Definition of Filicide-Fratricide

The act of killing someone receives different names depending on who the victim and the murderer are. If the death refers to a child and has been caused by one of his parents, it is spoken of filicide (it comes from the Latin, from filius which means son and cide, which refers to the act of killing). On the other hand, if the victim is a brother, it is a fratricide (a word that also comes from Latin, since frater means brother).

Filicide and infanticide

These two words are sometimes used synonymously, but in reality they are not. Filicide refers to killing one's own child, while infanticide refers to the death of a child, regardless of the relationship with him.

Crimes associated with psychological disorders

The homicide of a son or a brother is considered a violent act of extreme gravity. The fact that in both cases there is a strong link affective between the victim and the murderer makes the criminal action is considered especially cruel.

The experts in criminology

who analyze these behaviors consider that the murder of a son or brother is usually due to some type of mental disorder. However, not all filicides have the same pattern, as some are of psychotic origin and others are related to kids unwanted, with the abuse to minors or with the revenge of one of the parents on the other.

Regarding fratricide, criminologists maintain that in most cases these murders are carried out by people with disorders severe behavior (eg, schizophrenia). It should be noted that fratricide has two variants: when it refers to a brother or sister (in the latter case the word soricide is also used).

Types of homicide in the family nucleus

In addition to filicide or fratricide, there are other homicides related to family ties. Thus, parricide is the murder of one of the parents (if it is the mother, the word matricide and patricide could be used with respect to the father).

In the marital relationship in which the wife is murdered by her husband, we speak of uxoricide (in most cases it is about a husband who does not accept the independence and the Liberty of her partner).

If the murderer is a woman who kills her partner, it is mariticide (this phenomenon is usually related to the woman's revenge against her husband as a result of the violence macho or psychological abuse).

Photos: Fotolia - Lembergvector / Lorelyn Medina

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