A person does not need to have acquired a doctorate in psychology to determine that there is something horrifically different about serial killers. Quotes from killers show this drastic difference, such as Ted Bundy who said, “What’s one less person on the face of the earth anyway?” (Scott 2). Or Charles Manson who, with seven simple words, disgusted and oppositely inspired millions by saying, “Death is the greatest form of love” (“Charles Manson”). It is inside these people where it is easy to be determined just how unstable the very fabrics of their genetic and brain codes are; many things can be genetically transmitted from parent to offspring through heredity; therefore, so can the biological urge to become a killer. Nurture versus nature has been a long-standing debate. Nature, also known as pro-heredity in this essay, is about what a person’s genetic predispositions are related to behavior and intentions. The Monoamine Oxidase A gene (MAO-A) has earned the nickname “warrior gene” because it has been linked to aggression in observational and survey-based studies (Johnson and Tingley). In an actual study, a man named Jim Fallon, who has studied the biological basis for behavior for nearly 20 years, discovered he had the particular variant, MAO-A, that diminishes the calming effects of serotonin. Not only did Fallon discover this, he also found out that “one of his direct great-grandfathers…was hanged for murdering his mother. That line… produced seven other murderers… Lizzy Borden… ‘Cousin Lizzy’… was accused… of killing her father and stepmother with an ax…” (Hagerty). This is surely due to the fact that this compulsion to killing was inherited down the family lines. Certain signs also show in the brain, as in brain scans... ... middle of paper ... ...side A Psychopath's Brain: The Sentencing Debate." NPR . npr , 30 June 2010 . Web. 26 Mar 2014. . Monk, Richard . Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Crime and Crimonology. 4th ed. . Guilford, Connecticut : Dushkin Publishing Group /Brown & Benchmark , 1996. 16-24. Print. Pemment, Jack . "What Would We Find Wrong in the Brain of a Serial Killer?." Psychology Today . Sussex Publishers, LLC , 05 Apr 2013. Web. 10 Mar 2014. would- we-find-wrong-in-the-brain-serial-killer>. Scott, Shirley. "What Makes Serial Killers Tick?." Crime Library . Turner. Web. 26 Mar 2014. .
Nature versus nurture has been argued in attempt to understand how criminals behave. The theory of what influences psychopath and serial killers’ violent and destructive pathways has not been agreed on till this day. Criminals such as psychopaths and serial killers have been researched for the past two decades. Scientists have found that genetics is a determining factor of who becomes a serial killer. It is important to understand the determinants involved within a serial killer, because if these social and environmental causes are discovered, they can be altered and controlled to reduce crime (Lykken, 1993). With more studies, we would therefore prevent mass murders and could assist in significant reductions of crime within society.
Genetics is responsible for not only fingerprints, moles, or skin tone, it also affects the whole system including our minds and our thoughts. Freud, 1957, claimed that active stimuli that are "emanating within the organism and penetrating to the mind" of humans drive them into action (Weiner, 1972). The nurture theory states that genetic influence over abstract traits may exist; however, the environmental factors are the genuine origins of our conduct. This includes the use of conditioning in order to induce a new behaviour to a child, or alter an unlikely behaviour being shown by the child. Capote believed that Hickock is a natural-born criminal since he did not have any problem growing in a loving family but he was the one who plotted the murder. And although he was not ill-treated in his childhood, evidences of criminal tendencies are seen in him. In an instance when he swerves to run over a dog instead of avoiding it. Feeling relieved by executing vicious deeds like hurting or slaying creatures is a behaviour seen in people who have higher chance of doing crimes. It is said that when they were younger, criminals felt inferior to their parents satisfy themselves though murdering animals (Stein, 2007). While Smith had a terrible childhood marked by cruelty and lack of concern of both his parents and the guardians in the orphanage who abused him instead of taking care of him may have developed his criminality, eventually killing the
As years go on so will the research on serial killers and hopefully we as a society will fully understand them and one day be able to cure whatever inside that makes them have the urge to kill. Works Cited The Electronic Journal of Sociology, published by the University of Guelph, Ontario. http://www.scribd.com/doc/167086215/How-Serial-Killers-Work. According to the article “10 Most Common Traits of Potential Serial Killers By Hestie Barnard Gerber. According to Comrade Chikatilo: The Psychopathology of Russia's Notorious Serial Killer.
In a Google search of “serial killer memorabilia”, approximately 135,000 results would appear. While the U.S. produces over eighty-five percent of the world’s serial killers (“Why do Americans Idolize Serial Killers?” 11), Americans still tend to treat these murderers as icons and celebrities. As defined by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a serial killer is expressed as the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. While it is no secret that serial killers have a different mindset than that of a normal person, do these murderers have genetically different minds? Although there is no exact answer as to what causes certain people to have the urge to kill, studies from the “Minnesota Study of Twins
The case of whether serial killers are born with the lust to kill or if they are truly victims of their environment has been a hot debated question by both psychologists and the FBI today. A serial killer is traditionally defined as one that kills 3 or more people at different times with “cooling off” periods in between kills. Both psychological abuse as a child and psychological disorders are to blame for the making of a killer. The nature vs. nurture debate is best applied to the mysterious behaviors and cases of serial killers and their upbringing and environment. Nature is the genetic and biological connections a person has, personality traits, and how genetic make-up all relates to a killer. Nurture is examining the upbringing and environment that a person is around that affects what a person becomes. In some cases however, the effects of only upbringing or only biological problems were the reasons certain serial killers committed crimes. Although there is no definitive answer to what plays the bigger role: nature or nurture, they both are contributing factors that make a serial killer. These deviants of society are afflicted with problems in either their upbringing or have psychological disorders, and are able to blend into our everyday lives with no apparent differences, yet they wreck havoc through their unremorseful killings.
