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In our society, mostly we are influenced by the fantasy based on serial killers, showed in literature, movies, TV Series etc. Not informing the audience with the depth of the serial killer psychological mysteries hidden behind the character’s actions and which led them to where they are. However, In Real-Life Monsters: A Psychological Examination of the Serial Murderer. The author Stephen J. Giannangelo takes an original approach describing the psychological explanation of these criminals instead of repeating the theoretical explanation of these criminals who committed horrific crimes. This book included the author’s personal observation about serial killers and Psychopathology. In the beginning of the book, the author examines the past psychological, …show more content…
societal, and biological origins to the violent behaviors of a certain serial killer. Then is he gets into the theoretical pattern of violence and interviewing the convicted serial murders to gain serial killers insight to own development and crimes. There is more to the meaning of a serial killer than regular civilian may imagine. In the book definition of serial Killer are established by specific parameters, such as victimology, geographic location, and killer–victim relationships. Some feel serial killers must reveal a certain pattern or their victims must represent deeply rooted symbolism. Other theories include sex and dominance. However, in clinical diagnoses and trait of a serial killer, attests there to be many factors resulting the serial killer to be the way they are. In the book its states it seems that while serial killers show many syndromes as described in the field of clinical psychology, “there is no single diagnostic category [at this time] that fits these individuals. The pathology of a serial murderer is a separate diagnostic category” (Apsche, 1993, p. 10). There are many disorders including antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, and Psychopath are shared biological and neurological are the aspects in many serial killer cases. In most cases, serial killers have a history of physical, sexual and mental abuse, which has seem triggered them to have lost the sense of self and feeling of no control over their emotional state. All these factors could be possibly a cause in the pathology of these individual lacking control and urge to take actions by inflicting pain on other; they have associated the feeling of pain on other as pleasure for themselves. Not only Psychological, but also environmental factors can be why these serial killers to commit such heinous crimes. A horrific example of a serial Killer mentioned has to be “Edmund Kemper” he committed a double homicide killing his grandparents at the age fifteen, during the confession he repeatedly said, “I just wondered how it would feel to shoot Grandma”. Kemper was really not a fan of his mother after his parent's divorce, his mother uses to lock him up in the basement because she was afraid of him messing around with his elder sisters. Kemper last victim was his own mother, after her falling asleep he took a claw hammer smashing it on her right temple and slashed her throat with a pocketknife. Then he removed her larynx from her throat and throwing down the garbage disposal when the disposal threw is back up, Kemper found that to be poetic and amusing. Even after killing his mother he was not done he called his mothers friend over killed her as well, right after he after he called the authorities turning him self in and confessed to eight murders. He was sentenced to lifetime in prison. This was easily one of the most horrifying and disgusting actions I have ever heard about. According to the book the psychological studies on Kemper were incomplete. Psychiatrist David Lunde dismissed any application of the XYY theory to Kemper, although he noted that Kemper fit the description of the XYY—unusually tall, above-average intelligence, and unusually violent. However, it is unclear what type of testing was done or, more importantly, was not done. Finally, consideration must be given to Kemper’s unusual and enormous size, “in 1969, a 21-year-old behemoth grown to six-foot-nine and some 300 pounds”. Al though it was an inconclusive weather he had the XYY gene, (warrior gene) it seem pretty likely considering his violent behavior and his revenge toward his own mother and how he committed these crimes and arguably not having any remorse over his actions. Author included another case I found rather interesting, Case of Aileen Wuornos.
