Henry Lee Lucas bludgeoned, suffocated, stabbed, shot, or mutilated nearly 360 women, men, and children— committing his first murder at the age of thirteen. Lucas was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder characterized by a person’s lack of conscience and expressing little regret over harming others (Myers). Scientists define psychopaths with the following traits: lack of empathy, guilt, or remorse, impulsivity, weak ability to defer gratification, superficial charm, and a grandiose sense of their own worth (Choi). Psychologists, scientists, and criminologists search to answer the question of why serial killers commit mass killings and how they become such violent humans. With this in mind two school of thoughts emerge on the topic: nature (genetic makeup) and nurture (environmental and social factors). Genes, many argue, is the answer to understanding the mind of a serial killer while others focus on the origins and surroundings of the psychopaths’ childhood. However, I have found that it is a mix of both genetics and cultural upbringings that form a psychopath. In order to prove this, one must understand the genetic makeup of a psychopath.
All humans are made up of tiny individual genes that make up their personality traits, which define whom they are. Most scientists believe that murderers don’t grow into the shell of a killer but rather have predetermined genes that cause chemical imbalances in their brain and body (“Serial Killers”). In the Davidson Study, Richard Davidson compared brain scans of more then 500 people who were prone to violence to those who were considered to be normal (“Serial Killers”). The study found that the brain images of convicted murderers with aggressive or antisocial disorders showed dist...
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...o wrestle, liked to run around, ham it up for the camera, and he liked to play with kids and get together with them,” (“Serial Killers). Jeffrey Dahmer had been a normal child until his family moved three times in a short period of time. Afterwards Dahmer’s parents noticed that he had become shy and antisocial. Scientists argue that Dahmer’s genes and brain activity prove why he is a psychopath while psychologists argue that the external factor of moving from town to town is the cause. Though many humans must deal with violent situations and experience horrific events everyday for most of us it does not alter our attitudes and personalities to be mass murderers. All in all, it is true that many children who are victims of abuse become violent in their adult lives but to cross into the category of a serial killer one must be born with a different biochemical makeup.
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.
The article Serial killers: II. Development, dynamics, and forensics by Lawrence Miller dives in into the many aspects that encompass the psychological, neurological, and sociocultural elements that underline the average serial murderer. The elements involve childhood upbringing, types of aggression, typical neurochemistry, and subcultural theories. The article manages to include descriptions of the statistical patterns that involve the demographics, and motives that follow serial killers. It also discusses the validity and rationality of the insanity defense in prosecuting these extraordinarily vicious offenders.
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 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. Are serial killers born with the lust for murder, or are their desires developed through years of abuse and torment? Many believe it is impossible for an innocent child to be born with the capability to commit a horrible act such as murder. But at the same time, how could we have corrupted society so much as to turn an innocent child into a homicidal maniac? Forensic psychologists have picked apart the minds of serial killers to find an answer as to what forces them to commit such perverse acts. Their ultimate goal is to learn how to catch a serial killer before he commits his first crime.
The media generally portrays the prototypical serial killer through the lens of two extremes. They can either have an incapacitating mental illness or be brilliant, but severely troubled, geniuses. Yet, neither of these two stereotypes are accurate, as serial killers generally display signs of psychopathy, which is not considered a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association. Despite the erroneousness of Hollywood’s movies and television shows, many psychologists and lawmakers are still considering the degree to which psychopaths can be considered responsible for their actions. In “Psychopathy and Culpability: How Responsible Is the Psychopath for Criminal Wrongdoing?” researchers Adam R. Fox, Trevor H. Kvaran, and Reid Griffith Fontaine attempt to draw conclusions from evidence on whether or not psychopaths meet the criteria for full criminal responsibility. Other researchers, such as Scott E. Culhane, Sage M. Hilstad, Adrienne Greng, and Matt J. Gray, use a case study to demonstrate that psychopathy is not synonymous with serial killers and that mental illness cannot necessarily be used in criminal cases to justify murder in their research paper titled “Self-Reported Psychopathology in a Convicted Serial Killer.” In the remaining two articles
Emotions get the best of everyone in stressful situations, but what about those without any emotions to spare? The media glamorizes murders and serial killers by making them the spotlight of movies, shows and novels. What readers and viewers often forget is that these people are real and have resided on the same street that their kids ride bikes on. The people that commit these horrendous crimes are often known as sociopaths. Not all sociopaths become serial killers, but the combination of abusive childhood, environment and genetic influences pushes them to repeatedly kill and take innocent lives.
