En islamofobs manifest? En psykobiografisk analys av Anders Behring Breivik, 2083 A European Declaration of Independence och händelserna i Oslo och på Utøya den 22 juli 2011

Abstract

On July 22, 2011 a bomb detonated in the government building in central Oslo in Norway and eight persons died. Later that day, 69 people, most of them youths, were shot down and killed on the island of Utøya by a uniformed Norwegian man. The purpose of this study is to analyse Anders Behring Breivik's personality and explain why he became a killer. I have used a Psychobiographical narrative method, which serves to describe the mind of a human being, linking the mind to motives, scripts, unconscious ideas and personality. My primary sources are Breivik’s Manifest: 2083 A European Declaration of Independence and the inter-views with his father and stepfather, together with the Psychiatric Reports which were submitted to the District Court of Oslo. I have analysed in what way Breivik’s childhood influenced his behavior as an adult. For this purpose I have used a vulnerability analysis called Sårbarhetsmodellen by Perris & Perris. I have also examined whether Breivik is a product of his personality following Bob Altemeyers Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) theory and in what way he has been influenced by the Eurabian literature. The conclusion of this thesis is that cultural, biological and psycho-social factors have caused Breivik to develop a personality disorder. This can account for most of the authoritarian aggression shown in Breivik’s Manifest 2083 and also by his actions on July 22, 2011. These actions have almost certainly been triggered by fear, in accordance with the theory of authoritarian aggression. My analysis is showing how this fear has been caused by his exclusion from his family, friends and society. This fear and anxiety has also contributed to develop his grandiose self-perception and narcissistic personality as a way to protect his falsely constructed self.