There is a difference between the criminal mindset or behavior known as arson, and the impulse control disorder known as pyromania. While arson is a crime, pyromania is often considered a mental disorder. The pyromaniac has a clinical condition that is directly responsible for his or her firesetting. Arson, on the other hand, is classified as a violent crime. Though the arsonist and the pyromaniac are often confused as similar, the clinical disorder of pyromania clearly defines the disorder as quite distinct from the criminal action known as arson.
Pyromania is a rare clinical disorder, even among those who set fires. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) labels pyromania as one of the ôimpulse control disordersö characterized by the following behaviors and mindset:
Deliberate and purposeful firesetting on more than one occasion;
Tension or emotional arousal before the act;
Fascination with, interest in, curiosity about or attraction to fire; and,
Intense pleasure, gratification, or relief when setting fires or when witnessing or participating in their aftermath.
In contrast to the mindset of those with the impulse control disorder known as pyromania are a criminal class known as arsonists. The above APA definition of pyromania purposefully eliminated many of the criteria exhibited in the behavior and mindset of the arsonist, such as expression of anger or vengeance. The arsonist, in contrast to the pyromaniac, often sets fires as a means of revenge or vengeance, both the most common motives for the arsonist, (Holt, p. 2). While arsonists typically offer a reason for setting a fire, these reasons are usually only a contributing factor to the real motives and mindset of the arsonist that prompt the behavior.
The National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) has identified the following motives as primary in the behavior of the arsonist:
Experts also contend that relief from psycholog...