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Psychology theories about serial killers
A critical analysis of research related to the criminal mind of serial killers
Psychology behind serial killers
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Serial homicide is triggered by different desires which depend on the personality of those who are involved. Most of the cases are found to be sexually motivated whereby after being assaulted the victims are mercilessly murdered and the information hidden completely from the society. However, in sexual acts, homicide can occur in any of the stages, during before or after. This is because the victims may be very resistant to withstand the act happening to them and due to fear of being known, those involved go ahead and kill them. The serial murders tend to be committed by people in places where they are not well known and the society has built a lot of confidence in them. Some of the offenders in homicide have a record of murdering a large
Serial killers are a type person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern. Most of the time something triggers them and then they go on their serial rampage. Some things that can be part of a serial killer's profile is they are normally white males, late 20’s early 30’s, kills with in own race, method of murder is hands on, and their victims are selected because they share specific characteristics. The types of serial killers are disorganized asocial and organized nonsocial. The different types of serial killers are: missionary killers, power seeking, lust killing, visionary killer, thrill killing. The profiling of a serial killer's changes upon the
According to federal law, the term ‘serial killings’ means a series of three or more killings, not less than one of which was committed within the United States, having common characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same actor or actors. Throughout history, serial killers have always been a fascination among many individuals. On numerous occasions, law enforcement has tried to dive into the psyche of these killers to determine why they kill. There have also been numerous stereotypes placed on serial killers. Typical stereotypes are serial killers are all white males, loners, and that their crimes are driven by sex.
A girl was abducted from her home when she was doing homework outside who later was found deceased near a creek. Eight months later, two girls, one that was twelve, and the other fifteen, were also abducted and found deceased near a creek. All three girls had a blue colored fiber on them, which determined that there was a serial killer on the loose.
A serial killer is a person who has killed three or more people over a month apart. Their motivation for killing is usually based on psychological issue.(Sanmartín,2001) In the U.S, the most reported serial killers are lower middle class white males, usually in their late twenties to early thirties (Skrapec,2001). Serial killers, often, are liars. They have no sense of remorse or guilt. Most of the time they are not in serious relationship or have any emotional obsession to any one person, besides their victims. Most of the well-known serial killers are: Robert Pickton, Charles Manson, Anthony Sowell, Ted Bundy, The Zodiac Killer, The Green River Killer, and The BTK murderer. (Sanmartín,2001). Often, women were never seen as even a suspect
Serial murder investigations are the most difficult cases for investigators. Serial murder investigations can become wide spread, and can include many challenges that will require time, money and resources. An example of the commitment required to investigate a serial murder case is that of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. One investigator worked the investigation full time for 11 years. The day he made the Arrest was the day he retired. Serial murder is one of today’s most terrifying crimes. The killing of multiple people within various jurisdictions can alter everyday life for people residing within these communities. The result is intense pressure from the public and media placed on investigators to track down and apprehend these killers who commit such horrific acts to unsuspecting victims.
A serial killer is a person who murders three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a "cooling off" period between each murder, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification. Most people do not understand what can make a person want to kill multiple people for no reason other than their own satisfaction gain. In actuality, serial killers have been studied for over hundreds of years, and the information that has been documented continues to grow. The research that I have gathered about serial killers focuses on their childhood development, the differences and similarities between male and female serial killers, and finally general information on how their brains operate and their motives for committing such harmful acts. There have been many theories over the years about how a person becomes a serial killer, and how having an unstable childhood affects a person.
Serial killings have been one of the most terrifying, violent crimes in the United States for a great deal of time now. Serial killers "Typically commit their murders over a considerable span of time - sometimes years," (Serial Killers). Serial murderers tend to have a bit of down time between murders. They also tend to target a certain type of victim and commit their murders in similar places (Serial Killers). "Serial murder has become one of the central concerns in homicide investigation…" (Keppel 3). There are two distinct reasons for this. One is because it happens so frequently. The other is because it befuddles investigative agencies with its unique problems (Keppel 3).
There have been many serial killer cases that have attracted the attention of not only the media but of mental health experts as well. Many experts from a variety of different fields have come together to answer one question: Why did they do it? It is believed that most, if not all, serial killers have a mental illness, motives, and/or trauma during their lives that made them start killing. Serial killers are not only the effect of nurture but also nature. The environment of their country, the United States is our focus, can cause the number of serial killers to increase especially if the country itself is unstable.
Serial killers commonly attack a single target at a time one on one. There also tends to be no or very little relation between the person being killed and the killer (murder 1). “The nature of this drive has been heavily debated, but there is a consensus on some points (Anderson 1).” Many researchers have noted sexual behavior in the murder.
This paper will analyze the factors that create a serial killer. Beginning with the definition of a serial killer, the reader should expect
Serial murder as defined by the FBI is, “[t]he unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events" (Morton Robert J. Ed, & Hilts., Ed, 2005, p. 9). Numerous people disagree with the definition, this researcher included, since it lacks the cool- down period after they murder, which various people feel stands necessary for serial killer status. Serial killers remain a rare phenomenon. The FBI states, serial murder accounts for less than one percent of killings per year (Morton Robert J. Ed, & Hilts., Ed, 2005, p. 2). Nevertheless, throughout the years, countless people have researched serial killers since they commit such heinous crimes. Criminologists and researchers have been attempting to identify various
Homicide detectives go to the scene of the crime to talk with witnesses and to check for evidence. It takes hard work and dedication to become a homicide detective as it is not a job that you can just apply for- you have to earn it.
Introduction: The definition of how a serial killer is defined is interesting, but I thought the next sentence with the fact about how many serial killers there are would be a better hook. I would suggest moving the definition somewhere else in your introduction. The topic is introduced well, informing the reader how common serial killers are and that underlying issues cause them to kill, but a stronger connection of relevance could be made. Put in a statistic about how many victims were killed and families affected during the past 60 years.
The term “serial” applied to the word murder or killer can raise problems and questions. Serial implies that several murders have taken place at different times. No universal definition is currently used to describe the term “serial murder”. Three key factors to a serial murderer are the number of victims, time period, and the fact that each killing in some way or another is methodical (The Very Emphasis Of The Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Kill 3). Processes of examining all aspects of the crime ...
Repetitious murderers alongside mass murderers have always existed as human monsters that instill fear in the lives of people, however it was not until the mid to late 20th century that we came to know these monsters as ‘serial killers,’ and begin to understand these crimes did not have such easy to understand motives. In James Alan Fox and Jack Levin’s Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass murder their research shows an exponential growth of a few criminals who would now be classified as a serial killer pre 1960 vs the American peak in the 1980s with hundreds of these serial murderers. The term serial killer itself is universally known to have been coined by FBI agent, Robert K Ressler in 1974 and it supported by Peter Vronsky’s