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Serial Killer Research Papers

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The understanding of human behavior has been a subject of great importance for different natural and social disciplines such as, psychology, anthropology, sociology among others; this has allowed to the discovery of psychological and social factors that lead to the evaluation of different human behaviors, which has been of great help when it comes to labeling personality traits and conduct disorders, especially in serial killers. A serial killer, is consider a person who murders three or more people in a...
1 Page 648 Words
What is a serial killer? There are many definitions for the term serial killer, but a common definition by the FBI is the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offenders, in separate events. In modern society, serial killers are looked at with a sense of terror and wonder for how a human being could possibly commit such horrendous acts. Yet many people are likewise fascinated by these individuals who can commit these blood-chilling murders and show...
4 Pages 1861 Words
The mind of a serial killer is something that has fascinated psychologists and medical professionals alike for many decades. The mystery behind what causes these individuals to carry out the crimes is what psychologists seek to discover because if there was a way to predict early on if a child would go on to attempt to murder, we could potentially find a method of psychological therapy or medications to push that child away from that path. Through the process of...
8 Pages 3747 Words
While research suggests that psychological factors may provide the necessary prerequisites for psychopathic tendencies, social factors, such as family life and upbringing, are also essential contributors to shaping the minds of disturbed individuals. According to Hestie Barnard Gerber, psychological abuse from parents, such as excessive humiliation and discipline, works to desensitize children, causing them to “grow up devoid of empathy for others” (Gerber, 2013). This is interesting as it connects to the stereotypical characteristic of killers being remorseless and cold,...
1 Page 514 Words
We live in a world where people try to manipulate us every day. Advertisers want to sell you stuff, charities want you to donate money. Some of these manipulations can be more harmless than others. The Silence of the Lambs however, doesn't have the word 'harmless' in it, The characters are engaged in a game with life-or-death stakes. Each character is manipulative in there own way, even though Clarice is manipulative just to find out who the serial killer is...
5 Pages 2466 Words
This research paper is an analysis of the internal and external human geography of serial killers. A serial killer is someone who is referred to as a person who commits murder several times with no real motive. Serial killers are rare but when they do strike the public and the criminal justice system are both affected. Serial murder can produce fear, heavy pressures for investigating agencies and demands significant resources. Most murderers are found because of a connection to the...
3 Pages 1440 Words
Introduction to Serial Killers and Mental Illness Throughout the years, mental illness and the crimes, more specifically the methodology, of serial killers have often gone hand in hand with one another. There are various speculations that the people who do have a mental illness, such as schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder, are more prone to committing moral atrocities. While this could be true in some cases, like with the Son of Sam, who was a serial killer in the late...
5 Pages 2128 Words
Do you see the effect a Serial Killer on your life? I believe that a psychopath serial killer can kill you without even touching you because it has a huge effect on society today. Many ways they affect us but mainly they cause more violence, Federal investigations, and the Government has assistance for those who have been impacted by the killer. It has been proven that because of their horrific crimes it has infected society also and not just the...
3 Pages 1463 Words
There were many reasons as to why there were many serial killers in the U.S during the 70’s and 80’s. Although their mental health and childhood development plays a big part as to why, for example, when their parents would be abusive for a long period of time or being isolated from scholar or home activities. Another major role that came into play was their daily environment that included the use and abuse of drugs. There were a lot of...
2 Pages 764 Words
Introduction: The Complexity of Serial Killers Homicide is the act of one human killing another. A homicide requires only a volitional act by another person that results in death, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no intent to cause harm. Where as a serial murderer is defined as any offenders, male or female that kill over time, have a minimum of 3 to 4 victims. Usually there is a pattern...
5 Pages 2424 Words
Most people assume they were born this way, with the instinct to kill; but that's not true, genetics, environment and trauma can all be factors in making a murderer. For example, most serial killers experience some sort of trauma as a child which can cause a huge impact in their adulthood. Different types of trauma can be linked to the 4 types of serial killers visionary, mission-oriented, hedonistic and power. Researcher Abbie Maroon worked with ex-FBI profiler Joe Navarro to...
6 Pages 2588 Words
In addition to the early traumatization in a serial killer’s childhood, the secluded social conditions of a serial killer acts as an accomplice to their violent and sadistic fantasies that inevitably direct them to kill. Many serial killers face isolation in their youth which oftentimes they turn to fantasies involving violence and sex. As many serial killers are isolated or abused as children, a study by Ressler, Burgess, Prentky, et al in 1988 suggest that serial killers used fantasies of...
2 Pages 990 Words
Despite people being generally intrigued by them, there remains some controversy on what criteria is considered of a serial killer. In their article “Paths to Destruction: The Lives and Crimes of Two Serial Killers” Doctors Barbara C. Wolf and Wendy A. Lavezzi appeal to the readers to consider what a serial killer looks and acts like. They discuss the media representation and how that affects people’s views on serial murderers. Also, Wolf and Lavezzi use ethos, logos, and facts to...
2 Pages 773 Words
The Decade of Fear There are many characteristics that define a decade. The 50’s were known for poodle skirts and Elvis Presley, the 60’s helped spread the message of peace and love and then there was the 70’s. While the 70’s was a decade of social change and free will, it also was the decade that introduced the world to some of the most notorious killers we have seen in U.S. history. The world was introduced to Ted Bundy, The...
7 Pages 3147 Words
Serial killers are traditionally known as people who have committed a series of two or more murders usually driven by a psychological force. Individual killers often have their own ‘trademark’ pattern of killing that consists of similar actions taken upon each victim. These actions essentially result in moral evilness within these individuals and the reasons as to why these killers withhold this evil and others do not is unknown. Most people are not capable of committing these types of heinous...
