Proceedings
Media Effects on Imitation of Suicidal Behaviour and Amok Events
Schmidtke A~~Shaller S~~Muller I
The present study shows that along with aggression & suicide, amok (violent/murderous) behavior might also be imitated as a result of media reporting. The authors argue that the majority of events are not distributed by chance over time, & that most amok events follow another event in a period of time which is within the frame given by many studies of imitation. They therefore conclude that it may be dangerous to report about amok events in a sensational way. (9 refs)