She was the only women serial killer in the book; she killed in total of 7 men. According to the book Wuornos was on of the most famous serial killer, she was a subject of at least 2 movies and countless media coverage. She was a working prostitute in Florida, her method was to robbed them and use the money and belongs to support her lesbian lover because they were going through a hard time economically. In the book it states regarding her psychological factors being the result of the environment she had to be a part of “The foundations of her antisocial behavior were implanted by the family surroundings in which she was reared”. Also she was referred as who “unleashed the female serial killer from the cult of feminine domesticity” (p. 138) and that she “thrived in the very territory where other women feared to go and where so many women were themselves killed, “referring of course to the dark highways where Wuornos turned tricks. She being a Hitchhiker she was the one who attacked man a planed ahead to what to be done the second she got in the men’s car. In my opinion, Wuornos confessed to the killings shortly after being arrested as a result of pressure exerted on her to protect her lover and was eventually executed in 2002. The actions done by her at the time were harmful but in her mind she is seemingly try to protect her household with her lesbian lover. However, this does not …show more content…
justify taking another humans life for the wellbeing and peace in your world. I believed author could have included more about the confession tapes, we watched in class about her confessing her deeds before she was executed, where she explained how she is going to die but she does not want take the truth with her. She in those tapes told her truth not holding anything back feeling remorse weather she was actually sorry or not eternally for the lives she took we may never know. The focus on the definition of a “serial Murderer” has been the main discussion of this book, the authors delve in to stating that he has come across many definitions of a serial Murder through out the years.
He also claimed on changing his own definition couple of time upon his research. However, He has come to a conclusion after his most recent research and opinions. He states his definition of a “Serial Murderer” to be “A “Serial Murderer” is an offender who actually makes repeated physical affirmative steps towards killing other human beings to satisfy a psychological need. Victims will share a commonality, based on the offenders’ sexual interests or control requirements. The pattern of murders or attempted murders will be related to the intended use of these victims and are essential to the psychological motivations.” I not having a great amount of knowledge and research did myself regarding this topic, I’m not qualified enough disagree with his definition and feel likewise. I do believe it is true for serial killers to killing human beings to satisfy a psychological need, by associating another’s pain to as pleasure for
themselves. The author had a great deal of research, which really makes the book more informative. I believe this was a decent read, really informative and anyone doing research on any of the serial killers mentioned in the book would be a great source. I felt the book to more of an informative long article right to the Point piling facts on facts. I certainly have not read any book like this before; therefore formatting of the book was a little puzzling. He could have formatted the book a little better; should have included his analysis along the way of the reading instead of placing it at the end. Which would have helped make a better understanding in my opinion regarding each case? This book would not be the first choice of recommendation, only because I would not want to take away their innocence; this book would totally be the result of their nightmares. However, anyone tries to research regarding the topic of serial killer’s would defiantly from this source. It showed the dark side of the world, that we were deprived as a child. This book was an eye opener to how there are Real-Life Monsters may be living among us.
La Donna Beaty clearly States in her argument, ?What Makes a Serial Killer?? her opinion and different theories on what causes a human being to become a serial killer. Beaty states that there are many serial killers and victims of them, but she is unsure about what causes a person to become a serial killer. Furthermore, she asked many questions, but there was no definite answer. For example, using examples of serial killers including Jeffery Dahmer and Ted Bundy, but only to draw up more questions. However, she wrote many expert opinions too, using them to her advantage in proving her argument, and giving a statement from a respected author and expert on serial killers named Ann Rule (pg315). Rule states that 3,500 to 5,000 people become victims of serial killers. She also states that 350 serial killers are at large in our society (pg315). Additionally, Beaty also presents an early theory that was completely incorrect. This was about how to identify a serial killer by looks. Beaty then gave her expertise by stating that a serial killer could look like or be anything they choose to become. They are most likely to be males and 92 percents are white (pg316). No doubt, that she appeals to logos by providing evidence about general characteristics of serial killers she quotes that in 1911, an Italian criminologist Cesare Lombrosco concluded that ?murderers as a group [are] biologically degenerate [with] bloodshot eyes, aquiline noses, curly black hair, strong jaws, big ears, thin lips, and menacing grins?.