...r that creates serial killers, but that perhaps the answer lays in an individual examination of each one. Though the theories cannot predict and prevent, it is certain that childhood and development is an important indicator.
The sight of a woman's decapitated body in a shed, hung upside down by ropes at her wrists, with a crossbar at her ankles were merely just a glance of the bigger picture. There were wastebasket made of human skin, bowls made from human skulls, leggings made from human leg skin, and masks made from females heads. This is the home of famous murder and body snatcher, Ed Gein. His case was unique, he didn’t murder in anger, revenge, or financial plesaure but on the emptiness left by his mother. The one question that dwells on every psychologists, criminologists, and scientists mind is whether killers like him were born with these genes that plays a crucial part in creating their homicidal tendencies or do psychokillers become murderous through their surroundings as children.
Countless serial killers have had an abnormal childhood; many people believe this is where the catalyst of events starts. It is proven, that more often than not, serial killers have either lived in an inhabitable home, had lackadaisical parents, or could have a different frame of mind. This being said, when one hears about mass murderers or serial killers, the first question that pops into a person’s head is, “What were they thinking?” For all a person knows, this could be the killer’s normalcy.
An analysis of the most famous murderers and serial killers in the Chicago area shows varying degrees of psychopathy or mental illnesses, which ultimately contribute to homicidal conduct. Analysis also shows that the paths of serial killers have a tendency to converge.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Behavior is sometimes defined as the response of an individual, group, or species to its environment. Parents, girlfriends, sisters, brothers, and peers can all affect a person's behavior. Not everybody necessarily will have the behavior of a serial killer. In this paper, I will attempt to show the difference between the psychopath and the psychotic. Explain how the environment, upbringing, and treatment of serial killers led them to become who they are today.
Ever wondered if there is a serial killer in your community? The characteristics of a serial killer may shock you or be surprisingly familiar to some of you. It is important for society to get informed about the various types of serial killers that are out there. It is essential for families to educate their children about strangers, to be careful with everyone they encounter on the streets, store, and even in their neighborhoods. A serial killer is defined as a person who murders three or more people in at least three separate events, with a "cooling-off period" between the kills. The big question is, what makes a person do these atrocious killings? We will analyze personal histories, categorized serial killers,
To begin with, numerous reasons for why a child acts in the manner he exhibits and why he continues to exert such dangerous and even fatal schemes. Recent research shows that factors ranging from inherited personality traits to chemical imbalances and damages suffered in the womb can increase the odds that a child will become violent (Johnson 234). Experts argue that no one is predestined to a life of crime. They believe that influences such as repeated abuse, extreme neglect, poverty, media violence, and easy access to guns play the major role in molding children into criminals. The father of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer wonders, "If potential for evil is in the blood that some of us pass on to our children" (Seifert 23).
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.
Serial killers have interested me ever since I was young; the way that they think has become more interesting to me as of late. I have read a lot about the America's most infamous serial killers and the more I read the more interesting the their story becomes, some had served time in the military. I found this to be more than just a coincidence. This lead me to ask the question: Does the military enable people with personality disorders to “practice” killing, giving them the confidence to commit serial murder? What is the significance of military training associated with serial killers? Some examples would be Gary Ridgeway (Green River Killer) U.S. Navy, William Bonin (Freeway Killer) U.S. Army, Dennis Rader (BTK Killer) U.S. Air Force, David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) U.S. Army, and Jeffrey Dahmer U.S. Army, to name a few.