More handpicked essays just for you.
What are the four types of serial killers and what characteristics set them apart from each other
Characteristics of a serial killer
Characteristics of a serial killer
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: What are the four types of serial killers and what characteristics set them apart from each other
Common traits that a huge majority of serial killers have are things such as childhood abuse, antisocial behavior, early sexual behavior and arson which toole possessed many of these traits. Researchers argued that a good proportion of firesetters are known to recidivate violently (Rice & Harris, 1996). Toole a serial murder very well being engaged in firesetting as a juvenile to release his built up aggression.As well as suffering from traumatic levels of parental rejection during early childhood. Sexual abuse from friends and family; Toole later escalates his aggression to homicide in a further attempt to reconcile the humiliation within himself and restore his sense of self-worth and power. Ottis Toole never knew a life aside from his criminal
Arndt, W., Hietpas, T., & Kim, J (2004). Critical characteristics of male serial murderers. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 29(1).
The motives and backgrounds of serial killers is a vexing topic. Not two people are the same, so therefore their motives differ. The different types of serial killers are: hedonistic, power seekers, gain, mission oriented, visionary, psychopathic, comfort, medical, organized, and disorganized. Motives of these murderers range from fear of being rejected, to “getting rid of what they deem bad,” or even to get sexual satisfaction from the suffering of their victims.
This in turn led the child to hate his father for leaving. Although fatherlessness plays a role in some of the serial killers’ lives, abuse occurs more often than not among the soon to be mass-murderer's childhood. Physical abuse does not present itself as the only form of abuse that a child endures, sexual abused occurs most often among them. Some of the most notorious serial killers possess an abused childhood. John Wayne Gacy, ‘who killed thirty-three people which consisted of mostly of teenage boys, had an alcoholic father who abused his whole family. At the age of nine, Gacy’s neighbor also molested him multiple times (Be a Stoic – 24 Brutal Life Advice Quotes from Ancient Rome). One of the most famous woman serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, suffered sexual abuse from her grandfather after her parents abandoned her (Be a Stoic-24 Brutal Life Advice Quotes from Ancient
“Dime con quien andas, y te dire quien eres.” This popular spanish phrase translated in english states “tell me with whom you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are.” The question is, can you? Does a persons surroundings play a role on who they become and their behavior in life or is it innate? Since philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, Hermes, and even Socrates there has been great debates about whether we as humans are born wired a certain way versus becoming products of our environments. This argument, commonly referred to as Nature versus Nurture continues today to be a topic of debate amongst us today. Most recently, the concept of nature versus nurture has been used in the gay, homosexual, bi-sexual community. While many argue that sexual preference is a decision one makes based on sexual exposure and experiences, others argue that people are actually born that way. The idea is that they were born with the “gay gene” and have no control over their sexuality. While sexuality is currently the “hot” topic within the nature versus nurture concept, the makeup of killers and mass murderers has long been a part of this back and forth debate. Are people born to kill? If you believe in the theory on evolution, then as animals, it is quite possible that we are born to kill by nature as killing is a survivability trait. On the contrary, if you are a believer of the church and the idea that man was created by God, then that would mean we must be creatures of our environment. In this paper I will be discussing a variety of theories and ideologies often used by scientists and psychologist alike when arguing their views. I will also discuss and compare different cases involving serial murders trying to find similarities as well as diffe...
A serial killer is traditionally defined as the separate killings of three or more people by an individual over a certain period of time, usually with breaks between the murders. (Angela Pilson, p. 2, 2011) This definition has been accepted by both the police and academics and therefore provides a useful frame of reference (Kevin Haggerty, p.1, 2009). The paper will seek to provide the readers with an explanation of how serial killers came to be and how they are portrayed in the media. Several serial killers have a definitive and common personality profile.
Have you ever wondered what makes a serial killer tick and sets them off? What makes them want to kill and what is their drive to continue this horrible, sickening journey through their life or what was the cause for them to change their nature in life and create them into these monsters that we see them as today. It takes tragic experiences to cause that like abuse whether it is verbal, physical, or even sexual to cause a sense of damage to a person’s mind and disrupt their ability to comprehend what is sane and not. Well, Edmund Emil Kemper III had all of the makings of becoming a serial killer due to his troubled childhood.