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
As the years goes by, Wuornos life was becoming unstable and a nightmare. As a result, Wuornos childhood is well defined on how and why she became a criminal and killed those seven men victims. Her life consists of abandonment, mental and physical abuse by family, peers and neighborhood. While her mother was a teenager when she gave birth to Wuornos. Her father was absent in her life and abuse her mother. After he absent father was in jail for the rape of an underage child. Wuornos was abandoned by her mother as a teenager and left with grandparents. On the video stated she was emotional, sexually and physical abused by both grandparents. She became a prostitution to earn a living in the street of Florida. The life of Wuornos could be associated in with a diverse of theories of crime behavior. There are three various theories that could describe the life and subsequent in crimes of Aileen Wuornos. These three theories consist of biological/biosocial theory, self-control theory, and social control
As children, our parents tell us that monsters do not exist. The truth is that they do exist and they live among us, masquerading as one of us. Two examples of these monsters are serial killers Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. A serial killer is classified as a person who kills three or more people, in separate events, over a time frame of a month, with “cooling off” periods in between. While Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer both share a sick twisted mind and a penchant for killing, differences in their upbringing, personality, and preferences drastically set them apart.
Most serial killers are psychopaths. They are really frighteningly irrational people, but people who have no human conscience and no capacity for remorse. They also see other human beings as objects that can be manipulated and exploited and used for their own depraved purposes. It is nearly impossible for them to feel any sort of sympathy. Ed Gein raises the question in my mind, “Are monsters born, or are they created?” In this case study, I am going to explain who’s, what’s, when’s, where’s, why’s, and how’s of Edward Theodore Gein.
Each of a serial killer’s killings temporary gratifies whatever provokes the killer’s actions, and each subsequent killing terminates a separate sequence of behaviors. They are all motivated to for different reasons; some kill to gain or exert power over the victims, entertainment or mission. Some kill because they believe they have the responsibility to they society to do so (Julietta Leung N.D.) Frequently, homosexuals, prostitutes, and the homeless are viewed by serial killers because they might believe they are devalued in society or they view as being beneath humanity. They believe those kind of p...
Introduction: On the spectrum of criminal activity, serial killers are rather rare. Rarer still is a serial killer like Ted Bundy. Bundy confessed to killing 28 women in the 1970s in ghastly fashion and some believe he may have killed far more. It is hard to imagine what could cause any person to cross the mental boundary into such macabre behavior as Bundy perpetrated. Nevertheless, it is important to try to understand that behavior because only though such an understanding would society be able to identify and deter mass murderers in order to save lives.
When babies are born, their parents may look at them and try to imagine what type of adult their child will become. Some parents may be right when it comes to predicting what, or who, their child will become and some may be completely wrong. As a person grows and mature into an adult, there are factors that influence who they become. Those influential factors are environmental and biological. Some children that are raised in a bad environment or born with some type of biological defect may cause those children to become deviant or sinister. A sinister person may become some sort of criminal, or even go as far as becoming a serial killer of some type. When one typically thinks of a serial killer, they most likely imagine a white male, probably in his thirties or forties. One probably would not think of a woman, especially not someone who appears to be a sweet, innocent old lady. However, females can be just as deviant and just as sinister as men, sometimes using different methods. There are certain common biological and environmental factors that are present in the creation of several female serial killers; a few of the females include Aileen Wuornos, Clementine Barnabet, Nannie Doss, Belle Gunness, and a couple others.
They have no sense of remorse or guilt. Most of the time they are not in serious relationship or have any emotional obsession with 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. (Sanmartn, 2001). Often, women were never seen as even a suspect in a serial murder, but little did they know, women were just as bad as men.
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 own satisfactional 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 men and female serial kills, and finally general information on how their brains operate and their motives for committing such harmful acts.
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.
Typically, when one thinks of serial killers, such images as Son of Sam, John Wayne Gacy, or the Boston Strangler, come to mind. Though these men do indeed fit the description, there are many myths and misconceptions surrounding the definition of serial killer, first and foremost that serial ...
...r from the truth. (Kelleher p. xi) There may not be as many female serial killers as their male counterparts although 100 female serial killers have been identified since 1900. This may seem shocking to the casual reader, but what will shock them even more is the fact that many female serial killers are never identified. This is because the methods of these predators are far superior to those of their male counterpart; like most women they are deceitfully cunning. 'These highly allusive predators are meticulous in planing and disposing of any evidence that will link them to the crime '(Kelleher p. 20).
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