Inside the Minds of Serial Arsonists:
Comparing Their Psychological Profiles
Allison Bator
Youngstown State University
Forensic Fire Investigation
An arsonist is someone who habitually and intentionally starts fires. A serial arsonist however, is someone who habitually and intentionally sets three to five fires with a brief break in between each fire. Serial arsonists can be very mysterious and malicious. Most serial arsonists develop patterns and trends that may be able to help fire investigators predict their future behaviors of fire setting. What exactly goes on inside the mind of a serial arsonist? What are their motives for setting fires and being responsible for the deaths of so many? Different serial
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Although there are many reasons that motivate serial arsonists to start fires, there are six motives that are by far the most common. These six motives are excitement, vandalism, revenge, concealment of a crime, profit, and terrorism. Serial arsonists that set fires for excitement are usually seeking for attention in their lives. This may be someone who does not receive enough attention and might be considered an outsider in a crowd. Most often, these serial arsonists will set these fires in a location in which may be familiar to them. They also may remain at the scene while the fire is still burning to watch everyone’s reaction to the fire, giving the serial arsonist the satisfaction of attention. Serial arsonists that set fires for vandalism are usually younger, juvenile offenders who may often be associated with a gang. Serial arsonists who start fires for revenge are usually considered the most dangerous as they are most often seeking deadly consequences for those who have done them wrong. Serial arsonists …show more content…
Panzram was known as a career criminal who committed violent crimes. Panzram was very different than most serial arsonists as he was literally the epitome of violence. He was not sly nor did he mind being face-to-face with authorities. When Panzram was ten years old, his father left him and his family to fend for themselves. When he was twelve, he decided that he wanted to leave home and he tried to flee to the West. His attempt failed, as he was caught, and send to the Minnesota State Training School for boys. Panzram claims that he learned about the acts of violence while he attended this school. He started his first fire at the age of twelve where he set fire to an administrative building belonging to the school that he was in. Panzram developed an obsession of breaking out of the jails he was sent to and even set a county jail on fire that he was being held in. Panzram documented his crimes where he admits to many rapes, burglaries, and arsons. He felt no remorse or sympathy for his victims. Panzram stands out from the other serial arsonists because he was in fact very violent and malicious towards other. Because Panzram was one of the earliest arsonists known today, there is little information about exactly how many fires he set in total. However, it is known that most of his arsons that were confirmed were mostly set in jails and prisons where Panzram was staying. Panzram’s motive that
A serial killer is defined in Webster's Dictionary as someone who murders more than three victims one at a time in a relatively short period of time. There is no one generic profile to identify a serial killer. They usually are people seeking for a sensation, a lack of guilt or remorse, a need for control, impulsivity, and predatory behavior. These traits make up a psychopathic personality disorder. Psychopathy is a disorder manifested in people who use a mixture of charm, manipulation, manipulation, and occasional violence to control others, in order to satisfy their own wants and needs. There are four main types of serial killers; thrill seekers, mission-oriented, visionary serial killers, and power and control killers. There may be other
Serial killers are interesting yet unnerving to the likes of American society. Serial killers commonly lack empathy and show no sign of guilt or remorse after they have committed a horrible act or crime. These characteristics are an indication of psychopathic tendencies. Although it may seem like these people would be easy to spot, it is actually much more difficult than normally thought. These killers have a special way of putting on a mask of sanity. They can act very charming and very intelligent when needed. Their talent in becoming a normal person is part of their manipulative mentality, which they use to capture most of their victims. These individuals usually get a type of psychological thrill or pleasure from their acts, which cause
“Serial killers are human black holes; they scare us because they mirror us,” spoke Shirley Lynn Scott, known author and psychologist. This stands true throughout history, as most serial killers blend in with society. Serial killing is formally defined by the FBI as “a series of three or more killings, having common characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same actor or actors.” But what exactly drives someone to kill another human being? What plays as a more drastic motivator for their actions, nature or nurture?
