Approved for Nevada Psychologists, LCSWs and MFTs.
  NPA is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. 
  NPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

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About the Workshop:

How do we make sense of mass attackers? All too often we focus on things that happened to them: school shooters were bullied, workplace attackers were terminated, and so on. Yet, the overwhelming majority of people who experience such stressors do not become killers. Such explanations fail to consider who the people were that these things happened to. In other words, personality is often ignored as a factor in violence.

Though there is no profile of a mass attacker, there is common personality traits that occur in a wide range of perpetrators. One commonality is that there are psychologically fragile people with profound vulnerabilities. How these vulnerabilities manifest, however, varies dramatically. Using the work of Theodore Million and other personality researchers, this presentation examines critical dynamics that shed light on the psychology of mass killers.

The presentation will begin with a brief overview of Million's model of personality and how it differs from DSM-V-TR. Following this, several personality disorders will be discussed. Each will be illustrated through the writing of perpetrators, highlighting how the traits increase the risk of violence. Understanding the dynamics of these perpetrators can aid in identifying people who may be on the path of violence.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:

1. Explain the connection between psychological fragility and violent behavior.
2. Describe two personality processes which can lead to people becoming more prone to violence.
3. List three personality disorders common in violent perpetrators.

Audience:

This presentation is intended for psychologists, other licensed mental health providers, and graduate students of psychology. Level of learning is Intermediate.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Peter Langman is a psychologist whose research on school shooters has received international recognition. His book, Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters, was translated into German, Dutch, Finnish, Russian, and Serbian. His work has been cited in congressional testimony on Capitol Hill and he has been interviewed over 600 times by media outlets in 35 countries. After the Sandy Hook attack, the CEO of the American Psychological Association presented Dr. Langman’s recommendations on school safety to President Obama. He has presented at both the FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, and the FBI National Academy in Quantico. He has been an invited speaker at the National Counterterrorism Center and was hired by Homeland Security to train professionals in school safety. He has trained thousands of professionals in education, law enforcement, and mental health on the psychology of violent offenders. He maintains the largest online collection of materials relating to school shooters at schoolshooters.info, including over 600 documents totaling 70,000 pages. His book, School Shooters: Understanding High School, College, and Adult Perpetrators was published in 2015. From 2018 to 2023 , Dr. Langman was a researcher with the National Threat Assessment Center of the United States Secret Service. His latest book is Warning Signs: Identifying School Shooters Before They Strike.

Registration Fees:

NPA members: $75.00 (Early bird discount is $60.00 until 12/29/25)
Non-members: $105.00 (Early bird discount is $85.00 until 12/29/25)
Student members: $30.00 (Registration fees waived for active student members with code)
Student non-members: $60.00

References:

Langman, P. (2025). The Transformation of Mohamed Atta: The Relevance of Personality in Radicalization. Behavioral Sciences and the Law. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.70011

Langman, P. (2023), "Bio-Psycho-Social-Cultural: Four Domains of Factors Contributing to School Shootings", Collins, L.W., Landrum, T.J. and Cook, B.G. (Ed.) Issues Around Violence in Schools (Advances in Learning and Behavioral Disabilities, Vol. 33), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 69-86. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0735-004X20230000033005

Langman, P. (2020, November). Osama bin Laden: Humble Megalomaniac. Aggression and Violent Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2020.101519

Langman, P. (2019). “Desperate Identities: A Bio-Psycho-Social Analysis of Perpetrators of Mass Violence,” Criminology and Public Policy, Vol. 19, pp. 61–84. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12468

Langman, P. (2019). Psychological Insights into Homegrown Jihadists. Journal of Campus Behavioral Intervention, 7, pp. 46-55.

Langman, P. (2015). School Shooters: Understanding High School, College, and Adult Perpetrators. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Millon, T. (2011). Disorders of Personality: Introducing a DSM/ICD Spectrum From Normal to Abnormal. Third Edition. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

General Information:

Zoom Login Link and Handout Materials: Zoom webinar login link and Handout materials will be sent out electronically to all attendees no later than one week prior to workshop date. Printed handout materials are not available for purchase as this CE training is being offered remotely.

Workshop Location: Live, virtual webinar via Zoom.

Closed Captions: Live audio captions will be provided for this event. If you need additional disability-related accommodations, please contact us by email us at [email protected] or by phone (888) 654-0050. Requests should be made at least two weeks in advance of workshop date.

Refunds & Grievance Policy: Participants may direct questions or grievances to NPA at (888) 654-0050. An administrative fee of $30 will be charged for cancellation of registration. Please note, no refunds will be granted less than 10 days prior to workshop date 01/16/2026.

Approval: Approved by Nevada Board of Psychological Examiners. Nevada Psychological Association (NPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. NPA maintains responsibility for the program and its content. NPA will issue certificates of completion. APA CE rules require that we only issue credits to those who attend the entire workshop. Those logging into the Zoom webinar more than 15 minutes late or logging off before the entire workshop is completed will not receive CE credits (i.e. partial CE credit will not be issued).

There is no potential conflict of interest and/or commercial support for this program or its presenter.