Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold

[rmrf]

** TRIGGER WARNING **
This thread deals with subject matter that may be quite disturbing to many people.
I want to dispassionately speculate on the personality of the perpetrators, please keep this in mind when deciding to proceed.

Not really popular culture, but it felt too wrong putting them as 'celebrities'

Having watched a few documentaries on Columbine such as (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeGqp5RQx4I) I want some thoughts on the killer's type.

Eric Harris (the dominant of the two) seems to be an INTJ with a highly antisocial personality (most likely secondary psychopathy) and in a Ni-Fi loop. I think it was always in his nature to commit violence in one way or another.

Dylan Klebold seems far less malevolent than Harris and seemed very weak in heart and mind. My guess would be INFP/ISFP with a volatile mix of negativistic, dependant, avoidant, and depressive personality features. I think had it not been for Harris, he probably would have been more likely to commit suicide than violence.

Anyone else got any thoughts?

(insert the usual caveats about typing killers here)

 

[raissaroars]

This is extremely triggering to me and I'm being very, very stubborn to even read this and going against every rule I gave myself, but...
They're both very difficult to type. I, unfortunately, read their diaries and Dylan was obviously depressed. He felt very misunderstood, wrong, alone; he felt like no one wanted what he had to offer. Because of his poetry, I'd dare to say he's more of an INFP than an ISFP, but this is really difficult, for him was very depressed.
But I agree with you. I don't think it was of his very nature to commit the crime. Eric had homicidal tendencies, but Dylan was more of a "tortured soul", if I may say. Maybe, even, Eric wouldn't do it if he hadn't find someone like Dylan.
Oh, well, they were both very, very troubled and mentally ill :/

- - - Updated - - -

Now I'm off to watch The Office so I can forget this shooting ever happened!

 

[Jaguar]

You want to type mentally ill people? Makes no sense.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

They weren't really nerds. The odd thing about the narrative is that everyone assumed they were constantly bullied (which led to a lot of instances of victim-blaming), but they had a decent amount of friends.

Chris Rock's take on the whole phenomenon was classic.

 

[raissaroars]

They weren't really nerds. The odd thing about the narrative is that everyone assumes they were constantly bullied (which led to a lot of instances of victim-blaming), but they had a decent amount of friends.

Chris Rock's take on the whole phenomenon was classic.

Yup, they weren't, really. The shooting can't ever be justified. However, it's a fact that both of them were very mentally ill.

 

[rmrf]

You want to type mentally ill people? Makes no sense.

While it is clear they had considerable mental health issues (although it's not clear what specific disorder) they certainly weren't psychotic, and, perhaps with the exception of severe psychotic illnesses, I don't think mental health problems canonically preclude someone from being typed.

It is a bit of a morbid 5w4 curiosity I have. Analysing and studying the minds of the deranged and/or depraved has always fascinated me and I love trying to interpret the personality of those who went on to commit atrocious actions. "What makes them tick", so to speak.

While it doesn't apply to me as I'm not qualified, this pursuit in the general sense is positive, as by understanding killers, perhaps we can prevent horrors like Columbine (and many others). Especially since the popular formula of "Mentally ill + quiet + bullied = Postal" lacks depth.

I apologise to anyone who was triggered or upset by the thread, as events as horrific, depraved, unforgivable and tragic as school massacres are very sensitive topics.

While in itself, knowing the MBTI of a couple of mass killers isn't going to achieve anything, it is still a (perhaps slightly taboo) curiosity, and I don't think it is anyway unethical to speculate on their personality, purely out of curiosity.

 

[Frosty]

Eric: INTJ in an Ni Fi loop. That or an INTP. Hard to tell if it is Ti or twisted as something else. ISTP is also possible.

Dylan: Depressed INFP. But have not read much of him yet.

They were still people. Mentally ill yes. People who did horrible things yes. But still potentially typable.

Like all else, later.

 

[justwhelmed]

@rarissaroars, I don't think either of them would've have killed (definitely not on this scale) had they not met the other (especially Dylan, who might have just committed suicide). It's a very folie a deux situation.

Okay so now to their types, which you can't get a very certain guess on because obviously they were ill. But I think Dylan *appeared* to be an INXP. He was probably an INFP, but I can't leave out INTP, because some of his problems seem very inferior Fe, and his writing is more Ne than anything. I think the emotional side to him could've possibly just stemmed from his depression.

I'd say Eric was probably an INTJ and a sociopath.