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Mackenzy Hansen

Professor Goeller

English 1201 Online

22 March 2019

Nature vs. Nurture VS. Male vs. Female

One of the most chilling quotes said by a killer said, “we serial killers are your sons, we

are your husbands, we are everywhere. And there will be more of your children dead tomorrow.”

This was said by Ted Bundy. An infamous killer who was known for torturing, raping, and

killing young attractive college age women. Where did his actions stem from though? A tough

question that gets brought up during the discussion of killers, is are their actions from genetics or

their environment growing up. When someone thinks of the term “serial killer”, many males

come into thought like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy. But what about

female killers? They are able to kill just like any male could. Are there connections between

males and females? After looking deeper into research, male female serial killers can differ

greatly. Women tend to be the “nurturers” in their environment and on the nurture side of the

discussion whereas men seem to be “hunters” and on the nature side of the discussion.

The Nature vs. Nurture argument is based off of serial killers having a genetic disposition

to killings or if their environment, family life, and childhood play any role in their killings. One

side of the discussion is nature. Many personality traits, characteristics, and disorders are

genetically passed down from one generation to the next. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that

plays a role in emotional responses. An imbalance of dopamine in the brain and body can cause

lack of emotions or the wrong emotions displayed. This trait alone could give someone the
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inability to sympathize with a killing, a victim, or the victims family. Difficulties with dopamine

levels are not heritable but still deal with one’s genetic makeup. The Monoamine Oxidase A gene

which is commonly known as the MAOA gene, is linked to human violence. A mutation of the

MAOA gene is called Brunner syndrome which is linked to psychiatric disorders that include

antisocial disorders. Genetic disorders include schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder,

and antisocial personality disorder.

Schizophrenia is “a wide-ranging (and often misdiagnosed) mental illness - lists

symptoms ranging from hallucination and delusions to emotional flatness and catatonia”

(Forensics Colleges par 5). Not everyone who has schizophrenia has a relative with the same

disorder. David Berkowitz was a serial killer during the 1970s who killed six people and stated

that his neighbors’ dog told him to commit the murders. At the age of 11, Berkowitz claimed that

monsters were bothering him and refused to sleep unless the lights were kept on. At 22 he

acquired a job as a security job at JFK Airport in New York and stated that he heard voices from

the dogs he worked with in his shifts. Again at the age of 22, he wrote his biological father a

letter of his feelings of depression. After this, he started listening to the voices in his head and

began his attacks on young women. When his major killings were going on at the age of 23, a

psychological profile of the murder stated that they were “neurotic, schizophrenic, and

paranoid.” August 30, 1977, Judge Gerald Held read the psychiatric report of Berkowitz saying

that he was insane (Fowler). Ed Gein visited his mother’s grave when he was 41 and said that he

had seen strange visions when visiting the grave sight and started digging up the bodies starting

with his own mother. November 23, 1957 at the age of 51, he was interviewed by a psychologist

and psychiatrist which both stated that he was a schizophrenic and a “sexual psychopath.”

Richard Chase was hospitalized between the ages of 25-26 at Beverly Manor for being a
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schizophrenic suffering from somatic delusions. He was institutionalized with paranoid

schizophrenia because he thought that his head was changing shape and that someone stole his

pulmonary artery (Jenkins). These are just some examples of serial killers with a schizophrenic

past. Their hallucinations were what drove them to commit the crimes that they did.

Borderline personality disorder is characterized by “impulsive behaviors, intense mood

swings, feelings of low self-worth, and problems with interpersonal relationships” (Forensics

Colleges par 6). Borderline personality disorder is becoming more commonly found in female

criminals. Aileen Wuornos was a female serial killer who committed seven murders in the state

of Florida. She struggled with relationships after having a lack of a relationship with both her

mother and father after being given to her grandparents at the age of 4. Many of Wuornos’

criminal acts took place in only a couple years span which also suggests that she acted upon

impulse (Altizer). Jeffrey Dahmer also experienced borderline personality disorder. After

Dahmer was arrested after his first molestation of a 13-year-old, he told his probation officer that

his life lacked a purpose. A sign of borderline personality disorder is chronic emptiness which is

what he experienced. Dahmer may have also experienced feelings of low self-worth because his

family was unaware of his homosexuality. It is also stated that Dahmer’s victims tended to be

more flamboyant than he was which could have made him feel like he was not as “gay” as

everyone else when he was just like them all. Dahmer struggled greatly with keeping

interpersonal relationships because he lacked a relationship with both his mother and father. Due

to a lack of relationship with them, he did not truly know how to make relationships with other

people. Dahmer lacked a true friend growing up. This also followed him into his adult life with

partners. Dahmer tended to be with someone for a night and when they would try to leave, he

would attack and kill them. He was unable to build a true relationship with someone because he
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strived for complete control (Arrese). A third example of a serial killer with borderline

personality disorder is Kristen H. Gilbert. Gilbert was a nurse at Leed Veterans Affairs Medical

Center in Massachusetts who killed 4 males in her care and placed a bomb threat on the hospital.

Gilbert often had trouble maintaining relationships due to the divorce of her marriage and affair

with a coworker. Gilbert also showed signs of verbal and physical abuse to ex-boyfriends (Daly).

A third genetically exposed disorder is antisocial personality disorder which is “

characterized by a total disregard of the feelings of others” (Forensics Colleges). Ted Bundy is a

famous serial killer who confessed to 30 murders and dealt with antisocial personality disorder.

