...Serial Killer is born a killer not made into one Introduction: This essay will discuss psychopathy, by connecting an individual's criminal behaviour or psychopathic tendencies to their biological makeup. It will do so through analysing the theory of nature vs nurture and three experiments or research. The theory of nature vs nurture will attempt to provide a base for psychological understanding of serial killer tendencies. The essay will then attempt to reassert the nature aspect of theory as a reality through the three experiments that will be discussed. Thesis: In all, this essay will prove to link that biological deviations are the primary cause of criminal or aggressive behaviour in an individual. Paragraph 1: Experiment/ research...
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...The majority of serial killers lived a horrible childhood which provides a reason as to how they became what they are but there are also serial killers who had the perfect childhood and still became a serial killer. Nature versus nurture has been a common theme when studying serial killers. People want to know what made these people commit some of their horrendous acts. Both nature and nurture determine what someone will act like in the future. Genes and the environment each have an effect on a person in different ways but in the long run they both work together to develop a person's personality. Genetics play a big role in how someone's personality is formed. Genes get passed down from generation to generation meaning that everyone in someone's...
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...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...
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...Psychologists have argued for many centuries about the influences of nature and nurture on the personality of humans. What is nature and nurture? Nature is referring to your genetic background, or what is passed down from your parents. Nurture refers to what you learn throughout your life. Does nature or nurture form and create your personality? Nature, as defined by psychologists, is your genetic background. When you are born, you obtain certain genes and traits from both your mother and father. Some psychologists believe that this is what forms your personality. Science has discovered that these coding of genes forms your eye color, hair color, nose size, and other physical traits. In a recent experiment, scientists found fraternal twins that were separated at birth. The twins went on to...
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...Is cheating and murder analogous? Is it the adrenaline rush of possibly getting caught? Maybe it’s like a drug once you start it you can’t stop. The legal definition of a serial killer is someone who has killed at least three people in a matter of thirty days. All serial killers are psychopaths and sociopaths, but be that as it may not all sociopaths and psychopaths are killers. To know a killer we have to get into the mindset of one. Nevertheless, the question that still stands is what makes a serial killer? The dictionary definition of a serial killer is a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable pattern (Oxford). What is a sociopath? A sociopath is a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience ( Dictionary). What is a psychopath? A psychopath is a person with a psychopathic personality, which manifests as amoral and antisocial behavior, lack of ability to love or establish meaningful personal relationships, extreme egocentricity, failure to learn from experience, etc (Dictionary)....
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...Nature vs. Nurture The stories of serial killers have intrigued all of us at times. One of these stories is Devil in the White City written by Erik Larson. It tells the story of the World’s Fair and of America’s first serial killer, H.H. Holmes. Scientists and psychologists have wondered why people like H.H. Holmes do what they do. It brings up the question which has a bigger effect on your personality, the genetics you were born with or the environment you were brought up in. In other words, nature versus nurture. This concept was debated by well respected scientist, Matt Ridley. He looked at both ideas in a chapter he wrote called “Free Will”. Another story where nature versus nurture could be debated was in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak....
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...Since the beginning of recorded time one has been told that ‘you have your mothers eyes’ or ‘You’re tall like your father’ and it has been accepted that humans inherit their appearance traits from their parents, however where does one get their talent for hockey, their intelligence, or their habits; does one learn these from their environment or were they programmed by genetics? Well this brings to light the age old debate of nature vs. nurture. The Nature and Nurture debate stems into many areas that make humans what they are, with one of those factors being their religion, and when examining religion it is found that nurture trumps nature in shaping the beliefs of oneself. Since the Ancient Egyptians and even before (Mesopotamians) religion and spirituality have existed, there has been a consensual acceptance that there is a God, and when one closes their eyes for the last time, they become one with God, or in some cases; the devil or the ‘netherworld’. Through those times and the times of the Catholic church according to world renowned psychologist Dr Olivera Petrovich; “Religion has become the natural state-it is now hard wired by families into babies brains, it is atheism that is learned”. She bases the mantra of religion being parental based on a study of four hundred B.C. children of different faiths, and many aged four-six Japanese children. When asking all of these children about their faith they all without any guidance from their parents say they believe in God;...
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...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...
