As I was watching the interview, I was astonished. I expected Joel Rifkin to be the typical Hollywood serial killer: a deranged man set on revenge, as a result of being abused and neglected, and now was in chains behind glass with armed guards aiming their weapons at his head. Instead, I saw a stoic person who wasn’t behind glass or had a gun to his head. He just sat there and answered questions like a normal person. He wasn’t angry or remorseful. He was completely void of emotion. That was terrifying, because on the outside, he looked and acted like a normal human being, leaving me with the thought that anyone could be a cold-blooded killer and I wouldn’t even know.
Anyone has the capacity to become a serial killer due to the variability of one’s brain. If the prefrontal cortex is not functioning correctly (traumatic injury/event, genetics, etc.), the person can become a killer. The prefrontal cortex stops the violent impulses from becoming actions. Without a properly working prefrontal cortex, those violent impulses are carried out. The problem is that half of the serial killers have a different brain functionality, but the other half does not. That other half has the
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Part of me would recognize them as people who deserve forgiveness and a second chance. I would perceive the positive aspects in them and the people they could become. However, the other part of me would not want to research their circumstances, brains, and behaviors, because they killed without a second thought or sense of remorse. I also have the capability to read people’s emotions, but if there are no emotions or the emotions aren’t real, I would have a difficult time staying only with the facts and the science. I don’t think that I can give a proper answer, though as I would need to be in that job and situation to give an actual