Category: Serial Killer

Making a murderer involves many psychological factors that affect everybody differently. The psychological makeup of the human mind controls the thoughts, decisions, and actions. It affects everyone from infants to criminals and Trauma, aggression, and mental illnesses are factors that cause a person to become a serial killer.

A serial killer is someone who kills at least three people with each killing being a separate event (Crime Museum). However, if the kills were done at once and were not separate events, then the person would then be classified as a mass murderer. Serial killers often “lack empathy and guilt” and are self-centered (Crime Museum). Psychological factors are the factors that “limit or enhance” the human mind (Quist). These factors set the difficulty of daily tasks, guiding a person throughout their life (Quist). There is a big social misconception that people who are mentally ill will become a murderer. However, people who have mental illnesses and serial killers are two different types of people. People with mental illnesses are just as capable of violence as we are and for the most part nonviolent. In fact, only “3%-5% violent acts” are connected to individuals with severe mental illness (MentalHealth.gov).

One factor that can lead to a series of killings is trauma. Childhood abuse “affects their sense of self” during an important time of emotional development (Guy). Murderers who were abused as kids felt powerless, which caused them to have low-self esteem as they aged. This is why children are sometimes the victims of serial murderers: the killer wants their victims to “feel what they felt as children” (Knight 1201). The killers use the victim’s body as a coping mechanism for the “pain of early childhood trauma” (Knight 1201). However, this usually never works, it just becomes a never-ending cycle until they are caught. Negative childhood experiences and abuse cause a normal killer to become a serial killer.

In fact, the percentage of any type of abuse in the serial murderer population is more than two times higher than the percentage of abuse in the general population from 30% to 68% (Mitchell and Aamodt). The most staggering differences are the percentage of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse whereas both populations experience 18% of neglect (Mitchell and Aamodt 44). In the general population, it had proportions of 6% that experienced physical abuse, 3% that encountered sexual abuse, and 2% that endured psychological abuse (Mitchell and Aamodt 44 ). Their serial killer counterparts suffered through 36%, 26%, and 50%, respectively (Mitchell and Aamodt 44). Each matched percentage is at least six times greater in the serial killer population. These percentages reveal that there is a positive correlation between a traumatic childhood and becoming a cold-blooded criminal.

John Wayne Gacy is a prime example of a serial killer who faced physical and psychological abuse as a child. Gacy’s alcoholic father would beat Gacy and his other children “with a razor strap if they were perceived to have misbehaved” (Biography.com). Every time Gacy was beaten, the more he felt feeble and defenseless. In addition, his father and his classmates attributed to his psychological abuse. Because Gacy suffered from a congenital heart condition, he could not “play with other children,” and his father viewed the condition as “another failing” (Biography.com). Prior to being known as the “Killer Clown”, Gacy was known as “Pogo the Clown” (Biography.com). Gacy would use the family-friendly image of his job to his advantage by luring “33 young males” to his home where he would rape, strangle, and murder his victims and hide the remains under his house (Biography.com). Asserting his dominance over adolescent males was an attempt to fix Gacy’s broken childhood, but instead solidified himself as one of the worst serial killers in America’s history.

Another cognitive factor that leads people to murder numerous people is aggression. At “extreme levels of emotional upset,” a person has an increased impulse to react in a hostile way (Salfati and Canter 392). Initially, an individual’s learned behavior is calm, cool, and collected. However, when that individual is “insult[ed], physically attack[ed], or fail[ed] in a personal goal,” their vexation is spiked (Salfanti and Canter 393). These annoyances unleash the person’s innate savage behavior, which then makes their primary goal to “make the victim suffer” (Salfati and Canter 393). Build up of rage and stress in a human puts them in a mindless mindset and increases the chance of acts of homicide.

Not only can aggression-induced crimes be explained by natural instincts, but they can also be explained from the turmoil with themselves. The feelings of humans who were sexually abused as children “later surface as aggressive” in adulthood (Knight 1199). Anger from these experiences in serial killers usually come in a stronger form of “rage and envy,” which is enough to fuel the killer’s desire for revenge (Knight 1199). To get revenge, the murderer engages in a “series of brutal and sexualized murders,” which are the “measures of serial killers’ inner conflict” (Knight 1199). Self-loathing criminals attempt to achieve peace with themselves by spreading fear and shedding blood in the same manner they had experienced as a child.

Henry Lee Lucas was an American serial killer who killed at least three people and confessed to hundreds of more killings (Biography.com). Growing up, Lucas’s mother, Viola, “ruled the household with an iron fist” (Biography.com). Viola’s excessive control over Henry led to his hatred and despise for her. In one instance, when a neighbor bought socks and shoes for Henry since Viola outside without them, Viola beat Henry and his brother for not asking for money instead (Corder and Pregnall). In another account, situation, Viola beat Henry so aggressively that he was put into a coma (Corder and Pregnall). Later in life, Henry would argue with Viola about not wanting to return home. This argument quickly escalated as Viola “slapped her son across the face” and Henry angrily responded to this by slitting her throat (Corder Pregnall). After all the years of bottling up his emotions of animosity towards his mother, Henry released his anger as his mother beat him for the last time.

Mental health plays an important role in distinguishing right from wrong; however, when a person has “a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting or violating the rights of others without any remorse,” it is likely that they have a mental condition called antisocial personality disorder (Kimmel, Zieve, and Conaway). Because they have no guilt for any of their immoral actions, people with this disorder are able to terrorize others and “violate the law,” (Mayo Clinic). Consequently, antisocial personality disorder can cause a person to have a “homicidal or suicidal behavior, ” meaning that person can go on a killing spree and never feel contrition (Mayo Clinic). Because antisocial personality disorder is considered a lifelong condition, someone who has it can snap at any second and become a serial murderer.

Another mental illness that can cause someone to slaughter is schizophrenia, a chronic condition that causes people to “interpret reality abnormally” (Mayo Clinic). The abnormalities that people with schizophrenia have included “hallucinations, delusions, and distorted perceptions” (American Psychiatric Association). Depending on the severity of the condition, these aberrations can cause the schizophrenic person to question what is real and what is not. As a result, for example, a voice the person hears could be telling the person to hunt people down. The schizophrenic person will continue to have an episode until they feel like they have done what they were told to do. Although schizophrenia may have these severe symptoms, it can be treated by prescribed medication. Schizophrenia can cause a person to go on a series of murders by deforming its victim’s perception of reality.

Ted Bundy was a notorious American serial killer who “killed at least 36 women” and showed symptoms of antisocial personality disorder (Biography.com). As a child, Bundy “did well in school but not with his peers” (Biography.com). During Bundy’s teenage years, he developed an iniquity behavior; he “thought nothing of stealing things he wanted from other people” (Biography.com). The darkness inside him rapidly grew as he became an adult. When Bundy attended college, he would use his campus girls’ kindnesses by faking an injury, calling for help, and kidnapping them (Biography.com). After kidnapping them, Bundy would usually “rape his victims before beating them to death” (Biography.com). Bundy was charged with many kidnapping and murdering crimes, but he never felt an ounce of guilt. Bundy even stated, “I don’t feel guilty for anything. I feel sorry for the people who feel guilt,” which is a symptom of antisocial personality disorder (Biography.com). Ted Bundy was an intelligent man, as shown by his college degree, and was known to be a stand-up man. Bundy knew the crimes he did were immoral but still persisted with them because he does not feel any wrong. If Bundy did not have antisocial personality disorder, he would not have committed any serial killing.

To make a serial killer, trauma, aggression, and mental illness is the perfect recipe. Disturbing childhood experiences taint the emotional development that is essential to ensuring that the child is mentally capable of handling inner problems. Aggression decreases mental clarity and increases careless homicidal actions. Mental illness fogs a person’s mentality from right and wrong. Some serial killers like John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy were not suspects for a large amount of time because of their picture perfect image. However, if we knew what they had experienced as a child and how they thought, it begs the question: could we have prevented them from committing these heinous crimes?

Some hear the term serial killer and it immediately sends chills down their spine, thinking of the worst people who have committed several murders over a span of time. “The serial murderer kills a number of people over a period of time, many times months and years” [Holmes, 1988, pg. 1]. In just the last two generations, with the rise of serial killers, comes the rise of the fascination towards them, curious as to what causes one to become a serial murderer? How do they go about selecting their victims? What about the victims that go unaccounted for?

