Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology

 26 people died – 20 children and 6 adult staff  Gunman found dead inside the building  Gunman’s mother found dead in her home – 27 dead total  Second deadliest school shooting in US history, behind Virginia Tech massacre  -cY -cY  BIG QUESTION: WHY DID THIS HAPPEN??

 Questions asked are based on the discipline – different questions are asked for each  Psychology – the systematic study of people’s thoughts, feelings (mental processes), and behaviour  Reasons thus are largely attributed to personality (including potential mental illness)  Assumption: Psychologists assume that an individual’s personality is moulded by a combination of biological factors (hereditary traits – genetics) and prior experiences… nature and nurture

 Sociology – the scientific study of human social behaviour and the institutions and organizations that form society; the study of how groups of people who share common characteristics function  Includes the study of how groups of people who share some common characteristic(s) function  Looks for common factors (commonalities)  Assumption: an individual’s acts can only be understood when they are compared with the acts of similar individuals

 Anthropology – the study of the origin of behaviour, and the physical, social and cultural development of humans  Looks at the values of the cultures which people grow up and later work  Assumption: that there are factors in a culture, in general, and in subcultures, in particular, that encourage or discourage particular behaviours

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 How did the environment ( workplace, neighbourhood) influence the decisions of the people involved?  What violent experiences had there been in this community that would affect employee’s reaction?  Could cultural factors have influenced decisions?

 Why did people not call for help?  Why did they obey their supervisor?  What factors led the girl to this location?  What was the supervisor thinking and why?  (prior experiences, personality)

 What factors influenced the decisions of the supervisor, the employees who did not respond, and the employee who did make the 911 call?  Was the fact that the supervisor was an authority figure important?  Were there any factors, such as gender, race, age, or economic status, that might have influenced the assumptions of the supervisor and employees?  (Group, Social,Organizational dynamics)

 Read the handout of the 1999 OC Transpo murders  In groups of 2 explain what main question each discipline would ask to help understand this event  Include their explanation based on the information presented in the handout

 Psychologists would examine his life in detail in order to answer: What factors in his personalityor past led Lebrun to commit this crime?

 Assume that personality is moulded by a combination of biological factors as well as prior experiences  Lebrun had made 50 visits to doctors complaining of stomach cramps, insomnia, depression, diarrhea and other ailments  He had suffered from delusions  He had been bullied at work for a speech impediment

 Sociologists would be interested in answering: What common sociological factors are there in the lives of people who have gone on shooting sprees at their former place of work?

 Some common characteristics of people who have gone on shooting rampages are: - unpopular loner - low tolerance for frustration and anger - harassed at work - low self-esteem - own/possess rifles and other guns

 Anthropologists would be interested in: What were the values of the culture in which he grew up & later worked?

 Assumption is that there are factors in Canadian culture and the “subculture” of OC Transpo that encouraged Lebrun’s behaviour  Powerful images of violence are widespread in today’s Canadian culture (sports, media, video games)

 Evidence at the OC Transpo inquest revealed a poisonous environment, characterized by hostility and aggression  There was little respect between managers and employees  “Macho” behaviour was reported with much talk about women and teasing Lebrun for his stutter

 Cultural message in media… “When things get out of hand, acting violently will gain the attention and even respect of others.”  True or false? Brainstorm ways in which the message is or is not perpetuated.  What impact does this message have on a) children, b) youth, c) adults  What other values are present in our culture/subculture?  Is there pressure to accept the values of cultures and/or subcultures in order to fit in and be accepted?

 How might an anthropologist, psychologist and a sociologist explain the following incidents?  a) A group of thugs attack and injure two men they see coming out of a gay bar  b) A church group sponsors a refugee family from a war-torn country  c) Canadian peacekeeping troops put their lives at risk in a foreign country, where a civil war has just ended but may break out again  d) Soccer fans overseas riot and get into fist fights with opposing fans after a World Cup qualifying game

 Aldershot has asked you to conduct a study on stress experienced by students over school workload and part-time jobs.  A) Which different groups would you consult? Explain why you would choose those groups.  B) What questions would you ask them? Label each question as belonging to A, P, or S and explain why they fall into that category and why they’re important to ask.  C) What other evidence would you want to gather? Why would it be helpful/important?  D) What process would you go through to come up with a recommendation?