**3. Eric Harris: Columbine**

Eric had Criminal Autistic Psychopathy with a Narcissistic Personality and Depression.

#### **3.1. Early years**

He was a highly intelligent child. He loved fishing with his father and loved the quietness of the mountains and lake. He was very visual and had a keen appreciation of landscape and appreciated the effect of light on water and in particular loved "water". [5]. [5] describes a neighbour's comment on Eric that he was "nice, polite, preppy, and a dork". [5] noted that "his hand was always shooting up in a class and he always had the right answer". Page 9. He was highly intelligent and of course in the long term this increased his dangerousness. He was also described as being "painfully shy". [5]. He had surgery for "pectus excabatum, an abnormally sunken sternum". [5]. This was a narcissistic wound for him as a child. Eric was "gifted analytically, excellent at maths, a technology expert and into "gadgets, computers, video games". [5]. Here again we see some overlap between General Psychopathy and Criminal Autistic Psychopathy. Cullen notes that a Little League Team mate described Eric as the "shyest out of everybody" and was restricted in what he said. His coach [5] noted that "he didn't want to miss (a ball). He didn't want to fail" and therefore he was very slow to swing a bat. This again shows his narcissistic vulnerability and his fear of missing which he found humiliating. In a way according to [5] Eric "scripted Columbine, as a made for TV murder". [5]. This is further evidence of his narcissism and in fantasy he re-enacted the pleasure of the massacre endlessly in the long period leading up to it. In his own mind he was the superior one, the man who was awesome and frightened the world.

[5] noted that "Eric wanted to be remembered". He certainly left his mark on the sands of time. He wanted to be feared and wanted to be in a position where nobody ever looked down on him again.

#### **3.2. Narcissism**

The FBI analyst who examined his motives suggested that Harris was a classical psychopath and had a "messianic level superiority complex and hoped to illustrate his massive superiority to the world". Immelmann (2009) described Eric as possessing a "malignant narcissism… a Pathological Narcissistic Personality Disorder with borderline and anti-social features, also with some paranoid traits and unconstrained aggression". Eric wrote according to [5] that "my belief is that if I say something, it goes. I am the law. If you don't like it, you die". [5] summarised Fuseliers opinion that "Eric had a preposterously grand superiority complex, a revulsion for authority, an excruciating need for control". This was largely inherent in Eric with huge innate factors and again we see the overlap with Criminal Autistic Psychopathy. Eric also stated "I feel like God and I am higher than almost anyone in the fucking world in terms of universal intelligence". [5]. This was not psychosis but it is close to psychosis.

Eric also said that "Zeus and I also get angry easily and punish people in unusual ways". [5]. In a way Zeus was one of the superior Gods. After Eric was arrested for the breaking into the car he switched from being an "observer to enforcer". [5]. This was a critical life event and even though he was the perpetrator he understood it himself as that he was the victim and how dare they arrest him and put him in handcuffs. This speeded up his sense of injustice, his hatred of humanity and simply accelerated his wish to do the massacre. Of course he was on that path before he was arrested. Eric "fancied himself as a non-conformist, but he craved approval and fumed over the neighbour's disrespect". [5]. Eric was hypersensitive to any rejection or criticism and [5] noted that Eric had "a long list of betrayals, an actual "shit list" on his computer of despicable young girls". He talked a lot about people who "knifed… him in the back". Most of this was more imaginary than real. Nevertheless it was psychologically very real to him.