“Virtually, all estimates neglect the type of killers and victims that are always partially discounted” [Quinet, 2007 pg. 2], there has been information over time that lacks clear evidence to give a precise number for data reports. It’s a sad reality that a huge majority of victims aren’t accounted for when it comes to researching serial murderers and how many victims they actually killed. A huge reasoning behind the lack of an accurate count from serial murderers, both male and female, it becomes unclear because “continued definitional issues primarily relating to number of victims, sex of the offender, relationship between the victim and motive” [Gurian, 2017, pg. 545]. In popular cases such as Ted Bundy’s, it was unsure on how many innocent lives he actually took due to his constant storytelling, where every story would have a different number. At the time of his confession when he was on Death Row, he admitted to over 30, but there could be anywhere from 30 to 100 victims.

It is unclear to point out a specific cause or motive when looking into why someone becomes a serial killer/ causes someone to kill. Mainly, psychologists like to look into their past experiences, genetic history, and so on. When one thinks of a serial killer, their mind automatically goes to the word psychopath, a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior. A serial killer could kill simply “because he has deliberately and consciously taken it upon himself to fulfill a mission. The locus of his motives lies within himself” [Holmes, 1988, pg 4]. A lot do it because they simply love the thrill of being dominant over someone, or because they get that sense of gratification and gain out of taking someone else’s life. The more numbers they add to their count, the more gain they feel they’re getting. “It is a hypothesis that this serial killer’s homicidal behavior is expressive of the interlocking motives and propensities which predominate in his mind and personality” [Holmes, 1988, pg 5].

In ‘common’ trends with well known serial killers, it seems that one of their main motives is to seek revenge against their family as they either grew up in an abusive household, parents were divorced, any family incident at home that tampered with their developmental period and stayed engraved in their brains as they got older. Which then helps them narrow down their victims; Usually ones that resemble someone or something from their past that triggers them, or something they could never receive or obtain as they got older. For example, Jeffrey Dahmer only targeted younger homosexual males in Milwaukee he would meet at popular gay clubs. They were more vulnerable and easier to lure back to his place, as he would ‘promise’ them something by the end of the night. But, the only thing he was promising them was a death sentence.

In wrapping things up, examining a serial killer and their motives behind their heinous crimes is absolutely fascinating. Although it might never be totally understood from person to person, at least if things are figured out early on before things turn to chaos, at least they’re able to understand their thinking and their dynamics behind why they do what they do.

References

1. Holmes, R. M., Deburger, J., & Holmes, S. T. (1988). Inside the Mind of the Serial Murderer. Contemporary Perspectives on Serial Murder, 113–122. doi: 10.4135/9781452220642.n8
2. Gurian, E. A. (2016). Reframing Serial Murder Within Empirical Research. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 61(5), 544–560. doi: 10.1177/0306624×15598572
3. Quinet, K. (2007). The Missing Missing. Homicide Studies, 11(4), 319–339. doi: 10.1177/1088767907307467

What is a serial killer? There are many definitions for the term serial killer, but a common definition by the FBI is the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offenders, in separate events. In modern society, serial killers are looked at with a sense of terror and wonder for how a human being could possibly commit such horrendous acts. Yet many people are likewise fascinated by these individuals who can commit these blood-chilling murders and show little to no remorse. The sociology behind serial killers is intriguing and piques the interest of people across the country. This is seen by the popularity of TV shows, movies, books, and documentaries about serial killers. Serial killers are a unique type of criminal and can be better understood by looking at the history of the FBI behavioral science unit, the criminology behind certain ones, and how profiling enhances law enforcement.

The first step in understanding these unique types of criminals is by studying their behavior. That was precisely the purpose of the creation of the bureau’s criminal profiling program which fell under the FBI behavioral science. It was founded by two FBI agents, Robert Ressler and John Douglas. In the 1970s, they coined the term serial murder as a murder that involves at least four events that take place at different locations and are separated by a cooling-off period. In the 1990s, the number of murders was lowered to three. However, this definition can be misleading if a serial killer was to commit two murders and be caught before he could take another victim. That is why currently the definition of a serial killer is the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offenders, in separate events. Robert Ressler and John Douglas recognized that these specific types of killers were not normal and needed to be studied more precisely.

In 1977, John Douglas, a former hostage negotiator, transferred to the BSU where he started the program with Robert Ressler. Over a multitude of years, the two agents interviewed famous killers focusing on serial killers and gained a database of information that would later become the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViACP). They were later assisted by a doctor named Ann Burgess who specialized in nursing science. Ann Burgess was an expert in the treatment of trauma victims and was a co-founder of the crisis counseling program at Boston City Hospital when she began consulting with the FBI. With Ann Burgess assisting the operation, she was able to make connections from childhood traumas, particularly parent abuse, which has been crucial to our understanding of serial killers even to this day. Further growth of the program led to Robert Ressler’s founding of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime. This currently houses the BSU’s modern equivalent, Behavioral Analysis Unit 5, and was announced by President Reagan in 1984. In 1988, the trio presented their findings to the public, and in 1992, they published a textbook titled, A Standard System for Investigating and Classifying Violent Crimes.

The FBI to this day still profiles criminals based on the criteria built by the studies that Robert Ressler and John Douglas conducted. Profiling is defined as the investigation of a crime with the hope of identifying the responsible party, that is, an unknown perpetrator, based on crime scene analysis, forensic psychology, and behavioral science. When looking at a crime scene, the first classification that can be made, based on the data provided, is whether the crime was organized or disorganized. John Douglas and Robert Ressler would split the criminals up into these two widespread categories. Organized murder is classified when someone gives the appearance of one who plans his or her kills in advance and goes about them demonstrating control over the victim at the crime scene. Disorganized murder is less thought out and the crime scene will display unsystematic behavior. When a crime scene has characteristics of both categories, it is classified as a mix.

Following classification, a criminal profiler will attempt to build a connection between the criminal’s behavior and timeline, so that he can apply it to subsequent murders or sexual assaults. That is why John Douglas and Robert Ressler’s work has been so vital for solving crimes even to this day. They laid the foundation and conducted the interviews for the discovery of the commonalities between the behaviors of previous serial killers. Those interviews created a database of information to compare possible motives and methods for individual murders that would make no sense on their own. The next step in the profiling process is narrowing down motive and finding commonalities from the crime scenes to formulate a theory. After the profilers come up with a working theory on how the killer operates, they will attempt to connect the commonalities of the crime scenes to find the killer’s signature. A serial killer’s signature is his or her phycological way of gaining gratification from performing the act of the crime.

The studies show that the three most common motives of a serial rapist or murder are domination, manipulation, and control. After all the considerations, a profile is made and can entail personal detail of the criminal’s demographics, family, upbringing, education, and possible background serving in the military. John Douglas and Robert Ressler’s role in the birth and growth of the bureau’s criminal profiling program cannot be overlooked. The statistical evidence of profiling has always been called in to question, but the two agents in 1981 showed a questionnaire in which 77% of FBI field officers reported a profile from the BSU had aided in the ensuing capture of a suspect.

The next step in understanding serial killers better is to look at the life of a particular one and see the criminology behind his acts that correspond with others. One of the most popular serial killers of the late 20th century is Ted Bundy. This specific serial killer was known for having killed at least 36 women and instigating the nation’s fear and fascination with serial killers. What shocked the world when Ted Bundy was finally caught was just how normal of a guy he seemed to be. At this time, the FBI still had not gained enough information on serial killers and had no clue of their capabilities to blend into the public. Ted Bundy’s capture and life story have given the FBI a much better sense of the true capabilities that serial killers possess.

Ted Bundy was born on November 24, 1946, in Burlington, Vermont. His mother was Louise Cowell and had him out of wedlock which brought her family shame. To conceal this, Ted grew up believing that his mother was his sister and that his grandparents were his parents. This alone could have caused incredible psychological damages to his maturing. Growing up, he showed signs of interest in knives and macabre which are disturbing pictures of death. As he matured into a teenager, an increasing number of signs of his serial killer traits were made present. Ted Bundy did well in school, but he made no connections with his peers. He would also peer into people’s windows and showed no restraint from stealing things that did not belong to him. In 1972, Ted Bundy graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in psychology, and then started to pursue a law degree in Utah which he would never finish.

While attending the University of Washington, Ted Bundy fell in love with a young, pretty lady from California. She came from a wealthy family that had class and influence, things Ted Bundy grew up lacking. They dated for a while but eventually broke up which devastated Bundy. This possibly could have been a trigger for Ted Bundy as many of his future victims resembled that of his college girlfriend with long, dark hair. After the breakup, Ted Bundy started changing his personality, exuberating more confidence and becoming involved in social and political matters. He concealed his true personality well and even received a letter of recommendation from the Republican governor of Washington. With a transformed personality, Ted Bundy began a new relationship with Elizabeth Kloepfer. The two met at a bar, and Elizabeth was a single mother who struggled with alcoholism. Her relationship with Ted Bundy would be crucial for his discovery and arrest.

