Editing Satanism (section)

== Personal Satanism ==

In contrast to the organized and doctrinal Satanist groups is the personal Satanism of individuals, who identify as Satanists due to their affinity for the general idea of Satan, including such characteristics as viciousness and/or subversion.

Dyrendal, Lewis, and Petersen used the term ''reactive Satanism'' to describe one form of modern Satanism. They described this as an adolescent and [[anti-social behaviour|anti-social]] means of rebelling in a Christian society, by which an individual transgresses cultural boundaries.{{sfn|Dyrendal|Lewis|Petersen|2016|p=5}} which tends to fall into two tendencies: 
*"Satanic tourism"—characterized by the brief period of time in which an individual was involved; 
*"Satanic quest"—typified by a longer and deeper involvement.{{sfn|Dyrendal|Lewis|Petersen|2016|p=6}}

The researcher Gareth Medway noted that in 1995 he encountered a British woman who stated that she had been a practicing Satanist during her teenage years. She had grown up in a small mining village and had come to believe that she had [[psychic]] powers. After hearing about Satanism in some library books, she declared herself a Satanist and formulated a belief that Satan was the true god. After her teenage years she abandoned Satanism and became a [[chaos magic]]kian.{{sfn|Medway|2001|pp=362–365}}

Some personal Satanists are teenagers or mentally disturbed individuals who have engaged in criminal activities.{{sfn|Dyrendal|Lewis|Petersen|2016|p=130}} During the 1980s and 1990s, several groups of teenagers were apprehended after sacrificing animals and vandalizing both churches and graveyards with Satanic imagery.{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|p=445}} Introvigne stated that these incidents were "more a product of juvenile deviance and marginalization than Satanism".{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|p=445}} In a few cases, the crimes of these personal Satanists have included murder. 
*In 1970, two separate groups of teenagers—one led by Stanley Baker in [[Big Sur]], and the other by Steven Hurd in Los Angeles, killed a total of three people and consumed parts of their corpses in what they later claimed were sacrifices devoted to Satan.{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|p=446}} 
*The American serial killer [[Richard Ramirez]] claimed that he was a (theistic) Satanist; during his 1980s killing spree he left an inverted pentagram at the scene of each murder and at his trial called out "Hail Satan!".{{sfn|Dyrendal|Lewis|Petersen|2016|p=122}} 
*In 1984 on Long Island, a group allegedly called the Knights of the Black Circle killed one of its own members, Gary Lauwers, over a disagreement regarding the group's illegal drug dealing; group members later related that Lauwers' death was a sacrifice to Satan.{{sfn|Introvigne|2016|p=446}} In particular, self-declared Satanist and alleged member of the Knights of the Black Circle, [[Ricky Kasso|Ricky "the Acid King" Kasso]], became notorious for torturing and murdering Lauwers while attempting to force Lauwers to declare "I love Satan" during the murder.<ref name="kasso">{{cite news |last1=Breskin |first1=David |title=Cult Killing: Kids in the Dark |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/long-island-devil-cult-murder-ricky-kasso-david-breskin-901069/ |publisher=Rolling Stone |date=22 November 1984}}</ref> 
*Nikolai Ogolobyak, who confessed to being a member of a Satanic cult, was sentenced to 20 years in 2010 for the ritual killing of four teenagers in Russia's Yaroslavl region.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russian Satanist Jailed for Ritual Murders Released After Fighting in Ukraine |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/11/21/russian-satanist-jailed-for-ritual-murders-released-after-fighting-in-ukraine-a83172 |work=[[The Moscow Times]] |date=21 November 2023}}</ref>