What is it that makes someone a serial killer? What is it that drives them to sadistic murder? What are their reasons for such cold-blooded cruelty? Do they have it because of an abusive childhood? This question has been around for hundreds and years. Is it born or made? While it may seem that serial killers are just like any other person, such people can be far more dangerous than your neighbor. Serial killers all share the same trait: a hunger for revengeless murder. Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy, among others, were serial killers. Binding, torture, and killing are their top motivations. They feel gratification and control.
When we are asked “What makes someone a serial killer?” The first thing we think of when asked “What makes a serial murderer?” is “They just were born like this”. However, that is not the truth. Research shows that serial murderers suffered severe abuse as children, including physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. Mullany (2018). A person’s motivation to be evil can come from many factors. The Minnesota Study of Twins Reared apart (Brogaard 2012) found that 60 percent of psychopathy can be traced back to genetics. This means that psychopathy is more likely to have something to do with upbringing than DNA. Another University study showed that psychopaths have decreased connectivity between the Ventromedial and amygdalas (vmPFC). Negative emotions are not felt when the amygdala-vmPFC connection is low. This makes sense since serial killers show no remorse for their crimes and, if they are caught, they don’t share any guilt (IBID 2012).
J.M MacDonald (forensic psychologist) developed the “MacDonald Triangle” A.K. The trinity of homicidal character. This was a set of three behavioral red warning signs that serial killers suffered as child bed-wetter, firesetter, or animal abuser/killer in the 1960s. This triangle was often used to describe serial killers such as Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer ( Katsavdakis, Serio 2018, 2018). The research was eventually outdated and people assumed that everyone who fell into the triad were homicidal maniacs. The famous question “Born or Made?” is not a simple one. It is possible to explain why serial killers are most often genetically predisposed to being “murderous”, and are raised in a toxic environment and nurture hatred of a particular group.
Ted Bundy, the serial killer most well-known for his crimes, had a good childhood. However, he was bullied at school and had a difficult relationship to his stepfather. He recalled as a teenager walking along the streets looking for pornography and open windows that would allow him to see inside. Bundy was also extremely antisocial with a long criminal history. Bundy eventually made a comeback and went to college to study law. However, Bundy killed his first victim in 1975 and 28 others between 1974-1978. Jenkins, 2019, says that although those 28 victims have been found, it is believed that Bundy was responsible for many innocent, young lives. In this case, his environment was a negative one and he was driven to murder.
Jeffrey Dahmer was just like Ted Bundy. Jeffrey had a normal childhood. But as he grew older, his communication skills decreased and he turned to drinking and dead animals. Jeffrey Dahmer was 18 years old when his parents divorced. Dahmer was known for drugging, raping, dismembering, and eating his victims when he was murdered. Experts believe that he did this to preserve the experience and leave his victims powerless so they would never be able to escape. One time, he attempted to inject muriatic acid into the victim’s brain to make a zombie. This would have created a person who would never leave him and follow his wishes ( Eloise 2017). Jeffrey was born with the serial-killer trait. Jeffrey was very distant and closed-minded as he grew up.
John Wayne Gacy is another prolific serial killer. Gacy was sexually abused by his family friend as a young child. He grew-up in a strict and totalitarian household with his father. Gacy seemed to want to prove his father he was worthy
Sexual sadistic offenders who are sexually motivated tend to be more aggressive in their attempts to dominate and control others. Dr. Kostas Katsavdakis ( Serio 2018, 2018) says that their most compelling characteristic isn’t the physical pain they inflict but that they can be violent ( Katsavdakis and Serio 2018). The difference in brain function between a normal person and a psychopath’s brain has been shown by neuroimaging studies ( Serio 2018). A serial killer is found to have a functioning prefrontal cortex that controls behavior, but a lower functioning amygdala. This is 18% less than a normal person ( Serio 2018).
Six phases make up a serial killer. The first is the “Aura phase”, where the killer starts to have fantasies about a particular idea and lose control of what’s true. They become more isolated and violent and then resort to using drugs and/or alcohol from childhood experiences. When the killer reaches a point in his fantasies, he begins to search for victims. This phase is where they search for victims and find them. They also look for places to kill them. After this phase, the murderer will move into-The wooing stage. The victim is finally captured. After he’s captured the killer, he will reveal who he really is, and possibly kill, lock up, or make the victim unconscious. (Inside the Criminal Mind (2018) Serial killers are likely to remain with the corpse after death. In fact, they may sometimes engage in necrophilia with the corpse (Katsavdakis, Serio 2018). The offender enters the totem phase after the victim has been killed. This basically means that the killer collects mementos and sometimes body parts from victims to retain the sense of empowerment. ( Inside the Criminal Mind (2018)
