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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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For this criminal justice paper I’ll be talking about serial killers. The types of Serial killers there is, study and some serials killers I researched. Did you know that to be a serial killer your race and age doesn’t matter?. Have you ever wondered what makes them kill. Are their brains like ours and are the able to live a normal life after they’ve done such thing?. A serial killer is a person that has killed three or more people withing a period of time, then they take a some time off which is called the “cooling period”. Some people say that serial killers kill because of a psychological gratification. Serial killers are people who suffer from psychotic breaks, they believe that they are another person and might also hear voices. There are two most common sub groups which are “Demon Mandated” They kill because a demon ordered them to do it, A “God Mandated” kills because god sent them to do it because the person wasn’t doing holly things. Serial killers face many problems in their childhood, trauma can create a deviant behavior in adulthood. The family or environment plays a big part, when children are rejected or neglected they are unavaible to create social relationships. Which will lower their self esteem , this will help them start developing their fantasies. Children don’t have the power to control the mistreatment that they suffer so they create a new reality , one that helps them escape from what they’re living. This reality becomes their fantasy , one that they have total control off and during this time the child becomes sociopathic. In their world a person doesn’t do any harm and the pain of others had no consequences when it is providing satisfying needs to the person, they lack empathy for their victims. If they... ... middle of paper ... ...d that the child she had and left behind when she was only months old she said “Didn’t social services come by and pick her up” “I sure will rest a lot easier once she’s dead”, this woman gave her a rotten life from the moment she had her. No one should bring a child to the world to suffer. When they mentioned Aileen her mother she went berserk and I don’t blame her. I think that her lesbian lover should have been tried for hiding her knowledge of what was going on instead of letting her go free, allowing her to make money. She created the movie “Monster” which wouldn’t of been created without her help. The three police officers should have also been tried for something for making a killing no pun intended off of her tragic life and the murders she committed. Aileen Born on February 29 ,1956 was on death row for 12 years and finally put to an end on October 9, 2002
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.
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.
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.
A person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a certain characteristic, predictable behavior pattern, is known as a serial killer. No one grows up thinking that one day they're going to become a serial killer. Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do, most of the time it is based off of how you were brought up. Were they neglected? Were they sexually harassed or watched someone be harassed? There is clearly something that was brought out in them, that lead them into falling through with these actions.
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.
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
Almost all people know who serial killers are, but what exactly defines a serial killer. The FBI defines serial murder as “a minimum of three to four victims with a ‘cooling off’ period between, the killer is usually a stranger to the victim, the murders reflect a need to sadistically dominate the victim, and the murder is rarely for profit.” (Vronsky, 2004, p.36) Serial killers are usually a white male from a lower-to-middle-class background typically in his twenties or thirties. Also, 85% of the world’s serial killers live in America, with at least twenty to fifty unidentified active serial killers plotting another one of their killings. On average, every person has seen or met at least 37 serial killers in their lifespan.
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.
As years go on so will the research on serial killers and hopefully we as a society will fully understand them and one day be able to cure whatever inside that makes them have the urge to kill. Works Cited The Electronic Journal of Sociology, published by the University of Guelph, Ontario. http://www.scribd.com/doc/167086215/How-Serial-Killers-Work. According to the article “10 Most Common Traits of Potential Serial Killers By Hestie Barnard Gerber. According to Comrade Chikatilo: The Psychopathology of Russia's Notorious Serial Killer.
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.
Mass Murderers and Serial Killers are nothing new to today’s society. These vicious killers are all violent, brutal monsters and have an abnormal urge to kill. What gives people these urges to kill? What motivates them to keep killing? Do these killers get satisfaction from killing? Is there a difference between mass murderers and serial killers or are they the same. How do they choose their victims and what are some of their characteristics? These questions and many more are reasons why I was eager to write my paper on mass murderers and serial killers. However, the most interesting and sought after questions are the ones that have always been controversial. One example is; what goes on inside the mind of a killer? In this paper I will try to develop a better understanding of these driven killers and their motives.
Serial murderers are the terrors of common society. They are the shadows in the hall and the bump in the night, but there is so much more to these killers. They are cunning, manipulative, they can be charming and they are extremely smart. These are all the factors that make scientists and the media wish to uncover more about serial murderers. The mind of a killer is the most complex thing of all; it separates them away from the everyday society, but also draws in the curious and brave.
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).