provides another very lucid example of systematic theory-building on a complex matter. The result is a compelling volume, an essential reference for those who may have an interest for the many peculiarities of such
extreme behaviors." -Professor Diego De Leo, MD, PhD, AO, Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention, Griffith University
"In The Perversion of Virtue, Joiner has contributed sense and explanation. These questions about values, the valuation of murder-suicide, and murder-suicide's frequency should be of interest to many psychology students and psychology professionals working in the clinical, social, and forensic areas. Joiner's accessibility of writing style also should attract the reading public engrossed in similar areas. This same accessibility should pull in many
philosophy students and professionals, especially those working in the existential areas focused on confronting the possibilities of death and suicide as foundations of being and life's meaning. In many ways,
Joiner enriches our intellectual lives by killing us softly with his song." -Richard W. Bloom, PsycCRITIQUES