The exact number of Ted Bundy’s killings and the year that they began are uncertain, but most sources believe he started his rampage in 1974. This was the year that many women in the Seattle and Orogen area began to go missing. Ted Bundy confessed to killing 36 young women, but experts speculate that the actual number is above 100. Ted Bundy had a methodical way of luring his victims into his car. He would go to college campuses and pretend to be a student with a broken arm to garner sympathy from women and receive assistance. Ted Bundy was also good looking and had a very charming personality which made unperceiving women easy prey. These characteristics made it easy for women to trust him enough to get into his car, and once that happened, it was over. Ted Bundy’s murders all had a gruesome pattern of him raping them and then beating them to death.

In the fall of 1974, when Ted Bundy moved to Utah to attend Law School, women started disappearing there too. In 1975 he was pulled over by the police, and a search of his vehicle revealed burglary tools, a crowbar, a face mask, rope, and handcuffs. This led to him being arrested for the possession of them, which aided the police in connecting Ted Bundy to the more serious crimes that were taking place. Later that year he was arrested and convicted for the kidnapping of one of the few women who managed to escape him whose name was Carol DaRonch. From here, Ted Bundy would manage to escape prison twice and end up making his way to Florida, where he would go on a murderous rampage before his final arrest. A vital tip for the police to identify Ted Bundy was given by the assistance of Elizabeth Kloepfer. She had been suspicious of Ted Bundy’s habits and for keeping items like a meat cleaver in his desk. Surprisingly the police did not take her seriously the first time she went to them with concerns. Due to how normal Ted Bundy seemed, but once he moved and murders followed him, they looked at him more seriously.

In the review of the life of infamous serial killer Ted Bundy there are clear signs of him being a disturbed individual that could have been noticed even at a young age. Many characteristics of his life are like those of other serial killers. A troubled childhood that most likely caused him to have psychological issues his entire life. An interest in knives and looking into other people’s houses. Lastly not being able to relate with any of his peers and showing no hesitation from taking things that do not belong to him.

The last step in understanding serial killers is looking at how the police use the information of their behavior and life experiences to catch them.

Serial killers account for 10% of all murders in the United States and it is believed that almost 75% of all serial killers are within the states (Miller, 2014). The term serial killer was brought about in by FBI Special Agent Robert Ressler during the “Son of Sam” killings in New York city in the 1970’s. Since then, media coverage and fascination of these killers have grown in popularity due their unusual and sadistic nature. The public is unfamiliar with this kind of crime because it does happen rarely and when it does, it takes time to connect the dots and find the killer. To this day there are serial killers who have never been caught and ones who went on for years killing innocent humans before they eventually got caught. Many characteristics of serial killers have been studied over time and each play an important role in catching them. A key part in serial killings are the “signatures” they leave on their victims. It acts as a way for these people to express themselves with their killings and sometimes explain motive. Most of the characteristics related to the elements of serial killing are one of a kind to modern societies. Modern societies have shaped the way serial killers fall under certain categories and typologies.

Serial killers can be defined as, “those who, either alone or with an accomplice, kill at least three people over a period of time, with “cooling-off” periods between the murders, indicating premeditation of each killing” (Miller, 2014, pg. 4). Basically, it’s a person who commits first degree murder repeatedly with a motive outside of the ordinary. Because it is over a period of time and premeditation is given with each kill, they are not classified as mass murderers. They are known for acting out fantasies and enjoying the kill; they tend to be slow and methodical in their murder activities using low-tech weapons to gouge or flay at a close range. A massive amount of research has gone into categorizing serial killers. The demographics of a typical serial killer is a white male in his 20s to 40s. They are often loners or in some cases are married or live in stable relationships. Also, they may look charming and intelligent from an outside perspective with either a balanced home and job life or often changing jobs and residential locations frequently. Furthermore, serial killers tend to have a certain criminal record. On one hand, they have a perfect criminal record with no run-ins with the law or they have an escalating pattern of offenses. Two crimes in particular that can be associated with serial killers are burglary and rape. Both of these offenses, “involve the willful violation of another person’s intimate self, either their home or their physical body” (Miller, 2014, pg. 4). It is an extreme violation of a human’s privacy and this pattern of crime escalates to the final breach of a person’s body: murder.

Another important aspect to these killers is their characteristics of the crime. The victims tend to be young, white females but in some cases, they are interracial in nature. Most killers collect “trophies” from the victim or scene. A trophy is a memento from the killings and can be jewelry, clothing, or body parts. A remarkable amount of serial killers take part in some form of post-mortem manipulation, cannibalism, or mutilation on their victims. In most cases when serial killers are identified, it is because they left characteristic signature on the victim body or at the crime scene. These signatures can include patterns of attack, type of killing, forms of bondage and torture, and dress or undress. These are all key aspects to finding the killer and creating a profile for future ones. To conceptualize, the selection, stalking and capture of a killer’s victim represents their version of foreplay, while the torture and killing act as their climax. Some of the characteristic behaviors a killer may get involved with is, “fetishism, sexual preoccupation with body parts, inanimate objects, or bizarre activities, transvestism, dressing in the opposite sex’s clothing, exhibitionism, public sexual displays, and voyeurism, surreptitious watching of others’ sexual activity” (Miller, 2014, pg. 5). Another fetish that serial killers tend to do is blind folding the victim. It is yet another way to dehumanize the victim and make them unaware of what is happening. It instills more terror on the victim. Just like blind folding, some killers will gouge out the eyes of their victims premortem or postmortem. This counterats the shame that may break through to the killer.

The media is in the celebrity making business and has influenced these serial killers in a negative way which severely impacts our society. Rather than reporting the activities on certain individuals the media needs to make eye catching headlines to attract viewers and earn money. Most of these killer’s revel in their own popularity and actively seek out media attention. For example, one of the most notorious serial killers Wayne Gacy, “took pride in his sinister celebrity, bragging that he had been the subject of eleven hardback books, thirty-one paperbacks, two screenplays, one movie, one off-Broadway play, five songs, and over 5,000 articles” (Haggerty, 2009, pg. 174). This is extremely dangerous in today’s society because new serial killers are going to want to stand out even more to gain the medias attention which will inevitably cause more damage and pain to victims. Before modern times, serial killings were something a person did, now a serial killer is something a person can be.

Serial killings are, in most cases, extremely impersonal. The victim plays no role in the killer’s current life and are reduced to a means towards a particular end. They are an object meant to, “fulfill a psychic desire for control and self-aggrandization” (Haggerty, 2009, pg. 178). The lack of empathy displayed by serial killers is the most obvious sign of how they are complete narcissists with no morals. This narcissism represents a good way of coping with the anxieties and tensions of modern life with the influences of social conditions bringing out narcissistic traits that are present in everyone at varying degrees. Furthermore, serial killers cannot comprehend the severity of the crime they committed because of how they dehumanize the whole situation. This can be seen in the killer’s tendency to associate their victims as vermin or a plague to society. One specific type of victim serial killers’ prey on are prostitutes. They are easily accessible and work at night in dangerous neighborhoods and are expecting to get into cars of unknown men. Because of this, they are the most common type of victims related to serial killings. By preying on workers of a nonuniform job, serial killers reduce the likelihood that their actions will be noticed, and if detected, the urgency that which an investigation will ensue is low. These killers are smart enough to pick out the right victim type and plan the whole scenario.

In modern society there tends to be four main types of serial killers. These typologies include the following:

(1) sexual sadists who kill for the intense pleasure derived from the domination, control, torture, humiliation, and murder of another human being; (2) delusional killers who are on a psychotic or ideologically-driven mission to rid the world of “undesirable” persons; (3) custodial killers who are often health care professionals and who murder helpless or dependent persons in their charge; (4) utilitarian killers whose motive at least partly involves some practical financial or other material gain, although this motive may be mixed with anger or revenge. (Miller, 2014, p. 9)

Sexual sadists and custodial killers fall under the Deitz typology which focus on the murder and inflicting pain on someone in vulnerable states. Custodial killers involve “angel of death” cases where nurses in hospitals and nursing homes murder ill or elderly patients usually by medical overdose or asphyxiation. The most well-known sexual sadists include Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy due to their extreme pleasure in the torture and the killing of their victims. Delusional killers fall under the Holmes typology which focuses more on the styles of interactions with victims such as of restraints, mutilation, and torture rather than simply focusing on an individual’s motivation. Motivation is a key source of information in pursuing a serial killer but in most cases these styles tend to be associated with signatures. Signatures are left to express the killer’s internal feelings or is a result of psychological deviance. Utilitarian killers can include hit men and assassins used to gain a personal advantage or revenge on their victims. They can also be angered spouses wanting to end a bitter divorce. These types of killers are the most common and extremely dangerous to modern society.

