Fixations With a Lethal Purpose: Extreme Overvalued Beliefs

The Path to Violence Begins With Fixation

Picture this: A man meticulously plans a bombing that will kill dozens. For years, he’s been writing manifestos, immersing himself in extremist communities that fuel his belief that he is a crusader on a righteous mission.

Now imagine a different scenario: A woman so consumed with fear of contamination that she washes her hands until they bleed, driven not by belief but by overwhelming anxiety she cannot escape.

Finally, consider someone who believes—beyond any doubt—that the government has implanted a chip in their brain to monitor their every thought. No one else shares this idea. No evidence can shake them.

These three individuals may look similar on the surface. They’re all “fixated,” but their fixations are not the same. One is driven by an Extreme Overvalued Belief, another by an obsession, and the third by a delusion. Psychiatry’s failure to clearly distinguish between these processes not only clouds understanding but risks missing opportunities to prevent violence.

Obsessions: A Battle Within the Self

Obsessions are intrusive, recurring thoughts that the person does not want. They feel alien—ego-dystonic—and are accompanied by intense distress. Individuals with obsessions often perform compulsive behaviors to neutralize their anxiety.

Take Sarah, a woman whose fear of contamination controls her life. Every door handle becomes a source of infection. She washes her hands so often that her skin cracks and bleeds. Sarah knows her thoughts are irrational. She doesn’t believe germs are “attacking her,” but the anxiety is so intense that her compulsions become unavoidable.

Obsessions like Sarah’s are hallmarks of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). They are not purposeful or goal-driven. There’s no mission, no justification for action—only relentless, exhausting anxiety. People with obsessions are often ashamed of their thoughts, not emboldened by them.

Delusions: A Shattered Reality

Delusions, on the other hand, are fixed, false beliefs disconnected from shared reality. They are ego-syntonic—feeling entirely real and consistent with the person’s identity—and no amount of evidence can dislodge them.

Consider Michael, a man who believes the government implanted a chip in his brain. He insists he can feel the vibrations, that “they” are listening to his every thought. His belief doesn’t stem from fear or anxiety but from a mind unmoored from reality. No one else shares this idea. Friends and family try to convince him otherwise, but their arguments only strengthen his conviction.

Michael’s delusion is a symptom of psychosis, often seen in conditions like schizophrenia or delusional disorder. While delusions can drive erratic or impulsive behavior, they are not purposeful in the way EOBs are. Michael’s actions stem from confusion, not calculated intent.

Extreme Overvalued Beliefs: Fixation With a Mission

Now compare these cases to Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist who killed 77 people in 2011. Breivik spent years writing a 1,500-page manifesto outlining his “crusade” against multiculturalism. His belief that he was a modern-day knight was not unique or psychotic—he found validation and support in extremist online communities that celebrated his mission.

Unlike Sarah’s obsessions, Breivik’s thoughts were ego-syntonic; he saw his actions as noble and justified. Unlike Michael’s delusions, Breivik’s beliefs were shared. They made sense within a particular ideological subculture, where violence was framed as heroic and necessary.

This is the hallmark of an Extreme Overvalued Belief: a rigid, emotionally charged fixation that evolves over time, gaining strength through outside reinforcement. It doesn’t cause distress; it inspires purpose. It doesn’t isolate the person in confusion; it connects them to a cause. And it doesn’t lead to impulsive or disorganized behavior; it fuels planned, deliberate action.

Why These Distinctions Matter

The difference between obsessions, delusions, and EOBs is not just academic—it’s critical to understanding and preventing targeted violence.

Take the Columbine shooters, for example. Their journals and videos revealed a growing fixation on violence and martyrdom. They glorified previous attackers, shared their “missions” with one another, and saw themselves as the architects of an unforgettable event. This was not psychosis. It was not random. It was a deliberate fixation driven by Extreme Overvalued Beliefs.

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Contrast this with cases where psychosis leads to violence. An individual suffering from paranoid schizophrenia may lash out impulsively, believing they are under attack. Their actions are chaotic, disorganized, and disconnected from shared ideology.

Mislabeling EOBs as delusions risks misunderstanding the calculated intent behind ideologically driven violence. We reduce dangerous fixations to individual pathology, ignoring the social and cultural systems that nurture them.

How to Break the Cycle: A Path Forward

To prevent the next tragedy, psychiatry, psychology, and society must come together to recognize and disrupt the pathway to violence driven by EOBs.

1. Refine Psychiatry’s Tools: Psychiatry must recognize EOBs as distinct from psychotic delusions or anxiety-driven obsessions. Diagnostic frameworks must include clear markers: fixation, validation through subcultures, emotional commitment, and justification for action.

2. Intervene Early: Psychologists must develop and expand behavioral threat assessment programs that identify fixation before it escalates. Schools, workplaces, and families must learn to recognize warning signs: withdrawal, glorification of past violence, and immersion in extremist spaces. Intervention—through counseling, monitoring, and family engagement—can dismantle dangerous fixations before they culminate in violence.

3. Rethink Media’s Role: The stories of perpetrators must not be silenced, but they must be reframed. Responsible reporting focuses on the red flags, missed opportunities for intervention, and pathways to prevention. These stories can teach us, not glorify them.

4. Educate the Public: Parents, teachers, and peers are often the first to notice red flags but don’t always know how to act. Education campaigns on Extreme Overvalued Beliefs can empower communities to report concerning behaviors and seek professional help.

Conclusion: Learning the Signs, Saving Lives

Imagine the lives that could have been saved had the Columbine shooters’ journals been recognized for what they were: evidence of a dangerous fixation that could have been disrupted. Imagine the opportunities missed to intervene in Breivik’s descent into extremist ideology.

Extreme Overvalued Beliefs don’t appear overnight. They grow—step by step—through reinforcement, isolation, and emotional commitment. Recognizing the difference between EOBs, delusions, and obsessions is not a matter of semantics. It is the key to prevention.

The tragedies of Columbine, Christchurch, and Norway were not inevitable. The red flags were there. The pathways were visible. The question we must ask ourselves is: Will we learn from these stories before it’s too late?

We know the signs. Now, it is our responsibility to act.