Serial Killer Psychology Essay

Psychology in Serial Killers/Criminals

Many people go through some type of trauma in their lives. What is not further explained often, is how trauma affects the brain and how it affects your personality. Criminals and serial killers have similar traumas and mental illnesses. It is important to realize that all this information can connect to why serial killers and criminals do cruel things.

The definition of a serial killer could be different for everyone. Bunag, an RN, explains it is quite difficult to find an accurate definition of what a serial killer is and what has to occur to be one. The US Department of Justice has concluded that a serial killer, in any amount of time, is someone that has committed at least two murders. (Bunag) This

Whether they murdered someone or did so little as to steal a piece of jewelry, they all have something in common. According to the FBI, “Serial killers differ in many ways, including their motivations for killing and their behavior at the crime scene. However, attendees did identify certain traits common to some serial murderers, including sensation seeking, a lack of remorse or guilt, impulsivity, the need for control, and predatory behavior. These traits and behaviors are consistent with the psychopathic personality disorder” (IV). This shows that there is some importance in knowing what’s inside a serial killer's head. The relationship between psychopathy and serial killers is particularly interesting. All psychopaths do not become serial murderers. However, serial murderers may possess some or many of the traits consistent with psychopathy. Psychopaths who commit serial murder do not value human life and are extremely heartless in their interactions with their victims. It is a good thing that people recognize it and what we should do to stop

Anyone that experiences trauma could affect them for months, years, or even the rest of their life. Trauma affects three areas of the brain, the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex. After these areas are affected, they may perform differently than before the trauma. (Thatcher) This supports my previous claim on what kind of common mental illnesses serial killers/criminals have. This fact shows that brain damage can occur when you experience trauma. This could give some reasoning as to why serial killers/criminals do unfortunate things. Their brain may be damaged from what happened at any stage of their life. There are many possibilities and mental illnesses could occur. It is also interesting to see that it only affects those areas of the