From here, most serial killers can fall into two categories: organized or disorganized. This was developed by the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit and is getting increasingly controversial. An organized killer is intellectual and thinks of them self as superior to other people. They are meticulous in their grooming and appearance making sure to show why they are better. Their killings are planned carefully and usually done away from their place of living. Stalking and following are involved in their selection of the victim and they usually pick the victim based on behavior, looks, and other specific qualities. These killers tend to have a prepared torture kit with them and trophies are taken during the killing. Furthermore, they are familiar with the procedures of law and enjoy taunting the police. Each time they kill, the crimes committed get increasing sophisticated and their tactics become more elusive. For disorganized killers, they tend to have below average intelligence and be a loner. They consider themselves less than adequate and are seen as creepy by other people. The crime scenes tend to be more careless and their plans are sloppy. Typically, the killing consists of blitz attacks that, “are intended to silence the victim quickly through blunt force trauma, following which, death usually follows quickly” (Miller, 2014, pg. 7). It is common for post mortem activities to occur which involve mutilation, biting, masturbation, and insertion of foreign objects. Trophies are less common in disorganized killings. However, it is now being seen that crime scenes are involving the properties from both an organized and disorganized killer; this is called a mixed killer. Authorities are now starting to agree that this organized-disorganized system is more of a continuum rather than a division of ideas.

The ideas behind serial killers extends far beyond wanting to kill just to kill. When this term was first coined, it had varying effects amongst the world but when seriously heinous crimes ensued, this term answered the questions on why. As people did more research they found commonalties between different killers and the way they killed. This is where different typologies and categories were found. That being said, since times are changing and technology is advancing, these terms may lose their meaning and new terms will have to be defined. Modern day technology has had its great deal of influence on society by its story telling media. With an ever-expanding population of people, the likelihood of new torture methods and types of killers being presented is extremely likely.

Your child may have been born a serial kill, but never act like a serial killer. Many people in the world think that serial killers are created over time, but serial killers are actually born.

A classic example of an upbringing of a child who turned out to be a serial killer Ted Bundy. Growing up, Mr. Bundy didn’t have a normal childhood, he was bullied as a kid and had family problems. Mr. Bundy wanted people to think that he didn’t have a bad childhood. He also thinks that he didn’t show signs of a killer at a young age. In an interview, Mr. Bundy was telling the interviewer how normal his life was. “As an adult, Bundy seemed intent on painting an idyllic picture of his childhood. He told death row interviewers that he spent his youth engaging in totally normal activities: playing football with classmates, going fishing with friends, and catching frogs” (Pruitt, Oxygen Official Site). In more research that was done and put into a documentary, they found out that Mr. Bundy did have a bad childhood and was lying to people about it. “But others interviewed for the Netflix special told a different story; Bundy was bullied for a speech impediment as a child, and as a teen, “wanted to be something that he wasn’t,” one childhood acquaintance recalled.,” but he insisted in other interviews that nothing in his past would lead people to believe he would be able to commit murder” (Pruitt, Oxygen Official Site). Mr. Bundy’s childhood is important because the environment he was in has to do with why he became a famous serial killer murdering 30 women.

Even though Mr. Bundy did show signs of a serial killer, he did help to save a little boy’s life. Mr. Bundy also claims to have worked a suicide hotline. There are many signs Mr. Bundy showed that would make people think that he was a serial killer, but saving people’s lives isn’t one of them.In 1970 the parents of little boy were not paying attention, and the little boy ran off into a lake. Ted Bundy was one of the first people to spot the little boy and ran to save him from drowning (“A Killer in Plain Sight: 6 Facts about Serial Killer Ted Bundy”, Historycollection). Not only did Mr. Bundy save a little boy from drowning, but he also claims to have worked for a suicide hotline back in the 1970s ( “A Killer in Plain Sight: 6 Facts about Serial Killer Ted Bundy”,Historycollection.com). Although Mr. Bundy did help save people, many people believe he wanted to show that he was a kind person and couldn’t be a killer.

Another serial killer who has sort of the same type of child up-bringing is Jeffery Dahmer. Unlike Mr. Bundy, Jeffery Dahmer had surgery when he was four years old, people in his family said that he changed after the surgery (“Jeffery Dahmer”,Biography.com). The surgery is one of many things that triggered Mr. Dahmer to become a serial killer he did. “Dahmer claims that his compulsions toward necrophilia and murder began around the age of 14” (Biography.com). Another thing that could’ve triggered Dahmer is the fact that he had a drinking problem, and that had a huge effect on the things he did (Biography.com). All of these factors affect the way Dahmr acted and thought. Growing up the way Damhr did, everything around him could’ve been the reason he became a serial killer. As a child Damhr was surrounded by alcohol and drugs. Also he was abandoned by his family. He felt like he was a loner and didn’t really fit in (“Jeffery Dahmer”,Thefamouspeople.com). Everything that has happened in his life has led him to where he was.

Both of these serial killers are great examples of people who grew up with bad childhood. The reason these two guys were used is because people are born as a serial killer. People are born with the brain of a serial killer but they don’t always have to turn out to be a serial killer. Many people believe that when babies are born, they are born with a clean, pure mind and that may be true, but they could have the mind of a serial killer. There is a difference between a normal brain and the brain of a serial killer. In an article called Crime Reads it states the physical differences “serial killers have a 5 to 10% reduction in grey matter around the limbic system, the region where emotions are processed. This significant size difference is especially prominent in the amygdala, small glands that are directly linked to empathy and the regulation of fear. People with oversized amygdala tend to be super-altruists and those with smaller than average amygdala tend to be empathy-deficient” (Ellison, Crimeread). With this research people can see that you can be born with the brain of a serial killer, but that doesn’t mean that, that person will become a serial killer.

The reason people who have the brain of a serial killer but, don’t become a serial killer is because the type of connections you have in the brain and the environment that a person grows up in. A Neuroscientist named Jim Fallon did research to back this up. In his research, he was doing scans of the brain to see if there is a difference that could be seen between a serial killer and normal person. During Dr. Fallon’s research he found a scan that showed that person could be a serial killer, come to find out it was Dr. Fallon’s own scan (Borreli, Medical Daily). The question is how could someone who had the brain of a serial killer become a greatly respected neuroscientist? That is where the person’s environment and how they grew up comes in. The way that the connections in the brain works is that something such as child abuse, or brain injury, drinking, doing drugs, etc. can trigger a connection in that persons brain and them become a serial killer. In Dr. Fallon’s research he says “When it comes to childhood, serial killers are more likely to have experienced child abuse than society in general. In a study of 50 serial killers, researchers found about 70 percent experience some maltreatment and 50 percent go through psychological abuse growing up” (Borreli, Medical daily).

The definition of a serial killer is usually described as an individual who repeatedly commits murder, typically with a distinct pattern in the selection of victims, location, and method. The people usually perform there murders in a unique way that are often known as their signature. Serial killers are sometimes compared to mass murderers; however, serial killers don’t really follow the format of mass murders in which they don’t take breaks in between the murders.

According to Sigmund Freud the development of the unconscious personality early in childhood will influence behavior for the rest of one’s life. In his theory freud belives humans develops early in life with three parts of there personality. The three parts are the id, the ego and the superego . The id is considered to be primitive, supplying unconscious drives for food and sex, the ego is formed as sort of a guide to remain aligned with societies norms and the superego develops incorporating values and morals.(McLeod 2019). It seems to be that serial killers are overwhelmed the id but seem to lack the ego and super ego and according to the psychodynamic theory crime occurs when a person displays a weak ego.

Types of serial killers

According to Holmes and DeBurger (1998) they have identified four categories of serial killers. This including Visionary killers who are categorized as being out of touch with reality and are said to be hearing voices in their head, the Mission-oriented serial killers who believe that their life’s mission is to kill certain kinds of people, the Hedonistic killers in which they gain their thrills from the excitments of murdering and is usally what most serial killers fall under,and Power/control killers who seek satisfaction through having control of there victims. In the end serial killers try to diminish their self-esteem and self-control issues through murder.

