...Serial Killer Psychology By Anna Davis Criminal psychology refers to the study of the mental and behavioral characteristics of people who break laws established by local, state, national or international governments. Some criminal, or forensic, psychologists focus their research on serial killers -- men and women who murder a large number of people over an extended period of time — typically months or years. What constitutes a serial killer is open to interpretation. In the United States, Congress has defined a serial killer as someone who murders a minimum of three or more people. By definition, a cooling-off period separates the murders, making them appear random or unconnected. The victims — often prostitutes, runaways or other vulnerable populations — rarely know their killer and may serve as a symbol that triggers the attack. In other words, a serial killer's motive tends to be psychological, not material. Understanding what goes on — or gets turned off — in a serial killer's mind is the ultimate goal of scientists who specialize in this area of psychology. You might think the field is relatively new, but it dates back to at least the 19th century, when psychologists tried to develop a profile of the mysterious and elusive Jack the Ripper. Antisocial Personality Disorder vs. Psychopathy Mental health professionals use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), developed by the American Psychiatric Association, to understand the illnesses...
Words: 1547 - Pages: 7
...Wiebe November 28, 2015 Are Serial Killers Created or Born? There are people out there who kill for the sake of pleasure. There aren't many are but they are out there. In our society we know them as serial killers. A serial killer by definition is a person who has killed more than three people at different times. There has been an ongoing debate about whether the serial killers are naturally born, murderous creatures, or if there has been certain circumstances throughout their lives which turn them to the monsters that the are. The mind of a serial killer all most never compares to another serial killer's mind, but one thing that they have in common is that they do not have a “normal” or “healthy” state of mind....
Words: 1467 - Pages: 6
...What Makes Serial Killers Kill Naomi R. Bowles Valley College Author’s Note Written for Psychology: taught by Isaac Hatley What Makes Serial Killers Kill Looking back through the years there have been many serial killers. There are many throughout the country and even many that have killed in West Virginia. Many psychologists have tried to study serial killers and answer why serial killers kill and also if serial killers suffer from some type of psychological disorder. Doing my research I find that this is a task that is very hard to do. It is difficult to determine possibly because many serial killers turn out to be the people who you would least likely suspect. In this paper I will take a look as to whether serial killers may suffer from psychopathy. I will also attempt to focus on one particular serial killer – Dennis Rader – BTK. Psychology Of A Killer Many psychologists believe that psychological disorders are the only reason for the killings while other psychologists believe that the reason is the environment that they are raised in and/or are currently in. Seeking help when a person is young, if sadistic or animal cruelty behavior is caught early by their caregiver, can reduce the factors of becoming a serial killer. There also may be factors with nature and nurture and how that may have affected them in the creation of a future serial killer. According to my research, the most successful serial killers are people who blend into society who possibly could be a...
Words: 2570 - Pages: 11
...Serial killers are the most interesting and mysterious type of human being not only to the public but to professionals as well. They do things that are taboo or as others would call it, insane. Yet, the biggest question to all the madness is why? Why and how do serial killers do what they do? Then to narrow down these questions, a more transparent question is asked. Is a serial killer born or are they made? Some scientists and professionals claim that genetics is the sole reason for someone becoming a serial killer. Whether they were born with a different brain development or it is literally in their genetic makeup. Perhaps the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart is one of the best studies done to open our eyes to the truth. The study was led by Minnesota Professor of Psychology Thomas Joseph Bouchard, Jr. In total the study showed that psychopathy is 60 percent heritable. By just this study it is proven that psychopathic traits are due more to genetics than to someones childhood upbringing....
Words: 485 - Pages: 2
...Serial killers are not new; there have been many accounts of serial killers in past ages and in many different places around the world, so it's not just a part of one unique nation or time period. For example, one of the earliest recorded cases of serial murder was Locusta of Galt of the Roman Empire, who preferred the method of poison and was highly rewarded. But not enough information was recorded about her as to know how many people she killed and the span of years the killings took place. And there has been some discussion as to whether or not people like Lacousta were "serial killers", since by modern standards, the definition is different. But the intent to kill is there. The most typical example of the modern day Serial killer is "Jack...
