Wow. Thanks for that Sundae. That was really interesting.
From the same article:
Quote:
In America, where there are 10 such crimes each month on average, detailed studies have led Professor Jack Levin, of Boston University, a world expert on what is known in the US as "family annihilation" to believe that there are two categories of child murder. One is the "altruistic" murder, committed out of misplaced love, and the other is the "revenge" murder committed in anger.
In the so-called "altruistic" murder, the father decides life is not worth living and doesn't want to leave the children or his wife behind. He wants to take his own life, but as the breadwinner and the person responsible, in his own mind, for the welfare of his children, he decides he will spare them the suffering of growing up without a father and the shame of being the offspring of a suicide.
Far more common, however, is the revenge killing logically carried out by the father who blames his spouse for all his problems, a reaction commonly triggered by separation or divorce.
"The man feels his wife is deserting him so he wants to eliminate everything she loves. That includes the children," Professor Levin explains.
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Given the importance these men place on family and their role as provider and possessor, it does make me wonder how much of this is biological (leading to this particular resopnse to jealousy) and how much is cultural (gender identities that exclude some men from the coping strategiesother men and most women have access to.)