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Psychology of serial killers
The psychology of serial killers
Psychology behind serial killers
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Predestined Serial Killers
serial killer: a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and usually following a similar, characteristic pattern of behavior. (8)
As participants in today's information obsessed society we are constantly being bombarded with the brutal actions that mankind is capable of. One watches the news and hears about a murder, or reads a book about a mysterious killer. The only time that the New York Daily News has ever outsold the New York Times was when the headline claimed the letters that proved the 'real' identity of Jack the Ripper. As you wade through these bits and pieces of reality, one can't help but be struck by the thought-- what causes a person to actively commit such horrendous acts? There have been many different studies done in hopes of finding an answer. For a crime such as serial killing there are two main schools of thought. The first idea is that serial killing is caused by an abnormality in the frontal lobe region of the brain. Another theory is that serial killers are bred by circumstance. However, I believe that with some analysis the evidence for both theories can serve to prove that serial killers are genetically different. Thus demonstrating that serial killing can find its origins in genetics.
A startling amount of criminals on death row have been clinically diagnosed with brain disorders. A recent study has demonstrated that 20 out of 31 confessed killers are diagnosed as mentally ill. Out of that 20, 64% have frontal lobe abnormalities. (1) A thorough study of the profiles of many serial killers shows that many of them had suffered sever head injuries (to the frontal lobe) when they were children. To discover why damage to the frontal lobe could be a cause of serial killing, one must look at the function of the frontal lobe of the brain.
The frontal lobe is located in the most anterior part of the brain hemispheres. It is considered responsible for much of the behavior that makes possible stable and adequate social relations. Self-control, planning, judgment, the balance of individual versus social needs, and many other essential functions underlying effective social intercourse are mediated by the frontal structures of the brain. (3) Antonio and Anna Damasio, two noted Portuguese neurologists and researchers working in the University of Iowa, have been investigating in the last decade the neurological basis of psychopathy.
brothers, one was a textile merchant and the other a lawyer. A third brother, John C. Colt, a man of
Nature versus nurture has been argued in attempt to understand how criminals behave. The theory of what influences psychopath and serial killers’ violent and destructive pathways has not been agreed on till this day. Criminals such as psychopaths and serial killers have been researched for the past two decades. Scientists have found that genetics is a determining factor of who becomes a serial killer. It is important to understand the determinants involved within a serial killer, because if these social and environmental causes are discovered, they can be altered and controlled to reduce crime (Lykken, 1993). With more studies, we would therefore prevent mass murders and could assist in significant reductions of crime within society.
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.
The growing of tobacco, cotton, rice, and indigo and the plantation economy created a tremendous need for labor in Southern English America; slavery and indentured servants were great for this type of industry. Slavery was a systematic controlling structure under which African Americans are treated as property and are forced to work in harsh labor settings. Where as indentured servants, Europeans or Americans, signed an agreement and were bound by indentures to work for another for a specified time especially in benefit for payment of travel expenses and maintenance. Slaves were to be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation.
Indentured servitude in British America was borne from experiments by the Virginia Company, out of the need for cheap labor and in order to increase labor mobility from England to the colonies. It became a central
Slavery in the eighteenth century grew due to increased labor force that was needed in the plantations with increased knowledge of farming and industrialization in the plantations. After the colonization of North America by the Europeans, large tracts of land were available for farming and plantations. A number of white plantation owners brought in slaves to work since they were cheaper to use in providing labor. As a result, other plantations owners saw the advantage of using slaves as laborers (Litwack, 2009). A large number of slaves brought into America were Africans captured and transported to slave owners who submitted them to hard labor in the plantations. With no or small amount used as expenditure ad salaries, most plantations farmers opted to use slaves to provide them with labor. These slaves were made to work in the tobacco, rice and indigo plantations with harsh living conditions since they were either immigrants or unable to return to their countries. This paper compares and contrasts slavery in the North and South America.
Henry Lee Lucas bludgeoned, suffocated, stabbed, shot, or mutilated nearly 360 women, men, and children— committing his first murder at the age of thirteen. Lucas was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder characterized by a person’s lack of conscience and expressing little regret over harming others (Myers). Scientists define psychopaths with the following traits: lack of empathy, guilt, or remorse, impulsivity, weak ability to defer gratification, superficial charm, and a grandiose sense of their own worth (Choi). Psychologists, scientists, and criminologists search to answer the question of why serial killers commit mass killings and how they become such violent humans. With this in mind two school of thoughts emerge on the topic: nature (genetic makeup) and nurture (environmental and social factors). Genes, many argue, is the answer to understanding the mind of a serial killer while others focus on the origins and surroundings of the psychopaths’ childhood. However, I have found that it is a mix of both genetics and cultural upbringings that form a psychopath. In order to prove this, one must understand the genetic makeup of a psychopath.
