...Serial Killers, The Media and America’s Fascination Turn on the television in any given evening and you can catch an episode or 20 of any number of crime shows (and all of their spin-offs) that showcases an intricate plot and horrific crimes. It is not uncommon for the viewer to get “sucked” into the storyline and then become personally invested in the outcome of the story. I often wonder what it is about theses crime shows and psychological thriller series that keep the viewer’s tuning in. What’s s the draw? Not only do we become drawn in, but at some point we even become infatuated with the subject matter and long to see more. Have was as a society completely lost all sense of right and wrong or has the media desensitized us to the realities of serial murderers? Defining the Serial Killer. In order to pinpoint the progression of fascination with serial killers, it is important to first establish a working definition of the term. The FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit defines serial killings as “the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate (Morton). Generally the classification of serial murder is accompanied by the length of time between kills, or the “cooling off period.” In addition, the killer is usually a stranger to the victim and the murders appear to be unconnected or random. The FBI is credited with establishing this term, and by doing so, achieved a position of unquestioned authority in defining serial murders. Serial Killers...
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...Background The existence of serial killers – a single individual or a pair of accomplices who have committed three or more killings in between emotional cooling-off periods (Miller, 2014) – can be traced back to the beginning of human history. Nevertheless, many scholars of today have argued that social and cultural circumstances have led to a specific modern conceptualization and representation of serial killers in the Western world. One of the primary influencers shaping the notion of the serial killer is the mass media. The modern stereotyped depiction of serial killers is that they range between the ages of 20 to 40 and are typically white, single, heterosexual males (Haggerty, 2009). These common depictions of serial killers are presented...
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...Jack the Ripper was one of the most famous and renowned killers in history. Even though he was not the first serial killer, he was the first killer to strike on a metropolis setting. Jack the Ripper was in his prime at a time when the media had a strong control over society and society had as a whole was becoming much more literate. Jack started his killing campaign at a time of political controversy between the liberals and social reformers along with the Irish Home rule partisans. The reports of Jack the Ripper were collected and reported by the police, but then the different newspapers with their political influences slightly distorted the stories to give them their own effect. It has been more the one hundred years since the last murder and there is no longer any more original evidence, and the "facts" about the stories have changed over time due to different writers or differing sources. The press changed Jack the Ripper from being a depressed killer of prostitutes to one of the most romantic figures seen throughout history. One fact that most sources agreed upon was that the Ripper was a killer who wanted nothing more than to strike fear into the entire city by horribly mutilating his victims and then leaving them in locations where they were sure to be seen. Jack was the type of killer that wants fame and loved the fact that his "name" was on everyone's lips and was able to strike fear into anyone and everyone's heart. In the late 1800's "Jack the Ripper"...
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...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....
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...cases people who commit crimes were fatalities of other types of crimes before. There are different types of crimes, but I am going to centre on one type of contemporary crime, which is serial murder, and I will also not forget to look at the incidence, nature, causes and lessening and prevention measures also of serial murder. Understanding Serial Murder/ conceptualisation “South African criminal law defines murder as the unlawful and intentional killing of another person”, Bezuidenhout (2011). In other words the killing must be unlawful in order to be defined as murder. The perpetrator may not be found guilty of murder if she/he claims it was self-defence. Bezuidenhout (2011) , also emphasis that the killing also has to be intentional in order to be labelled as murder. For example if sixteen people die in a car accident. The tax driver may be guilty for not driving like he is expected but he the killing may not be defined a murder. There are many different types of murder, but I will focus on Serial murder. “Serial Murder is defined as the killing of multiple victims over the period of time ranging from days or weeks to months” Adler et al (1996). Adler et al, also emphasis that Serial murders have a minimum of three to four victims. All serial murders turn to have many things in common.“Serial murders tend to be highly mobile in order to minimise the likelihood of establishing links between the murder they commit between various geographic”, Addler (1996). It has been argued...
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...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...
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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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...running from the scene, covered in blood, I thought ‘Was I a monster like all of them said or was I just pushed too far? (Hansen.)” Serial killers are one of the most fascination and morbid groups of people to study. A serial killer is someone who kills three or more people with a cooling off period (Hickey). Now the FBI has changed it to two people. In between their crimes the serial killer appears normal and fits in with society quite well. Serial killers are very different from all other murders. A serial killer is smart, cunning, and will conceal everything they can. A mass murder kills or tries to kill a lot of people at one time; like shooting up a school or movie theater. A spree murder kills one or two victims here drives to another town and does it again. There seems to be no logic to mass and spree killers. A serial killer is very special and has certain characteristics. Serial killers aren’t caught more quickly, because it is possible that many would-be serial killers are apprehended before they kill the three or more victims required to qualify them as such in the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Similarly, it is certain that some serial killers are detained under mental health regulations and do not directly answer for their crimes, others soon to kill many more people over the years without being apprehended. Serial killers, despite the media attention, commit only a tiny fraction of all the murders (James). Murder is usually either a crime of personal relationships and...
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...AJS/584 Professor Steven Hoenig 3-14-2016 Serial killers is a person that kill three or more people in a short amount of time. He or she murder one after another in a similar way with an inactive period between each murder. The motivation for murdering an adult or child is based on psychological gratification. The serial killer is normally an adult white male in his late twenties, who has killed four or more individuals in separate incident with an inactive period between. It is impossible to tell just by looking at a person who will become a serial killer, the traits of some criminals or serial killers appear to be similar most of the time. The types of behaviors includes violence in the home, sexual assaults, molestation, alcohol and drug abuse, lying, animal cruelty, and a history of bedwetting. The types of serial killers are as follow. Thrill seekers are individuals that are smarter then law enforcement and think of it as a game, enjoy the media, attention seeker, police pursuit, and avoiding authorities. They send messages and keep record of the murders. Mission oriented serial killers an individual that think or claim they are doing society a favor by killing people like prostitutes. Power and Control serial killer are individual that get a kick out of or enjoy the victim’s terror, suffering, and screaming. The chareristics of a serial killer are often subject to debate. As stated in an earlier discussion, serial killers reported in the United States are white males...