Words: 1484 - Pages: 6
...Amy Hankins LE300 capstone: serial killers as heroes in popular culture Final Project The Evolution of serial killers and societies fascination A serial killer is someone who is known as a friend, father, co-worker, politician, in fact a serial killer can be anybody. For centuries stories about serial killers have graced the covers of newspapers and magazines. Many famous stories have influenced a lot of films that have been produced and continue to be produced. There is an endless amount of questions as to how serial killers become serial killers, which falls under nature vs. nurture. “The causes of psychopaths remain a mystery. We don’t even have a satisfactory answer to the question of whether psychopath is a product of Mother Nature or a feature of upbringing (Brogaard & Marlow, 2012).” Nevertheless, due to the many serial killers that plague this country, they have come from a very unstable background mostly during the childhood years. Within this essay I would like to discuss not only what has been learned throughout the semester but also bring to light the possible reasons as to why serial killers kill and why society has such an enormous fascination with them. According to the dictionary a serial killers is a person who commits two or more murders at different times. Serial killers are extremely intelligent and some have most likely obtained a degree of some sort. This sort of intelligence is evident in Mr. Brooks, Dexter, silence of the lamb and perfume. All...
Words: 1984 - Pages: 8
...WR-123 Research Paper NOT ALL MONSTERS ARE MAKE BELIEVE - A CASE STUDY ON THEODORE R. BUNDY What causes someone to become a serial killer? Is there something inherently evil about them that emerge as they age, or are they born that way? Do they become that way because of their upbringing? Most Psychologists feel that it is a combination of all these things that determine the psychosis exhibited by serial killers. (www.psychology.org/links) Psychologists have looked into the darkest recesses of human behavior, to try to figure out how and why people commit such gruesome and brutal atrocities against their fellow human beings. One of the best cases of documented psychopathic behavior is that of Theodore R. Bundy. On November 24, 1946 Theodore Robert Cowell (aka Ted Bundy) was born. His mother was a single young woman who decided the best course of action was to move back home to have her parents help her raise her son; as in the 40’s it was not acceptable for a young single woman to have a child out of wedlock. Until the age of four, Ted believed that his mother was his older sister, and grandparents were his mother and father. (Rule, A: The Stranger Beside Me) The signs that something was dreadfully wrong with Ted began to show themselves very early in his childhood. When Ted was barely three years old, one of his Aunt’s stayed the night with the family. The Aunt woke up in the early morning hours to find her young nephew Ted, lifting her blankets...
Words: 3548 - Pages: 15
...Looking into the minds of serial killers is a tricky task, a couple questions to start with are questions such as what is a Serial killer? According to the FBI’s version of the definition, a serial killer is conventionally defined as a person who murders three or more people in a period of over a month, with “cooling down” time between murders. “For a serial killer, the murders must be separate events, which are most often driven by a psychological thrill or pleasure. Serial killers often lack empathy and guilt, and most often become egocentric individuals; these characteristics classify certain serial killers as psychopaths.” (crime museum editors, 2017). Xxx explain quote Even though the definition seems straightforward, multiple others...
Words: 2068 - Pages: 9
...The huge key feature towards attributing moral responsibility to psychopaths is tied to their amount of self awareness. By this I mean just how aware they are of what space their psychopathy is mostly likely to be able to manifest in a harmful way towards others. Psychopaths whom become serial killers typically have a consistent type of target and often a type of space where they carry out acts that are morally wrong. In having an awareness of their own patterns psychopaths become morally responsible for their actions as they are presented with a means of control. Upon having such a realization whenever it occurs, if at all, a decision is being made at that point deeming the psychopath morally responsible for their actions. I find that judging...
Words: 258 - Pages: 2
...Determinism or people with deterministic views believe one of two concepts. They either believe that environment and past experiences guide a person or they believe that genetics control a person. If Canter is correct then Matthew had no choice but to become a violent person. Surprisingly, this concept isn’t hard to believe. Matthew was a successful young man with one degree already under his belt and he was registered to be starting grad school. Even after murdering five people, nobody had anything bad to say about Matthew except the fact that they didn’t expect anybody, especially Matthew, to want to kill the five people that died that night. Matthew was already known to have some mental issues but he had been treated in high school for them. So why after so many years had Matthew decided to do something crazy and what made him do it? There were no provoking factors such as bullying or a dying parent. The only argument that makes sense is that Matthew had no control over his...
Words: 1343 - Pages: 6
...101 Research Paper Psychopaths (Antisocial personality disorder) Psychopathy was one of the first personality disorders to be recognized by psychiatry. Today this disorder is known as antisocial personality disorder. Those diagnosed with the disorder often share a multitude of similar yet non-universal characteristics. These characteristics may include: superficial charm; egocentricity; need for stimulation; irresponsibility; impulsiveness; shallow emotions, lack of empathy, guilt, or remorse; pathological lying; and above average intelligence like serial-killers Dennis Radar and Ted Bundy. When encountered, the typical psychopath will blend in and seem some-what normal. They will have the tendency to be smooth, inviting, interesting, and educated. "More than the average person, he is likely to seem free of social or emotional impediments, from the minor distortions, peculiarities, and awkwardness so common even among the successful" (1). Despite their apparently smooth and attractive exteriors, Psychopaths are riddled with complex and often terrifying behavioral abnormalities. For instance, Psychopaths rarely fulfill or honor obligations and commitments. Their irresponsibility stems into various stages of their life, including work and finances. They frequently fail to pay off loans and bills and have a tendency to perform assignments in a carefree demeanor. Psychopaths have difficulty developing and performing...
