The Characteristics Of Serial Killers

In your eyes what does a serial killer look like? What do you think of when you hear the word serial killer? Would he be an outcast to society or a mentally disturbed person? In contrast, it is almost impossible to detect a serial killer just by looking at him or her. To one, the average serial killer may look like a white male, usually between the age of twenty or thirty, living a normal life and holding a stable job. However, serial killers exterior is perhaps the shallowest of their true identity in society. Their cognitive thinking and horrible motives behind their killings outweigh their “average” serial killer looks. There are numerous traits that each serial killer possesses, different, but very similar in some way, shape or form.

Serial killers murders happen in a trance during their voracious phases and their victims are dehumanized into insignificant objects within their mind, and are symbolic objects. On the other hand, the offenders that are organized have antisocial personalities (Miller, Laurence). Thus, an organized offender does not care about values and completely lacks remorse for their actions and their victims. The reason for this is they fail to learn by the punishment they can receive for their actions. Those suffering from an antisocial personality disorder do not react in the same way a normal person would do. For example, many people find excitement in riding roller coasters while the others with antisocial personalities do not feel excitement at all. People with antisocial personalities have to engage in extreme activities such as murder for a thrill. Organized offenders, also known as psychopaths, seem to have the above average intelligence compared to unorganized offenders (Ramsland, Katherine). They are socially experienced and are able to maintain a job and relationships with the outside world. Many of them are married or live with a relationship partner, and are sexual with them. They do not suffer of hallucinations of any other type of mental illness in contrast to unorganized offenders (Ramsland, Katherine).

Aileen Wuornos did not fit the FBIs description of a serial killer because at the time, nobody would even think that a woman would be able to commit these types of murders. She was a prostitute from Florida that was executed in 2002 for killing seven men over two years in the 90s. Most of who were truck drivers. Something called geographical profiling is a particular area where the serial killer usually works or lives and feels the sense of security to kill without getting caught. It is possible for the serial killer to kill close to home or work or close to some place that they are familiar with. Thus, are they truly insane for this? We do not have to be informed or enlightened that there is something different about the mind of a serial killer. As a society, it is usually understood that there is something missing from the life a serial killer. Something in the brain has to be coded or decoded somewhere compared to the rest of the normal people in the world. What would make someone want to kill and continuous kill with or without