Some comprehension came as a more detailed picture of
Eric Harris
— if not Dylan
Klebold
— began to emerge. The
image of Harris is at once disturbing and disturbingly
reassuring. Just 18, Harris was not a racist or a goth
or a fascist, although he dabbled in all those
obsessions. In fact, it appears, Harris was a
psychopath, who advertised his dark side nearly
everywhere he went. For all his advertising it, though,
Harris somehow attracted little attention until he had
transformed himself into a hideous killer. The signs
were hard to miss. Harris was taking Luvox, an
antidepressant similar to Prozac that's often prescribed
for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Based
on what's known about him
— in particular the
writings on his Internet Web page
—
some psychologists believe Harris may have
suffered from a particular type of antisocial disorder
known as "malignant
narcissism." The traits are frightening:
Self-absorption and an inability to empathize with
others' pain. Messianic self-perception. A quest for
revenge. A need for enemies as justification for extreme
aggression. Aubrey Immelman, a psychology professor at
St. John's University in Minnesota, says narcissistic
leaders often surround themselves with uncritical
admirers "willing to do their bidding at almost any
expense." Perhaps that's where Dylan Klebold came in.