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...The age old question of why juveniles commit crime is one that will never end. There are multiple theories that attempt to explain this occurrence, but two specific concepts stand out above the rest. It’s the nature versus nurture debate. This debate involves the belief that it is either the environment or biological traits that eventually lead juveniles to criminal behavior. Does some type of “evil gene” exist that causes some to commit crimes? There are some that feel that criminal behavior is due to a person’s upbringing and/or life experiences (“nurture”). Others feel that criminal behavior is much more than environmental factors and involves a person’s genetic makeup (“nature”). Are people just born that way? Is criminal behavior...
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...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...
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...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:...
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...Differences and Similarities in Generalized Characteristic Traits among Genders: The Sociopath and Psychopath by Evelyn J. Dotson MS, University of Phoenix, 2015 Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Psychology University of Phoenix March, 2015 Abstract Psychopathic and sociopathic general characteristic traits are found in both genders in various populations. More research on the general characteristic traits of females is needed. Research for the female populations will give professionals information about the differences displayed between genders. Different applied sciences will also further their knowledge in treatment options for either tendency. The study used explored if any differences existed between genders with intensified levels of psychopathic traits in regard to psychopathy factor scores. The sample consisted of 2,500 people of both genders (52.6% women) (M=22.15; SD=1.38) from the generalized population, aged 20-24. Results displayed women with psychopathic personality traits had significantly higher levels of behavioral tendencies than men of the same. The genders did display a difference in aggressive behavior. The men showed a significant amount of aggressive behaviors compared to the women. The gender differences displayed in the seven psychopathic features show the variations needed for treatment options. Differences and Similarities in Generalized Characteristic Traits among...
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...violent from low, mild, and moderate. The ones who were expose to more violent movies, videos, or television shows were the one who were had less empathy. Dr. Grafman concluded that those who were more desensitization were the most likely to have violent behavior and less empathy. There was another study done from 130 research reports on more than 130,000 subjects worldwide which was done by Craig Anderson a professor of psychology at Iowa State University and the director of Iowa State's Center for the Study of Violence. When the study was published Anderson stated (2010) that such exposure also increases aggressive thinking and aggressive affect, and decreases pro-social behavior. These are not huge effects--not on the order of joining a gang vs. not joining a gang. But these effects are also not trivial in size. It is one risk...
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...Final Exam Review – Psychology 101 INTRODUCTION You are influenced by: 1. Physiology of your nervous system 2. 5 Senses 3. Cognition – Thinking and Problem Solving 4. Social Environment 5. Personality 6. Stress & psychological disorders Psychology is the science of what? Behavior * Science Aspect * Based on Experiments * Behavior * What is behavior? Observable through * Neural * Verbal * Social * Etc. * What is behavior driven by? * Mind * Body * Environment Basic Research vs. Applied Research * Basic Research is the seeking of more knowledge but not to solve a problem * Applied Research is using knowledge to solve a problem Figuring out what a part of the brain does is an example of? Basic Research Knowing what a part of the brain does and using that information to analyze why a part of a person’s brain isn’t working correctly? Applied research BEGINNINGS OF PSYCHOLOGY Who established the first laboratory devoted to Psychology, when, and where? * William Wundt, 1879, Leipzig, Germany Before 1800, questions of the mind were reserved for what field? * Philosophy From 1800 to 1879, rapid advances took place in what field? * Physiology Early psychology applied what methods to the study of the mind? * Physiological NEURONS 1600: Descartes & the Garden of St. Germain * Statues “came to life” as...
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...- THE ZEITGEIST MOVEMENT OBSERVATIONS AND RESPONSES Activist Orientation Guide www.thezeitgeistmovement.com | www.thevenusproject.com PREFACE: The Zeitgeist Movement is the activist arm of The Venus Project, which constitutes the life long work of industrial designer and social engineer, Jacque Fresco. Jacque currently lives in Venus, Florida, working closely with his associate, Roxanne Meadows. Now, let it be understood that Mr. Fresco will be the first to tell you that his perspectives and developments are not entirely his own, but rather uniquely derived from the evolution of scientific inquiry which has persevered since the dawn of antiquity. Simply put, what The Venus Project represents and what The Zeitgeist Movement hence condones, could be summarized as: ‘The application of The Scientific Method for social concern.’ Through the humane application of Science and Technology to social design and decision-making, we have the means to transform our tribalistic, scarcity driven, corruption filled environment into something exceedingly more organized, balanced, humane, sustainable and productive. To do so, we have to understand who we are, where we are, what we have, what we want, and how we are going to obtain our goals. Given the current state of affairs, many of which will be addressed in the first part of this book, the reader should find that we not only need to move in another direction…we have to. The current economic system is falling apart at an accelerating rate...
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