A man by the name of Jeffery Dohmer would drill holes in to the heads of young men and then fill it with sulfuric acid in an attempt to create a zombie like person. He did this in order to fulfill his fantasy, one where the men he was attracted to would never leave him. He did not do it out of anger or revenge but because he had an over-powering desire to do so. Many before Dohmer such as Theodor Bundy and Albert De Silva acted on desire and impulse as well. This led many researches such as scientists, criminologists and psychologists to try and put together pieces of the puzzle. They wanted to discover the reason behind what led these serial killers to commit such heinous murders and why they’ve become such violent human beings. This brought scientists to two possible thoughts, were serial killers born with a predetermined gene that creates a tendency towards homicidal thoughts or do they become murders from growing up in unusual circumstances as children? This led to many studies that try to find answers by figuring out whether it is nurture or nature that creates these psychokillers.
Serial killers are defined to “be driven by instinct and desire to kill.” In a study done in 2000, Dr, Richard Davidson says, “people with a large amount of aggression – in particular people who have committed aggressive murders or have a social disorder – have almost no brain activity in the orbital frontal cortex or the anterior cingulated cortex while activity in the amyglade continued perfectly. The orbital frontal cortex and the anterior congulated cortex control emotional impulses while the amyglade controls reactions to fear.” Davidson concludes his research claiming that although environment can and will affect a serial killer’s thoughts, it is a killer’s genetic makeup that inevitably creates murderous thoughts.
In psychology, everyone is different. While some things can be similar in people, there will always be differences. These psychological differences can differ in many aspects including social psychology: how an individual acts in social situations, personality psychology: where an individual’s personality determines how they act and perceive things, and developmental psychology: where and how a person develops psychologically. These differences are what makes us unique and special in our own ways, but it also can have a dark effect on us and in our society. These individuals who suffer from darker psychological differences can affect our society in horrific ways. Serial killers are a group of people among this type of dark psychology that makes
"Serial Killers: Nature vs. Nurture." American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
It has been believed for some time that an individual becomes violent because of traumatic childhoods that were wrought with neglect and abuse. Others have argued that one becomes violent because they are mentally deranged. There have been many studies over the years to find out what causes a person to become a serial killer, but still there is no definitive cause. All serial killers are psychopaths (a person with a psychopathic personality, which manifests as amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity), but not all psychopaths end up being serial killers. There is however, common traits among all psychopaths. These common traits include genetics and environment. Although a psychopath’s personal experience and environment does play a part, studies prove that genetic brain abnormalities or dysfunctions play a huge role in the making of a killer.
Ramsland, Katherin M. Inside the Minds of Mass Murderers: Why they Kill. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2005. Print.
In order to understand a serial killer one must know what defines one. According to Neustatter in Mind of the Murder a person who is a “constitutionally unstable individual, and their main characteristic is an inability to profit from ex...
In the aftermath of the horrific crimes of serial killers, psychologists attempt to analyze the defects in their personalities that make them commit these atrocities, in order to learn more about the human psyche and its dangerous potential. Jeffrey Dahmer, the “Milwaukee Cannibal” whose crimes were discovered in 1991, is a unique serial killer in his willingness to completely expose and explore the reasoning behind his crimes, which include the rape and murder of 17 men and boys, necrophilia, dismemberment and cannibalism. Dahmer’s honesty and exposition of his crimes have allowed psychologists the opportunity to explore his personality, and allowed them to break new ground in the exploration of the minds of serial killers.
The question of whether or not man is predetermined at birth to lead a life of crime is a question that has been debated for decades. Serial killers are made not born; it has been demonstrated that a man 's initial years are the most vital years. A youngster 's initial couple of years is a period of experimentation, a period to make sense of things for themselves, a period to set up the bits of the riddle. Like a newborn child, the mental health is reliant on its environment. A youthful youngster 's mind resembles a wipe; it gathers data through perception. The surroundings of a serial killer as a little child can enormously impact the way he or she will go about his or her life and his or her style of murdering. Certain experience, for example, youngster misuse, divorce, liquor misuse, tyke disregard, as well as medication misuse, can be negative to the advancement of a little child. Numerous serial killers were illegitimate kids. Due to their childhood and early backgrounds, serial killers swing to crazy murdering frenzies.
Have you ever wondered why we are the way we are or why we think differently from the people around us? Well, many of these characteristics come from our DNA that we inherited from our parents its part of our genetic make-up. Although, there are many things that we inherit from our environment as we grow. Have you ever thought about why the majority of psycho killers have no remorse towards their actions or why they commit these unexplainable tragedies? Psycho killers have an Antisocial Personality Disorder which causes them to become psychotic, but the big question is does this disorder come from nature or nurture?