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Pros And Cons Of Serial Killers

Decent Essays
Every decade brings a new “Eureka!” In the 70s, we became convinced that urban poverty caused violence. In the 80s, it was all due to mental illness, and in the 90s substance abuse was definitely the culprit. Now it’s malfunctioning brains that are to blame (Edersheim, Price, and Smoller).
“What defines a serial killer? According to the FBI, a serial killer is someone who commits at least three murders over more than a month with an emotional cooling off period in between” (Brogaard). With this in mind, people like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Jeffrey Dahmer are serial killers. What makes them this way? Is it genetics or is it the fact that their childhood was a nightmare? The debate amongst scientists for years doesn’t have an answer. There is plenty of evidence to support that fact that most serial killers are missing a certain enzyme in their body that dwindles their empathy senses. There is also plenty of facts about real life killers that show that environment and upbringing is what ruins them, and turns them from a happy child to the deranged adult they become. Serial killers are born and made because of genetics and the environment. Serial killers are born due to a gene and enzyme that affects the brain. This gene is called the warrior gene. “The so-called warrior gene comprises particular variations in the X chromosome gene that produces monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), an enzyme that affects the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin” (Powledge)
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