ipl-logo

Serial Killer Psychology Essay

489 Words2 Pages

The application of psychology has historically enhanced the functioning of numerous domains within contemporary society
Constructing a concrete profile of a serial killer is arguably difficult, as there are many types of serial murderers (Lester, 1995, p. 186). However, the general consensus suggests that a serial killer can be defined as an individual who commits three or more murders in three separate events (Egger, 2002, p. 5; Ressler and Shachtman, 1992, p. 7). Since the early part of the century, the gulf between the disciplines of psychology and law has narrowed, and productive links have been identified (Kapardis, 2009, p. 17). For example, classifying serial offenders is often done using the organized/disorganized dichotomy which was …show more content…

53). Aamodt and Mitchell (2005, pp. 40-47) conducted research into the incidence of child abuse in serial killers, obtaining results which indicate that rates of abuse are significantly higher in serial killers in comparison to the general population, labelled the ‘societal norms’. 68% were found to have suffered some type of abuse – however, many incidences go unreported and it is connoted that on occasion, serial killers fabricate such events in order to provide an explanation for their criminal acts. Therefore, this figure may not be accurate. In addition to this, a correlation was found between the prevalence of sexual abuse and disorganized killings. On the other hand, Burton et al (1993, pp. 435-451) suggest that organized murderers are significantly more common than disorganized murderers in the case of childhood sexual abuse. They state that organized serial killers take pride in their crimes, which are often driven by fantasy; presenting well-planned and repetitive crime scenes. Aileen Wuornos is one example of a serial killer who was sexually abused in early life, yet she cannot be classified using the dichotomy as she depicts aspects of both an organized and unorganized serial killer (Dittmann et al, 2006, pp.

Show More
Related
1305 Words | 6 Pages

Mass murderers and serial killers are nothing new to today’s society. We learn about them in TV shows, books, research papers, in our classes, etc. Psychologists have spent decades trying to uncover the truth behind these killers’ madness. Serial killers vary in their behaviors, techniques, desires, mental illnesses and their personal lives. Have you ever heard of the Tamiami Trail Killer?

Read More
1667 Words | 7 Pages

Statistics show that serial killers in the United States often kill for fun and financial gains. (Serial Killer) In class we have been learning about serial killers and the psychological disorders that cause them to carry out the murders they commit. Andrea Yates mental stability and religious views altered her ability of life and caused five young children to lose their lives

Read More
1731 Words | 7 Pages

They may have been beaten, emotionally abused, or even bullied because they were different from other children. In most murder cases, the perpetrator’s were tormented so much that it changed them mentally and emotionally. We may not understand the reasonings behind every murderer, or what can cause one to break, but we do know that there is something that drives them. The question is, can we understand their underlying issues by looking at psychological theories?

Read More
1064 Words | 5 Pages

Hey You! Yeah I’m talking to you, do you know about serial killers, about their mindsets and motives. Serial killers are “people who have murdered three or more people over a month period with a down time between each death.” Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer were both notorious serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer had a worse childhood, which could have led to the life he choose to live in, Whereas Ted Bundy’s sneaky and articulate ways made it more difficult to capture him. Serial killers are influenced more by their heredity, the culture they're surrounded by, mentality and personal background, which causes them to act out in abnormal ways.

Read More
1268 Words | 6 Pages

The publication estimates that “80 percent of female serialists have employed poison by itself or with other means" (Geringer, 2). While on the other hand male serial killers tend to be more physical and face to face. It is more common for a male serial killer to shoot, stab, or strangle their victims (Geringer, 2 ).” Nearly all of the people women killed were people they knew, often their own family members. While men kill in order to assert their dominance use weapons of violence whether that be sexaul assault, torture or murder.

Read More
878 Words | 4 Pages

We all have, in one point in our life, heard about serial killers and their violent crimes. One might have referred to them as “psychos” or sick human beings, however, that is not usually the case. Most serial killers, depending on the nature, severity, and motive of the crime, are either psychopaths or sociopaths. But first, one must know what a sociopath and a psychopath is, to understand the behavior of serial killers and the nature of their crimes. Antisocial Personality Disorder is “a personality disorder in which a person (usually a man) exhibits a lack of conscience for wrongdoing, even toward friends and family members;” of which defines sociopathy and psychopathy (Fineburg, etc. 699).

