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Essays on the psychology of serial killers
Essays on the psychology of serial killers
Essays on the psychology of serial killers
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VThe similarities of serial killers can show signs of what to look for in a young child with unusual behavioral issues. Scientists have studied the behavioral patterns of killers to better understand why they commit their crimes. The article “The Serial Killer Phenomenon”, by Richard Whittington-Egan explains that “A large number of serial killers have such characteristics in common, as being essentially a loner, experiencing difficulty with relationships, and showing, psychopathically, neither empathy, conscience, nor remorse, only arrogance” (Whittington-Egan). A person with killer attributes will be an antisocial person who has trouble in any relationship based on love and trust, two emotions difficult for a serial killer to feel. Again the killer will feel no empathy for other human beings or remorse in result of the wrong doing they have committed. …show more content…
Webster's dictionary defines arrogance has “exaggerating one's own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner” (Merriam Webster).
Therefore this person is incredibly full of themselves and often believes the world revolves around them. These types of behaviors are stereotypical behaviors for serial killers. These behaviors can be spotted at a young age for children. If a child is secluding himself from classmates, unable to make friends, and only concerned with their own well being there could be a big problem. A parent’s first instinct is not to accuse their young child with behavior issues of being a serial killer, but issues start to arise when they ignore the facts. Knowing the information that is available about mental health today parents should use that to better understand their own
child. In conclusion, a serial killer is born with the urge to kill, it is in their nature. One does not become a cold blooded killer overnight, they possess the characteristics of one upon entering the world. In The Bad Seed by William March the novel entails a similar theme of “Nature vs. Nurture”. The main character, Rhoda, is a young girl who seems to have no remorse for her cruel acts. While being questioned by her mother as to how she felt about Claude Daigle’s “accidental” drowning Rhoda answers, “why should I feel sorry? It was Claude Daigle who drowned, not me!” (March). This was a shocking book for most people during the time it was published. People still have a difficult time understanding how a child can commit any sort of crime because they are considered to be innocent. However innocence is “being unacquainted with evil” (Merriam Webster), if a child is wired with killer instincts they are no longer innocent because they harbor a “moral evil”. Unable to feel human emotions of remorse and empathy killers are just empty people walking the earth unaware anything is wrong and unaware they were born to kill.
Most serial killers have a background of neglect and abuse. They may suffer from a mental illness. Also, brain injuries may contribute to their psychopathic tendencies.
In many cases, serial killers began their lives as remotely normal human beings. Most, however, have detectable characteristics of murderers before they hit puberty. Otis O’toole, for example, started a neighbourhood fire when he was six. George Adorno was even younger when he first displayed his pyromaniac tendencies by setting fire to his own sister when he was four. Along with pyromaniac behavior, other often-cited warning signs are enuresis (bed-wetting) and cruelty toward animals. Often, serial murderers are abused physically, psychologically, and sexually as children, sometimes from a stranger, but in most cases from a trusted family member or friend. Typically, they come from broken families, usually...
In order to identify serial killers before they kill repeatedly, a person needs to study the characteristics that makes up this type of criminals. Most serial killers have been abandoned, by one or both parents, they are emotionally, physically, and even sexually abused by a family member, or relatives from unstable families who have criminal, psychiatric and alcoholic histories, or tend to have hate for their parents and people in general which makes them have antisocial personality disorder. They have conflicted pain or tortured animals at a young age and most are highly interested in gaining control over things. Even though not every serial killers posses these characteristics, but most share these characteristics the same way they share the psychological need to have complete control and power over people.
Common psychological disturbances in the stages of making a serial killer are seen in childhood and are usually based upon mental and psychological abuse endured by a child.
Most serial murderers have been deprived of any control over their home, their body, and their entire life. “Psychokillers take their fantasies and make them a reality living their dreams” (Serial Killers: Nature vs. Nurture 2). Both physical and especially emotional abuse is the consistent, reoccurring factor among a majority of serial killers. Traumatic abuse in childhood has long been viewed as a primary cause of violent behavior in adulthood (Dolan 24). Abusive parents do not generally vent their anger equally on all their children. Such parents tend to unleash the anger and negative emotions on their more difficult children; this potential aggression and physical and emotional abuse of the child shapes the future criminal. “Most serial murders are not classified as psychotics, but rather as psychopaths- their perception of reality is clear except that they feel no social or moral obligations” () Killers are taking control of their own lives through their fantasies in the only way they know fit, through
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 are people who kill three or more people. They don’t have a close relationship with their victims. They are mostly white, younger males, but this might not always be the case. Many serial killers have specific childhood experiences that contribute to their urge to kill. Genetics can play a role, for example; specific patterns of genes found in serial killer’s brains. Many serial killers do at least one of these things as a child: wet their bed, set fires, and torture animals. Child who have problems; for example, being abused either physically or sexually, parent troubles, and school problems can lead to someone being more likely to be a serial killer.
