Society has often looked upon serial killers negatively, given how they seemingly commit repeated murders without any feeling of guilt or remorse. This perception might be true, but the general public also needs to understand why and how these fellow human beings could be so astray that they go about taking innocent lives with apparent ease. To this issue, researchers have identified several reasons as to why serial killers become what they are. Among the top reasons of becoming serial killers are poor childhood upbringing, exposure and the practice of watching pornography as well as biological factors and psychological needs.
Poor childhood upbringing has been said to be a factor in influencing the making of a serial killer. One theory centres on the neglect and abuse that many serial killers experience as children. Ressler and Shachtman described a study conducted by the FBI, which included interviews with dozens of murderers (mostly serial killers). In each case, they found “similar patterns of severe childhood neglect”. Several serial killers confessed that they become serial killers due to undesirable upbringing as children. A serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas, claims in “the Lucas Report” that the abuse he received from his alcoholic prostitute mother as well as the hardship that he went through as a child, drove his urge to kill. In another case, Jason Eric Massey was neglected and abused by his drug-addicted mother, and this led him to start with torturing animals, and then progress to serial killing. These sorts of behaviour started at a young age, where the killers as youngsters would often get into trouble and even commit juvenile crimes. These crimes are done out of revenge as a way to vent out the stress they receive at home due to domestic abuse or inadequate attention from parents.
In most cases, serial killers exhibit three behaviours in their childhood, known as the MacDonald triad. These three behaviours that the serial killers exhibited during their childhood are bed-wetting, arson and animal cruelty. This would then lead to bullying of peers as a sign of dominance. Animal cruelty is also taken into account as being abusive to a helpless figure, and this gives them relief as their state of being helpless when abused at home is taken out on something else.
Another reason for becoming serial killers is exposure to pornography. Pornography is often claimed to be one of the contributing factors that drive serial killers into rape, and later murder, or the act of necrophilia, in order to satisfy their sexual desires, triggered by the medium. Watching pornography would trigger the desire for sexual activity, and when the person cannot find a sexual partner, killers would then target victims and force them into performing sexual acts. Several serial killers, for example the Green River Killer, targets prostitute for rape and subsequently murder. He also claims that he committed necrophilia, saying that it would be a waste to let the corpse rot.
Besides that, some theorists believe that biological factors could also play a part in creating serial killers, suggesting that they are born, not made, and that the violent behaviour is a consequence of abnormal brain activity. This might relate to the presence of an abnormal gene in the serial killers that leads them to behave differently than normal people. However, Holmes (2010) says that biological reasons should not be considered as a determining factor in the personality of serial killers, until a reliable sample can be obtained and tested to prove it the claim.
In addition to that, in many cases, psychological factors such as self-satisfaction and thrill also trigger serial killers to commit murders repeatedly. According to Howard (2004), “Robert Hansen took his victims to a secluded area where he would let them loose, and then hunt them and kill them” (p.4). One serial killer said, “[killing] gives me the most thrilling experience it is even better than getting your rocks off with a girl” (Graysmith, 2007). These two instances show that some killers commit murders just for fun. They take pleasure in being able to hurt their victims. Psychological factors have apparently become motives for serial killing.
Serial killers have admitted to relate to these three major factors for becoming what they are. They confirm poor upbringing in childhood, pornography, and psychological needs as the reasons behind their wrongdoing and also the motives behind the urge that drives them into committing the crimes repeatedly.
In conclusion, there are several reasons as to why serial killers become what they are, namely poor childhood upbringing, exposure to pornography and psychological factors. Although one of the reasons that come from the killers’ own fault, there are also reasons that are out of the killers control, and that too has contributed to their overall psychological profile as serial killers.
*****Nota Kaki - Aku dapat markah penuh untuk term paper ini. Bibliography hilang. Tapi masih boleh rujuk berdasarkan apa yang ada. Format ini pun boleh dikira tepat.
