The Existence Of Serial Killers

Around the world, several new cases of serial homicides are reported every year. (Vronsky 15). Ninety-seven percent of serial murders are committed by psychopaths: someone who lacks a conscience, feels no remorse, cares exclusively for his own pleasures and cannot empathize with the suffering of his victims (Levin and Fox 4). The psychopathic state is not a mental illness but is a behavioral or personality disorder (Vronsky 245). When these behavioral components are combined with the desire to kill, an addiction is triggered and rarely broken. The psychology of a psychopathic serial killer produces specific character traits that cannot be altered therefore rehabilitation and imprisonment will be unsuccessful in treatment.

“We serial killers are your sons, we are your husbands, we are everywhere. And there will be more of your children dead tomorrow.” (Ted Bundy). Serial killers are not always those people that look like monsters or behave in strangeous ways. Sometimes they are the successful people, the ones that have a family and a job. The term “Serial Killer” was first coined by Robert Ressler, former director of the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. Serial killers are often defined as people that kill two or more people over a period of more than 30 days with “cooling off” periods between each kill. Many historical criminologists suggest that serial killing has been a component of society since the beginning; suggesting that old stories

In the article The Serial Killer Phenomenon Richard Whittington-Egan aims to explain what exactly a serial killer is and how they differ from a mass murderer. Whittington-Egan breaks down and showcases the defining characteristics of a serial kill with the help of numerous cases of evidence to confirm the accuracy of each statement. The article concludes with examining the future of this phenomenon, what has been done, and most importantly how difficult it will be to solve such an unpredictable behavior.

Throughout history, serial killers and murderers have received a significant number of news articles dedicated to them and have attracted audiences all around the world; however, the question that nobody can seem to answer is, “Why?” What causes people to grow up with the desire to kill and what can we do to prevent others from becoming serial killers in the future? “All serial killers are murderers, but not all murderers are serial killers,” as stated on The Undergraduate Times. A serial murder is defined by Encyclopedia Britannica as “the unlawful homicide of at least two people, carried out in a series over a period of time,” while mass murder is the

Serial killers are not a new development. They have been among us since the beginning of time. Evidence of this can be seen by reviewing some of the world’s most high-profile crimes; some of which remain unsolved. Serial killers are difficult to detect. They are able to move through society, masquerading as normal, healthy individuals. A serial sexual sadistic killer is a specific type of predator. Their crimes suggest that they are void of any feelings or emotion. However, theories suggest that their sadistic behavior is motivated by torturing their victims.

Throughout history, serial killers have sparked interest in the minds of many. Serial killers researched today are generally single people who murder for many different psychological reasons, still not fully understood. What happens when you get a group of four psychopaths in the same house, all with the same drive for murder, leads to a bloody trail of death. In the 1800’s, on a remote trail in Kansas, a so called ‘family’ started killing travelers. Working as a unit to execute their murders, these four ‘family’ members would continue their rampage from the same location, killing approximately 11 victims.

 Holmes and DeBurger (1998) specified the typology of serial killers and expressed this typology into four distinct categories:

Serial killers are a disturbing piece of the puzzle of society that we must figure out to save the lives of the public in the future. Although the term serial killer loosly means killing serveral people by different means, there are those who are indeed survivors of these horrific acts and live to tell

"Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those who we cannot resemble” Samuel Johnson once said. What defines a serial killer? “Serial killer” is the title given to a person who commits three or more murders over the course of more than a month. Usually these series of murders often contain some sort of psychological motive and also sadistic sexual connotation, but there are cases where no actual motive is presented. While it is more common for male serial killers to be driven by sexual satisfaction, with the acception of a few females, female serial killers are more often driven by sympathy, benevolence, or a twisted sense of love. There, of course, are other reasons behind the abrupt minds of serial killers such as

Zee let go of my hand and opened the door.”This way my majesty.” He bowed as I walked through causing me to blush.

By definition, serial killers are men or women who have taken the lives of at least three victims over an extended period of time. However, those words do not even come close to properly expressing the complexity of a psychopathic, homicidal mind. Most killers murder merely for pleasure, rather than for profit. There are a plethora of negative influences that help to push a potential killer over the edge. For example, western society’s culture puts emphasis on sex and violence. Those who grow up in such an environment often become desensitized to these things and lose compassion for victims of even the most gruesome crimes. This inevitably does not mix at all well with inclinations to kill.

​Serial killers are not something that is new to our modern day world. These type of killers have dated as far back as the 19th century and are even more prevalent in our society today. When murder is associated with serial killers, individuals assume that murderers and serial killers are essentially the same word, but serial killers are a type of murderer. When an individual commits two or more crimes, with no apparent motive and often uses the same type of behavior pattern that is predictable, these murderers are categorized as a serial killer. Investigators and historians study serial killers and their motives, and there have been many cases that have grown cold. One in particular that is still trying to be cracked open today is the identity

Serial killers are the result of a horrific mix of psychological, biological, and sociological factors. They are an enigma to society due to their deviant and unusual lifestyle but they do raise interesting questions regarding how they got this way, why they murder, and how they choose their victims. Social theories and concepts of sociology can be used to give an understanding to answer these three questions since the construction and driving force of the individual is heavily dependent on society.

From one viewpoint, serial killing appears like an exceptionally and solely exhibit day marvel, an aftereffect of the different ills harassing late-twentieth-century America – distance, social rot, sexual brutality, widespread wrongdoing, and so forth. Then again, the cruel driving forces that present themselves in serial homicide are without a doubt as old as mankind (Serial Killers Through History).

Serial killing is a diverse topic with multiple explanations in order to explain the occurrences. The notion of fear and an inability to fully comprehend the causes of serial killings are evident in this post-modern era. The fascination with serial killing has provided mass media the ability to instill upon serial killer with celebrity status. The main issues that allow serial killers to perform their acts range from Kevin D. Haggerty’s (2009) exploration of social impacts such as the society full of strangers, a broken rationality which is disconnected from values and morality, cultural diversity, ability for planned out killings and an intention to transform society. Nevertheless, these themes are explored in a social context and are seen throughout the post-modern context.