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...that between 2001 and 2003 there were an average of 15,400 Black-on-White rapes. Counting some Hispanics as Whites, there were 900 "White"-on-Black rapes. Blacks were 7.2 time more likely to commit interracial rape even after controlling for differences in population size and for the higher general rate of rape for Blacks. This may suggest a deliberate targeting of Whites. When it comes to hate crimes, only 0.3% of reported interracial crimes are classified as official "hate crimes". This classification has been argued to be arbitrary and biased against Whites. Despite this, The Color of Crime found that any given black person was 2.25 times more likely to commit an official hate crime against Whites and Hispanics than the reverse. The media has been argued to give undue emphasis to official hate crimes as compared to the much more common interracial crimes in general as well as having a bias towards reporting the more uncommon White-on-Black...
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...death are twisted into a passion to kill. Otherwise a “typical” individual, serial killers turn to violence and death in search of power over others, and to explore their fatal addiction to their monstrous thrills. Most of society views serial killers as they are portrayed on television. There’s Dexter, the handsome serial killer who, while leading a normal life, takes it upon himself to rid all of the “bad guys” in the world in order to fulfill his need to kill. Then there’s Freddy Kruger, a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams, causing their deaths in the waking world as well. Just to name a few others, there's also The Jigsaw Killer, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Leatherface, Michael Meyers and the infamous Chucky. All of these characters are created to exaggerate something that is not only feared in movie theaters, but in real life as well. But what exactly makes a serial killer? While many of these movies and television programs try and make our minds believe that fiction is reality, there are no such things as ‘dream stalkers’ and talking dolls. A real-life serial killer can be distinguished (not by a scary masks) through the many distinctive patterns in their social and mental behavior, unusual childhood, murder periods, and Modus Operandi; all of which are fashioned in different ways to create a cold blooded murderer. Serial Killers are normally classified by their social and organizational skills. Their social...
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...environmental factors include an individual social support system and family life. The individual’s life span development and personality are a major impact on these factors. These factors can determine who or what an individual can achieve or become in life. A theory of personality helps us understand the different personality that can be seen in society. [pic] Dennis Rader (BTK) In the world there several unique and interesting individuals which may be dangerous or scary in some cases that can be found in society, like Dennis Rader a serial killer, who was responsible for killing ten individuals. This was a gruesome homicide that left everyone in despair. Dennis Rader called himself the BTK, which stands for bind, torture, and kill according to Kowalski & Western, 2011. He sent several clues and taunting letters to the media and law enforcement office alerting them. Dennis Rader was born on March 9, 1945 to William and Dorothea Rader in Wichita Kansas. They were middle class working citizens that led a normal life. Dennis was the oldest out of three, they had normal childhood where there parents were strict toward Dennis and his brothers, but there was never any signs of neglect or abuse in the household (Davey, 2005). Dennis Rader earned a bachelor degree in criminal justice at Wichita State University and married Paula on May 22, 1971 according to Stritof, 2010. Both Dennis and Paula were very active...
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...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...
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...back ground (childhood upbringing, relationships with family and people in his and her lives, employment history, social behaviors, motives for killings (Films Media Group, 2001). Robert Ressler interviewed a 6ft 9in 300 pound man in prison who killed 11 people including his grandparents, mother, and college female students by psychologically torturing each person then decapitating them (Films Media Group, 2001). The motivation for the killings were clearly unknown other than the fact that he clearly enjoyed torturing and ripping heads off his victims. Mr. Robert Ressler’s profiling skills was put to the test when conducting an interview with the serial killer. The time of the interview proved not to be at Ressler's favor because it happened to be at a time when the guards were serving other prisoners food, and were not available at his time of need. The serial killer realized that the guard was not there to let Ressler out after the interview and decides to psychologically torture him by telling him “how easy it would be for him to rip his head off his body” (Films Media Group, 2001). Ressler spent 45 minutes or so using his negotiating skills to negotiate with the serial killer to save his own life, until the guard came and let him out. The stress Ressler must have been under that day will forever haunt him (Films Media Group, 2001). Transfer of learning is learning rapidly while developing a profound understanding of the task if...
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...Media Exercise Assignment Derek Hayward 500393516 POL 128 SEC. 011 Laurinda Hartt-Fournier February 10, 2012 Dexter POL 128 Media Exercise Assignment “Dexter” is an American dark satire that goes against many of the social ideologies of standard American society through presenting a paradoxical perspective of a justified serial killer. In this way, the show reinforces its defiance through the absence of the traditional American family and the lack of trust in the judicial system, all while contradictorily supporting the aspect of fitting in among society. The series “Dexter” follows a man with a meticulously crafted life. By day, he is a blood splatter pattern analyst for the Miami Metro police department. By night, he takes on an entirely different persona: serial killer. However, he is not your average serial killer. He follows a very strict moral code, taught to him by his late foster father Harry, and only kills other serial killers. Season one, episode one, also known as the pilot episode titled “Dexter”, starts off with Dexter stalking and killing his first victim of the series, where it is learned that his victim had killed three young boys previously. Through a series of flashbacks with his late father Harry, it is discovered that at a young age, Dexter had psychopathic tendencies, which Harry was unable to control. Afterwards, his foster sister, Debra, a vice squad officer, pulls him into her world when a series of hookers are being murdered around Miami...
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