Psychology of A Serial Killer

Are serial killers born or created?

Hi! It's been a long time since I have the motivation to write an article and I just wanna reason myself that if I am unmotivated, my works would be definitely trash (seriously though, I am just lazy :<). But, I hope you enjoy this comeback article. Thank you very much!

I have always been fascinated with the psychology of serial killers not in a way of admiration but to the mystery and bizarreness of these multiple individuals who acquires satisfaction through sadistic ways with their victims and then killing them. In identifying a suspect of a certain crime scene, a serial killer to be exact, police and detectives go through a process of investigation with multiple stages. Profiling input is the first stage that the investigators do, by this they are able to collect evidences in the crime scene and assess the situation which helps them to do the following this stage in which they are able to classify the killers identity (organized and disorganized). Organized killers are those who undergo a scrutinous plan to kill their victims and does not leave evidences in the crime scene. Disorganized killers on the other hand are the opposite. They do not plan on killing but instead they go on a berserk that triggers them to do such evil things. These criminals typically leave fingerprints or blood and there is no attempt into moving or concealing the corpse after the murder. To identify a culprit, they must have characteristics that makes them a serial killer. The method of killing and the numbers (more than three incidents) that have the same pattern to that specific M.O are main factors for categorizing a suspect who's a serial killer.

Studies have shown that most of these people possess a high rate of intelligence and often have underlying psychological illnesses which have been a triggering factor of the murders. Infancy is one of the most important stages of the human development. If a child does not receive adequate attention and physical touch during this period, this may result to a serious suffering of substantial personality disorders in the future. In fact, there may be signs that the child has a psychopathic personality by the age of 2 according to Leyton, a Forensic psychiatrist in 1987. 42% of the convicted were physically abused as children while 74% of them suffered from psychological abuse. Sexual abuse is also prominent within these murderers. This may imply that killers such as David Berkowitz, Ed Kemper and Joel Rifkin did not receive the proper attention they needed throughout their crucial development stage. They became socially inept and unable to belong in the world they are living. In result of their deprived care, they do these killings in order for them to cope up from the trauma and seek revenge. For others, they use it as an one night stand to relieve themselves from loneliness. However, 30% of them are also linked to head trauma specifically an impact in the frontal lobe of the brain which affects the sexual desires and thinking that made them do horrific acts. Example of this are Gerald Stano who raped and murdered 40 women in San Quentin and Richard Starette in Georgia of which he killed and raped 10 women after a head trauma which resulted to a swift change with his personality.

Serial killers are still a mystery to the human race. Are they still living in this century? Or are there new breed of serial killers in this generation that we are not aware of? One thing is for sure, there are still evil people lurking somewhere so be careful.