Juvenile and adolescent fire play and fire setting: A study on young fire setters and their motives

Destruction due to fire has become a serious problem and the number of arson crimes is increasing in the industrialized western world. We have distanced ourselves from the use of open fire and it is possible as a consequence of this that our knowledge has diminished. Prevalence studies show that playing with fire and fire setting in childhood and adolescence is common and the careless play of a child might result in a devastating fire. One plays with fire out of curiosity, just to see something burn or because of boredom and frustration. This book focuses upon young fire setters and their motives. The subjects that have been studied are between 16 and 24 years old and their main motives behind fire setting are frustration and boredom. Frustration as motive for fire setting can be compared to the reactive fire setting by a pyromaniac. Knowledge about the motives behind fire setting might help us in preventing arson.

Renée Perrin-Wallqvist, PhD: Studied Psychology at University of Gothenburg and Lund University. Head of the Department of Psychology at Karlstad University in Sweden.