Between these categories these killers can also fall into one of the two subcategorgies which are organized and unorganized killers.Organized killers is seen as leading an organized, average life. The indivual is also thought to have an average to aboveaverage IQ, well maintained employment and is socially proficient. These features are anaylized from the crime scene left by this type of killer. The crime scene this type suggests that the killer planned there attack, they are careful not to leave blood and finger prints behind and are attentive to details. The organized serial killer is thought to be killing as some sort of reaction to a stressful event (Canter 2004).Compared to the oprganized killer the disorganized killer leaves the crime scene just as one would assume in a mess. The disorganized is more likely to leave blood, fingerprints and the murder weapon behind and the act is seen to be opportunistic. The traits of this killer is seen as the opposite of the organized killer as this indivual will be more socially inadequate and have below-average IQ (Canter 2004). This idea of the organized/disorganized theory relates to to the idea of the social control theory. In which this theory also states that people engage in criminal activity when their bond to society has weakened.(Gielnik 2019)

Enviromental factors

Research on the environmental causes of serial killing points msinly to childhood experiences like abuse, loneliness and abandonment which can lead serial killers to commit their crimes. Infancy is one of the most significant stages in the development of the human. Infancy is a crucial time for brain development. It is vital that babies and their parents are supported during this time to promote attachment. Without a good initial bond, children are less likely to grow up to become happy, independent and resilient adults. (Winston 2016 ). . If a child does not receive adequate attention and physical touch during this time period they may engender feelings of anxiety, fear, and mistrust.This is considered the trust vs,mistrust stage from eriksons development theory in which can lead to a sense of mistrust in people and the infant will develop a sense of only itself(Munley 1975). Research also suggest that the presence of a father/father-figure during childhood can reduce violent behavior during adulthood. Holmes and DeBurger (1985) suggested that most serial killers usually are born into a family where one parent is absent,there is an increasing the rate at which serial killers were raised without one of their parents These unstable and unhealthy relationships may results in the incapability of forming emotional attachments during childhood which could grow into adulthood.

Apart from rejection neglect and abuse have been found to be causal factors of serial killers. A landmark study of 50 serial killers found that childhood abuse was more prevalent in lust serial killers. One of the authors of this study, Michael G. Aamodt, explained, “Our data showed that a much higher percentage of serial killers were abused as children than the population in general. It certainly makes sense that the type of abuse received as a child — physical, sexual, or psychological — could influence a serial killer’s behavior and choice of victim.” ( Davies 2018 .]. These childhood experiences would most likely lead to the development of non-secure attachment styles which would lead to difficulty informing relationships which is crucial to the development of a human.Through this these kids can experience lonieliness which could transcend into adulthood in which this lonelisness experienced can be seen as a contributing factor to the motivation of controlling victims which is one of the motivations of a serial. Based off research it easy to conclude that limited positive interactions ,neglect,abuse,abandemnets etc, can result in the progression of a serial killer.

Disorders

The pattern of abuse and abandonment may also lead to the development of mental illness. Many serial killers have been clinically diagnosed in the widely used Diagnostic and Statistical Manual as suffering from Personality Disorder. The class of personality disorder is cluster type B, which is sociopathic or psychopathic. People diagnosed within this type of disorder are found to be emotionally unstable, self centered and prone to be manipulative.

Borderline Personality disorder is one of the cluster b disorders This disease is characterized by impulsive behaviors, intense mood swings, feelings of low self worth, and problems in interpersonal relationships.It has been diagnosed among Jeffrey Dahmer, who killed seventeen boys and men between 1978 and 1991.Another cluster b disorder assosicated with serial killers is Antisocial Personlity disorder This disease is characterized by impulsive behaviors, intense mood swings, feelings of low self worth, and problems in interpersonal relationships.This disorder is very common among serial killers because of most of there expiriences during childhood like neglect,abuse etc. This disorder is seen to only affects 0.6% of the population but it may affect up to 47% of male inmates and 21% of female inmates. It’s also been diagnosed one of the most popular serial killers Ted Bundy, an infamous killer and necrophile, who confessed to 30 murders in the 1970s.(types of killers).Psychopaths are usually what people call serial killers which the term is traditionally described as a personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits.Based on a study carried out by Stone, 86.5% of the serial killers met the Hare criteria for psychopathy, and another 9% presented only a few psychopathic traits (not enough to be classified as psychopaths). A remarkable finding of that study was the fact that approximately half of the serial killers presented schizoid personality, as defined in the DSM-IV. Some schizoid traits were present in another 4% of the research subjects. Sadistic PD, as described in the appendix of the DSM-III-R, were present in 87.5% of the men and discrete traits were found in 1.5% of them (Morana 2006). Schizophrenia is wide ranging and often misdiagnosed the symptons go from hullications and delusion to catonia. People who suffer from the disease may seem like they have lost touch with reality which fits a lot of serial killers mindsets.Indivduals suffering from these disorders are impaired in their social functioning which increases the likeliness of them to perform violent acts. behavior.

Cognitive Psychology

Many people are curious on what pushes someone to start killing and eventually become a serial killer.One particular theory that has been stressed was the diathesis-stress model, which is a psychological theory that attempts to explain a disorder, or its trajectory, as the result of an interaction between a predispositional vulnerability and a stress caused by life experiences. Through a combination of other factors such as self-esteem and social skill issues, the person can become a killer (Colodro 2018) from this mentality the killer believes that they can correct their problems through killing. It has been proposed that unresolved feelings and the child’s view of the world from experienced trauma, may cause a child to seek comfort in fantasies revolving around themes of things they lacked as a child such as control/domination which could lead to aggressive and obsessive fantasies. These children use these fantasies as anoutlet for most of there life but eventuallythe fantasy is not enough to fulfill there needs. Thus, when serial killers separate from their fantasies they translate it into real life as a cognitive staging. The thing is when they translate there fantstasy into real life there expectations are usually not meant because of unanticipated circumstances resulting in the serial killer’s fantasy being unsatisfied, leading them to develop new and more violent fantasies in order to try to satisfy their needs.(Bonn 2014)

Genetic Predisposition and Environmental Influence

Many times one is not born with the intent to become a serial killer; it is often a result of the environment they grew up in. However, in some cases people have genetic makeup that the presence of trauma can crest psychopathic tendencies. Serial killers are a result of their genetic makeup as well as the environment they grew up in. There are many cases where people have the same genetic makeup as a serial killer but do not have the trauma that causes distrust for their peers. If a person with this gene never experienced trauma, they would go on to live a normal life. However, if the person with the genetic makeup to commit such crimes had childhood trauma, the same would not be said for them. An example of nature and nurture affecting a person who both had the genetic makeup and childhood trauma that resulted to psychopathic tendencies in adulthood is Ted Bundy.

Ted Bundy, like many other people have a deficiency in the MAOA gene. The U.S. National Library of Medicine states the MAOA gene, “provides instructions for making an enzyme called monoamine oxidase A. This enzyme is part of a family of enzymes that break down molecules called monoamines through a chemical reaction known as oxidation…Specifically, monoamine oxidase A is involved in the breakdown of the neurotransmitters serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Signals transmitted by serotonin regulate mood, emotion, sleep, and appetite. Epinephrine and norepinephrine control the body’s response to stress. Dopamine transmits signals within the brain to produce smooth physical movements.” The genetic makeup Bundy was born with shows that Bundy does not process emotions like an average person. Many people have genetic makeup similar to Bundy’s. The difference between Bundy and most others is the childhood he had.

The Impact of Family Secrets and Distrust

Ted Bundy was born into a family that lied to him. His mother, Eleanor Louis Cowell, gave birth to Ted Bundy at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Burlington, Vermont. The father was not in the picture. To avoid embarrassment, his grandparents Samuel and Eleanour Cowell took them both in. Bundy was told his grandparents were his parents and his mother was his sister. The reveal of Bundy’s parents actually being his grandparents caused young Ted Bundy to not trust the people around him. When his mother and Ted moved out, his mother eventually married a man named Johnnie Bundy. His mother and Johnnie had four children. The four children got more attention compared to Bundy causing him to miss his parents/grandparents even more.

The Dual Identity of Ted Bundy

This distrust led to Bundy isolating himself; leading him to dream of one day making his reality better than it currently was. Bundy committed petty crimes like shoplifting, peeping into windows, and breaking into cars. However, during the petty crime spree, Ted was succeeding. His grades were good, he was popular with other students and often seen as charismatic and handsome. The two sides of his identity led Bundy to susceptible to the duality of his self-perception as well as the perception others had of him. The divide between his double life is what made him become a serial killer feel like second nature to him. Bundy could commit any crime he wanted and get away with it due to his status and charm. Ted Bundy seemed to know how to play a part. Katherine Ramsland writes in The Forensic Examiner ( Vol. 22, Issue 3) how Ted Bundy would play the victim to his lawyer Polly Nelson felt when they first met for disputing the case against Bundy. “ In a book about Bundy’s death penalty appeals, defense attorney Polly Nelson recalled that he sounded insecure when Bundy first called her. She felt immediately protective. Mentally, she assigned him a role that came with expectations of gratitude and humility, so he startled her with his many self-centered demands.

Manipulation and Self-Deception

When Nelson finally met Bundy, he looked ‘dark, wary, and wild.’ Despite his dull skin, his blue eyes were ‘fully alive.’ He seemed to want to appear suave and knowledgeable but mostly stuttered and stammered. She was surprised that he admitted he’d found his law classes incomprehensible. Bundy softened Only in rare moments, such as when he bashfully displayed pictures of his young daughter: ‘His eyes weren’t as loud with subtext as they usually were.’

