science

Perpetrator studies

Perpetrator studies is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Perpetrator studies rather than just read about it. In short: Perpetrator studies, also known as perpetrator research, is a nascent interdisciplinary, scholarly field of research into the perpetrators of mass killings and/or political violence. It is covered in the Journal of Perpetrator Research and other publications.

Key takeaways

Perpetrator studies belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Perpetrator studies to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Perpetrator studies from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Perpetrator studies, also known as perpetrator research, is a nascent interdisciplinary, scholarly field of research into the perpetrators of mass killings and/or political violence. It is covered in the Journal of Perpetrator Research and other publications. Anthropologists, historians, and psychologists are among those who have made contributions to the field. The field is relatively novel, with the notable Journal of Perpetrator Research publishing its first issue in 2017, with the aim of studying perpetrators' motives and philosophies. Researchers have also explored the "processes through which genocide took shape" that have contributed to what scholars view as a phenomenon of mostly "ordinary people" becoming highly motivated to commit collective atrocities.

Development Some of the earliest research done in the field of perpetrator studies, particularly in the aftermath of World War II, involved determining why perpetrators become perpetrators in the first place. Researchers such as R. Hilberg and H. Arendt, who studied Holocaust perpetrators including Adolf Eichmann, determined that these perpetrators are, for the most part, "ordinary people". However, the circumstances they are in are often what prompt them to take such drastic action. Despite an inherent intrigue about the perpetrators of international violence, the post-World War II Nuremberg Trials sparked significant interest in perpetrator studies as an academic field. The Nuremberg Trials, which took place in Nuremberg, Germany, set an international precedent for trying individuals charged of committing genocide and other serious international crimes. Following the trials and conviction of several defendants, such as Martin Bormann and Karl Dönitz, researchers Douglas Kelley, Gustave Gilbert, and Leon Goldensohn had open and extensive conversations with prisoners held at Nuremberg, subsequently publishing works on those prisoners' experiences and perceived mental health states. The conclusions of this research, supported by personality tests such as the Rorschach test, concluded that the perpetrators indeed fit societal definitions of "normal".

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Perpetrator studies

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Perpetrator studies claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Perpetrator studies before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Perpetrator studies ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Perpetrator studies

In research: Perpetrator studies appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Perpetrator studies in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Perpetrator studies is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Criminology, Genocide studies, Peace and conflict studies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Perpetrator studies outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Perpetrator studies in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Perpetrator studies means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Perpetrator studies out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Perpetrator studies in simple terms?

Why does Perpetrator studies matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Perpetrator studies?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Perpetrator studies.