What Makes A Serial Killer?

“The foundation for a serial killer is usually laid down in their early life experiences during childhood with harsh childhood punishment and discipline” (Dalal, Aggarwal, Bhullar, & Sharma, 2009, p. 111). According to studies made by Dalal et al (2009), individuals that grow up in homes where alcohol and drugs are abused, and the child is emotionally scarred or physically harmed are likely candidates to become a serial killer than others who come from stable, loving homes. Other experts have also agreed with this theory that a traumatic home life can produce a serial killer. One hypothesis individuals

Throughout time many have had a fascination with serial killers and with help from the media they have become celebrities within our culture. There are many books, movies, television shows, and news coverage to introduce viewers to their lives. With all the interest behind serial killers, many wonder how they come to be this violent. The question is often asked, are serial killers born or made?

Why do some people kill other people? More importantly, why do some people enjoy killing lots of people just for the fun of it? This is a basic description of what a serial killer is. But what possesses these human beings to commit such heinous crimes? Some say that genetics are responsible, while others blame the environment that the killers grew up in. The causes of psychopathy remain a mystery. We don’t even have a reasonable answer to the question of whether psychopathy is a product of Mother Nature or a part of upbringing.

Serial Killers. We’ve all heard these words, but what does it mean? A Serial Killer is a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive, and typically following a predictable behaviour pattern. They tend have a cooling off period, and their reason for killing usually is for a sexual component. They have to kill at least three to five people to be counted as serial.

The Mind of a Serial Killer Olympia Hernandez LE300J I & I L Capstone: Serial Killers as Heroes in Popular Culture Instructor: Donna Spehar September 22, 2014 The Mind of a Serial Killer What do serial killers have in common? What early signs are shown and what characteristics are portrayed? Can a serial killer be prevented from killing? These are a few of many questions that society may ask “Why are they compelled to do what they do”.

A serial killer is someone who murders two or more individuals at different times. For example, if a man murders a prostitute on the day of Easter, murders another on mother’s day, and then another on Memorial Day, then he would be classified as a serial killer.

What drives a serial killer to commit crimes can either be explained through heredity as a means of inheriting a mental disorder or that their upbringing and environment is to blame for shaping a person into a murderer. Nature is defined by most people as the genetic make-up of a person; for example, health issues, mental disorders, may run in a family. On the other hand, nurture deals with a person’s environment, and how a person was raised; for example, an abusive husband beats his wife maybe because he grew up witnessing his father doing the same thing. Holmes and DeBurger note, “According to most researchers, the serial killer is a sociopath (or antisocial personality), which reflects a disorder of character or personality rather than of

The concept of serial killing is difficult for most to grasp, but it can be easily inferred that the reality of a serial killer is different from the general population. As the notorious Ted Bundy, killer of several young females, once said, “‘I am the most cold-blooded son of a bitch you’ll ever meet. I just liked to kill, I wanted to kill’” (Labrode). This creates the question of how much a serial killer’s childhood really plays into who they are. While biologists argue that factors such as an extra chromosome, head trauma, and hormone imbalances lead to these violent actions, psychologists are researching how early life and recent media has impacted them. Others even believe that these people become aberrant from pressure to succeed, and their lack of control (Lee). In the source Looking-Glass

In recent discussions of serial killers, a controversial issue has been whether they were born being the killer that they are or if it is impacted by the way that they grew up. On the one hand, some argue that serial killers are influenced by things in their lives that cause them to become these guiltless killers. From this perspective, porn and violence in the home are big factors in what people believe to be influencing these people. On the other hand, however, others argue that these people are born this way and the way they grow up has no influence. In the words of Helen Morrison, one of these view’s main proponents, “No matter what country, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic background, education, familial background, they are all exactly the same.” According to this view, despite if they are born this way or grew up being influenced by things, they are all the same. In sum, then, the issue is whether they are born this way or if their lives are influenced.

Serial killer is a relatively new term that appeared around the 1970’s through the media, but the practice of killing multiple people at different times is not (Biagi-Chai, vi). The FBI’s definition of a serial killer is “three or more separate events in three or more separate locations with an emotional cooling-off period between homicides. This definition stresses three elements:

Serials killers can be defined in different ways, depending on who you ask. If you ask me, I think a serial killer is someone who has killed more than a couple people. If you ask someone else more than likely you will get a different definition. But what really is the definition of a serial killer? According to Zoe McKnight “Serial murders usually refer to two or more murders at different places and times with a cooling-off period in between, rather than several unrelated murders, or a killing spree” (McKnight). So basically the real definition of a serial killer is someone who has killed at least two people with some time in between the murders. Rather than a killing spree which would be killing person after person. That would be a mass murderer. What I find really interesting about serial killers is how they choose their victims or why they choose the people they do, characteristics of the killer’s victims and what serial killers have in common with other serial killers, and more importantly why they actually kill people, and what happens to them once they get caught.

Serial killers provide a way for Americans to be obsessed with the taboo and occult. From buying a shirt that Charles Manson wore to going on tours of places where serial killers left their victims, America is fascinated by the inner working of serial killers. This fascination becomes wasted energy. They are obsessed with a crime that could have been prevented. If the energy went into preventing an individual from escalating to the point where they kill, society would be for the better. Many serial killers display tell-tell signs in childhood and adolescence— specifically at school due to the numerous amounts of interactions children have with others. The current system of identifying serials killers is a flawed one because it is retroactive and only allows us to identify serial killers after the have killed. We need a system—one that allows us to identify potential serial killers in the educational system before they get to the point of killing. This can be done through mental screenings and if the traits of a potential killer arise, the children could receive the counseling and help they need.

Serial killer. You may be wondering what a serial killer is or how they become to be such a thing. The exact definition of serial killing has been debated over the years. In 1998 a definition was established through the U.S. Congress, within the Protection of Children from Sexual Predator Act of 1998 (Title 18, United States Code, Chapter 51, and Section 1111) which includes the following definition: “The term ‘serial killings’ means a series of three or more killings, not less than one of which was committed within the United States, having common characteristics such as to suggest the reasonable possibility that the crimes were committed by the same actor or actors (FBI, Serial Murder, Part II)”.

Many have pondered the real reasons why these individuals have turned to killing. The elucidation lies within the serial killer, specifically the development from birth to adulthood (Leyton, 1987). The behaviours that serial killers express

In order to be considered a serial killer, the individual must be responsible for the murder of at least 3 people in a certain length of time. There are several types of motives that cause a serial killer to commit murders and each one has a different reason, or motivation, for their acts. There are many factors to take into account on why these people become who they are and what early aspirations may have caused this.