However, as we scrutinize childhood abuse as a possible explanation of serial killer's behaviour, we must take into account that many children have suffered horrific abuse by close family members or carers, but did not grow up to be mass murderers. We therefore cannot assume that childhood abuse is a direct link to a future in criminal behaviour. As well as this, whilst many girls are victimised as children, very few grow up to behave in such a violent sadistic way, turning to extreme lengths of violent behaviour towards individuals. The vast majority of serial killers are known to be men rather than women, which may suggest that other factors are also important and need to be taken into account. Childhood abuse may not be the sole excuse for serial killers, but it is an undeniable factor in many serial killers backgrounds.
The definition of a serial killer is almost always defined as a person who commits a series of murders, usually with a predictable behavior pattern known as their signature. Serial killers tend to have a psychological characteristic that is the motivation for their killings. There have been theories proposed and researched to help determine what triggers someone into being a serial killer. According to the Cognition 101 Journal, the most broadly recognized mental disorder associated with serial killing is Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). This is a cluster B personality in the DSM IV and is intimately related with psychopathy (Blair, 2006). Individuals who have been diagnosed with severe mental disorders and have desires to commit murder
The most common disorder found among killers is Antisocial Personality Disorder (FP Wood). This disease causes the inflicted to show no remorse to others. It also makes them have symptoms including; disregard for right or wrong, lying with the intention of harm, becoming cynical and manipulative, and most of the inflicted will struggle with drugs or alcohol (MFMER). This disorder does not just materialize out of thin air though; a multitude of different things causes it. APD (Antisocial Personality Disorder) is caused by genetic factors and also by sudden changes in brain functioning and activity. Other factors in this disorder are chaotic home life, child abuse, child neglect, diagnosis of childhood conduct disorder, and history of mental illnesses in a family (MFMER). Another factor that plays a role in murders is drug and alcohol abuse. This element may come into play when they are intoxicated, and their morals are blurred, or it could be a drug deal gone wrong. Lots of scenarios could factor into this (FP Wood ). One more plausible cause of becoming a serial killer is having a disorder called psychopathy which is an onset of APD (FP Wood). Although psychopathy is an onset of APD, it is not the same. People inflicted with APD. have to be diagnosed with a childhood conduct disorder as a child, whereas a person inflicted with psychopathy has no diagnosis in their
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.
So what makes a serial killer? Levin points out that contrary to popular belief, serial killers don't just 'snap'; or 'go crazy'; (Douglas, p. 137). Many of the serial killers have been the victims of childhood abuse. Jack Levin stated 'Research shows many serial killers suffered abuse, incest or neglect as children and develop poor self images'; (Douglas, p. 137). Serial killers often have a childhood marked by the absence of any nurturing relationship. 'They often come from families where the parents were absent or ineffective, where authority was not defined, and where they could engage in destructive behavior undeterred-violent play, cruelty to animals, and incidents of arson being some of the childhood behavior patterns noted among many serial killers'; (Clark, p. 206).
Serial killers are typically classified by their social and organizational skills, or lack of it. Oddly enough, a serial killer has a regular mental behavior as well, whe...
Serial Killers, what exactly is a serial killer, is it a label or a character, or an expression of human emotions. Serial Killer: a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern. In short, it's a monster inside of a human body that can kills for fun with no expressions, and can possibly be followed by a certain pattern from his actions. To understand a Serial Killer, first need to know the origin of serial killing; serial killing are the rarest from homicide, they have the tendency of killed three or more individual that had whatsoever connect towards the killer. A positive indication what police officer or detectives know that they are dealing with a serial killing is the
They study their victims over the course of days or weeks to create the “perfect crime”. Other serial killers have a challenging childhood. Many come from poor family situations or unstable families with a criminal, psychiatric, and alcoholic households that abuse may or may not be occurring in. Serial criminals are generally more nervous prior to crimes but once they are complete they regain confidence and personal reassurance. Many criminals post-crime take a souvenir such as a part of their victim or the murder weapon. Fantasies that serial killers experience include mental images and feelings. They relieve anxiety or stress the killer’s might be facing. Biological and environmental factors differ depending on their classification and their previous childhood. For example, an organized serial killer often times has a loving family, is married himself, and liked by their friends and family. Although they have most likely had a successful and stable career and gone through a large amount of schooling, they still act out. On the other hand, the disorganized killer is almost the exact opposite with an unstable household and a lonesome