Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Psychology of a serial killer
The psychology of serial killers
Psychology behind serial killers
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Psychology of a serial killer
“I can kill a man, dismember his body, and be home in time for Letterman. But knowing what to say when my girlfriend's feeling insecure... I'm totally lost”-Dexter Morgan (Hall, 2007). Dexter Morgan is a fictional serial killer from Showtime’s series “Dexter”, but the writers and actors have portrayed a real life serial killer. Manuel Prado is the real Dexter Morgan. Prado was a Miami cop who started with smaller crime and worked his way up to becoming a serial killer. ”Prosecutor David Waksman told the Miami Herald: "He was very cold. He was doing robberies and went home and slept like a baby. He was proud of what he did."” (International, 2012) Real life serial killers do not have any empathy. They kill their victims and then return to their “normal” lives. Nothing about it phases them but the question is why do these monsters kill? In this paper I will talk about the minds, the signs and possible solutions of these serial killers. One topic that psychologists talk about is if there is a cure or version of control for serial killers. The law punishes punishes these monsters but psychologists are very curious and want to study them. Everyone has said once in their life, “I’m going to kill you” or “ This workout is going to kill me” but they do not mean it is going to literally kill them. A serial killer is not going to say that and then they are going to do that. The way the law tries to change these monsters is through taking away their freedom. This protects society by not letting this killer kill anyone else.But what if a psychologist could cure a serial killer much like how they cure an addiction like smoking or nail biting? They could use different psychological techniques like hypnosis, a reward system every time th... ... middle of paper ... ...p that they needed. We did not give them the attention that they should have gotten. We should focus research on these killers and children that show signs so that we can prevent any harm to any other people. Works Cited Hall, M. (Performer) (2007). Dexter [Web]. Retrieved from http://movies.netflix.com/WiPlayer?movieid=70136126&trkid=13630398&t=Dexter&tctx=0,4,ca0074fb-096a-4cc0-afe4-abca1610231f-40091393 International Business, T. (2012, December 11). Death Row Romeo: Florida Ex-Policeman Manuel Pardo to be Executed. International Business Times. John Philip, J. (2012). Bundy, Ted. Britannica Biographies, 1. Sandi, D. (n.d). Why did Ridgway do it? Experts say he's like other serial killers. Seattle Times, The (WA), Vronsky, P. (2005). Serial Killers : The Method and Madness of Monsters. New York: Berkley Books.
Vronsky, Peter. "A "Typical" Serial Killer: Gary Leon Ridgway, "The Green River Killer"."Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2004. . Print.
The article Serial killers: II. Development, dynamics, and forensics by Lawrence Miller dives in into the many aspects that encompass the psychological, neurological, and sociocultural elements that underline the average serial murderer. The elements involve childhood upbringing, types of aggression, typical neurochemistry, and subcultural theories. The article manages to include descriptions of the statistical patterns that involve the demographics, and motives that follow serial killers. It also discusses the validity and rationality of the insanity defense in prosecuting these extraordinarily vicious offenders. Serial murderers are an atypical occurrence in the criminal justice system. The uncommon and horrific nature of these crimes are
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.
Some psychologist believe that if a serial killer displays or kills his victims in such a way then it qualifies as fulfilling as sexual desire. These killers are usually diagnosed with a mental disorder referred to as sexual sadism. Psychologists refer to serial killers who kill in this manner as sexual sadist. A sexual sadist enjoys the ‘suffering or embarrassment of others to the point of arousal’ (Serial Killers and Sexual Sadism). Sociologists believe that a serial killer needs to “fulfil a sexual desire by turning a fantasy into a controllable reality” (Serial Killers: Nature vs. Nurture). Sadist crave the dominance and control over their victims because they feel as if they cannot control other aspects of their life. Another biological factor derives within the DNA of the person. Many killers have the “MAO-A gene (monoamine oxidase A). This gene, which has been the target of considerable research, is also known as the "warrior gene" because it regulates serotonin in the brain. Serotonin affects your mood — think Prozac — and many scientists believe that if you have a certain version of the warrior gene, your brain won't respond to the calming effects of serotonin (A Neuroscientist Uncovers a Dark Secret).” With this gene psychologist and scientist alike believe that this can foretell a serial killer before he becomes a serial
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.
Rotella, M, Abbott, C, & Gold, S. (2001). Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial Killers
...mid, D. (2005) Natural born celebrities: Serial killers in American Culture. Chicago, IL: U of Chicago P. Retrived from- http://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/738671.html
Scott, Shirley L. "What Makes Serial Killers Tick?" Lustmord —. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2014.
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.
Serial killers no doubt are the most horrific group of criminals in today's civilization. Camouflaged as normal human beings, they continue to terrify the world. Acting on their dreadful inquisitiveness they continue to take innocent lives without any shame. Identified as murderers with more than three victims, killing each victim one at a time within a short amount of time, serial killers seemingly proceed without cause. The reasoning behind why they do what they do is never known, which leads to the million dollar question, “Are serial killers created, or born”.
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
Ted Bundy was one of the most vicious serial killers in American history. He confessed to 28 grotesque murders in the 1970’s but the actual number of his victims remains
The term serial killer is defined as, “The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender in separate events” according to the F.B.I. It is clear that there is something not quite right about a person who can kill, and continue to do so. (Pemment, 2013) With serial killers there is no real reasoning behind their murders, they do not just snap one day, nor do they do it out of greed or even jealousy. There is time between the murders, and most of the time these people are active members of a community. While there are umpteen studies about why these people murder, there have been no actual breakthroughs. The studies go anywhere from a poor childhood, to brain damage. While everything is so unclear, there are many studies that point
“Fantasy is the driving element in the serial killer’s life, and as a result plays an integral role in the murder itself. The killer is not only pushed to kill by their thought patterns (Ressler, 1988), but is essentially incited to murder by an intrusive fantasy life (Burgess, 1991). Their early-learned view that violence against other humans is a “normal” and “acceptable” (Holmes & De Burger, 1988) way of getting what they want serves to virtually