Facts About Serial Killers
Serial killers do not come about in one definitive way. Instead, there are a plethora of reasons why someone engages in serial murder. These reasons range from nature to nurture. Serial murderers become killers due to biological standpoints as well as to the way in which an individual was raised and how it impacted them; frequently, nature and nurture work together.
Literature Review
Categorizing
Approximately two-thirds of serial murderers are diagnosed "as suffering from Personality Disorder Cluster Type B, which is typified by anti-social, borderline histrionic, or narcissistic behavior” (Warf & Waddell, 2002). Those diagnosed with this disorder seem pleasant and charming, when they are actually manipulative and lack empathy and shame. …show more content…
They are narcissistic, selfish, sexually inappropriate and emotionally unstable. It is highly unlikely for a serial murderer to suffer from a multiple personality disorder (Warf & Waddell, 2002).
Law enforcement officers usually have two distinct types of serial killers that they are looking for, which are known as organized and disorganized (Warf & Waddell, 2002).
Organized serial killers are calculated and planned. They usually have a specific type of victim that they prey on. Disorganized killers are not calculated and they do not plan their kills. These killers care less about the physical appearance of their victims.
Growing up
Serial killer tendencies often arise from young ages. They arise from trauma in the household, such as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse (Knight, 2006). Their childhoods are filled with neglect and social deprivation. Several have family members who have a history with drug addiction, criminal behavior, and mental illness (Simons, 2001). The fathers of these individuals are either nonexistent or domineering (Knight, 2006). The mothers share either a cold and apathetic relationship or one in which the mother smothers the child, which often includes abuse. Some signs of an impending serial killer as a child include wetting the bed, harming or killing small animals, and an interest in fire (Warf & Waddell, 2002). As they enter adolescence, they may have an overwhelming fascination in pornography and chronic masturbation. They may become increasingly isolated, which results in deviant behaviors and acting out aggressively (Simons, …show more content…
2001).
Relationships
Serial killers have relationships which lack depth and intimacy (Knight, 2006). The relationships they do manage are used for personal gain. The people in their lives are viewed as extensions of themselves. They may manipulate those around them to believe that they are caring, but they only care for themselves.
Neuronal Activity
(Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014) compared the activity pattern of a serial killer’s murders to epileptic seizures. They used Andrei Chikatilo’s activity pattern and hypothesized that serial killers engage in murder when a large amount of neurons in the brain fire simultaneously, just like what occurs during a seizure. After he commits a murder, they considered it a sedative effect, which would lessen the activity of the neurons in his brain. They assumed that as the probability of a new murder is higher right after a murder rather than the average murder rate. They also assumed that the opposite would occur where the longer the time passes after a murder, the less likely a new one will occur right away (Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014).
Discussion
Childhood Children can grow up to be many different things. What they end up being as an adult has a strong influence from what happened during their childhood (Simons, 2001). Adults who were abused or neglected as a child were three times more likely to become a violent adult compared to adults who were not abused or neglected (Knight, 2006). These children grow up to have conflict within themselves over repressed feelings of helplessness. In order to regain a sense of control, they torture and kill small animals. As they grow older, they then project those feelings onto human victims. Serial killers make their victims feel as powerless as they once did. This is known as mirroring as is why it is rare for serial killers who kill for the thrill to mutilate their victim after death. When the victim is dead, there is not any part of themselves left in them (Knight, 2006).
Organized vs. Disorganized There are two categories to put serial killers in, which are organized and disorganized (Warf & Waddell, 2002).
Organized serial killers are charming and are able to easily manipulate others. They have average to high intellectual abilities. They are able to control the crime scene as well as hide and transport the body. They are more likely to search for a specific trait on a victim. For example, an organized serial murderer may only kill women with blue eyes and blonde hair. This can stem from their mother having those characteristics. Disorganized serial killers murder spontaneously. They usually have below average intellectual ability and cannot manipulate others. They tend to leave the body and weapon at the crime scene for all to see. They are less picky when it comes to their victims. Due to these differences, organized serial killers are much more difficult to catch. Disorganized serial killers are sloppier and cannot plan out their murders, they can only act on impulse (Warf & Waddell,
2002).
Why one murder is not enough Some serial murderers kill for sexual pleasure (Knight, 2006). They torture and mutilate their victims in order to achieve orgasm and cannot do so any other way. Because of this, it turns into an ongoing affair that is never fulfilled. This type of sexual sadism is rooted from their split off psyche due to previous trauma.
Murders that serial killers act out are a part of their deepest and darkest fantasies (Knight, 2006). They attempt to act out their murders identical to their fantasies. The issue with this is that reality will never be as good as their fantasy. They have to kill and kill and kill, because their reality cannot touch their fantasies. (Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014) conducted a study to try to figure out what is going on in the brain at a neuronal level. Individuals may become serial killers due to childhood abuse or trauma, but there has to be something going on in their brain biologically for them to get urges to kill, act on them, and feel no remorse. As the neurons simultaneously fire off, there is a buildup occurring. This buildup needs a way to release and murder is their answer (Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014).