#### **3.3. Attitude to other people**

hand was always shooting up in a class and he always had the right answer". Page 9. He was highly intelligent and of course in the long term this increased his dangerousness. He was also described as being "painfully shy". [5]. He had surgery for "pectus excabatum, an abnormally sunken sternum". [5]. This was a narcissistic wound for him as a child. Eric was "gifted analytically, excellent at maths, a technology expert and into "gadgets, computers, video games". [5]. Here again we see some overlap between General Psychopathy and Criminal Autistic Psychopathy. Cullen notes that a Little League Team mate described Eric as the "shyest out of everybody" and was restricted in what he said. His coach [5] noted that "he didn't want to miss (a ball). He didn't want to fail" and therefore he was very slow to swing a bat. This again shows his narcissistic vulnerability and his fear of missing which he found humiliating. In a way according to [5] Eric "scripted Columbine, as a made for TV murder". [5]. This is further evidence of his narcissism and in fantasy he re-enacted the pleasure of the massacre endlessly in the long period leading up to it. In his own mind he was the superior one, the man

[5] noted that "Eric wanted to be remembered". He certainly left his mark on the sands of time. He wanted to be feared and wanted to be in a position where nobody ever looked down on

The FBI analyst who examined his motives suggested that Harris was a classical psychopath and had a "messianic level superiority complex and hoped to illustrate his massive superiority to the world". Immelmann (2009) described Eric as possessing a "malignant narcissism… a Pathological Narcissistic Personality Disorder with borderline and anti-social features, also with some paranoid traits and unconstrained aggression". Eric wrote according to [5] that "my belief is that if I say something, it goes. I am the law. If you don't like it, you die". [5] summarised Fuseliers opinion that "Eric had a preposterously grand superiority complex, a revulsion for authority, an excruciating need for control". This was largely inherent in Eric with huge innate factors and again we see the overlap with Criminal Autistic Psychopathy. Eric also stated "I feel like God and I am higher than almost anyone in the fucking world in terms of universal

Eric also said that "Zeus and I also get angry easily and punish people in unusual ways". [5]. In a way Zeus was one of the superior Gods. After Eric was arrested for the breaking into the car he switched from being an "observer to enforcer". [5]. This was a critical life event and even though he was the perpetrator he understood it himself as that he was the victim and how dare they arrest him and put him in handcuffs. This speeded up his sense of injustice, his hatred of humanity and simply accelerated his wish to do the massacre. Of course he was on that path before he was arrested. Eric "fancied himself as a non-conformist, but he craved approval and fumed over the neighbour's disrespect". [5]. Eric was hypersensitive to any rejection or criticism and [5] noted that Eric had "a long list of betrayals, an actual "shit list" on his computer of despicable young girls". He talked a lot about people who "knifed… him in the back". Most of this was more imaginary than real. Nevertheless it was psychologically very real to him.

intelligence". [5]. This was not psychosis but it is close to psychosis.

who was awesome and frightened the world.

6 Autism Spectrum Disorder - Recent Advances

him again.

**3.2. Narcissism**

Eric stated on one occasion "I hate almost everyone" and ah yes "I wanna rip his head off and eat it" in a "flat voice". [5]. After a fishing trip he talked about going back to "shithead society populated by automatons too dense to comprehend what was out there". [5]. Eric also wrote "if you have a problem with my thoughts, come and tell me and I'll kill you" [5]. Another one of his rants was "I hate". [5]. According to [5] p.216 Eric's "only internal struggle concerned which stupid bastards was more deserving of his wrath". He saw himself as an avenging God. Before the massacre of course he was a petty criminal. [5]) noted that Eric "savoured the idea (of) heroic opportunities to obliterate alien hoards. His dreams were riddled with gunfire and explosions" and "he was always dazzled by fire". Eric made "death threats" to another student. [5] p.88. Eric wrote on his website that he wanted to "mow down" the people of his area and that "I don't care if I live or die in the shootout..."all I want to do is kill and injure as many of you pricks as I can". [5] p.216. [5] p. 219 notes that Eric "described going to some random downtown area....and blowing up and shooting up everything he could. He assured us he would feel no remorse, no sorrow, no shame. He would make them pay". This shows an incredibly deep hatred of the human race and he did not have a traumatic childhood. Again we are dealing with a personality and with problems largely coming from inside him.