Read More
1686 Words | 7 Pages

During the childhood of the serial killer, they do not have a mother or family care due to the fact that being a son of the hooker or they are exposed to rape or sexual exploitation. Because of the getting less care from their parents, they display unwanted aggressive behavior such as kicking the animals or biting their peers and they feel uncomfortable, wary, alone, uncared, ignored from the community. Besides, they have some records on the police. In the early adulthood, they have not only some paraphilia like frotteurism or fetishism but also sexually assault case. What is more, during their adolescent’s period, they turn their willing to crime are

Read More
1425 Words | 6 Pages

Introduction In light of deciding whether serial killers should be placed in maximum security prisons versus mental institutions it is important to analyze of the scientific functions of one’s brain. Studies have indicated a direct correlation between serial killers and brain abnormalities but also show evidence of more functional brains with disorders having personality disorders, thus having abnormalities but lacking the title of mental insanity. While considering the brain abnormalities commonly seen in serial killers, legally speaking only one-fifth of serial killers are considered mentally insane in the court of law. Presently, The Criminal Justice System states “To be classified as legally insane, an individual must be unable to

Read More
1213 Words | 5 Pages

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

Read More
723 Words | 3 Pages

The situation became even grimmer during the 1960s, a period that produced such infamous figures as Albert “Boston Strangler” DeSalvo, Richard Speck, Charles Manson, and the still-unknown Zodiac. By the time the 1970s rolled around, the prevalence of serial killer related crimes had so great that, for the first time, law enforcement officials felt the need to define these burgeoning episodes as a specialized category of crime. The 1970s was the decade of Berkowitz and Bundy, Kemper and Gacy, and Bianchi and Buono, also known as the “Hillside Stranglers”. By the 1980s some criminologists were bandying words like plague and epidemic to characterize the problem. Though these terms smack of hysteria, it is nevertheless true that serial homicide has become so common in the United States that most of its perpetrators stir up only local interest.

Read More
682 Words | 3 Pages

The theory used in this journal pertains to the race, age, and gender of a serial killer; how they kill, the race, age, and gender of the victim; and how the killer lived before and during the killings. Before beginning his own study, Pakhomou (2004) found that “Serial (sexual killers are believed to be mostly white males in their twenties and thirties (at the time of the crimes) with above-average intelligence who commit intra-racial (within the same racial group) murders of strangers” (p. 220). Approximately half of them never had consensual sex with another adult, some joining the military, about half did not finish high school, and they had a history of burglary and sexual offenses prior to murders. There is no set reason or evidence that explains why people commit sexual homicide; however, there are many theories. One set factor that all researchers agree on is that “the most monstrous and most perverse sexual acts are usually committed by persons of sound mind, who are functionally rigid (in terms of a number of activities that they carry on), obsessed with fantasy and who have a determination to do what they want” (Pakhomou, 2004, p. 221).

Read More
745 Words | 3 Pages

(2004) examined 100 cases of 100 serial killers using a multidimensional scale of psychological measurements. A distinction between organized and disorganized methodology was made based on forensic reports, crime

Read More
1011 Words | 5 Pages

When the team analyses a suspect’s behavior, they always tend to infer some everyday behaviors that the suspect exhibits. During a psychology class students learn that a person’s behavior is prominently shaped by the environment that person grew up in. Anyone can take that information and confidently state that the extreme experiences one endures will stay with them for the rest of their lives and more than likely will have an influence on them from that point forward. The book Criminal Investigations tells readers that forty-three percent of serial killers report being physically or sexually abused. Seventy- four report psychological abuse by someone who was supposed to be taking care of them.

Read More
1357 Words | 6 Pages

Murder, willingly taking another human's life, is considered a heinous crime in the United States, and from the sociological perspective, breaks an important more. Serial Murder, therefore, is a sociologically deviant phenomenon where a person kills two or more people in distinct events, and an FBI overview of serial killers states “No single cause, trait, or even a group of traits can differentiate or identify serial killers … from other types of violent offenders” (FBI). However, use of the sociological perspective to identify potential factors in these cases is possible. As a boy, Jeffrey Dahmer was described as being a loner and a poor student- and had been sexually abused by a neighbor. He is homosexual, which carried a negative stigma during most of his lifetime: he was described as appearing to be a gentle, suave man in homosexual circles.

Read More
926 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction I. Look around this school and think about exactly how many students are here daily. How would you feel if I told you that one out of every twenty five people are sociopaths(Pratt 2006).The fact of the matter is that not everyone who is a sociopath is a serial killer but oddly enough it has been proven that all serial killers are sociopaths. II. I have chosen serial killers that I found intriguing and that I thought not many people would know a lot about.

Read More

More about Serial Killer Psychology Essay

Related Topics

Open Document