When it comes to the topic of Psychopaths, most of us will readily agree that they are broken somehow. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of why they are the way they are. Whereas some are convinced that it has to do with biology, others maintain that it is because of environment. On example of a young psychopath is Justina Morley. In an article by Katherine Ramsland, she explains the events of the 2003 murder trial of Jason Sweeney ending in the conviction of Justina Morley and 3 other boys. As the story goes, Morley, fifteen at the time, was the ring leader and posed as Sweeney’s girlfriend while also having sexual relations with two of the three boys involved. The intent was to rob Sweeney, sixteen years old, of the $500 he had earned working with his father. Morley persuaded Sweeney to follow her to an isolated area where the other boys would be waiting. Not only did they rob him, the boys delivered fatal blows with a hammer, hatchet, and rock. Edward Batzig, Nicolas Coia, and Domenic Coia were all convicted of first-degree murder and will serve life in prison. However, Morley, the mastermind, was allowed to plead to third-degree murder in exchange for her testimony; she will be out of prison before she is thirty-five. In her statements, she described herself as “a cold-hearted, death worshiping bitch, who survives by feeding off the weak and lonely,” she wrote “I lure them and then I crush them.” (Ramsland, 1) Morley was the only one who knew about the paycheck and controlled the boys with sexual favors, money, and drugs. She also wrote “it’s funny, how easy it is to persuade them into lies” (Ramsland, 2), admitting manipulation is something she does often and well. I can’t help but wonder why she...
... middle of paper ...
...ut two together, that’s when you get the toxic mix” (Nichols, 5). ("Death of Jason Sweeney.”, 1)
In Raines view, it’s “Broken families and broken Brains. It’s not just biology versus environment; it’s biology plus environment that give rise to crime.” (Nichols, 5) Ramsland’s ideas of self-gain and no remorse in Justina Morley’s art of persuasion are very square with Raines ideas in Nichols’ Body of Evidence. It is quite possible that environmental factor such as drugs, biology, or both were to blame in the murder of innocent Jason Sweeney. In my opinion, the facts seem to point to Morley being a psychopath from a biology point of view. Unfortunately, this is a very controversial topic that will likely never be decided upon in order for success against crime.
Works Cited
"Death of Jason Sweeney." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
The question of whether or not man is predetermined at birth to lead a life of crime is a question that has been debated for decades. Are serial killers born with the lust for murder, or are their desires developed through years of abuse and torment? Many believe it is impossible for an innocent child to be born with the capability to commit a horrible act such as murder. But at the same time, how could we have corrupted society so much as to turn an innocent child into a homicidal maniac? Forensic psychologists have picked apart the minds of serial killers to find an answer as to what forces them to commit such perverse acts. Their ultimate goal is to learn how to catch a serial killer before he commits his first crime.
They believe that psychopaths are not born, but made. Individuals could become psychopaths if they are from abusive homes or were exposed to intense violence at an early age (Parker, 2015). Some environmental conditions that could lead to psychopathy include lack of supervision and love while growing up; abusive discipline; absence of a father figure; impoverished living conditions; neglect while growing up; criminal conviction of one or both parents (Parker, 2015). Individuals that grow up in any of these conditions have a very high probability of exhibiting the characteristics of a psychopath. In a study conducted among psychopaths, 71.4% of the psychopaths reported to have been abused in their childhood (Correctional Service Canada, 2013). They could have been abused either physically, sexually, emotionally or mentally. This simply shows that bringing up a child plays a very important role in determining what the child would become in his or her future – mentally ill or
Common psychological disturbances in the stages of making a serial killer are seen in childhood and are usually based upon mental and psychological abuse endured by a child.
Identifying the mystery of the psychopath can prove to help the them and the general public. Early awareness of the common psychopaths among us will reduce the impact on society. Further research is still needed to better help the psychopath and the general population.
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
Psychopaths are different than their common criminal counterparts because they live a parasitic lifestyle, are often charming, apathetic, and may have average to above average intelligence. Psychopaths, or predators, usually impress others as friendly, outgoing, likeable, and alert. They appear to be well educated and knowledgeable. Predators can be verbally skillful and can talk themselves out of trouble. Psychopaths exhibit arrogance and are selfish, self-centered, and self-motivated to secure their own self-interests (DeLisi, 2009). Psychopaths, like life-course persistent offenders, start offending at a young age as persistent and versatile
...hile some say it is nature and others say it is nurture, I believe it to be a little of both. Even though there are the few cases such as Rhoda who had the so called perfect but yet in the end turned into a cold hearted killer. Yet again you have children such as Beth who was raised in such a horrible environment and lost the sense of remorse and feeling and turned into psychopath. With all this said it comes down to nature and nurture to form a dangerous psychopath. Although there are some occasions where nature was the only factor and sometimes nurture is the only factor, when it comes to the end you have to take both aspects into consideration. Even with all the research we have we still do not know the definite reason why someone turns into this ruthless monster. Even though we think it has to do with nature and nurture, the world may never know the real reason.