As they talked, Nelson searched for a sign that she, a smart woman, would have spotted Bundy, the killer. ‘But I saw nothing … This dangerous man was not detectable by sight or sound. But not for the reasons people usually suggest. It was not because Ted exuded charm–he was too obviously disingenuous to be truly charming. It was not because Ted was such a ‘diabolical genius’ that he could fool you believe me, he was not that smart. The real reason you could look at Ted Bundy straight in the face–even with full knowledge of what he had done–and not see a single sign of his guilt was that he truly believed he was not guilty.’ Ted Bundy would lie to himself often making what he said the truth in his mind ; which technically he was not lying, so signs of lying would be less noticeable to him. Many people would show guilt due to the lies they are telling ;but since Ted Bundy had the genetic makeup that caused him to process emotion differently and the presence of emotional trauma, he was used to lying to himself about his reality.

Bundy’s Courtroom Antics and Blame on Pornography

Ted Bundy was so full of himself that he wanted to represent himself in court even though his time in law school was not a successful time. As Victor H. Kramer writes in the Constitutional Commentary about Bundy seeming to want to represent himself in court, to only talk around in circles instead contributing anything of use “Trying to Determine Why Bundy Became a Sadistic Woman Killer.(12) To this reviewer the most interesting part of the book is that part which recites the efforts by both Bundy himself, his lawyers (particularly the author), and psychoanalysts to find out why he did the terrible things he did. To understand it, the reader should be aware that though Bundy’s judgment was bad when seeking to act as his own lawyer, he was relatively well educated, though he did flunk out of law school twice.(13) Nevertheless, his language skills were impressive and when dressed in a suit and tie, he looked like he could be an associate or young partner in a law firm.(14) But the author emphasizes that Bundy’s judgment was atrocious and he ‘never contributed anything of use to his case.'(15)

Bundy apparently was eager to participate in efforts to ‘psych’ him because it might result in keeping him alive longer and it gave him a chance to bolster his ego and at least gave the appearance of doing something worthwhile during his last days. The book contains a verbatim account of his last conversation with a psychiatrist several hours before he was electrocuted. Bundy expressed difficulty in explaining or understanding what changed him from the appearance and action of a normal person to a mad dog torturer and killer of young women. Then he lamented, in describing his Chi Omega murders, ‘I’d never bitten anyone before.'(16) The one point, however, that he said he was sure of was that pornographic movies or pictures stimulated his urge to injure and kill women. During his long, 11th-hour death row conversation with the psychiatrist he said: . . . I know that if the police had . . . let me get drunk . . . and showed me some really hard-core pornography, I could have talked to them in that voice [the voice of a serial killer-torturer while preparing to and committing his crimes] . . . (17) Bundy was puzzled that ‘the vast majority of people can view the kind of so-called pornography I’ve been talking about and not be moved this way. Why?'(18)

Ms. Nelson stresses that Bundy was ‘sincere’ in his conviction that adult pornography was the trigger–or at least a trigger. She wrote: He had tried to encourage the FBI to stake out adult movie houses and follow the patrons as they left. He was certain . . . that the men who preyed on women were there.(19)”

In the last few days of his life Bundy would often talk about his addiction to pornography, he would often scapegoat pornography for his homicidal rages and serial rapes. Bundy felt that doing the acts in the pornography would feel better than just reading or watching the acts. Bundy even says that many of the men he met in prison wanted to commit the same violent acts he did and was also deeply interested in pornography as well. AL Goldstein writes in the New York Times (circa 1989) about how Ted Bundy would manipulate guilt away from himself to blame not only pornography but society as a whole for expressing such acts of violence and pornography. “There is still the very overbearing image of Ted Bundy himself testifying to the porn -violence connection ”in the shadow of the electric chair,” as commentator Maury Povich stated. (The Bundy interview was broadcast, in best tabloid-TV style, on Mr. Povich’s show, ”A Current Affair.”) James Dobson is a psychologist and sophisticated enough to know the logical fallacy he is promoting: Ted Bundy used porn , Ted Bundy kills women, therefore all porn -users kill women.

And that is why Ted Bundy chose Mr. Dobson over all journalists clamoring for a interview. Mr. Dobson offered him a way out. Porn made me do it. In the many chronicles of Mr. Bundy’s life, the word ”manipulative” comes up again and again. In his last interview, Mr. Bundy tried to manipulate guilt away from himself and onto society as a whole.” Ted Bundy never seemed to take full responsibility by blaming pornography but James Dorban used his admission of guilt of the crimes Bundy committed to express that pornography is bad. The self-manipulation of Bundy really helped James Dorban express his values in the most extreme way he could think of.

The Role of Trauma and Genetic Deficiency

Ted Bundy did not start off as someone who manipulates the people around him. Although his genetic makeup causes Bundy to process emotion different, it was the trauma of his early family dynamic that caused Bundy to not trust the people around him. The deficiency of the MAOA gene alone does not cause Ted Bundy or anyone else with that deficiency to become a serial killer. The emotional trauma of not knowing if he could trust his “parental figures” that caused Ted Bundy to make those horrific choices.

In addition to the early traumatization in a serial killer’s childhood, the secluded social conditions of a serial killer acts as an accomplice to their violent and sadistic fantasies that inevitably direct them to kill. Many serial killers face isolation in their youth which oftentimes they turn to fantasies involving violence and sex. As many serial killers are isolated or abused as children, a study by Ressler, Burgess, Prentky, et al in 1988 suggest that serial killers used fantasies of sex, violence and power to cope with unresolved conflict and childhood trauma. For instance, research has found that fantasy related to violence existed in eighty six percent of serial killers. They believe this suggests, “a functional relationship between fantasy and repetitive assaultive behaviour” ().

More research proposes that serial murderers actualize these fantasies as a means to reassert their power over individuals and gain a level of satisfaction. Also, the violent and sexual nature of fantasies, that originate from the aftermath of a traumatic childhood, may also develop into paraphilias. Ressler and Burgess suggest that extreme sexual behaviour stems from the childhood of a serial killer and can develop into paraphilias such as necrophilia, voyeurism, frotteurism and compulsive masturbation (). A common example of a paraphilia that a serial killer exhibits is sadomasochism, which is defined as the infliction of pain or humiliation for one’s sexual gratification.

A case study of the serial murderer, Carroll Edward Cole, examines Cole’s early childhood experiences and twisted relationship with his mother. As a child, he was forced to dress up as a girl for his mother and her friends, and witnessed his mother repeatedly engage in affairs with other men as his father was stationed aboard. His humiliation rooted from his mother’s actions later triggered his paraphilia as he would inflict similar acts of humiliation and violence to his victims. He victimized women who were representative of his mother. These women willingly cheated on their partner with Cole as Cole’s mother did with his father. In his first killing, Cole forced the woman to remove her clothes but then did not proceed to have sex with her. He only did so to humiliate her, which parallels with his relationship with his mother (). It is evident that his paraphilia and fantasies developed through his destabilizing relationship with his mother, and ultimately shaped the framework of his crimes.

The representation of pornography and violence in the media is also a contributing factor to a serial killer’s fantasies and behaviour. For instance, Ted Bundy, a notorious serial killer during the 1970s, proposed that his fantasies were stimulated by the portrayal of pornography in the media and True Detective magazines (). Thus, the senseless portrayal of violence in the media is partly responsible for violent and extremist behaviour seen in serial killers and their murders. Often the media glorifies serial killers in such movies as Silence of the Lambs and researchers suggest that the killers extract the premise of their fantasies from pornographic and violent media. The primary and secondary socialization of individuals is a major indicator in shaping of violent fantasies and paraphilias that lead to the execution of criminal behaviour.

Finally, the inadequate secondary socialization of serial killers often develop into deviant behaviour and violence to gain the level of satisfaction derived from proper socialization. Serial killers often grow up in a socially isolated and neglectful environment in which prompt egocentric, violent and controlling behaviour. Ressler and Schachtman examined, “Having discovered that authoritarian behaviour can compensate for lack of social skills the ‘apprentice murderer’ sets out on a long path which will gradually put in place the fantasies and systems of self-justification allowing him to act” (). The researchers further state that deviance and violence in behaviour is triggered through episodes of job loss, the end of an intense romantic relationship, financial issues and psychological, emotional, sexual or physical abuse throughout their lives.

