Serial Killers: Nurture vs. Nature
Family members are clueless about a possibility that one of their loved ones could be a serial killer. A young girl in Wisconsin had no idea about her father being a serial killer until she put the puzzle together years later. The family moved every six months with no reason and with a limited time to pack. There was a murder at every place they moved from. After the young girl was around the age of forty she told the police that she believes her father was a serial killer. A serial killer can change their environment and continue their actions they have chosen. Serial killers are born to cause violence and are not created by society.
Most people hear the words ‘serial killer’ and think of someone who kills
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Serial killers have different characteristics describing their way of murder. A power junkie, manipulator, egotistical bragger, superficial charmer, and an average joe are characteristics of a serial killer. A power junkie wants to take control over their victims (Woollaston 1). The victims are easily hypnotized by their killer and can not understand what they might be doing. Another serial killer is the manipulator who makes their victims do what they want them to do (Wollaston 2). The people taken by these serial killers can not find a way out of the killers demands. As important as the others, the egotistical bragger likes to brag about the actions they have done (Woollaston 2). The bragger can get arrested easily due to their constant bragging. The bragger is the type of serial killer that wants to be caught, which is why they constantly brag about their crimes. Another type of serial killer is the superficial charmer who love to use their looks and soft words to obtain the victim’s empathy and make them fall in love (Woollaston 3). The last characteristic of a serial killer is the hardest one to spot. The average joe is a normal, everyday citizen (Woollaston 4). Many people do not realize that a serial killer could be living right next to them. A serial killer does not have to stand out in the crowd. These …show more content…
The connection loss can cause many problems for the serial killer’s thought process. A person’s negative emotions are censored by the prefrontal cortex which is then controlled by the amygdala. The amygdala responds to the emotion that is needed after the impulse reaches the prefrontal cortex. When the connection of the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex is low, the body has trouble processing negative emotions (Brogaard 2). The lack of negative emotions can make the serial killer lose the recognition of when they or someone around them needs empathy, is embarrassed or is hurt by others’ actions. Most brains have strong connections between one nerve to the next. The connection of a serial killer’s brain is poor. In spite of all the research completed at the University of Wisconsin, other brain studies were done by different organizations. BBC News reports that Professor Adrian Raine found a decreased amount of activity in the prefrontal cortex and too much activity from the amygdala (BBC 1). Positron-emission Tomography (PET scans) were done to compare serial killers and normal, controlled subjects. Studies showed that there are many different things that happen after the prefrontal cortex is damaged at different conceptual levels (Raine 67). Due to the reduced prefrontal functioning, results show a lack of control
Just as the heroin addicts need for a fix may drive him to steal, the serial killers commitment to the fantasy pushes him or her to murder. In short, the cycle of the serial killer is no different from the cycle of any other addict, the ending outcome being functionally the same as the heroin addict’s
The film “Murder by Number” also includes medical issues, including brain damage, as contributing to the violence of many serial killers. Some criminologists and psychiatrists believe that serial killers kill because of issues with their families. These issues include failure to properly bond with
The typical childhood of a serial killer may involve abuse, bedwetting, drugs/alcohol, antisocial, interest with fire, and cruelty to animals. Serial killers get more aggressive as they kill more people because they get a thrill from it. Fantasies effect serial killers because they can trigger something in their minds that turn into actions instead of just thoughts.
Statistics show that serial killers in the United States often kill for fun and financial gains. (Serial Killer) In class we have been learning about serial killers and the psychological disorders that cause them to carry out the murders they commit. Andrea Yates mental stability and religious views altered her ability of life and caused five young children to lose their lives
Organized and Disorganized Killers Organized Killers Organized killers, such as Dennis Rader, are people we may see or know. They are our neighbors, family members, friends, co-workers. They are mostly highly intelligent with above average skills they use to plan the murder and its stages. Their methodical plans stand out when investigators are piecing the puzzle left by the serial killer. (Canter, Alison, Alison, & Wentink 2004)
The prefrontal cortex stops the violent impulses from becoming actions. Without a properly working prefrontal cortex, those violent impulses are carried out. The problem is that half of the serial killers have a different brain functionality, but the other half does not. That other half has the
There are different types of serial killers; some are worse than others. People often wonder why these people do certain things, for example, why they target specific people, or what has influenced their behavior. Taking a deeper look into serial killers a lot can be learned about their childhood and what may have led to them turning out the way they did. Most of the time they do not just wake up one day and decide to kill someone; rather, they are influenced by something or someone. It all starts with looking at their childhood, what their addiction turns into, and what happens to them in the end.
Murder is defined as the illegal taking of another human's life and is grounded in the intent of this action. Many murders occur at the time due to an increased passion of a situation; jealousy, anger, or a lapse in judgment that leads to someone else's death. In the case of serial killers, this is not about the passion of a onetime situation, it can be a compulsion that drives a person to kill over and over. The cause of this compulsion is motivated by mental illness, a sense of duty to a particular person or entity, or it is a way to release pent-up frustrations that the killer does not have the emotional capability to handle. This last one is the case for Edmund "Ed" Kemper III, also known as the Co-Ed Killer.
In this paper I will be applying the psychological theories to serial killer Ed Gein. Ed Gein was a prolific serial killer in the 1950’s. He murdered and robbed graves for body parts to make furniture and clothing. He was apprehended in 1957, where he stood trial and was institutionalized. Edward Theodore “Ed” Gein was born August 27th, 1906 to George and Augusta Gein.
There are two types of mass murderers, organized and disorganized. An example of an organized mass murderer is Eric Harris and his friend Dylan Klebold. They killed thirteen people and wounded more than twenty others at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999 (“Eric Harris”). In the biography of Harris, they called him a psycho, which falls under the subcategory of an organized murderer known as a disciple killer. Disciple killers are known to follow commands or fall under a ‘spell’ of their leader.
Have you ever wondered what makes someone a serial killer? Usually the words obsessive, power hungry, and lack of guilt are key when defining a serial killer. These traits all correspond with the serial killer Ahmad Suradji, also known as the sorcerer. Ahmad was born in January of 1994 in Indonesia. He lived with his father, who was a well known cattle breeder.
Mass murderers and serial killers are nothing new to today’s society. We learn about them in TV shows, books, research papers, in our classes, etc. Psychologists have spent decades trying to uncover the truth behind these killers’ madness. Serial killers vary in their behaviors, techniques, desires, mental illnesses and their personal lives. Have you ever heard of the Tamiami Trail Killer?
Aileen Wuornos Rebecca McRunnel CRJ 308 Psychology of Criminal Behavior Professor David Ojo October 6, 2014 A serial killer is defined as a “person who murders three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a “cooling off” period between each murder, which whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification.” (University, n.d) Many times serial murders go unsolved and other times it takes decades to unravel. According to the FBI there is no set profile of a serial killer, because they can come in all sizes, ages, shapes, colors and groups. (Welch, 2011)
Being a seriel killer also may have some sort of psychological gratification with the murder committed. The number one reason a serial killer murders is for some sexual reason others are motivated by anger, thrill, finanxial gain and because they crave the attention. Murders can be attempted or completed in the same manner. Victims would have either
Introduction I. Look around this school and think about exactly how many students are here daily. How would you feel if I told you that one out of every twenty five people are sociopaths(Pratt 2006).The fact of the matter is that not everyone who is a sociopath is a serial killer but oddly enough it has been proven that all serial killers are sociopaths. II. I have chosen serial killers that I found intriguing and that I thought not many people would know a lot about.