Serial killers have long eluded law enforcement while simultaneously grabbing the attention of the public, and now more than ever, criminal psychologists are beginning to understand what makes a serial killer. In his true-crime documentary, In Cold Blood, Truman Capote depicts the horrifying murders of four members of the Clutter family and the search to find the criminals responsible for the deaths. Eventually, two killers are caught, one being Perry Smith, a detached and emotionless man. And although his carnage of the Clutters labeled him a mass murderer, many of Perry’s personality traits are characteristic of a serial killer. In fact, if detectives had not caught him, Perry could have easily become a serial killer.
Carl Panzram, also known as Jeff Rhodes and John O’Leary, had an obsessive hatred for the human race that bordered on the maniacal. This loathing for himself and his fellow-man was taken out in a lifetime of murder and mayhem. What would make someone prey upon other humans? A serial killer is a unique person that becomes one through many factors such as genetic impairments, environmental issues, and childhood events; through many examples these are common in almost all.
The stereotype that exists for individuals who commit serial murder is one that mainly includes males of a specific race. However, it is now known that white males are not the only individuals who commit serial murder. Men and women from all racial and ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic statuses have been found to be serial murderers. Although this information has been presented to society, the cultural schema of the white male serial killer is still prevalent. The assumptions that involve serial murderers often include two aspects, the serial murderer is male and the serial murder is a type of “lust murder”, often involving sexual crimes by a sadist (Keeney and Heide, 1995). Keeney and Heide (1994) define serial murder to be the premeditated murder of three or more victims committed over time, in separate incidents, in a civilian context, with the murder being chosen by the offender.
There have been many theories over the years about how a person becomes a serial killer, and how does having an unstable childhood effect a person. It has been proven by psychologist and stated by serial killers that their childhood is one of the many problems they faced that led them to become a serial killer. The childhood of a typical young boy would consist of loving parents, a stable home and having friends. As for serial killers this is not typical at all. During the childhood of a serial killer it is not uncommon that he or she was abused, raped, or even attempted suicide along with many other harmful acts that a child should not be faced with. There have been many studies on the childhood of serial killers, and how they grew up compared to other young children. Some of the traits most male serial killers have as a child would include killing animals, auto-erotic activities, physical head injuries, and even bed wetting.
Serial killers have captivated the attention of scientists from the first signs of their existence to modern day. Interested by these killers’ inhumane actions, researchers set out to determine the cause of such graphic, horrific crimes. The brain has been brought into question regarding the motivation of these cold blooded killers. After extensive research, abnormalities of both the chemical composition and material makeup have been identified within the brains of numerous serial killers. These differences are more than mere coincidence, they are evidence that killers do not think in the same way. The killers’ drives and motives are irregular, just as their brains are. Not only are these variations interesting, but they are also crucial to the justice system in regards to the punishment of past, future, and present sequential murderers. It is important that as a society we learn the differences in the mind of a killer, and also recognize and understand them. A serial killer’s brain greatly differs in function from the average citizen’s brain due to physical variations in the brain and a different chemical makeup.
We can all agree that serial killers are unpredictable scary people but when it comes to why they kill, everyone has a different view. In my research paper I will get into the mind of a serial killer and try to figure out what exactly sets them into uncontrollable rage.
Serial killers have many frightening facets. The most frightening thing about them is that experts still do not know what makes a human become a serial killer. Many experts believe serial killers become what they are because they have a genetic disposition or brain abnormality while other experts believe that a serial killer is created by childhood abuse; and some other experts believe that it is a combination of both brain abnormalities and abusive childhood experiences that creates a serial killer. A murderer is considered a serial killer when they “murder three or more persons in at least three separate events with a “cooling off period” between kills” (Mitchell and Aamodt 40). When defining a serial killer, their background, genes, and brain are not mentioned; perhaps one day those aspects of the serial killer can be included.
In the days before serial killers were acknowledged phenomena murderers were often thought to be mythological creatures, because it was easier to blame inhuman creatures than to accept that humans could be evil enough to commit such crimes. Elizabeth Bathory was one such murderer, and was thought to be a vampire, while Albert Fish held the dubious honor of being called the Werewolf of Wysteria, and even the Boogeyman.
Serial murder as defined by the FBI (2005) is, “[t]he unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events" (Morton & Hilts, 2005 p. 9). However, numerous people disagree with the definition, including this researcher, since it lacks a cool-down period in between murders, which numerous professionals believe is necessary for serial killer status. Serial killers remain a rare phenomenon. The FBI (2005) states, serial murder accounts for under one percent of the killings a year (2). Nevertheless, throughout the years, countless people have researched serial killers since they commit such heinous crimes and are fascinating. Criminologists such as Dr. Ronald Holmes,