5 Pages 2395 Words
The ‘serial killer’ terms reign deep fear in the hearts of the majority of the population. Traditionally, the acts have been associated with males with women perceived to be conventionally caring and are compassionate to their fellow human beings and thus incapable of serial killing. However, in the recent past, the number of female serial killers is almost leveling that of males. In another instance, serial killing tactics and strategies are distinct as gender characteristics. Various studies have explained the...
7 Pages 2962 Words
The term 'serial killer' is one that the majority of people know. Whether they don't follow the news, whether their language isn't English, they will be aware of 'serial killers' in some semblance of the phrase. Serial murders are by far one of the most brutal and violent crimes possible, but advancements in the field of criminal profiling in the last century have seen a significant rise in the capture and prevention of them. Serial killers tend to dominate Western...
3 Pages 1264 Words
The 20th century was a time of major events and a wide variety of progression. Specifically, in the 1980s, there was a wide increase in violent crimes, and mass murders. The number of active serial killers in America hit an all-time high during this period. As these murders were becoming very common, many people in America developed a strange admiration for them and their lifestyles. Some of that admiration stemmed from the variety in appearance that these people had. Previously,...
5 Pages 2171 Words
Abstract Serial Killers are indeed very dangerous people and fact can be very challenging to catch. It could be people you least expected it to. Killing is already a problem within itself but the big issue is trying to collect evidence on a serial killer to find them guilty and to capture them all at the same time. Serial Killer are meticulous people. There very cleaver and can also be very intelligent at times than the average person. The issue...
7 Pages 3169 Words
The thought of an individual doing something horrific once always weighs on one’s mind, but the thought of an individual doing something horrific multiple times and not being stopped creates terror and fear in the minds of the public. This is exemplified by serial killers, committing grotesque acts of murder repeatedly and not being caught or stopped. Why are there serial killers? How do they get away with murder for so long, or not even get caught? A serial killer...
2 Pages 1038 Words
Was conducting my research, I found that there is a massive debate in criminology over whether serial killers are born serial killers or made that way by things such as social factors. This is called nature and nurture; nature refers to all the genes and hereditary factors that influence who we are from our physical appearance to our personality characteristics. Whereas nurture refers to all the environmental factors that impact who we are, including our early childhood experiences, how we...
6 Pages 2774 Words
Correctional psychology is defined as the application of basic and applied psychological science or scientifically-oriented professional practice to the justice system to enable the proper classification, treatment, and management of offenders. In short, this means counsellors and psychologists who use criminal and basic psychology to work with criminals. The institutions in which correctional psychologists work can be jails, state and federal prisons, juvenile or adult detention centers, and residential “halfway” houses, where inmates may live transitionally after leaving prison. Though...
2 Pages 1033 Words
Have you ever stopped to think about what makes serial killers who they are? Do you ever wonder why they behave the way they do? Are they born or made that way? All of these questions frequently go unanswered due to the fact that there’s no logical scientific reasoning behind them. Numerous people around the world have their theories on serial killers but not all of those theories are true. A serial killer is a person who murders three or...
6 Pages 2804 Words
This project will give motives and psychological explanations behind serial killings – focusing on prominently males. The term ‘serial killer’ was coined by Robert Ressler, an FBI agent and profiler1, and is given to people who commit three or more murders. Even after one killing, motives tend to cease to exist and it becomes more of pattern and psychological cause. Outlining the main reasons, I will evaluate which is the most prominent factor that leads to serial killing. There are...
2 Pages 823 Words
Throughout history, there has been a big discussion on what the definition of a serial killer is. The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines serial killing as “a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone” (United States, Congress, et., al). The FBI has also stated that the motives can include, but are not specifically subject to, anger, thrill-seeking, financial gain, attention seeking, and sexual contact, which is most often...
5 Pages 2131 Words
Serial killers are mostly people who may have had a hard childhood or people who have been over looked or unappreciated as adults. Some acts that serial killers may portray have no motive and are done out of spite, others are because you may look like someone who they may hold a grudge against. This document will give you an insight on serial killers and an insight on how people may think their minds work versus reality. Granted no two...
7 Pages 3166 Words
The Media’s Role in Glorifying Serial Killers Ted Bundy, one of the more infamous and prolific serial killers in history, was said to have killed 36 people, but what leads one to commit such heinous acts? Serial killers are all influenced by similar social experiences throughout life and learn from the environments around them to become serial killers. A sociological perspective explains how the media’s portrayal of serial killers motivates serial killers to start or continue killing. Anthropology provides insight...
4 Pages 1906 Words
Identity What is a serial killer? A serial killer by definition is a person who has consecutively murdered 3 or more people within the time period of 30 days or more. Serial killing is one of the most bewildering crimes that occur in the United States and all over the world. Many serial murderers take a major cooling-off session. The cooling off session could either be weeks, months or sometimes even years long. In this essay, I will be researching...
6 Pages 2518 Words
1 in 5 Americans are diagnosed with mental disorders every year. Mental disorders are social and/or mental side effects different every day issues. There are 7 main types of mental disorders that a lot of Americans go through which is: mood, anxiety, personality, psychotic, eating, trauma, and substance abuse. Within the past 50 years there has been a spike in crime specifically serial killing and mass shootings. When mass shootings happen they are different in other ways because the motives...
4 Pages 1777 Words
The United States was the leading country in producing serial killers during the 1970s. One serial killer who evaded law enforcement for 40 years is Joseph James DeAngelo; by understanding his background and the impact he had on communities throughout, it is clear to see why he stands out among the many other famous serial killers. Studies show that the majority of serial offenders suffered from some kind of trauma. Even though DeAngelo was an exceptional serial killer, his background...
1 Page 650 Words
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