Serial Killers and their Psychological Make-up

Serial Killers and their Psychological Make-up Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Serial Killers and their Psychological Make-up Crime is and has always been a sensitive issue where law enforcement agencies all over the world spend massive amounts of capital and resources in a bid to control and prevent crime. Even more demanding for law enforcement officers is the need to stop serial killers. Multiple controversies and debates have emerged regarding the psychological composition of serial killers as well as the reasons some people become serial killers. Many experts, including scientists, criminologists, and psychologists, have attempted to investigate and ascertain the reasons that push people into becoming serial killers, as well as establishing the psychological make-up of serial killers. There are a number of reasons provided by experts to explain why people become serial killers, including childhood experiences and individual genetic composition that can predispose some people into becoming serial killers. The latter claim bases the attributes to an individual’s nature while the former bases the attributes to an individual’s nurture. The complexity of these expert claims makes the matter impossible to ignore, and more importantly, crucial to understand. There is a myriad of both psychosocial and neurodevelopmental factors, including childhood traumatic experiences, mental disorders, and brain injuries, that best illuminate the possible reasons why some people become serial killers. It is paramount that an in-depth analysis is conducted to establish the predisposition of some people becoming serial killers. Establishing the existence and eventually stopping the operations of serial killers requires a collaborative effort of law enforcement agencies. Additionally, police officers and other investigative agencies are charged with ascertaining the number of serial murderers in operation at any one point. For instance, a total of 4,743 serial killers had been recorded by September 2016 against a total of 13,105 murder victims (Aamodt, 2016). Notably, the United States accounts for nearly 68 percent of the total recorded serial killers, with white citizens dominate the list at an average of 51.7%. Additionally, African Americans and Hispanics come second and third on the list at 39.8 percent and 6.7 percent respectively. Native Americans and Asian Americans are also featured in the list at 1 percent and 0.9 percent respectively (Aamodt, 2016). Also notable is that men serial killers have accounted for nearly 89 percent of all murders in the past century, as compared to 11 percent attributable to women internationally over the same period (Aamodt, 2016). Understanding these details will be critical for the law enforcement agencies to track down possible serial killers and prevent them from committing their heinous acts. The term ‘serial killers’ has only been in existence for a few decades, despite the existence of serial murderers throughout history. Robert Rissler, an FBI profiler, created this term during the 1970s while investigating multiple cases of killers and the reasons they kill (Whittington-Egan, 2008). Nonetheless, there have been cases of serial murderers throughout history, with some, extensively recorded by researchers. Jack the Ripper is perhaps the most notable sexual serial killer recorded in the United Kingdom around 1888. Similarly, Dr. H.H. Holmes is an American counterpart recorded in 1895 as the earliest serial killer in America (Whittington-Egan, 2008). There have been numerous cases and records of serial murderers over the past century, thus indicating that serial murders have been existence since time immemorial. The accounts of serial murderers recorded over a century ago confirm that the subject is critical and requires urgency in understanding the psychological make-up of serial killers, and the reasons why people become serial killers. While numerous attempts have been made in the effort to understand the motivation of serial killers, experts still face many challenges, including the inability to get accurate data that can be used to estimate the number of serial murderers at any given time or their identifying attributes. Between 1979 and 1983, American investigators, through the FBI’s Behavioral Unit, were involved in the profiling of serial killers, where they classified them as either psychotics or psychopaths, and further categorized them into either organized or disorganized groups (Whittington-Egan, 2008). The two investigators, FBI agents John Douglas and Robert Ressler focused their investigations into establishing the reasons that drive people to kill others (Whittington-Egan, 2008). Philbin and Philbin (2007) note that the FBI defined a serial killer as a person who has killed at least three individuals, making serial murderers extremely dangerous to be in any community. Examining and categorizing serial murderers is the initial and a critical step towards understanding their behaviors and motivation. Men have adversely been featured in the list of serial killers in the last century. For instance, men account for nearly 91 percent of all serial killers recorded in the United States against roughly 9 percent attributable to women (Aamodt, 2016). Henson and Olson (2010) note that nearly 33 percent of all prostitute murders are committed by serial killers. Additionally, there are specific characteristics that can define most murder victims. For instance, James & Proulx (2016) note that most murder victims are strangers with their killers and often lead risky lifestyles. Additionally, a 2014 research conducted by James and Proulx (2014) found that 82 percent of the murder victims were females and had an average age of 25 years. Additionally, serial killers are often unsatisfied with their killing spree and feel motivated to continue with more murders (Keppel and Birnes, 2009). The above statistics confirm that most murder victims are young unsuspecting women, murders perpetrated by male serial killers. Nonetheless, understanding the motive and psychological make-up of serial killers requires us not to overlook potential murders based on their race, gender, or age. There are a number of stereotypes that people have regarding serial killers, most of which shape their perspectives towards the subject, regardless of whether they are correct or not. For instance, a common stereotype is that serial killers are not motivated by money, financial gain, or their sheer desire to engage in criminal activities while escaping arrest by the law enforcement officers (Aamodt, 2016). However, the evidence available suggests otherwise, thus disputing the assertions made, and rendering them as mere baseless stereotypes. For example, research has shown that among the most common grounds and motivations for serial killers are for mere enjoyment, to achieve financial gain, involvement in gangs and other criminal activities, and in a bid to avoid police arrest (Aamodt, 2016). Therefore, these proven motives and grounds that compel serial killers to continue with their killing spree discredit the stereotypes as mere obstructions to the realities of serial killers. Another crucial stereotype worth noting is that serial killers are mostly white males. This stereotype is attributable to the number of known serial killers over the last century, the majority being white males. Statistically, the stereotype may appear as factual. For instance, nearly 52 percent of all recorded serial killers, record by race and successful decades, were Caucasian males. However, in the 2010 decade, male Caucasian serial killers accounted for 30.8 percent of the total serial murderers compared to African American serial killers, who were leading at 59.8 percent in that decade (Aamodt, 2016). Further, another stereotypical perspective purports that serial killers have unusually high levels of intelligence. However, Aamodt (2016) notes that the highest recorded IQ for a serial killer is 186 compared to 54 as the lowest, while their average is 94.5, thus discrediting this stereotype. As evident, these stereotypes have influenced many people and their perspectives in regards to serial killers. Therefore, it is clear that serial killers cannot be superficially bound by these stereotypes, and that race, intelligence or intent is cannot be used as the grounds for these stereotypes. Serial killers have and continue to receive heightened attention and popularity in the modern times through television, films, and other media outlets, but with little or no research as to why they engage in those crimes. Research has shown that there is a myriad of reasons that can alter the psychological composition of serial killers. To establish and analyze these factors, a number of scholarly sources have been used to offer expertise options on the issue for the sake of fair-mindedness and logic on the issue. The scholarly sources provide the basis for the review of literature that examines the predisposing factors that best explain the reasons why people become serial ...