Snap to irrational or violent behavior

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April 9, 2012 — The headlines capture our attention: a JetBlue Airways pilot goes berserk in midair… a U.S. soldier is sought in the killings of Afghan civilians in Kandahar. These acts muddle our understanding of human behavior, leaving us confused and searching for answers. What causes assumed good guys or regular people to appear to suddenly lose it? Is there a build up to their actions that their closest friends, colleagues, and neighbors miss or dismiss? Dr. Dan Gottlieb explores insights into why some people seem to snap and how we cope in the aftermath of their aggressive or violent behavior.

Dan’s guests include: Drs. Peter Ash, Carla Rodgers, and Roderick Orner. Peter Ash is a forensic child psychiatrist and associate professor at Emory University in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He writes, presents, and conducts research on issues in forensic psychiatry. Carla Rodgers is on the teaching faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. She, too, is a forensic psychiatrist and fitness for duty consultant.Roderick Orner is a clinical psychologist and visiting professor at the University of Lincoln. Psychotraumatology has been Dr. Orner’s special clinical and research interest since the mid 1980s.