Serial killers gain a thrill for killing as they translate the comfort of their fantasies to reality as a means of satisfaction, that is usually received through proper socialization. Also, serial killers lack normal social interaction and thus are isolated and powerless from the rest of society from a young age. Ramsland connects the sense of power and loneliness as he says, “Serial killers often feel a sense of isolation from society and are unable to neither establish an attachment nor receive a commitment. By exhibiting his power over them, and therefore, fulfilling his need for belongingness” (). As serial killers are often isolated by peers and family in their childhood, many turn to violent and controlling behaviours and fantasies to cope with their lack of social interactions. Martens and Palermo add that, “Bundy, as evidenced by the previously mentioned data, controlling his victims and exerting power over them was a crucial part of his killings” ().

Many serial killers struggled with peer rejection and isolation as they failed to internalize the norms and values of society, thus this factor of loneliness and the need for control can account for Bundy’s need to exert power over his victims. Similarly, many serial killers lack socialization, which helps to develop social skills and an understanding of the world, and leads to their bursts of frustration on society for attention. A case study on a highly prolific serial killer in Canada, Clifford Olson, states, “Olson became so isolated that there was no evidence that he established any form of meaningful relationship with any significant other (i.e. no evidence of dating). It could be hypothesized that Olson’s initial reports of criminal activity prior to adulthood were simply further attention seeking behaviour, yet it could be an indication of him taking out his frustrations on society” (). Thus many researchers theorize that his criminal behaviour stems from his isolation and lack of empathy for the world. Socialization, or the lack thereof in serial killers, indicates how powerful environmental factors are in shaping deviant and aggressive behaviour.

The 20th century was a time of major events and a wide variety of progression. Specifically, in the 1980s, there was a wide increase in violent crimes, and mass murders. The number of active serial killers in America hit an all-time high during this period. As these murders were becoming very common, many people in America developed a strange admiration for them and their lifestyles. Some of that admiration stemmed from the variety in appearance that these people had. Previously, mass murders were known to have a similar look and psyche, but that image began to transform into a myriad of combinations. As serial killers evolved, their tactics progressed as well, and police officers were not initially prepared to stop them from successfully murdering such a large number of people. There was a lack of highly advanced materials to track down these criminals, which in turn made it easier for serial killers to escape from the crime scene. While there were many crimes taking place, there was an insufficient number of available tactics to fight them. The high number of known serial killers and an even higher number of unsolved murder mysteries made way for a more secure investigation system to be put in place for society today.

In the 1970s, the new generation of mass murders arose and took America by surprise. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was an increase in criminal activity, but from the sixties to the nineties there was a major peak. Some of the well-known serial killers included Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, Aileen Wuornos, Gary Ridgeway and more. Before one can truly identify a serial killer, they must know the true definition of one, Leryn Messori the author of “Frequencies between Serial Killer Typology and Theorized Etiological Factors” discusses the term in her work. She said, “Dietz (1986) referred to cases as serial murder when they consisted of a single offender killing in five or more separate incidences with a “cooling-off-period” between homicides” (5). While the term ‘serial killers’ was newly coined in the seventies, it was important to understand what that term meant and who exactly fell under that newly discovered category. Now that the definition of a serial killer had been finalized, the next question is why such an increase in people was there committing these crimes. There are theories suggesting that the cause of the increase in serial killers is due to the political state America was in at the time. Because of the continuous wars internationally, there were many domestics problems in America. Between the Vietnam War which had recently ended, and the Cold War, which was going on, it is said that they may have contributed to the psychological damage of individuals growing up during this period. So, the psychological development of the people growing up at the time was most likely caused by all of the drama in America and led to such a major increase in crimes altogether. Studies show that America houses a large percent of the serial killers in the world, in “The Guys Who Shoot to Thrill: Serial Killers and the American Popular Unconscious” it states “The United States houses just over 5% of the world’s population and 75% of its serial killers… No less than three hundred killers were working the highways, suburbs, and starched white campuses…” (Conrath 3). While America had many of the world’s serial killers it the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 also made it easier for killers spread out. It was easier for them to not only commit crimes in more areas but also run away from the places that they go to do it.

In the 1980s there many people in America had an outstanding admiration for serial killers and their identities. The typical idea of what a serial killer should ‘look like’ was being changed significantly in the eighties. Individuals such as Ted Bundy and Aileen Wuornos did not exactly fit the look of a typical serial killer to many, and in some ways perplexed Americans. The idea that someone that looked like Ted Bundy would ever commit such heinous crimes seemed almost unheard of. The idea is that bad people generally have a bad aura and it naturally lingers around them in the way of appearance, personality, socioeconomic status, etc. For example, when a woman walks down the street, she will not fear the man she sees in a nicely fitted suit and looks properly groomed. But the man that looks a bit on the dirty side wears raggedy clothes, and simply looks mean is who she will fear. As mentioned in Simpson’s Natural Born Celebrities: Serial Killers in American Culture he states “Schmid traces the cultural elevation of Ted Bundy to the iconic ‘straight’ celebrity serial killer in particular as emblematic of a project designed to exonerate heterosexual men from the taint of sexual violence. In this project, Bundy’s normality and apparent similarity to many straight men are configured as only a surface layer-a mask that hides the deviant monster beneath. Thus, the focus is shifted away from troubling issues of social gender construction of violence onto the aberrant personality that is supposedly the essence of Bundy” (282). But in the eighties, America had begun to realize that the conclusion that serial killers are easily identifiable was incorrect. Because of the sudden obsession, there was a lot of publicity tracking these killers, and what they did. Their whereabouts were a major concern, and people wanted deeper looks into what they did with their time. While they were obsessed over for the simple fact that they were ‘different’ the media added to the desire to know about them. There a lot of heavy metal groups that in some ways promoted the serial killer behavior. Some of these groups included Sons of Sam, the Psycho Killers, or Cracks in the Sidewalks. There were also killer novels and Hollywood movies highlighting it like American Psycho, which was published in 1991 by Bret Easton Ellis. The variety of media outlets that emphasized the serial killers, did nothing but make them even more popular.

While the typical American originally thought all serial killers had similar traits, the average police officer had the same preconceived notions and lacked the knowledge required to seek these individuals out. All serial killers were thought to have similar backgrounds or mindsets, causing investigators to not always look at every possible suspect. Although a lot of serial killers were eventually caught, there were still many murders that were still unaccounted for “… law enforcement may still be unaware of the presence of many serial killers… Egger (1984) termed “linkage blindness,” investigators are not always able to connect homicides, separated over time and space…” (Fox, Alan, and Levin 411). The linkage blindness was a combination of the insufficient knowledge and technology. Investigator was almost oblivious to some of the connections that could have easily pointed out serial killers’ identities sooner. But as they were slacking in that area, there was also an insufficient number of advanced materials available to track these mass murderers down. Because of this problem, it was a little easier for serial killers to successfully get away with their crimes. As shown in the film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” directed by Joe Berlinger, Ted Bundy escapes his jail cell and goes on to kill two more women at a sorority house. Although he was eventually caught, because the technology of this time was not progressive, it was sometimes difficult to contain people like himself. Some of the tools that would have prevented this included reliable security cameras, if there were things such as fingerprint systems, facial recognition, or gel electrophoresis (used to identify a criminal by separating large molecules and matching it to the ones at a crime scene). In the case of Bundy, facial recognition would have helped identify him sooner, since the change in his appearance seemed to confuse people into believing that he was a different person. When he would go in disguise, he would almost change his entire persona, leading citizens to believe that he was not himself. So, if a technology such as face recognition existed it would have been able to identify him beyond the surface appearance. The amount of effort it took in order to finally catch people like Ted Bundy was entirely too much. If technology had been better than the peak that was reached at that time it would have been much lower and a lot fewer people would have lost their lives or more cold cases would have been solved.

Because there were so many mass murderers and an even higher number of unsolved murder cases, there has been a need to improve the methods used to catch criminals, causing the investigation process to be way more efficient than ever before. The first major change to take place was in what investigators would look at when searching for a mass murderer. Since the eighties, the idea of what a serial killer’s psyche would be like has changed. The initial idea of their appearance, socioeconomic status, and overall persona had been proven to be a bad generalization. For example, as mentioned before, Ted Bundy shocked America with his appearance and actions. At one glance, he looks like a nice, handsome man, throwing many people off. Because of the high increase, in 1983 there was a meeting held to create the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). It would be designed as “a resource center to help agencies deal with violent crimes by assisting with training, research, and criminal profiling . . . At that same hearing, the Bureau introduced the concept for the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP)—a data information center to collect, analyze, and provide reports on violent crimes from local agencies” (Osowski 7). Prior to the eighties, police officers never felt the need to create such secure, and complexed protocols to catch serial killers. In society today, there is a multitude of methods taken to record and identify homicidal patterns. Since there was an increase of about 388 serial killers from the sixties to the eighties, FBI agents started to consider the psychological aspect of serial killers. Technological systems to track people using things such as fingerprints have been heavily incorporated in investigations. In the 1980s, highways allowed for killers to spread further around America, so the watching of cars on the roads has made a huge impact. Although there weren’t many steps taken to secure the roads, as time went by there were street cameras installed around America.

