U of M's Carl Malmquist takes top honors for his book "Homicide: A Psychiatric Perspective" Contacts: Nina Shepherd, Sociology Media Relations, 612-624-7389 Mark Cassutt, University News Service, 612-624-8038 |
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL ( 6/4/2007 ) -- University of Minnesota sociology professor Carl Malmquist has received the prestigious Manfred Guttmacher Award for his new book "Homicide: A Psychiatric Perspective" (2006). Malmquist, who is also a physician and psychiatrist, offers a look at the why's and how's of American homicide from a psychological perspective. Malmquist's book considers emerging aspects of homicidal behavior in American society, as evidenced by such phenomena as school shooters and the public fascination with TV shows like "The Sopranos." The book uses case studies to explain a broad spectrum of homicidal behaviors and covers trends, biological factors, juvenile murderers, serial and sexual killers and how people with borderline personality disorders--including narcissism and depression-- are an increasingly high risk group for violence. Malmquist, a nationally recognized expert in the areas of juvenile and adult psychiatry and forensic psychiatry, has worked as a psychiatric consultant to various state district courts, as well as in the federal system. His class "Killing," which he's taught for more than 20 years as part of the department of sociology's Law, Crime and Deviance curriculum, is consistently one of the most popular courses at the university. "After 15 years of decreasing violent crime rates, homicide rates in the United States are on the upswing, " says Malmquist. "History, as recently as the Virginia Tech killings, as well as the popularity of homicide-related programs on TV, stubbornly reminds us that murder is an indelible part of our behavior as humans." Established in 1967, the Manfred S. Guttmacher Award honors outstanding contributions to the literature of forensic psychiatry. The award, co-sponsored by the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) was presented at the AAPL meeting this month. ---------- |
