Life Events or Triggers Which Lead to the Serial Murders and Rapists

Serial Murderers and Rapists Research Paper
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Abstract
The paper examines the characteristics of serial killers and rapists. The primary objective is to demonstrate the principal behavioral and potential psychological health issues and other dominant characteristics that drive serial killers and rapists to commit such heinous crimes. The paper also includes the dark triad factors understood as the triggers that result in serial rapists and murders. The paper offers insight into the potential to integrate the characteristics of serial murderers and rapists, especially regarding offender fantasies, personality attributes, impulses, cognition, and motivations. Along these lines, gaps in empirical research were established, especially regarding bedwetting as a trigger for serial killers. This paper can inform criminologists and forensic psychologists seeking to delineate and mitigate any forms of violence based on empirical research and theory.
Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction. 4 Criminal Behaviors of Serial Rapists. 4 Criminal Behaviors of Serial Killers. 6 Potential Mental Disorders in Serial Killers and Rapists. 8 Life Events/Triggers for Serial Killers and Rapists. 10 Serial Rapists. 10 Serial Killers. 11 Conclusion. 12 References. 14
Introduction
Media emphasis on criminal profiling has increased the prominence of the forensic psychology field in the recent past. The fact is that there is no standard approach to profile, despite the unique potential of criminal profiling in solving serious crimes, including serial killings and rape. There has been little focus on examining the profiles of serial murderers and rapists from the perspectives of expert homicide detectives. Serial murderers and rapists are distressing yet increasingly interesting individuals to study. An important area to study is the phenomenon of a person killing different people and managing to have a normal life between the incidents without being caught. According to Bhowmik (2020), serial murder refers to a killing perpetrated by the same individual with other murder incidents in a series with a timeframe between the two crimes. A serial rapist is an individual who has committed at least two separate incidents of sexual assault with a time lapse between the two incidents (Davidson, 2020). These are the definitions of serial murderers and rapists used in this research paper. In the criminal justice system, serial murderers and rapists can be identified based on shared characteristics, their modus operandi or the same times and places. This paper examines behavioral characteristics, possible mental health issues, and other pertinent characteristics of serial killers and rapists to shed light on criminal profiling empirical evidence.
Criminal Behaviors of Serial Rapists
Different behaviors demonstrated by serial rapists can reinforce interpersonal interaction modes, incorporating unique thematic behavioral tendencies that can be attributed to the offender. Several behavioral models and typologies have tried to characterize serial rapists according to sexual motivations and aggressive inclinations underlying rape incidents. Expressive and instrumental aggression is anchored on the premise that sexuality, anger, and power are central factors that drive the offender to engage in forcible rape acts. Expressive aggression constitutes the actual violent incident itself, and the objective is usually inflicting harm or pain on the victim (De-Wet, 2021). The instrumental aggression motivation characterizing the violent includes achieving a perceived objective such as money or sexual intercourse.
Aggression in serial rapists can be categorized into five sub-forms, starting with the opportunist. The opportunistic type characterizes the serial rapist in that their primary motivation is to satisfy their desire or needs, especially sexual gratification, in the case of the sexual rapist. The rape incident is normally ancillary to another criminality rather than overly fantasy or ritually driven. Any aggression demonstrated by the serial rapist is instrumental, although not overly aggressive, thus allowing the offender to attain their goal. The power-reassurance type of serial rapist is increasingly sexualized and demonstrates unique underlying elements of fantasy (De-Wet, 2021). The underlying aim is to address self-doubt feelings and reassure their masculinity.
The power-assertive serial rapist does not demonstrate any elements of fantasy. Instead, they view their victim as simply a means to achieve personal gratification. The primary objective entails dominating and attempting to address their inadequacy or proving virility. The types and levels of violence can be conceptualized as expressive, and the serial rapist will apply excessive to moderate thresholds to put their victim into compliance (De-Wet, 2021). The anger-retaliatory serial rapist is typically described as increasingly aggressive and uses brutal physical force to attack the victim. The aggression levels are expressive and conceptualized as anger explosion. Lastly, the sadist serial rapist demonstrates higher levels of violence and uses sexual gratification by inflicting suffering and pain on the victim. In this context, pressure and sexual arousal are achieved by using humiliation and cruelty tactics. Sexual behavior may also include mutilating or cutting parts of the body, typically erogenous zones, as well as inserting objects (De-Wet, 2021).