A serial killer is a person whom everybody knows as a friend, a lover or even a father but no one knows about his killer instinct until it's to late. Serial killers have plagued this country and others for many years. They are hard to find and virtually undetectable until they start murdering the innocent.
William Shakespeare uses many techniques to liven the intensity, and the excitement in his plays. In the play of MacBeth, Shakespeare uses blood imagery to add a sense of fear, guilt, shame, insanity, and anger to the atmosphere. The use of blood imagery allows the audience to vision in their minds the crime scene where Duncan was murdered, as well as the scene where Lady MacBeth tries to cope with the consequences of her actions. The talk and sight of blood has a great impact on the strength and depth of the use of blood imagery.
The brain is arguably the most complex part of a human being and is linked to motivations, feelings, and actions. Therefore, when actions of individuals differ from “normal” actions, the brain is brought into question. Repeat killers commit actions that are not “normal” when compared to the general public and therefore research on their brains has been conducted. When comparing scans of everyday citizens’ brains as opposed to the brain of a convicted serial killer, the differences are clear. The two scans differ widely with the prefrontal gray matter of the average person’s, dwarfing that of the murderer’s (Adams). Pr...
Though the exact date on which the Freemasons originated is moot, evidence of Masonic activity dates back to the thirteenth century. Since the dawn of their existence, the activities of the Freemasons have been subject to controversy brought on by paranoia and fear of secret societies. Collations of people in opposition to Masonry have existed since the presidency of Andrew Jackson and have persisted ever since, the most recent form being conspiracy theorists. Numerous conspiracy theorists would have one believe that freemasonry is composed of secret meetings, ritualistic sacrifices, and plots for world domination, but just how much of this is actually true?
This institution was, in essence, a legal labor contract that was designed and enforced by the Virginia Company. It was intended to provide established, American colonists with a steady labor force of European migrants who were desperate to cross the Atlantic, yet lacked the financial means to do so. Under the terms of the contract, the owners of the means of production would own the labor of these “indentured servants” for a period of years until their contract debt was paid. It was an extremely profitable arrangement, largely because of the burgeoning international demand for colonial cash crops such as: tobacco, indigo, and rice. The institution of indentured servitude had further economic implications according to Davis W. Galenson, “once the legal basis of the institution had been laid down it could also be used to improve the functioning of markets for credit for other purposes” (1984:7); specifically, an owner of an indenture contract could use the labor of an indentured servant as collateral for other goods and services in the
Symbols are present in every person’s daily life. Symbols are seen everywhere, whether it is through art, religion, culture, or road signs, they are all around. Blood is a symbol that is seen in art, religion, literature and many other visual forms. Its direct connection to the human body is a significant aspect of its symbolism. People in the medieval period, which was right before Shakespeare’s time, thought that the blood was a person’s life force, and to some extent they were right. Literature uses blood to represent a variety of things such as a character’s desires, emotions and conscience. In the play “Macbeth,” by William Shakespeare, blood symbolizes many things, however, the most significant
With large amounts of data pouring in, come problems to be aware of and be proactive about. Some issues that will arise are privacy protection, great financial exposure in fast moving markets, risk for losing sight of most important information, and risk of wasting time and money while not defining the real problems.
On the contrary, media agents believe adamantly that politicians are representatives of an electorate and, in light of this, they maintain that it is their duty to uphold democracy. It is only through the identification of hypocrisies within the government that democracy will survive. It is possible to argue that the press does go some way to provide an extension of the checks and balances of our government, but this must always be seen in the light of their own personal agendas which is to sell papers and make money. The role of the media in modern British society is huge and its effects on politics are vast. Despite all its flaws and political biases, it provides an invaluable service to the nation in that it reminds us that we have a fundamental right to speak our own beliefs and to know what is going on in government. However, this could be described as an idealistic view because the media is as much the tool of the government as the government is a tool of a media. Both are driven by the force of power and money (Marxism) and therefore liable to corruption (Jones and Norton, 2010). What we read is often misconstrued for a certain effect, whether it be to sell papers or to gain support for a political party. As long as the complex relationship between politicians and media is