Sammendrag

Hvordan kan vi forstå onde handlinger? Anders Behring Breivik var motivert ut fra klassisk høyreekstrem ideologi, vil mange hevde. De rettspsykiatrisk sakkyndige ser på sin side bort fra ethvert motiv; ifølge dem er de ideologiske overbevisningene sykdomsbetingede vrangforestillinger. Med utgangspunkt i en relasjonell forståelse av det menneskelige, ser denne artikkelen på samspillet mellom ideologi og mulige psykologiske forklaringsmodeller, som splittelse og personlig myte.

English abstract

July 22 in a psychological perspective

The aim of the article is to throw light on the terror and massacre of July 22. A social psychological perspective provides an important contribution by emphasizing group processes of e.g. obedience and conformity, but is insufficient in explaining evil. Thus, it has to be supplemented by an individual psychological perspective, focusing on inner motives. An analysis of American Beauty demonstrates how murderous rage may derive from intrapsychic conflict and repressed drives. Without reducing ideology to psychology, the article discusses possible psychic factors underlying extreme ideologies, with a focus on self-identity, splitting and personal myths. Finally, the article comments upon the forensic report about the mass murderer of July 22, arguing that medical diagnostics, reducing ideology to illness, has to be supplemented by an analysis of psychological motives.

Keywords:Evil,extreme ideologies,splitting,personal myth