Words: 1102 - Pages: 5
...VOLUME EDITOR S. WALLER is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Montana State University Bozeman. Her areas of research are philosophy of neurology, philosophy of cognitive ethology (especially dolphins, wolves, and coyotes), and philosophy of mind, specifically the parts of the mind we disavow. SERIES EDITOR FRITZ ALLHOFF is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at Western Michigan University, as well as a Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National University’s Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics. In addition to editing the Philosophy for Everyone series, Allhoff is the volume editor or co-editor for several titles, including Wine & Philosophy (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007), Whiskey & Philosophy (with Marcus P. Adams, Wiley, 2009), and Food & Philosophy (with Dave Monroe,Wiley-Blackwell, 2007). P H I L O S O P H Y F O R E V E RYO N E Series editor: Fritz Allhoff Not so much a subject matter, philosophy is a way of thinking.Thinking not just about the Big Questions, but about little ones too.This series invites everyone to ponder things they care about, big or small, significant, serious … or just curious. Running & Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind Edited by Michael W. Austin Wine & Philosophy: A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking Edited by Fritz Allhoff Food & Philosophy: Eat,Think and Be Merry Edited by Fritz Allhoff and Dave Monroe Beer & Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer Isn’t Worth Drinking Edited by Steven D. Hales Whiskey & Philosophy:...
Words: 90119 - Pages: 361
...There are three main types of serial killers: medical killer, organized killer, and disorganized killer. The medical killer is rare and unlikely to happen, "there have been some people who have become involved in the medical industry as a way to carry out their nefarious deeds” (Types of Serial Killers). They are highly intelligent, and there are doctors that have done it for years before they got caught. The organized killer are usually stalkers as well, and they try to plan out the murder very carefully and not to leave any evidence behind. The disorganized killer usually don’t plan out their murders, and they usually have a very low IQ. The victims are usually in the wrong place wrong time, and they don’t attempt to clean up and not leave...
Words: 785 - Pages: 4
...LAT1 - Serial Killers Abstract This paper that was written explores how a person is born innocent, and evolves into a monstrous and calculated serial killer. It will mention several different specific serial killers and their histories to support the facts. Another area that is explored is the difference between mass murderers and serial killers. Many times theses terms are used simultaneously; however the fact is that they are different. Reviewing the classifications, behaviors, motives, childhood neglect, sanity, and how profiling and other methods will assist in catching a serial killer. Understanding and studying serial killers can help in preventing them to start killing, or in catching them before they continue killing. Research shows that the problem of serial killing can be addressed by understanding its causes, identifying common behaviors and motivations of serial killers, and using this information to develop tools for law enforcement to prevent initial or repeated killings If a person commits a murder, it doesn’t constitute to be tagged a serial killing. I will be including material in order to define what serial killer is, and why we are so obsessed with understanding them. To fully discuss and understand serial killers, we must first distinguish the differences between them and mass murderers. The term mass murderer is often used interchangeably; however, the two terms are technically different. Mass murder occurs when a large number of people...
Words: 2816 - Pages: 12
...David Gore as He is Revealed in The Serial Killer Whisperer Student Name Institutional Affiliation David Gore as He is Revealed in The Serial Killer Whisperer One of the key applications of psychology is in the civil and criminal justice systems. Hugo Munsterberg, a German- American psychologist, is believed to have been the first person to pioneer the application of psychology in research and theories relating to crime. His research formed much of what was later to be regarded as forensic psychology. The research covered false confessions, witness memory, and the role of hypnosis in court proceedings. Over time, the discipline has evolved to include the principles that law enforcement or psychologists could use in the interviewing of suspects and witnesses. Forensic psychology also covers the strategies used in deception and detecting lies while describing the process of assessing criminals for violence and re-offending risks. The overarching aim of the discipline is simply to understand criminal behavior along with the developmental risk factors related to such conduct, psychopathy, and sociopathy being the two most typical of the criminal acts. Pete Earley’s book The Serial Killer Whisperer recounts the life story of Tony Ciaglia, a man with the extraordinary ability to get serial killers to open up. In 1992, Ciaglia suffered a traumatic brain injury after a freak jet-ski accident. In spite of being pronounced clinically dead thrice while on the way to the hospital...
Words: 1837 - Pages: 8
