The Perversion of Virtue: Understanding Murder-Suicide

by Thomas E. Joiner

Of the approximately 38,500 deaths by suicide in the U.S. annually, about two percent--between 750 and 800--are murder-suicides. The horror of murder-suicides looms large in the public consciousness--they are reported in the media with more frequency and far more sensationalism than most suicides, and yet we have little understanding of this grave form of violence.

In The Perversion of Virtue , leading suicide researcher Thomas Joiner explores the nature of murder-suicide and offers a unique new theory to explain this nearly unexplainable that murder-suicides always involve the wrongheaded invocation of one of four interpersonal mercy, justice, duty, and glory. The parent who murders his child and then himself seeks to save his child from a fatherless life of hardship; the wife who murders her husband and then herself seeks to right the wrongs he committed against her, and so on. Murder-suicides involve the gross misperception of when and how these four virtues should be applied.

Drawing from extensive research as well as real examples from the media, Joiner meticulously examines, deconstructs, and finally rebuilds our understanding of murder-suicide in such a way that brings tragic reason to what may seem an unfathomable act of violence. Along the way, he dispels some of the most enduring myths of suicide--for instance, that suicide is usually an impulsive act (it is almost always pre-meditated), or that alcohol or drugs are involved in most suicides (usually they are not).

Sure to be controversial, this book seeks to make sense of one of the most difficult-to-comprehend types of violence in modern society, shedding new light that will ultimately lead to better understanding and even prevention.

Genres: Psychology, True Crime, Social Work, Science, Psychiatry

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Joiner, Thomas.
Joiner, Thomas E.
Joiner, Thomas E. Jr

Thomas Joiner is an American academic psychologist and leading expert on suicide. He is the Robert O. Lawton Professor of Psychology at Florida State University, where he operates his Laboratory for the Study of the Psychology and Neurobiology of Mood Disorders, Suicide, and Related Conditions. Joiner holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Reviews

[Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, Joiner's book seemed surprisingly different from his typical area of expertise. However, one quickly gains the insight that while murder-suicide is distinct from suicide per se, it can be argued that murder-suicide is a particular subset of suicide. This perspective demystifies much about this difficult topic. Joiner demonstrates a unique ability to illustrate suicide decedents and murder-suicide perpetrators in a relatable way.

The book is filled with speculation and arguments heavily based on examples and anecdotes. Many of his points are supported only by specific examples. He frequently describes his perceptions of the thoughts and experiences of various individuals who committed murder-suicide or suicide and uses his own speculations to prove his own points. To be fair, suicidality does not lend itself easily to research; suicidal decedents can only be investigated using very limited data. While his theoretical framework appears to useful, I believe it is best interpreted as a descriptive taxonomy rather than an explanatory model of murder-suicide.

That being said, Joiner presents an informative theoretical framework for murder-suicide that is every bit as enlightening and informative as his other work. Overall, I would highly recommend!

[Kate Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

God, I was irritated by Joiner's rambling, redundant writing style and by his preposterous leaps of logic.

An isolated incident of a murderer being unable to enact his own suicide serves as the sole foundation for his claim that everyone capable of suicide is capable of murder but not everyone capable of murder is capable of suicide. He returns to this baseless assertion again and again. Stupid, inaccurate and lacking sufficient research.


I do not recommend reading this unless it is relevant to your profession.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conceptualization of murder-suicide as originating in suicidal intent is profound for the field and the clinical discussions are illuminating. However, I definitely agree with the reviewer who said that much more editing was needed. Because I listened to the audiobook it was difficult to encounter the repetition. Many times I thought this would be a good long article.

[Robert Bogue]

The numbers are vanishingly small. Murder-suicide accounts for just 2% of suicides, themselves numbering around 14 per 100,000. Still, every death is a tragedy, and because it’s a tragedy it deserves study and understanding. In The Perversion of Virtue: Understanding Murder-Suicide, Thomas Joiner puts forth the idea that the order is wrong. Not the order of the actions but the order of the thoughts. He posits that a person first decides on suicide then decides – based on a perverted sense of virtue – that another or others should die.

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[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and well researched book making a very convincing argument that murder-suicide involves a perversion of one of four main virtues in the mind of the perpetrator. I greatly enjoyed learning from this book and the examples in it, but it was heavy reading and sometimes tedious. As the author is a leading expert on suicide, anything by him is very thought provoking, informative and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this topic.

[Rowland Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing Examination

Dr. Joiner has elucidated a theory that is quite challenging. While at times I thought he read too much into situations where there was minimal actual evidence as to the perpetrators mindset he presents a thoroughly thought out thesis. I look forward to further research in this area.

[Heather Jaynes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.

[Jreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good for clinicians to read

Dr. Joiner is considered an expert in suicide studies and treatment. One of my co-workers highly recommended this book to our consultation group. When my peer was explaining the traits attributed to suicide risk my first thought was that was taken from Durkheim decades earlier.

It is a narrow book that has a lot of information. If the intended audience was clinicians, the editorial staff was deficient. Much of the first portion could have been summarized. It was a chore to wade through in case you would miss something.

Pages 196 onward are where I started taking notes and thinking of my specific client base. That alone was worth the investment of time. So I give Dr Joiner a high rating because of the material and his efforts involved. I wish we had his materials in going graduate school. He is a credit to the field. His editors would get a 3 star because they did not reign him in or let his stature intimidate them.

[Morgan H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I am obsessed with Thomas Joiner.

With that being said, this book is wonderful. Joiner presents a clinically-relevant classification of murder-suicide. At first, one might think, "Is there really THAT big of a difference between murders, suicides, and murder-suicides?" The answer is YES. Joiner examines murder-suicide through the lens of perverted virtue; and includes cognitive distortions (hello, CBT!), psychosocial correlates, and even neuroscience. Superb read.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only does Joiner give a cohesive conceptualization of murder-suicide but he includes comments about intervention. My career is winding down. I wish he had written this book 40 years ago!

[Sydney]

Read for research. But the book has changed the way I understand these sad incidents that happen nearly every day. Excellent book.