Investigating Nature Vs. Nurture: The Story Of A Serial Killer

News headlines scream the names of these people, calling them monsters, animals, inhumane, taking the lives of the innocent for the pleasure of their control and power. This is the story of a serial killer, a person who lacks the empathy and guilt of a normal human being, but unknown to some are the effects physically and mentally of what they have been through in life that can cause this to happen. Killers are created by genetic, psychological, abuse, and family issues. Genetics contribute to how a person controls themselves, and affects their emotions and how they process things. There are certain genes that can create higher levels of aggression and emotional control issues. There was a study conducted on what genes can be linked to serial

This abuse can affect the actions emotionally and physically of the person. In a study done by the National Institute of Justice, the researchers found that, “childhood abuse heightened the risk for criminal behavior in adulthood by encouraging antisocial behavior during childhood”(Nicola Davies From abused child to serial killer: Investigating nature vs nurture in methods of murder). As this antisocial behavior continues in their future life, more signs can be seen. The abuse affects the person in several ways whether it be sexual, physical, or mental. Emotionally they do not know how to react to this, “They never learn the appropriate responses to trauma, and never develop other emotions, which is why they find it difficult to empathize with others”(Research guides: Serial killers: Introduction). These experiences have normally become the breaking point because they can cause the most damage to a person. An example of this can be seen in the “Night Stalker”, a serial killer who suffered from intense physical abuse in his childhood. This continued in the cycle of abuse from his father to him, and he pressed this violence against his victims. Sexual abuse is the most damaging abuse, it can cause the most dangerous emotions out a person to appear, and this is how more child-based, and lust-based serial killers are created. Abuse can affect how a serial killer acts because of the psychological

The main outcome of their childhood is abuse, with the most common types including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. As seen above, a person's mental health can be severely affected from this abuse happening, and when it is someone closer to them, it can be even more damaging. It affected the emotions of the person by creating, “the child feelings of humiliation and helplessness, feelings which they will later seek to instill in their victims”(Libguides: Criminal justice/ special topics, CRJU 410-001: Serial killers as children). An example of this is Alleen Wuornos, who was a prostitute serial killer killer, who was physically and sexually abused by her grandfather until she had run away. She had been affected by these effects severely mentally, as she later went on to continue the cycle of abuse onto her later seven-year-old victim. Another common trait that you can see in the childhood families of serial killers is the toxic environment and traits that they grew up in. “Many serial killers come from unstable families with criminal, psychiatric, or alcoholic histories. These killers often have terrible relationships with their families, and often use them as their first victims”(Libguides: Criminal justice/ special topics, CRJU 410-001: Serial killers as children). These tendencies shown by