The Grim Sleeper is one of the most gruesome serial killers cases known in United States. The case dumbfounded LAPD for years. The Grim Sleeper left fear in the women of Los Angeles especially African American women who were the target of this merciless serial killer and rapist. The Grim Sleeper case was infamous due to his string of murders spanning through almost three decades.The coalition launched a media campaign and set a monetary reward aiming to capture the killer. Motivations involved in serial killings are fears of rejection, power, and perfection. Serial killers tend to be insecure, and irrationally scared of rejection. Serial killers tend to avoid developing painful relationships. They are terrified of being abandoned, humiliated,
Several serial killers have a definitive and common personality profile. Almost every major social, biological, psychological behavioural influence that has been seriously suggested as playing a role in causing crime has been thoroughly thought as potentially contributing to the behavior of serial killers (Levin, 2008). The time period and amount of killings fluctuate depending on the individual committing the crimes. Usually, the murders happen in different geographical areas. A mass murder has a separate definition than a serial killer, because a serial killer has a “cooling off” period, where mass murders kill several individual in a single event.
Who are these people? What makes them so different from the rest of us? Why do they commit these shocking crimes? There are theories but no answers. Serial killers are a disturbing piece of the puzzle that we must figure out to save numerous lives in the future.
By 1978, roughly thirty women were dead and mutilated by the same man with little explanation as to why. Ted Bundy, one of the most infamous serial killers in history brutally took the lives of numerous women for seemingly no reason at all. His justification for these murders was simply that he felt like committing them. A serial killer is defined as someone who has killed more than three people over a period of a month or more for seemingly no reason at all. Most serial killers have no real motive for killing; for them it is an urge that they must satisfy. Was Ted Bundy and others like him always a violent psychopath or did certain events cause him to behave this way? One common belief is that abusive childhoods and other environmental factors are the main reason serial killers develop the way they do. The other belief is that serial killers are born with an innate desire to kill. The answer to this question lies within both arguments and there is no secret serial killer formula. Serial Killers are neither born nor made; instead many factors, both biological and psychological, contribute to the making of these destructive monsters.
What are the root causes of a person becoming a serial killer? There have been many different serial killers over the past years, but only one is the infamous “Green River Killer.” Gary Ridgway was dubbed the “Green River Killer” because many of his first victims were found near the Green River in Washington. There are many factors which contribute as to why a person turns and takes their anger out on other people. Some people have a normal childhood with a loving family, while some are not so lucky. A loving family is built around the parents, but if the parents choose violence over love, then that is what the child will grow up only knowing. Gary Ridgway is an American serial killer who killed over sixty women within a twenty year period.
We can all agree that serial killers are unpredictable scary people but when it comes to why they kill, everyone has a different view. In my research paper I will get into the mind of a serial killer and try to figure out what exactly sets them into uncontrollable rage.
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.
Crimes in society are overly dramatic and glorified especially of Tv. On shows like Criminal Minds, Serial killers are recurring theme. Serial killers is person who murdered more than 3 people. To serial killers aka unsub until given a nickname or their identity is revealed. My in reality and in fiction and in reality the FBI are given the job to profile these unsub and brought to justice. To be able to bring justice to serial killers, understand and learning about them is step to profiling.
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).
There aren’t many people killed by cereal, but there are many killed by serial killers. These people can be determined by many factors. Some of these factors can be
Arson is the criminal act of burning or charring property on purpose. The act of arson may include such acts as setting fire to a property maliciously, or burning a property with the intent to collect insurance money. While most people consider arson to be the burning of buildings, it may also be the burning of cars, boats, personal property, and land. According to common law, there are certain elements required to determine a fire to be caused by arson. These elements of arson include (1) the malicious, (2) burning, (3) of a dwelling, (4) belonging to another. Most states define different degrees of arson depending on the circumstances surrounding the act. This includes factors such as whether the building was occupied at the time
When someone is committing a crime, what is going through his or her mind? What triggers them to commit a murder or violent crime? There are many theories on why criminals commit these heinous crimes. Behavioral Analyst’s examines why people commit crimes, what triggered a violent reaction, and how to prevent, or predict, these crimes from happening in the future.