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The psychology behind serial killers pdf
Essays on the psychology of serial killers
The psychology behind serial killers pdf
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Serial Killers and Mass Murderers 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. Although mass murderers and serial killers are both dangerous and somewhat sick people, there are several distinct characteristics of each that put them in different categories. The most distinct differences between the two are; Most mass killers kill several victims over a relatively short period of time, usually hours, but sometimes days (Murder 1). Serial killers most often kill his or her victims separately, over a much longer period of time, sometimes lasting several years until the killer is taken into custody by authorities or killed. If a mass killer’s murders are committed in more than just a single location, then they are part of a continuous action (Murder 1). Their victims are usually chosen at random, not just killed at first sight. Their targets may also come in specific groups. More than occasionally, a mass murderer will take his own life after his urge to kill is over. This is possibly because authorities recognize the killer is unstable and are likely to shoot the killer in order to protect themselves. A typical mass murderer uses a semi-automatic weapon and plots his murders to be made in a school, university, or restaurant (murder 1). Serial killers commonly attack a single target at a time one on one. There also tends to be no or very little relation between the person being killed and the killer (murder 1). “The nature of this drive has been heavily debated, but there is a consensus on some points (Anderson 1).” Many researchers have noted sexual behavior in the murder.
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.
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
An analysis of the most famous murderers and serial killers in the Chicago area shows varying degrees of psychopathy or mental illnesses, which ultimately contribute to homicidal conduct. Analysis also shows that the paths of serial killers have a tendency to converge.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Over the past few years, the occurrence of serial killings has been evident. Such illegal events, has significantly impacted society as a whole, and has resulted in many attempts by the government to decrease the likelihood of future events from reoccurring. In doing so, psychologist must examine the factors and motives of offenders. Clifford Olson, for instance, helps comprehend the complexity of the human mind and helps researchers understand why serial killings occur. Furthermore, analyzing different psychological and sociological perspectives, will better our understanding of the mind of Clifford Olson.
Ever wondered if there is a serial killer in your community? The characteristics of a serial killer may shock you or be surprisingly familiar to some of you. It is important for society to get informed about the various types of serial killers that are out there. It is essential for families to educate their children about strangers, to be careful with everyone they encounter on the streets, store, and even in their neighborhoods. A serial killer is defined as a person who murders three or more people in at least three separate events, with a "cooling-off period" between the kills. The big question is, what makes a person do these atrocious killings? We will analyze personal histories, categorized serial killers,
There are numerous traits that each serial killer possesses, different, but very similar in some way, shape or form.
Serial killers are usually young, white males who are quite intelligent and often come from broken homes. They may have been abused either physically or sexually during childhood and they have serious personality defects, such as low self-esteem and a lifelong sense of loneliness. Although no two serial killers are alike, they all fit this description somewhat. In the sixth edition of Crime and Criminality by Sue Titus Reid, a serial killer is defined as a person who commits more than one murder but at different times (Reid, p. 134).
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 murder as defined by the FBI is, “[t]he unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events" (Morton Robert J. Ed, & Hilts., Ed, 2005, p. 9). Numerous people disagree with the definition, this researcher included, since it lacks the cool- down period after they murder, which various people feel stands necessary for serial killer status. Serial killers remain a rare phenomenon. The FBI states, serial murder accounts for less than one percent of killings per year (Morton Robert J. Ed, & Hilts., Ed, 2005, p. 2). Nevertheless, throughout the years, countless people have researched serial killers since they commit such heinous crimes. Criminologists and researchers have been attempting to identify various
Serial killing is a common phenomenon in the post-modern society that requires the killing of three or more unknown people. Popular culture defines serial killers as a ‘evil monster’, who are indifferent to normal human beings; as presented in Roberts Resslers’ book ‘whoever fights Monsters’. For centuries, the physiological aspect of serial killers have been the main object of study, however as more studies have shown that serial killers are impacted greatly by the societal forces, sociologist perspective has become very valued in understanding serial killers. This essay will focus on two sociological explanations of serial killers from Kevin; who explores the notion that serial killers are the consequent of modernity; which sets out
The term “serial killer” was created in the mid-1970s by a man named Robert Ressler, a former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. “He chose "serial" because the police in England called these types of murders "crimes in a series" and because of the serial films that he grew up watching.”(Freeman). Before this term was created these murders were known as mass murders crimes. Serial killers can be act-focused, who kill quickly or process-focused, who kill slowly and torture their victims.
There are many genres of serial killer, but not one is lesser than the other, they are all dangerous and they are normal everyday people that one could not recognize. “We serial killers are your sons, we are your husbands, we are everywhere. and there will be more of your children dead tomorrow. ” – Ted Bundy. They are many in number and in type. They are creative in their killing ways, whether they admit to knowing what they are doing or not. So whether they kill for mercy, the thrill, or even for religious purposes, they still kill without boundaries and that is why they have fascinated the cultures and plagued them since the beginning of time.
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 possibly the most evil form of human life in existence. They find joy in inflicting pain in others and will find grotesque ways in manipulating and hurting people to gain satisfaction. The general profile for a serial killer is shown through a few common traits. Serial killers typically are power hungry, manipulators, egotistical, charming, and good at blending in. Serial killings are separated from mass murder by a cool-off period and the crimes being committed over several locations. Not all serial killers are the same, they all have different motives for their senseless killing. Thrill seekers, power/controllers, lust killers, visionaries, and mission-oriented killers are the main people who kill with these motives. Thrill
Classic mass murder typically involves an individual entering a location and randomly killing as many people as possible, whereas familial homicide usually involves a family member murdering three or more relatives which often ends with the killer committing suicide (Bartol & Bartol, 2008, p. 343). These crimes are tragedies as they are often unpredictable in that they can occur anywhere, at any time, and typically with little warning of which the end results in a massive loss of life. According to Bartol, mass murderers are usually characterized by anger and frustration stemming from the failure of their life to meet their expectations and often have suffered a serious loss (2008, p. 350). Social psychologists have stated that chronic frustration and strain resulting from an individual’s failure to obtain their goals over a long period of time increases the likelihood of aggressive and delinquent behavior (Levin & Madfis, 2009, p. 1229). Barton describes classic mass murderers as usually lacking interpersonal and social skills, and are often withdrawn leaving them with little to no social support structure (2008, p. 351). An example of classic mass murder is one occurring in the workplace. Many perpetrators of these workplace mass murders are often withdrawn,