Becoming the Devil: Abnormal Psychology of Serial Killers
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I have been studying human behavior for awhile now, specially abnormal psychology and the different topics that surrounds the human mind. Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and others that
dedicated their lives to discover and decode the mind and its many ramifications, describe various models of human behavior and the place were all originates. There are theories and studies in which is established how environment and genes take a significant role in the birth of a psychopath.
Pop Culture and Media
As a modern society, we are bombarded with images and concepts about serial killers and the criminally insane. Whether is on movies, television series, and worst of all the six o clock news. It’s amazing how “ normal “ has become to hear about a person that went into a killing spree over debt, divorce, stress etc. Every year, there are thousands of cases of violent erratic behavior in the United States. I sometimes cant believe that in this day and age anyone can be a possible killer.
The more I read the more confused I became. I was trying to understand how can a person could consider taking a life. Then again, I also had to put those questions aside and concentrate on the facts and treat each case as what it was, unique to the profile of the killer. Modules are used to identify behavioral patterns, triggers and causes for said behavior. I learned about the brain chemistry, and the effects of hormones and diseases that affect behavior. Biology, pathology and environmental issues are also integrated into the equation. It’s a mess.
The real Hannibals
After all the medical and psychological aspects of any given case are laid out, the question remains. Why now? Wich is the trigger that makes a killer choose that particular moment to act out those inclinations. Most serial killers have a history of passive- aggressive behavior and many are productive members of society.
I was aghast to find out how many of the criminally insane have a very high IQ. Any of us can have a conversation with these people and become enchanted by their charm and seduced by their general knowledge.
Many examples come to mind, but for the purpose of imagery I will use a fictional character, Hannibal “ the Cannibal” Lector. Silence of the Lambs, directed by Jonathan Demme. Starring Jodie Foster,Anthony Hopkins, and was released in 1991. I was only 12 years old and to be sincere, I was terrified when I saw it. Even though, this portrait of a serial killer is not accurate, is part of the mystic of pop culture regarding serial killers. I naively thought that this was only possible in a movie. Bad people kill, crazy violent people do harm. As I got older, and studied the different aspects of abnormal psychology, I am even more aware of how a mind can be so fragmented that reality is just a commodity that a small part of the population enjoy.
More articles about serial killers
- Murderous Children: 11 Year Old Serial Killer Mary B...
It was the summer of 1968 in Scotswood, a community north of London in England. Martin Brown's lifeless body was discovered lying on the floor inside a boarded-up, condemned house, with blood and saliva trickling down his cheek. With no obvious... - World's Youngest Serial Killer
Mary Bell is known as the youngest serial killer still alive today. She had a hard life from the start. During the beginning years of her life, her mother (Betty) tried to kill her on multiple ocassions, allegedly trying to make it look like an... - Dirty Dozen: America's 12 Worst Serial Killers
This article provides a list of some of the most notorious serial killers in the history of the United States. Body counts weren't emphasized in this story, instead the infamous nature of these dastardly criminals.
Creating Monsters
One the questions that revolves around psychotic behavior, What in the world make this people snap? I was , to say the least, ignorant to what makes a serial killer. What many call the criminally insane, start to act out and translate their inner puzzle into society. In one documentary called;” Real Life Lectors” I was immersed into this population of individuals and the causes for their behaviors. Examples in how they grew up, the circumstances of their childhoods and most of all, how it all starts.
Many of serial killers crave power over others, so they do what they do. In many cases, when authorities caught up with a serial killer case, is already on it way to a considerable body count. One of the things that left my blood cold was that the United States is the leading country in the world that this type of murderers are breed. Seventy percent of serial killers are in the United States, next to Europe with a 17 %.California leads the list in serial killer related crimes. Over 60%, women are primary target.
The scarry thing about serial killers is their body count. It’s not the same a random murder or a person that kills in the heat of the moment, that a person single handily amass 10, 30 or even more victims. Also is the way this crimes are committed, adding insult to injury.
Final note
We as a society,have a very small understanding about these individuals. We don't want to know. But there is a terrifying truth, they are out there and in some cases, someone is saying to themselves I AM HERE....'
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Awesome hub. Looking forward to reading more of your work.
Those are incredible examples of the hold that serial killers have on our society. I have read so much about the murders of the Reaper, including the theories of his identity. Even though, he was never apprehended, It set the basis for the study of such crimes. You are right, serial murders fascinate the public and has inspired countless works of fiction.
The Noida serial murders (also Nithari serial murders, Nithari Kand) took place in the house of businessman Moninder Singh Pandher in Nithari, India in 2005 and 2006. At present his servant Surender Koli has been convicted of four murders and sentenced to death. 12 murders remain officially unsolved pending further legal proceedings.
jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the media. The letter is widely believed to have been a hoax, and may have been written by a journalist in a deliberate attempt to heighten interest in the story. Other nicknames used for the killer at the time were "The Whitechapel Murderer" and "Leather Apron".
Attacks ascribed to the Ripper typically involved female prostitutes from the slums whose throats were cut prior to abdominal mutilations. The removal of internal organs from at least three of the victims led to proposals that their killer possessed anatomical or surgical knowledge. Rumours that the murders were connected intensified in September and October 1888, and letters from a writer or writers purporting to be the murderer were received by media outlets and Scotland Yard. The "From Hell" letter, received by George Lusk of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, included half of a preserved human kidney, supposedly from one of the victims. Mainly because of the extraordinarily brutal character of the murders, and because of media treatment of the events, the public came increasingly to believe in a single serial killer known as "Jack the Ripper".
Extensive newspaper coverage bestowed widespread and enduring international notoriety on the Ripper. An investigation into a series of brutal killings in Whitechapel up to 1891 was unable to connect all the killings conclusively to the murders of 1888, but the legend of Jack the Ripper solidified. As the murders were never solved, the legends surrounding them became a combination of genuine historical research, folklore, and pseudohistory. The term "ripperology" was coined to describe the study and analysis of the Ripper cases. There are now over one hundred theories about the Ripper's identity, and the murders have inspired multiple works of fiction.
As one psychologically delves into the mind of a serial killer one will find small emotions and logistics which we feel and think about on a daily basis, heightened to the immense points of murder.
As said above most of them show up with a great IQ; sometimes this great IQ is the reason when applied in the wrong directions. The example of Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lector is a great, unique example describing the mind of a serial killer.
Two more examples I would like to share here reflect the mind of a psychotic man. One pinpoint is required to think about and it drives him crazy into committing crimes so gruesome and bone-chilling; it's hard to imagine.
![Carl the Critic: Talks about the "Child's Play" series [Caution: May Contain Spoilers]](http://s1.hubimg.com/u/5996364_50.jpg "Carl the Critic: Talks about the \"Child's Play\" series [Caution: May Contain Spoilers]")
Hendrika Level 3 Commenter 3 months ago
A lot of useful information. Maybe at some stage you can have a look at psychopaths that do not turn into serial killers, or rather there is no body count, but they still kill people mentally.