A cross-cultural review of sudden mass assault by a single individual in the oriental and occidental cultures

A nonrandom sample of North American cases of sudden mass assault by a sing le individual (SMASI, n = 30) is compared with a nonrandom sample of Laotia n amok cases (n = is) and other amok studies. Perpetrators in both studies show evidence of social isolation. loss, depression, anger, pathological na rcissism, and paranoia, often to a psychotic degree. Thr term "innovative p erpetrator" is reintroduced and expanded upon. Similarities among samples f ar outweigh differences, Leading the authors to conclude that SMASI and its appearance in different cultures is not a culture-bound syndrome.