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Oscar, physically and sexually abusive, stabbed his partner and two stepdaughters to death, buried the bodies, and fled the state with his two younger children. Paul, a respected investment banker, donned a Halloween mask and shot his wife and two children before turning the gun on himself. What drives individuals as different as Oscar and Paul to kill their families? Why does familicide appear to be on the rise?In Familicidal Hearts, award-winning author and sociologist Neil Websdale uncovers the stories behind 196 male and 15 female perpetrators of this shocking offense, situating their emotional styles on a continuum, from the livid coercive to the civil reputable. With highly detailed and riveting case studies, Websdale explores the pivotal roles of shame, rage, fear, anxiety, and depression in the lives and crimes of the killers. His analysis demonstrates how internal emotional conflict, against a backdrop of societal pressures, is at the root of familicide, challenging the widely accepted argument that murderers kill family members to assert power and control. Websdale contends instead that most perpetrators struggle with intense shame, many sensing that they failed to live up to the demands of modern gender prescriptions, as fathers and lovers, wives and mothers. What emerges is a compelling theory about the haunting effects of modern emotional struggles on perpetrators, controlling and upstanding alike.Captivatingly written and expertly researched, this provocative book weaves a gripping tale of modern-era "haunted hearts." Blending the social, the historical, and the emotional into a new way of making sense of a horrific crime, Familicidal Hearts is a provocative meditation on gender roles, social forces, and modern life itself.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• 1 Situating Familicide(p. 1)
• 2 Figurations of Feeling, Haunted Hearts, and Uncanny Acts(p. 60)
• 3 Familicide: A History(p. 87)
• 4 Livid Coercive Hearts(p. 125)
• 5 Civil Reputable Hearts(p. 176)
• 6 Familicide as a Consequence of Modern Emotional Formations(p. 216)
• 7 Some Implications: A Few Closing Thoughts(p. 258)
• Appendix I The Occupational Backgrounds of the Livid Coercive and Civil Reputable Hearts(p. 285)
• Appendix II The Racial/Ethnic Backgrounds of the Livid Coercive and Civil Reputable Hearts(p. 286)
• Appendix III Rates of Familicide(p. 287)
• Appendix IV Survey Instrument: Male Perpetrators(p. 290)
• References(p. 301)
• Index(p. 313)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This well written and highly stylized formal research presentation, meticulous and specific in its detail, focuses on the nuclear family. Websdale's insights into familicide are thoughtful and profound, providing readers with an intimate examination of this tragic phenomenon. (It might be interesting if Websdale had expanded his definition to include other close relatives and in-laws, though this work stands well on its own, capturing the essence of familicidal events.) Websdale (criminal justice, Northern Arizona Univ.) gives readers a complete contextual view, beginning with the changes in the Western family as industrial capitalism took hold, radically changing the family structure and its community relationships. "Uprooted from long-established traditions and customs, new generations of city dwellers experienced alienation or estrangement, anomie or normlessness, competition with each other, anonymity, and much closer discipline and surveillance at work and in public spaces." Beginning with this macro/historical perspective brings much to Websdale's work that most scholars neglect. From this broad perspective, the author goes on to examine specific cases and immediate circumstances. An excellent work that should have a wide audience, including criminal justice, criminology, psychology, family studies, and general interest readers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most levels/libraries. G. C. Leavitt Idaho State University

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Neil Websdale, PhD, is a Professor of Criminal Justice at Northern Arizona University and the Director and Principal Project Advisor of the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative (US Department of Justice).