Depictions of psychopaths today have become exaggerated based off of what you see in movies and films. The psychopaths in movies are believed to be dangerous or have an anti-social personality disorder. Not all psychopaths can be defined in that manner. Psychopaths are identified as people who are emotionally unstable. They are ultimately suffering from a chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. There have been studies ultimately wondering if a psychopath is born, or is it raised? Genetics and environment combine to produce conditions that create psychopathology. By paying attention to environmental variables we can potentially reduce the amount of people who become dangerous psychopaths.
The question of whether or not man is predetermined at birth to lead a life of crime is a question that has been debated for decades. Serial killers are made not born; it has been demonstrated that a man 's initial years are the most vital years. A youngster 's initial couple of years is a period of experimentation, a period to make sense of things for themselves, a period to set up the bits of the riddle. Like a newborn child, the mental health is reliant on its environment. A youthful youngster 's mind resembles a wipe; it gathers data through perception. The surroundings of a serial killer as a little child can enormously impact the way he or she will go about his or her life and his or her style of murdering. Certain experience, for example, youngster misuse, divorce, liquor misuse, tyke disregard, as well as medication misuse, can be negative to the advancement of a little child. Numerous serial killers were illegitimate kids. Due to their childhood and early backgrounds, serial killers swing to crazy murdering frenzies.
A psychopath is someone who is unable to live harmoniously in society due to their profound lack of compassion, empathy, conscience, and remorse (Hare, 1993). Many psychopathic symptoms have been proposed to result from cognitive and emotional processing impairments. The concept of a psychopath is often of a ruthless and dangerous criminal, an image commonly depicted in the media and film. Though psychopaths do make up an estimated 40% of dangerous offenders in Canada, it is the non-violent manipulators and cheaters, like white-collar criminals and unethical business people, who can have the most impact on the general population (Bonta & Motiuk; 1996, Hare, 1993). Therefore, understanding the cognitive bases and development of psychopathy can allow exploration into possible interventions and treatments, as well as identifying measures for use in diagnosing psychopathy in childhood and adolescence. Additionally, the deciphering of abnormal processes can give insight into normal functioning, thus helping to expand current knowledge. This paper reviews conclusions that processing of
...res of the psychopaths and gives the reader various examples of these individuals playing out these characteristics in everyday life. A widely used checklist is provided so the reader can get a wide spanning view of what is accounted for when scoring a psychopath. This form of research is very important within the deceitfulness of this population; it allows the professional to ignore their words and examine their actions. Hare made it clear that it is not uncommon for there to be an emotional and verbal disconnect from their actions. With virtually no emotional functioning psychopaths feel no remorse for the offenses that they commit and it is very important that we work towards using the opportunities we have to study and assist these populations; not only for them but for ourselves.
The world will always be full of crime, thus it is necessary for scientist to grow along with the gruesome and increasing amount of violations. Due to this it sparked scientist to develop crime theories in which emerged to explain why crime is caused by individuals. Some of the few theories that have advanced over the past century and provided many answers to why crimes are committed are biological theories, psychological theories and learning theories. These theories provide an insight to its first use and change in order to provide answers.
The media most often showcases psychopaths as individuals who are inherently evil and dangerous towards themselves and others. Yet, this concept of psychopathy goes far beyond this idea of pure evil and instead necessitates a needed psychological understanding. These individuals, psychopaths, are generally characterized by a lack of empathy and conscience. Indeed, psychopath’s indifference to the repercussions of their actions combined with other characteristics such as hostility and aggression make for a potentially dangerous personality (Lyken, 1996, p.30). In order to identify a psychopath’s recidivism, it is important to differentiate them from sociopaths who, instead of having a psychological impairment that makes it difficult for them to socialize, have been systematically under socialized (Lyken, 1996, p.30). In accordance. psychologists have developed the methods such as the Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R) to help identify those with psychopathic tendencies (Walters, 2012, p.409). That is why predictions of recidivism among psychopaths is most efficient when done
Contrary to the movie industry’s portrayal of psychopaths, rarely do psychopaths come out in the open and kill their victims with chainsaws or wear disturbing masks. Nor do they act menacing or evil out in public. Rather, most psychopaths attempt to blend into society. A psychopath can be defined as one who uses superficial charm and manipulation to achieve his or her goals, even if it involves committing crimes. They can act quickly and feel neither remorse for committing the crime nor empathy for their unsuspecting victim. As much as they attempt to blend in, psychopaths are unable to fully function in society because they lack some qualities of a “normal” person. In the medical field, psychopathy is not recognized as a disorder. In fact, Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary defines psychopathy as an “obsolete term” (Venes and Taber 1372). In an effort to define psychopathy, multiple psychiatrists attempted to describe i...
The nurturing of individuals plays a role in the making of killers, as 94% of serial killers had experienced some form of abuse as children and 42% have suffered severe physical abuse (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2010). A child abuse is a determining factor, in which supports the idea that serial killers and psychopath, are influenced significantly by nurture (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011). In most cases social, cultural and physiological determinants all play a role in influencing serial killers to grow into a mass murderer. It is important that physiological and social determinants can be identified, so they could be altered for the purpose of preventing the number of crime.