Due to the many mass murders and the many operations that took place to stop them, there are many ways to solve crimes in the twenty-first century. All of the serial killers from the twentieth century allowed for a new aspect of investigation to be discovered and implemented in one way or the next. Between the increase in people committing such heinous crimes and the large following they had, investigators needed to find new and innovative ways to catch them. They gave a variety of things to look for when trying to identify an active serial killer. Since they all varied in characteristics, they helped figure out that serial killers come in different shapes and sizes and could be anywhere. The lack of highly advanced materials to track down criminals made it easier for serial killers to get away with their crimes. While there were many crimes taking place there was an insufficient number of available tactics to fight them. The high number of known serial killers and even a higher number of unsolved murder mysteries made way for a more secure investigation system to be put in place for society today. So, there has been a wide variety of tools and methods invented to be more efficient. A lot of the new methods used include advanced technology that could have been a major help but simply did not exist in the eighties. If it wasn’t for the peak in serial killers at this time the things that the federal government now uses regularly would have never been thought of.

Works Cited

1. Conrath, Robert. “The Guys Who Shoot to Thrill: Serial Killers and the American Popular Unconscious.” Revue Française D’études Américaines, no. 60, 1994, pp. 143–152. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20872423.
2. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Directed by Joe Berlinger, COTA Films, 2019.
3. Fox, James Alan, and Jack Levin. “Multiple Homicide: Patterns of Serial and Mass Murder.” Crime and Justice, vol. 23, 1998, pp. 407–455. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1147545.
4. Messori, Leryn R. Frequencies between Serial Killer Typology and Theorized Etiological Factors, Antioch University, Ann Arbor, 2016. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.montclair.edu:2048/login?url=https://searchproquest.com.ezproxy.montclair.edu/docview/1858816396?accountid=12536.
5. Osowski, Kaylee. “Investigating a Serial Killer: The Development of the FBI’s Role Told Through Public Documents.” DttP: Documents to the People, journals.ala.org/index.php/dttp/article/view/6892/9271.
6. Simpson, Philip L. ‘Natural Born Celebrities: Serial Killers in American Culture.’English Studies in Canada, vol. 34, no. 2, 2008, pp. 277-283. ProQuest, http://ezproxy.montclair.edu:2048/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/205835443?accountid=12536.

The concept of serial murder dates back to over a century, however, became a recognized phenomena in the twentieth century due to the rise of notorious serial killers including Ed Gein, Ted Bundy and Paul Bernardo. A serial killer is defined as an individual who commits three or more murders in separate time periods and events (). For years there has been a contentious debate on whether serial killing is intrinsic and can be biologically explained through the development of the brain, heredity and psychological disorders, a result of a multitude of environmental factors including childhood abuse, loneliness, violent pornography and fantasy, and poor socialization, or a mixture of both. With a deeper analysis of a serial killer’s background, it is evident that several environmental and social factors contribute to the construction of a serial killer. Therefore, the most influential and lasting characteristic in the shaping of a serial killer begins with the nurture and socialization of individuals. In particular, these factors include traumatic childhood experiences, the role of violent and sexual fantasies as a result of destabilizing events and insufficient socialization.

Humans are socialized at the beginning of life and it is often attributed to one’s relationship with a primary caregiver; the presence of an abusive and neglectful upbringing marks the creation of psychopathic behaviour. The parallel between an abusive childhood of a serial killer and their murderous and sadistic inclinations is inevitable as substantiated through many case studies and research. For instance, a study was constructed with fifty serial killers where they were questioned about their childhood, criminal past and destabilizing events in their lives. The study showed that sixty eight percent of the sample usually spent their childhood in an abusive and uncaring environment where their fundamental needs were not met. As a coping mechanism, they developed violent and reclusive behaviours in which slowly escalated to the killing of other human beings ().

The commonality of a deterring and violent upbringing among many serial killers highlights that the lack of a nurturing and social childhood has an adverse effect into their adult life. It is evident that traumatic childhood experiences of a serial murderers aid in their inability to socialize and identify with other humans, integrated with other environmental factors can lead to their ease with killing. Serial killers who have grown up in an atmosphere filled with violence and rejection are likely unable to identify violence as a negative action. This constructs a subculture where violence is not morally wrong but a socially acceptable response. Furthermore, serial killers frequently share an irregular relationship with their mothers from a young age and they often inherit their mother’s beliefs throughout their lives.

An example of this relationship is shown through the Canadian serial killer, Paul Bernado. When Bernado was sixteen, his mother revealed to him that Kenneth, who he believed was his father throughout his childhood, was not his biological father. Bernado then tormented his mother, as he called her a “slob” and “whore” for her act of adultery (). This traumatic event worsened Bernardo’s attitude, specifically towards women. His underlying objectification of women after his mother’s actions were found to be notably pivotal to his criminal behaviour as a serial rapist and murderer (). Women became the main victims of his sexual and sadistic crimes which indicates the power of a primary caregiver, or mother in this instance as Bernardo translated his disgust from his mother’s infidelity and developed dark, forceful and sadistic tendencies. Likewise, many serial killers had a destabilizing and dysfunctional relationship with their father due to physical and psychological abuse.

For instance, Shirley Lynn Scott in her article, “What Makes Serial Killers Tick?” identifies, “It’s usually the sadistically disciplinarian father that pops up in the serial killer’s family tree” (). She examines the father-son relationship with John Wayne Gacy. Gacy was subjected to his father’s frequent verbal abuse calling him demeaning names such as sissy, queer and a failure. After that, Gacy victimized young boys and men and he would instruct them to be brave before facing death (). It is evident that Gacy felt that he must reaffirm a sense of masculinity during his killings as a result of his father’s constant pejorative comments. In essence, the absence of a loving and nurturing childhood is the main determinant in the behaviour of serial killers and ultimately causes emotional deprivation, such as resentment and lack of empathy for other human beings.

In addition to the early traumatization in a serial killer’s childhood, the secluded social conditions of a serial killer acts as an accomplice to their violent and sadistic fantasies that inevitably direct them to kill. Many serial killers face isolation in their youth which oftentimes they turn to fantasies involving violence and sex. As many serial killers are isolated or abused as children, a study by Ressler, Burgess, Prentky, et al in 1988 suggest that serial killers used fantasies of sex, violence and power to cope with unresolved conflict and childhood trauma. For instance, research has found that fantasy related to violence existed in eighty six percent of serial killers. They believe this suggests, “a functional relationship between fantasy and repetitive assaultive behaviour” ().

More research proposes that serial murderers actualize these fantasies as a means to reassert their power over individuals and gain a level of satisfaction. Also, the violent and sexual nature of fantasies, that originate from the aftermath of a traumatic childhood, may also develop into paraphilias. Ressler and Burgess suggest that extreme sexual behaviour stems from the childhood of a serial killer and can develop into paraphilias such as necrophilia, voyeurism, frotteurism and compulsive masturbation (). A common example of a paraphilia that a serial killer exhibits is sadomasochism, which is defined as the infliction of pain or humiliation for one’s sexual gratification. A case study of the serial murderer, Carroll Edward Cole, examines Cole’s early childhood experiences and twisted relationship with his mother. As a child, he was forced to dress up as a girl for his mother and her friends, and witnessed his mother repeatedly engage in affairs with other men as his father was stationed aboard. His humiliation rooted from his mother’s actions later triggered his paraphilia as he would inflict similar acts of humiliation and violence to his victims. He victimized women who were representative of his mother.

These women willingly cheated on their partner with Cole as Cole’s mother did with his father. In his first killing, Cole forced the woman to remove her clothes but then did not proceed to have sex with her. He only did so to humiliate her, which parallels with his relationship with his mother (). It is evident that his paraphilia and fantasies developed through his destabilizing relationship with his mother, and ultimately shaped the framework of his crimes. The representation of pornography and violence in the media is also a contributing factor to a serial killer’s fantasies and behaviour. For instance, Ted Bundy, a notorious serial killer during the 1970s, proposed that his fantasies were stimulated by the portrayal of pornography in the media and True Detective magazines (). Thus, the senseless portrayal of violence in the media is partly responsible for violent and extremist behaviour seen in serial killers and their murders. Often the media glorifies serial killers in such movies as Silence of the Lambs and researchers suggest that the killers extract the premise of their fantasies from pornographic and violent media. The primary and secondary socialization of individuals is a major indicator in shaping of violent fantasies and paraphilias that lead to the execution of criminal behaviour.