Serial killers have fascinated mankind for centuries. The 1950’s-1990’s marked the “Golden Age” for these predators as WW2 came to an end and soldiers returned home, the baby boom occurred, and population grew as we progressed rapidly with urbanization. However serial killer rates have rapidly declined since, as precautionary measures and new advanced forensic technology have taken the criminal analytic scene by storm, increasing the stakes of these killers. Study.com states that “Only 25-50 serial killers are active at any given time with serial killings only making up 150 people of the total number of murders yearly”. There has been a recent noticeable increase in the public's curiosity with them though, especially with the recent release …show more content…
The brain is responsible for making us who we are as it is the very reason we talk, act, move, and think the way we do, our body is just a shell casing one could say. The alternation in the brain starts at a very early age. According to EduBirdie, “74% of serial killers suffered from psychological abuse as a child and 42% suffered from physical abuse from a young age…Other historical factors common in serial killers are abuse, trauma, insecure attachment, loss or abandonment of a parent or caretaker, antisocial behavior, head injury and low arousal levels”. This type of trauma causes a young child's brain to shut down to emotional responses and will tend to let things build up internally until they finally lash out so as they cope with life easier than letting them feel what they truly feel. Some serial killers have reported being diagnosed with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) which stems from early on in their childhood (Figure 2). Instead of having to face reality, their brain creates different personalities or “persons” in which the person switches back and forth as needed to as to not have claim for certain actions or to just escape the reality that one “persona” is having to face. A popular example of this is infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy. Following his capture and sentencing in 1980, Psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Lewis witnessed a phenomenon after Bundy's confession. She was one of the only psychiatrists Bundy felt comfortable with and just like his plead in court, Bundy came into her office and told her “The person sitting before you never killed anyone”, and continued to refer to the serial killer as an entity. Lewis witnessed a sudden change in demeanor/personality and explained while she didn’t think he was kidding or acting innocent, he would go into a “Bundy State” in which not him but his alter persona