The Monsters Within: What Makes Serial Killers Different?

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“Some werewolves are hairy on the inside.” Stephen King, a famous horror film writer and director, knows that serial killers are some of most evil but unrecognizable people in society. Walking down the street, serial killers go completely unnoticed. This “under the radar” way of living is what makes them very dangerous. Serial killers appear entirely normal on the outside, but it is what is on the inside that makes them unlike everybody else. Inside is where their minds are altered to accept all the morally unacceptable things that they do. Most of the evils they think and do root from abnormalities in their brains, or other imbalances in their bodies. Whether additional faults accompany their irrational behavior or not, serial killers are their own kind of human being. By definition, a serial killer is one who has murdered three or more people with extended periods of time in between each victim, oftentimes with increasing frequency. Serial killers do not normally know who their victims are, so that they are complete strangers who fit their “ideal” type. More often than not, these victims are women because they are physically and mentally easier to manipulate than men. Through their smooth words and welcoming appearance, serial killers are able to lure their victims into their control (Schlesinger, 2000). There are various, grotesque ways that they go about murdering their victims, but they usually leave a trademark pattern. These patterns vary from how they leave the crime scenes, what “trophies” they take, the profile of their victims, and many other distinguishable factors (Zeigler, 2009). To society, serial killers seem quite normal. Many are just seen as quiet people at the office or shy neighbors. However, wh... ... middle of paper ... ...). Anatomy of violence: The biological roots of crime. Toronto, Canada: Pantheon Books. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=Gb4yObYARcAC&printsec=frontcover Schlesinger, L. (2000). Serial offenders: Current thought, recent findings. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press LLC Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=SbGDK8fMJD0C&dq=serial killers and chemical mental differences&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s Solano, I. (2001). Serial killers: Just trying to feel normal, it's not my fault. Retrieved from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro01/web2/Solano.html Walsh, W. (1988, Spring). Chemical imbalances and criminal violences. Retrieved from http://superiorsites3.com/NNSp88CriminalImbalenceWalsh.htm Zeigler, N. (2009, Fall). Inside the mind of a serial killer. Retrieved from http://www.lycoming.edu/schemata/pdfs/soc_criminology_schemata_fall09.pdf

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