Serial Killers : Born Or Created?

One of the reasons is why serial killers commit such tragic and gruesome actions. Nature has been the case in an abundance of different murderers when concerning mental illness. Most serial killers struggle with schizophrenia, which is a disorder that affects a persons ability to think, feel, and behave clearly(holdren 2015). A key example of schizophrenia is serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. Dahmer displayed his schizophrenic habits whenever police discovered dismembered body parts and organs inside his apartment(holdren 2015). Schizophrenia is a serious issue that must be addressed when dealing with a serial

Murders occur every day in our current day society. However, there have been certain murderers that have had different motives behind their killing. These individuals tend to have sociological issues that shape who they are and what they will become. They are impacted by the main factors of life that associate with their mental health. Theories have been created such as the Structural Strain Theory that express why these serial killers decide to do such things. The primary aspect of these individuals that we tend to like to study is there background and their socialization in society as this could better explain why these individuals are the way they are.

As technology continues to evolve, our understanding of sickness and disease grows as well. Modern day technology is able to tell doctors what caused the disease and in ideal situations how to cure it. Recent scientists have begun to look at the desire to kill as a disease. This theory poses an interesting concept that if it is a disease, then maybe there is a cure that prevents serial killers from killing. In Christer Claus and Lars Lidberg’s article they look at the desire to kill as a disease. The article states that while using Schahriar Syndrome as a model, they are able to explain even the most vicious human behaviours, such as planned and repeated homicide (Claus/Lidberg 428). This disease is broken down into five main characteristics: omnipotence, sadistic fantasies, ritualized performance, dehumanization, and symbiotic merger. These five traits are not only common among people with the disease, but among serial killers as well (428). The article states that after a successful killing, the killer is surprised. When the killer is able to get away with murder, a sense of amazement consumes them. Once the killer has repeatedly killed their victim and escaped the authorities, they begin to feel like they are omnipotent. As time goes on, over fifty percent of serial killers experience sadistic fantasies that make them want to keep committing the crimes. Each killer uses their success and sadistic fantasies to form a certain ritual. They begin to believe that if they are

Serial killers aren't any different. Some were raised with wonderful childhoods but suffered from mental illnesses. Others grew up with traumatic childhoods but did not suffer from mental illnesses. Abuse (sexual, physical, or mental) or head injuries that might have cause brain damage have the effect to create a serial killer. Some illnesses like schizophrenia, personality disorders, and or psychopathy can affect serial killers’ thinking.

Scientists believe that the makings of a serial killer reacquire three ingredients, genetic make up, brain patterns and childhood abuse or violence in the family, it's shown by serial killers that 18% reported neglect, 26% sexual abuse, 36% physical abuse, 50% psychological abuse, and 68% some mistreatment regardless of type and 32% no reported abuse. Now, Research from Graeme Fairchild, a lecturer in clinical psychology at Southampton University found that adolescents with violent tendencies had a shrunken Amygdala, the part of the brain that controls emotions and mortality , this brain scan showed below is a photo of a normal person's brain and a psychopath's brain, it isn't as lit up as the normal

Three fundamental elements define a serial killer: they have “cooling-off” periods in between each murder, they kill no more than three people in one session, and they kill without any passion (Freeman). This differentiates them from other types of murderers, especially when it comes to their motives and their amounts of psychopathic behavior. According to Michael Koenigs, assistant professor of psychiatry in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the “two structures in the brain, [ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala] which… regulate emotion and social behavior, [do] not [communicate] as they should” in the minds of psychopaths (University of Wisconsin). Although ranging, almost all serial killers portray

Serial killers have been ravaging society for centuries, even before Jack the Ripper. For every effect there is a cause, there always is a reason for why people do things. On the topic of serial offences it will always lead back to what drove the perpetrator there. When any crime is committed it can be a simple reason such as lust or money. When a serial crime is committed it means there is more to it than just an accident, they like what they are doing. To find and catch these horrific individuals, the use of psychology is now an important factor. The book “Mind Hunter” explains in depth how the use of psychology can create a profile and catch a criminal. By psychoanalyzing the criminal, victim, crime scene, and anything other available

If the brain of a serial killer is proven to be affected by a damaged amygdala, one controversial option could be to remove the amygdala, as done in the monkey tests. I do not think the brain-damaged serial killer should be executed for his crimes but he definitely has to be held accountable, or society faces a liability for not protecting the innocent that the killer may destroy. Some people who have had their amygdala removed have become hyper-empathetic, which could be considered a step in the right direction.

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.

Thus we find that there are many arguments and opinions about whether a serial killer is born a killer because of bio-psychological

There has been an intriguing psychological debate about nature vs. nurture but not many have so far concurred with the facts revolving around the debate. The debate seeks to establish whether serial killing is a genetic trait or homicidal simply molds and shapes along the way as a result of assorted environmental factors. In searching for satisfactory answers to these perplexing queries, I tripped on an interesting link between serial killing and Asperger syndrome. Innumerable research activities have once suggested that the two are closely related thereby augmenting my curiosity of delving further in the subject.

For my upcoming research paper, I intend to write on serial killers. The psychological factors that motive an individual to commit serial killings has long fascinated psychologist and criminal profilers. Research into criminal behavior has shown that there is a multitude of factors that go into the creation of criminal behaviors. According to the textbook, “there is no single identifiable causal factor in the development of a serial killer” (Bartol & Bartol, 2016, p. 303). To me the absence of a single causal factor, causes serial killers to be fascinating. What is most fascinating is the absence of serious mental disorder, that could be used to identify potential serial killers. I feel like this topic needs further research to better understand

As people in today's society, we are constantly being bombarded with the crazy actions that mankind is capable of. We watch the news and hear about murders, or even read a book about a mysterious killer. As we go through these pieces of reality, one can't help but be struck by the thought--what causes a person to act so violently? There have been many studies done to try and find an answer. For a crime such as serial killing, there are two thoughts. The first idea is that serial killing is caused by an abnormality in the frontal lobe of the brain. The other is that serial killers are bred by circumstance which means they have certain genes

In the ABC video “The Brain and Violence: Secrets of Your Mind” they highlighted Doctor James Fallon who studies the neurological factors and genetic factors that are commonly found in serial killers and

Serial killers often are torn between their mental stability and their immoral actions. Mental issues are widely overlooked in the medical field and in the science world. Psychology does not seem to be an objective science to the majority of the world, and the brain is one of the arduous organs to study in the body. Not much detail is known about how the brain works and why it works the way it does, as the study of the human brain is still a relatively new field in the medical and science field. For almost the entire existence of the human species, famous philosophers have always questioned how things work, and why things work the way things do. They ask the difficult questions, yet the question of how they are alive or how they are simply able to think has never come up. This question of thought has never really sprouted from anyone’s train of thought until more recently around the 1900s when worldwide people finally figured that the brain controls all of our actions.