dynamics, especially parent-child relationship. To further examine these issues, Prof. Li has collected survey data from a representative sample of more than 3,100 middle and high school students living in the same city. He is analysing the data to determine if the survey data corroborate the findings generated from the personal interviews. Another project that Prof. Li currently conducts is mass murder in China. Using the popular software NVivo, Prof. Li analysed case reports of nearly 600 homicides involving two or more deaths that occurred in China from 2000 to 2011. His research refutes the conventional wisdom that mass murderers are all crazy lunatics. Despite a high prevalence of antisocial personality among the perpetrators, mass murder is typically non-random and actually makes strong “sense” to the murderers. Prof. Li found two social factors contributing significantly to mass murder in China. One is the culture of honour and revenge. The notion of “an eye for an eye” is deeply rooted in the Chinese principles of justice and retribution. People tend to believe that if someone wronged them, they have the right to retaliate. Actually, not doing so would be seen as a sign of cowardice and dishonour. In the family context, failure to defend family honour through revenge is seen as betrayal. For many of these people, the ultimate form of revenge is not only to kill the person who caused the wrong but also his or her entire family, including all of the women and children, so that no one in that family will be left to retaliate at some future time. The other social factor contributing to mass murder in China, according to Prof. Li, is the failure of political and justice systems to protect the basic rights of the marginalised groups in the population. Nowadays, many citizens of China strongly believe that their rights are violated. Yet, they do not have a fair chance to receive justice through legal proceedings or administrative processes. The anger that built up inside over time may eventually erupt into extreme 3,100多名初高中學生做了問卷調查，收集了一組具 有代表性的數據。目前，他正著手研究收集的數據， 想看看這些數據是否支持之前訪問得出的結論。 李教授目前從事的另一個研究項目是中國的「大宗謀 殺」現象。李教授借助NVivo軟件，分析2000年至 2011年期間發生在中國的近600宗涉及兩人以上死 亡的殺人案件。其研究結果否定了殺人犯都是瘋子神 經病的傳統看法。當然，殺人犯中屢見反社會人格， 但「大宗謀殺」一般都是非隨機事件，而且殺人者自 己覺得，他們這麼做是很有「道理」的。 李教授發 現有兩個社會因素是造成這種「大宗謀殺」現象的最 主要原因。其中一個是關於榮譽和復仇的文化。有些 人信奉「以眼還眼，以牙還牙」，認為報復是實現公 正的唯一途徑。這些人往往覺得，被人傷害了，就有 權報復，不這麼做會被視為懦弱，是一種恥辱。如果 是家人受到傷害，不能通過復仇捍衛家庭榮譽的話， 會被視為對家庭的背叛。對信奉這一原則的人來說， 最終極的報復不僅僅要殺死傷害他們的那個人，還要 殺光他的全家，包括所有女人和孩子，以免留下活口 日後尋仇。另一個社會因素就是，政治司法制度未能 保護邊緣群體的基本權利。當今，很多中國公民深知 其權利受到侵犯，卻苦於沒有機會通過公平的司法和 行政途徑為自己討回公道。憤怒鬱鬱不得發，悶在心 中日積月累，最終便火山爆發，以極端的暴力行為表 現出來，導致殘殺大群無辜陌生人的慘劇。李教授認 UMAGAZINE ISSUE 10 56 學院專欄．FACULTY COLUMN
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