Many studies suggest that there are significant differences in the brain between individuals who possess antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy). While not all people who possess an antisocial personality disorder will become serial killers, every serial killer studied has an antisocial personality disorder; “Neuropsychological testing revealed abnormalities in all subjects tested” (Blake, Pincus, and Buckner 1642). Brain injury, brain abnormalities, or mental illness affects all the serial killers tested. Even if all serial killers had some type of abnormality in the brain, would that mean that they were doomed to become a serial killer? According to the experimental findings discussed in Neurologic Abnormalities in Murderers; 64.5% of serial killers have a frontal lobe dysfunction and 29% have temporal lobe abnormalities. The frontal lobes of the brain “control the essence of our human...
A majority of these individuals are linked through commonalities of their childhood as well as their personality traits and behaviors. The serial murderer’s personality is an intricate recipe of biological, environmental and social circumstances. Though early abuse can cause feelings of aggression and delinquency, childhood experiences alone cannot be to blame. Many people are abused early on as children, and never become killers. Similarly, biological issues, such as brain abnormalities, as we as certain personality disorders would not individually create a murderer. Rather, a distinctive combination of psychological issues, impairments in the brain, and personality disorders help mold a brutal serial killer. Killers cannot be simply born into this world, but under the right circumstances, they will be created.
The general profile for a serial killer is an intelligent white male in their mid to late 20’s and 30’s. Many serial killers begin their life with an unstable childhood. The lack of loving and nurturing relationships plays a large role in this. Physical and emotional abuse during childhood is a common trend for children who grow up to be serial killers. Abusing animals, bedwetting into a late age, and exposure to alcohol/substance abuse are also common in a serial killer’s childhood. Not all serial killers are the same, one type of serial killer is a visionary killer. These people are psychotic (schizophrenia and paranoia) and believe they are being told to kill by a greater force such as God. Mission oriented killers believe they are doing
Jack the Ripper, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, the Boston Strangler, Jeffrey Dahmer. Despite the years of history that separate these names, they remain indelibly preserved within our collective societal consciousness because of the massively violent and calculated nature of their crimes. Serial killers, both men and women, represent social monstrosities of the most terrifying variety. They are human predators, cannibals in a figurative and, often, literal sense, and are therefore uniquely subversive to society's carefully constructed behavioral tenets. They frighten because they are human in form but without the social conscience that, for many, defines humanity. They capture the public eye because they terrify, but also because they elicit a sort of gruesome curiosity about the human potential for evil; as Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde alleges, wickedness lies within each heart, waiting only for the proper time and impetus to break free.
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 ...
The United States of America has more serial killers living in and on it's territory, than any other place in the world. Almost eighty-five percent of serial killers are housed in America. While most serial killers are men, women account for eight percent of the eighty-five in our country. Serial killers are very sick, distraught human beings when compared to others; the reasoning behind this tends to lean towards the mental stability and psychological makeup of the serial killer. Now there are plenty of serial killers to be talked about, but The Long Island Killer is a perfect example of a horrible, sick person.
During an interview with the Daily Mail Dr Elizabeth Yardley, Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University discusses the five key traits that the most famous killers have in common. First, they are power junkies “serial killers typically have a real affinity with power, even when they’ve been caught and know it is over they still seek the power position.”(Mail 2015) Second is a manipulator, “ some of the world’s most notorious serial killers have the frightening ability to manipulate those around them, pressing the right buttons in order to show themselves in a false light. They use this to hide their sinister personality.”(Mail 2015) Third, they are egotistical braggers, “these killers either take trophies or brag about their kill in some form.”(Mail 2015) An example of this see Tsutomu Miyazaki mentioned earlier, he wrote his victims’ families detailing the murder in great detail. Forth, they are superficial charmers, “serial killers tend to have a very good grasp on other peoples’ emotions and are quick to pick up on any vulnerability or weakness in order to convince them into doing things they would not normally do.”(Mail 2015) Finally, as I mentioned earlier the look of an Average Joe, “The scariest of all traits they have, most of these killers look like pillars of the community, it is a way of gaining trust only to abuse it in horrid ways. This attribute helps them get away with the stuff that goes on behind closed doors.”(Mail
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
Serial killers in the mindset have very different ideals and thoughts that can contribute to some odd behavior. This article will compare the differences and similarities of serial killers and the general population.
Despite how disturbed these people are, our society seems to have a fascination with these criminals. Whether we’re repulsed by their actions or just yearn to learn about them, the minds of these serial killers intrigue our generation. We don’t know why they do the things they do, all we know is that as humans, we are capable of horrible things. Serial killers are always looking for their next victim, they kill again and again but never seem to be satisfied. They are often able to escape being caught for years, decades and sometimes they aren’t caught at all. We cannot simply point a finger into a crowd of people and pick out who’s a serial killer and who is not. They hide behind facades and their darkness is hidden deep within them until one day, they snap and their true colors show.
The events of the past can hold a great influence on the actions and behaviors of the future. From being raised in a supportive and loving home, to one that is full of neglect and abuse, each event can potentially impact the future of an individual. What is the psychological impact serial killers have on society? Serial killers in society and their media attention affect society and what people think they are movies, television, books, and how people deal with them. Serial killers are affecting people in society all the time even years after their death and because of this, there are implications. “Implications from the fact that America produces 85% of world's serial killers a statistic found from the USA today.”(David Schmid) Most of the
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.
Serial killers are defined to “be driven by instinct and desire to kill.” In a study done in 2000, Dr, Richard Davidson says, “people with a large amount of aggression – in particular people who have committed aggressive murders or have a social disorder – have almost no brain activity in the orbital frontal cortex or the anterior cingulated cortex while activity in the amyglade continued perfectly. The orbital frontal cortex and the anterior congulated cortex control emotional impulses while the amyglade controls reactions to fear.” Davidson concludes his research claiming that although environment can and will affect a serial killer’s thoughts, it is a killer’s genetic makeup that inevitably creates murderous thoughts.
Serial killing is the rarest form of homicide; serial homicide is when an individual kills three or more people who are not known to them usually with a cooling off period in-between murders. Criminologists are constantly trying to figure out why serial killers exist and what shapes their behavior in the first place. Media shapes serial murders into celebrities, making society idolize them. Because there is so much adoration for them society has “become an inescapable point of reference in movies, television, novels, true cime books and video games” (social study article) making their influence a dominant cultural category. Serial killers can’t be controlled because of society factors that enable them to exist, not even strict punishments can derail them from committing. Although society has no control over their existence, patterns of how they came to exist are very clear. Serial murders are a complex stereotype that society has no control over but still we continue to shape society to enable them.
To truly understand serial killers we first need to define them. A serial killer has to have a minimum of three to four victims. The killer is usually a stranger to the victim however the victim has significant value to the killer. Statistically, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower-to-middle-class background, usually in his twenties or thirties. At a young age they often set fires, torture animals, and wet their beds. These type of actions are said to be red-flag behaviors. They are also fascinated with the police and authority. They have either attempted to become police themselves but were rejected, worked as security guards, or served in the military. Many, including John Gacy, theHillside Stranglers, and Ted Bundy, have disguised themselves as law enforcement officials to gain access to their victims.