According to De-Wet (2021), the sexual interactions of serial rapists can also be categorized into behavioral domains. The intercourse domain entails the serial rapist using acts such that rape is a secondary crime to another incident, such as robbery. In this context, the perpetrator employs minimal force thresholds to bring the victim to compliance. The attempted intimacy domain entails behavior suggesting an individual-inclined relationship between the victim and the offender. The primary focus is sexually assaulting the victim, and the offender might get the victim involved in sexual activity. The selfish behavioral tendency entails the offender viewing their victim as a means to achieve sexual gratification. The rapist is physically abusive and sexually selfish and subjects the victim to several incidents of sexual assaults tailored at humiliating and degrading them and achieving personal gratification. The brutality domain entails the offender using high thresholds of force, overt aggression, and characteristic explosive anger release tailored to harm the victim. Based on the discussion above, this behavioral domain relates to the anger-retaliatory form. Lastly, the serial rapist is likely to demonstrate sexual sadism. This is characterized by sadistic and sexual fantasies that drive the offender to act out to achieve sexual satisfaction (De-Wet, 2021). The behavioral dimension entails excessive levels of aggression and violence, which is increasingly eroticized.
Criminal Behaviors of Serial Killers
According to Karapetyan (2020), the behavioral characteristics of serial killers can be categorized into five sub-types starting with the visionary type. This kind of serial killer hears voices that require them to commit the heinous crime. A perfect example of this type of killer is Stanley Eric Mossburg, a self-proclaimed prophet of God. He once noted that he loved killing because God needed the victims to help Him in the struggle between the devils and the angels. In addition, the offender noted that God chose the victim Himself. The second characteristic of serial killers is that they are mission-oriented. The mission-driven serial killer believes that they are eliminating the evil in their community. Their targets are women of lower socioeconomic class, mainly prostitutes. This cluster also incorporates racial murderers. For example, Gary Ridgway (killed 71, with 49 having been proven guilty) ensured he had gained the trust of commercial sex workers by disclosing to them that he had a son. The hedonistic serial killers just murder for fun. For example, Jeffrey Dahmer (seventeen male victims) promised his victims money, invited them home, drank with them, and murdered them. After the killing, he raped his victims, kept their body parts as a reminder, and photographed them, and then he relived the pleasure of the killing by looking back at their photos. The control type of serial killer is inclined to control their victims via murder. For instance, Robert Bundy (killed over 100, with 30 proven guilty) predominantly targeted girls and women. He pretended to be a disabled person and met them, took them to a secluded location, had sex with them, and then killed them. His law and psychology educational background helps him handle the killings. He was extremely cautious and persuasive to the extent that the police could not believe one of his victims who phoned reporting that Bundy was the serial killer. Lastly, the predator type of serial killer derives fun from hunting for his victims. Vera Renczi is an example of a predator killer who targeted men, either her lovers or the husband. She had developed feelings for victims before luring them and later killing them (Karapetyan, 2020). Detectives found 30 coffins inside the offender's basement, thus reiterating her malicious behavior.
Potential Mental Disorders in Serial Killers and Rapists
The mental illness definition by the United States (U.S) Department of Justice does not incorporate the motivation behind serial killings or rape and whether or not the perpetrator has a mental disorder. Fascinatingly, many established serial killers have been diagnosed with last one mental illness. The borderline personality disorder is a mental illness characterized by ongoing or persistent behavior patterns, self-image, and mood changes that typically culminate in impulsivity and problems sustaining healthy relationships. For example, Jeffrey Dahmer is a serial killer diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder. Symptoms of this illness include shifting feelings and extreme views (Smith, 2018).
It is also infeasible to discuss mental illnesses among serial killers without mentioning schizophrenia – a condition characterized by the individual interpreting reality differently. Schizophrenia entails...