In 1998 he wrote in a notebook "I hate the fucking world" and that "I am not respected". [5]. This was a largely paranoid thought and not based on reality. Eric also stated that "human beings were pathetic fuckheads too dense to perceive their lifeless existence...automatons" and people were "assembly-line robots". In a way Eric wanted to destroy humanity in the world. In addition Eric "had a grander vision. All his writing alluded to a wider slaughter; killing everything, destroying the human race" and he also wrote "kill them all. Well if you have not figured it out yet, I'd say "kill mankind". [5].

#### **3.4. Eric's description of himself and description of him by others**

[5] states that girls found him "cute" and that "he'd always hated his appearance". Eric also could be charming and told a great deal of lies. He did not suffer from guilt for his actions. [5] noted that his Principal in college Frank de Angelis noted that Harris was "the type of kid who, when he was in front of adults, he'd tell you what you wanted to hear". Cullen also noted that a classmate had "the impression... (that Eric) wanted to be an outcast. He was also described as "moody and aggressive". P. 140. He suffered from depression. Eric was "egotistical, empathy-free". [5]. When Eric was asked to describe himself in filing out a questionnaire which focused on distrust etc., he described himself as agreeing with some of the following descrip‐ tions: jealous "anxiety, suspiciousness, temper, obsessive thoughts, mood swings, disorgan‐ ised thoughts, homicidal thoughts" [5]. When mental health professionals assessed him he seethed "as he scrawled out his answers" and he considered "the nerve of these low lifes judging him" and how he "hated fools telling him what to do." [5]. In addition, Eric was "a dreamer" of "a world where the rest of us had been removed". [5]. [5] described Harris as a "cold-blooded, predatory psychopath". Fusilier [5] noted that Eric showed "cold rational calculation-(was) charming, callous, cunning, manipulative, comically grandiose, egocentric, with appalling failures of empathy". He had the capacity when he wanted to to fool people and deceive people and was a superb liar and he was also a sensation seeker and novelty seeker. Therapy for persons with psychopathy often makes them better at psychopathy and improves their destructive social skills. He was in therapy but only pretended to engage himself from it. He was "unemotional" and was extremely dominating and controlling. [5].

He was well able to manage adults and to tell adults what they wanted to know and what they wanted to hear. His parents described him earlier as "getting angry all the time.at almost anything he didn't like" and he would "punch a wall" [5].

#### **3.5. Interests**

Eric wrote [5] that "guns! boy, I loved playing guns". He was also superb at violent video games. He used to sketch "medieval armour and sub-machine guns" and would draw "victims (who) were frequently on fire and freshly decapitated" as well as he showed a great interest in the Nazis and their activities. [5], p.81. Another great interest was in "explosives". [5]. He loved to make home made bombs. Other interests included "Nietzsche, Freud, Hitler" and he used to say "Sich Heil" or "Heil Hitler". He was obsessed with massacres and mayhem on television.

#### **3.6. Relationship with girls and other adults**

Eric was a boy who "smoked, drank, dated" (page 6 [5] and he would walk up to "hotties in the Mall". "He won them over with quick wit, dazzling dimples and a disarming smile". [5]. Nothing could be further from Asperger's Syndrome than this. This was his genuine evidence of an element of General Psychopathy.

#### **3.7. Control and domination**

[5] stated that when "somebody needed to take control. Eric was your man. He was like a robot under pressure". The local Pizza Store where he worked had a particularly good opinion of his capabilities and put him "in charge when he left". [5]. He had excellent management skills and found it very easy to manage his co-killer Dylan Klebold.

#### **3.8. Conclusion**

In writing there was often contradictions and Eric's writing wasn't always logical. Eric had excellent social know how compared to Dylan. Dylan and Eric had major empathy deficits and were both hostile and somewhat paranoid people. Both suffered from depression. They became a most dangerous murderous couple. Eric was the active one the leader and Dylan was the follower the passive one. They played out their killing in fantasy many times before they carried it out. The warning signs were mainly in their writings and on their website. Nevertheless they both had contact with the police. Clearly if teachers read the kind of essays that they write and their pre-occupations from now on they should take these writings very seriously and take action on them.
