Inside the mind of a vandal
What makes someone feel an urge to smash car windows? The answer is more complicated than you think.
BY DEBORAH SKOLNIK
[Credit: Kenan Reed and Unsplash.com]
If you didn’t already hear about it, you must’ve been away: On September 2, multiple calls came in to the Scarsdale police department, person after person saying their car windows were smashed overnight. Their autos’ contents had been rooted through as well, although no one reported anything taken. While the police continue to investigate who might have done it, another question also looms: What kind of person might have done it?
The young and the restless
While adults can be vandals, the most common perpetrators are kids, says a German study, “Psychological Analysis of Vandalism.” Often, these young people live in suboptimal conditions that create persistent feelings of boredom and powerlessness. As you can imagine, this demographic often also has low self-esteem.
Vandalism offers a salve for these ailments. It can be misguided playfulness, or an exciting way to strike out at institutions and people that the mischief-maker believes is dominating or oppressing them. Vandals feel they are taking control of the situation, and spreading fear is a way of being a big shot. Plus, it’s gratifying to attract attention—especially if one typically receives little of it.
Smash and repeat
Ever wonder why we’re quick to call people who deface and destroy things “vandals”? We don’t automatically say that someone who trips over a sidewalk crack is totally uncoordinated, or that a coworker who flubs a single presentation is incompetent. In the case of vandalism, however, those who commit this crime are likely to do it again. Remember, it’s satisfying.
But it doesn’t merely supply a high in the moment: Getting away with vandalism is an incredible rush. “An inhibited person who acts aggressively and is not punished feels relieved and encouraged; psychologically, these pleasant feelings demand increasing reinforcement, escalating aggressive behavior,” the German study shares. Making matters worse, vandalism is as contagious as the flu in a packed movie theater. A destructive individual is likely to stimulate the same behavior in others, especially when they are all excited and tend to be aggressive in general. The takeaway: More than one person may be behind the mayhem that occurred in our town.
Will the Scarsdale Smasher/s turn out to fit this profile? We’ll leave it to our police force to find out. Share your theory in the comments.