Robert Ressler Coined the Term Serial Killer

“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). Serial killers are not always those people that look like monsters or behave in strangeous ways. Sometimes they are the successful people, the ones that have a family and a job. The term “Serial Killer” was first coined by Robert Ressler, former director of the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. Serial killers are often defined as people that kill two or more people over a period of more than 30 days with “cooling off” periods between each kill. Many historical criminologists suggest that serial killing has been a component of society since the beginning; suggesting that old stories about vampires and werewolves were, indeed, based on serial killers. Regardless of public opinion, serial killing has been a part of society in the past and in the present. We can go from historical killers such as Gilles de Rais to “Jack The Ripper”, considered by many to be the first modern serial killer, to serial killers that still operate in the present. Many historians agree that the number of serial killers have considerably increase in the last couple of years due to the introduction of new media and technology. Statistics show that 80% of the 400 serial killers that have been active in the United States in the last century have originated since 1950. Although each serial killer is different in its own way, most exhibit certain key similarities that are constantly use to understand the reasons behind serial murderers. A big part of serial killers possess a type of mental disease and/or psychological problem. This may also suggest that serial killing is not solely a “nurture” problem, but tha...

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...d to his death sentence in the gas chamber. Another school of psychology that uses a strong argument while dealing with Chase’s behavior is the school of psychoanalysis. This school argues that the constant abuse that Chase suffered as a child is what ultimately led to his illegal actions during adulthood. Also, the use of defense mechanisms apply to this situation. By using the displacement defense mechanism, Richard Chase was able to re-direct the feelings of anger he had towards his parents to the animals he killed.

Search on serial killers has been highly debatable in the last couple of years. Regardless of the advances in technology to capture criminals, serial killers will always be a part of our society. From “Jack The Ripper” to the “Vampire of Sacramento”, serial killers will always haunt their preys and scare complete societies or even the entire world.