Pyromania Research Paper

Burn Baby Burn Pyromania: "A morbid compulsion to set fires." (Macdonald 4) This term is often used to describe anyone who enjoys watching and setting fires, although the true meaning of the word is a psychological disorder. People affected by this disorder use fire to vent their anger or stress from their everyday life. They will set anything close at hand on fire and take pleasure in the way the fire dances around the object it is quickly smoldering and utterly destroying. A pyromaniac however, is not the same thing as an arsonist. The Pyromaniac has a mental disorder which usually begins at a very young age and gradually fades as the subject ages, or in some cases becomes more intense. Pyromania, also referred to as fire behavior, progresses
Pyromaniacs have an intense obsession with fire while Arsonists enjoy the effects that fire can cause. For example, arsonists enjoy that their fires can have such an impact on everyone else. They start a fire and suddenly people are screaming fire trucks come hurtling down the road with their sirens blaring and it is in the news the next day. "A single match and a little gasoline provide great destructive power, which has an especial appeal for those who are physically, emotionally, or intellectually handicapped."(Macdonald 193) as said by John M. Macdonald in Bombers and Firesetters. Arsonists often have a lust for any type of power they can get. But how can you identify an Arsonist? Is it that manic look in their eyes as they wreak havoc on the surrounding landscapes while laughing hysterically? According to Harvey M. French "Experienced detectives and arson investigators recognize that they cannot rely upon this theory. Even with the modern scientific and medical technological advances, medical authorities on human behavior are in disagreement on appearances, causes, and effects of human behavior in the field of violent acts such as incendiarism." (French 17) French claims that this is simply how arsonists are depicted in novels or films but his statement is contradicted in Accidental or Incendiary by Richard D. Fitch and Harold A. Porter, both of whom are investigators in the Baltimore County Police Bureau. They claim that "He [the arsonist] may appear excited or in a daze at the scene of the fire. His eyes may appear glassy or he may have an excited type of stare." (Porter&Finch 51) Sergeant Finch and Corporal Porter also go on to explain that some arsonists have a type of pyrophilia where they receive a kind of sexual gratification from the chaos they have caused. These are all characteristics of an Arsonist. Pyromaniacs simply have impulsive urges to set things on fire. They will light anything and