Conclusion
More often than not, serial killers are the victim before they are the offender. They have experienced a trauma so destructive that it damages them for the rest of their lives.
Literature Review
Categorizing
Approximately two-thirds of serial murderers are diagnosed "as suffering from Personality Disorder Cluster Type B, which is typified by anti-social, borderline histrionic, or narcissistic behavior” (Warf & Waddell, 2002). Those diagnosed with this disorder seem pleasant and charming, when they are actually manipulative and lack empathy and shame. …show more content…
They are narcissistic, selfish, sexually inappropriate and emotionally unstable. It is highly unlikely for a serial murderer to suffer from a multiple personality disorder (Warf & Waddell, 2002).
Law enforcement officers usually have two distinct types of serial killers that they are looking for, which are known as organized and disorganized (Warf & Waddell, 2002).
Organized serial killers are calculated and planned. They usually have a specific type of victim that they prey on. Disorganized killers are not calculated and they do not plan their kills. These killers care less about the physical appearance of their victims.
Growing up
Serial killer tendencies often arise from young ages. They arise from trauma in the household, such as physical, sexual, or emotional abuse (Knight, 2006). Their childhoods are filled with neglect and social deprivation. Several have family members who have a history with drug addiction, criminal behavior, and mental illness (Simons, 2001). The fathers of these individuals are either nonexistent or domineering (Knight, 2006). The mothers share either a cold and apathetic relationship or one in which the mother smothers the child, which often includes abuse. Some signs of an impending serial killer as a child include wetting the bed, harming or killing small animals, and an interest in fire (Warf & Waddell, 2002). As they enter adolescence, they may have an overwhelming fascination in pornography and chronic masturbation. They may become increasingly isolated, which results in deviant behaviors and acting out aggressively (Simons, …show more content…
2001).
Relationships
Serial killers have relationships which lack depth and intimacy (Knight, 2006). The relationships they do manage are used for personal gain. The people in their lives are viewed as extensions of themselves. They may manipulate those around them to believe that they are caring, but they only care for themselves.
Neuronal Activity
(Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014) compared the activity pattern of a serial killer’s murders to epileptic seizures. They used Andrei Chikatilo’s activity pattern and hypothesized that serial killers engage in murder when a large amount of neurons in the brain fire simultaneously, just like what occurs during a seizure. After he commits a murder, they considered it a sedative effect, which would lessen the activity of the neurons in his brain. They assumed that as the probability of a new murder is higher right after a murder rather than the average murder rate. They also assumed that the opposite would occur where the longer the time passes after a murder, the less likely a new one will occur right away (Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014).
Discussion
Childhood Children can grow up to be many different things. What they end up being as an adult has a strong influence from what happened during their childhood (Simons, 2001). Adults who were abused or neglected as a child were three times more likely to become a violent adult compared to adults who were not abused or neglected (Knight, 2006). These children grow up to have conflict within themselves over repressed feelings of helplessness. In order to regain a sense of control, they torture and kill small animals. As they grow older, they then project those feelings onto human victims. Serial killers make their victims feel as powerless as they once did. This is known as mirroring as is why it is rare for serial killers who kill for the thrill to mutilate their victim after death. When the victim is dead, there is not any part of themselves left in them (Knight, 2006).
Organized vs. Disorganized There are two categories to put serial killers in, which are organized and disorganized (Warf & Waddell, 2002).
Organized serial killers are charming and are able to easily manipulate others. They have average to high intellectual abilities. They are able to control the crime scene as well as hide and transport the body. They are more likely to search for a specific trait on a victim. For example, an organized serial murderer may only kill women with blue eyes and blonde hair. This can stem from their mother having those characteristics. Disorganized serial killers murder spontaneously. They usually have below average intellectual ability and cannot manipulate others. They tend to leave the body and weapon at the crime scene for all to see. They are less picky when it comes to their victims. Due to these differences, organized serial killers are much more difficult to catch. Disorganized serial killers are sloppier and cannot plan out their murders, they can only act on impulse (Warf & Waddell,
2002).
Why one murder is not enough Some serial murderers kill for sexual pleasure (Knight, 2006). They torture and mutilate their victims in order to achieve orgasm and cannot do so any other way. Because of this, it turns into an ongoing affair that is never fulfilled. This type of sexual sadism is rooted from their split off psyche due to previous trauma.
Murders that serial killers act out are a part of their deepest and darkest fantasies (Knight, 2006). They attempt to act out their murders identical to their fantasies. The issue with this is that reality will never be as good as their fantasy. They have to kill and kill and kill, because their reality cannot touch their fantasies. (Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014) conducted a study to try to figure out what is going on in the brain at a neuronal level. Individuals may become serial killers due to childhood abuse or trauma, but there has to be something going on in their brain biologically for them to get urges to kill, act on them, and feel no remorse. As the neurons simultaneously fire off, there is a buildup occurring. This buildup needs a way to release and murder is their answer (Simkin & Roychowdhury, 2014).
Conclusion
More often than not, serial killers are the victim before they are the offender. They have experienced a trauma so destructive that it damages them for the rest of their lives.