The Role Of Psychopathy In Serial Killers

Common in serial murder cases is the existence of psychopathy. Psychopathy causes a difficulty to create positive links on ones life with other individuals, as well as causing a lack of empathy in an individual (Blair). A famous quote from Ted Bundy describes psychopathy rather well. As stated by Bundy, “I don't feel guilty for anything. I feel sorry for people who feel guilt.” (Brogaard). In contrast to sociopathy, psychopathy is widely considered to be a heritable condition. Thus serial killers could possibly inhered the genetic disposition to have a lack of emotions that would otherwise inhibit homicidal actions, supporting the idea that serial murderers may be born rather than made. A study conducted in 2005 at the University of Minnesota
clinically analyzed over 600 pairs of twins and concluded that psychopathy had a “significant genetic influence” (Blonigen et al.).
Paradoxically, an act that can detrimentally amplify the effects of all of the above factors is no action at all.
A failure to address any of the above problems is perhaps the most influential action mentioned. If addressed early enough, violent and sadistic tendencies can be overcome, as in the case of Beth Thomas, a child who was severely abused, physically, sexually and emotionally, through her early childhood. She was moved to a new home with model parents and began to exhibit behavior that was frightening to say the least. Beth would stab her pets, parents, and brother with push pins. She also attempted to murder her brother by repeatedly smashing his head into a concrete floor, causing him severe damage. She was also known to seek out of her room at night and repeatedly punch her brother as he slept. In a videotaped intervention with a psychologist, she stated that she wished to murder her entire family. During this interview she showed no signs or remorse, guilt, or feeling. She spoke with a chilling indifference. She was able to be confronted early enough that she has made a full recovery and, to this day, lives her life out as a typically functioning woman (lordcal123). While this is a deeply disturbing account of juvenile psychopathic tendencies, it demonstrates the benefit of early intervention and
therapy.
A culmination of the above signs of a disposition to serial murder can be observed within the life of the infamous Jeffery Dahmer.
Within his lifetime, Dahmer underwent a series of traumatic events such as a double hernia correction surgery, constant uprooting and moving to new places, and a traumatic divorce of his parents. Moreover, Dahmer was observed to have failed to connect with his parents, his primary caregivers. His family watched as he became more and more withdrawn from his home life. Dahmer also suffered a lack of social support system, as his social life was awkward at best; During his teen years, Dahmer had very few friends. This culmination of “symptoms” of serial murder can allow one to understand the role that they play within ones social development and subsequent adulthood.
While childhood arguably plays the most important role in the development of one who may become a serial killer, the effect of tenancies developed through adulthood cannot be ignored. These tenancies can be a further development of earlier childhood events, however they are unique in magnitude and appearance from said earlier events. Analyzing these correlates can allow one to better understand the role that they play in the catalysis of habits developing into serial
murder.
Sadistic tendencies, whether sexual or not, have been observed in many serial murderers, specially those fueled by a need for sexual gratification. Sadistic serial killers often find sexual gratification in causing others harm and thus are motivated by a development of sadistic fantasies in adulthood (Schurman-Kauflin). Moreover, sadists often enjoy misleading others as well, and thus living a “double life” is often appealing to sadists. This can be seen in many serial killers, as when caught many of their neighbors, coworkers, and peers will describe them as model citizens. These sadist genuinely enjoy the shock they cause the community in regards to their twisted double lives (Schurman-Kauflin). Sadistic personality disorder and sadistic tendencies have yet to be traced back to a single cause; whether biological or psychological and thus offer little to distinguish one influence over the other (Sadistic Personality Disorder Criteria).
Psychiatrically speaking, the influence of frontotemporal disorders can also drive one to serial murder. Individuals with frontotemporal disorders are often seen to exhibit a lack of empathy, judgment, and resistance to compulsion (Frontotemporal Dementia). This lack of empathy and judgement can become a catalyst to serial murder for individuals who exhibit the dispositions to murder. Moreover, for those who fall under the category of sadistically motivated, a lack of resistance to compulsion can lead to a need for instant gratification. Many frontotemporal disorders have been linked in one way or another to genetics, however this link is far from conclusive and only blurs the argument further.
The term ‘sociopath’ is often used interchangeably with the term ‘psychopath’, however the main distinction between the two is that a sociopath is the product of environment rather than that of genetics. What is similar between the two, however, is that sociopathy can have as great an effect as psychopathy on the tenancies that would cause one to murder. Sociopaths are more likely to commit crime as they exhibit the following traits: disregard for laws, ignorance of the rights of others, lack of remorse, and a tendency to display violent behavior as well as a tendency to be unable to control outbursts of emotion (Bonn). These can directly lead to a life of crime, and in the case of serial murders sociopathic development can lead to the catalyst for serial murder.
Examples of an individual who displayed some of the above correlates of psychopathy leading to serial murder was that of the individual of a study conducted by J.C. Oleson. Although the individual remained anonymous throughout the course of the report, the statements he made provided good insight into the development of a serial murderer after the period of adolescence. Within the study, the individual spoke fondly of his home life, often reminiscing on it as a safe and comforting place. Often describing his family as a kind and loving one, it would be confusing as to why he developed his callused murder techniques to those who advocate that such tendencies are based solely on childhood upbringing. Rather, these tendencies arose after the subject of the study was introduced to a man who began to prepare him for a life of crime.