At just 3 years old, Bundy stared at his aunt in bed as he placed knives all over the bed that all

pointed toward her. At such a young age, he did not have any remorse for what could have

happened to her. He had a relationship with a young woman named Liz Brooks who dumped him

in the Fall of 1968. After years of not speaking, the two rekindle their relationship in 1973 and in

1974, he abruptly stops talking to Brooks as revenge for the first time their relationship ended.

This act towards Brook’s shows that Bundy did not care about her feelings because of how easily

he cut her off and never spoke to her again. Bundy committed 22 abductions within a 2-year time

period. Bundy tended to rape his victims during attacks and abductions, but he volunteered for

the rape crisis hotline. This shows that he did not care how people felt about rape after hearing

stories about it and continued to torture his victims in this way (Lawson). Bundy became quite

skilled with his compartmentalization because he was “able to use a ‘mask of sanity’ to fool

those around him” (Time Life). Another serial killer who suffered from antisocial personality

disorder is John Wayne Gacy, who is also known as the “Killer Clown” who raped and killed 33

young men. At 19 years old, Gacy obtained a job at a morgue in Las Vegas. He soon memorized

the embalming process and started conducting experiments on the bodies. These acts showed that
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Gacy had no respect for people or one’s family even after a loved one has passed away. A

“normal” person would have respected the person and their family and left everything alone

whereas Gacy would climb into the caskets and unclothed the bodies. In 1968, Gacy was

diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder after submitting a psychiatric evaluation (Sirkel).

Nurture is the other side of the Nature vs. Nurture discussion. One’s environment can put

them at a great disposition of killings or murder. A lot of different things can affect one’s

nurturing life around them, including a lack of relationship with a mother and/or father, verbal

abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, being bullied as a child and a lack of human interaction. A

lack of a relationship with one’s parents can greatly affect a child because they never learn how

to create proper relationships with others as they get older. During a study in 1997, Dr. Becker

stated that “100 percent [of serial killers] had been abused as children, either with violence,

neglect, or humiliation” (Mitchell). This shows that there is a connection between killers and

abuse. A child who deals with a great deal of bullying in their childhood can affect their outlook

on other people for the rest of their life. If a child is bullied all through their school years, it may

cause them to want to inflict pain on others when they have the chance, such as killing someone.

A lack of interactions with others can negatively affect someone by making them socially

awkward when they are around other people. This would also affect their ability to form close

relationships because they would not know how to sustain a healthy relationship with another

person whether it be platonic or intimate. If a friend or partner tries to leave someone’s life who

has dealt with problems with relationships, it may make them want to control the partner and not

let them leave leading to kidnapping, torture, or maybe even killing someone else.

Now that the difference between Nature vs. Nurture has been differentiated, the next

topic of discussion is the difference between males and females. The first difference between
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males and females are the ways that they kill. When men kill, it tends to be more gruesome,

creepy, and aggressive whereas when females kill, they tend to be more secretive, slower, and

premeditated. It is more common in males for them to stalk their victims so they typically know

exactly who they are going to kill and where they are at all times. Once males have their victims,

they torture them which could include rape or beating the victim until they obtain their full

pleasure. Marissa Harrison is a professor at Penn State Harrisburg and argues that the differences

between male and females, is in “evolutionary psychology” (Kozlowska). “Male serial killers,

according to the researchers’ theory, are ‘hunters’, who follow their prey as they did in nomadic

communities” (Kozlowska). Male serial killers may not even know their victims personally but

tend to know where they are at all times, what the victim is doing and the basic knowledge of

how to get them alone to attack. “[Men] will often butcher their victims, much like a hunted

game, and keep trophies from their escapades” (Kozlowska). This shows that once men have

their victims dead, the men tend to dismember and destroy the body which is a quite gruesome

act.

When men kill, they take the “hunting” approach, but what about women? “Female serial

killers, meanwhile, are ‘gatherers,’ fitting in with their role in these societies, according to the

article published in the journal Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences” (Kozlowska par 4). “About

80% of women serial killers know their victim” which is more than how many male serial killers

know their victims (Kozlowska par 9). Due to women typically staying in their “role” of society,

women tend to be the caregivers and nurturers we see such as moms, wives, or nurses. “72%

killed at least one person in their care, and nearly half of them have killed their children”

(Kozlowska par 9). With a woman being in the role as a nurse, they are almost at an advantage

with the tools they are surrounded with on a daily basis. A nurse has the ability to get ahold of
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many different types of drugs and equipment. Nurses also have a great deal of education so they

know how to properly use the equipment and the correct dosage of all medications. Being a

nurse, they are exposed to many types of poisons and medications that can cause much harm if

used incorrectly which are the two most common ways that nurses kill. Women can also be in the

role of a wife or mother. These roles typically associate with having to care for another human

being whether it being their own child or significant other. This role could give them the upper

hand on taking care of both and helping provide for the significant other or child. This gives

them many opportunities to do harm to who they are around.

(Nothing Cooler.com)

This is an image of Dorothea Puente. She was a female serial killer who would kill her

tenants which usually included older individuals, many had a disability (Nothing Cooler). After

the victim was dead, she would cash their social security checks. She is one of the few examples

of a female serial killer and an older individual who took part in killings.

So are men on the nature or nurture side of the argument? Men seem to fall more on the

nature side of the argument because of their motives to kill and even the fact that they are the

“hunters”. 75% of male serial killers have a sexual motive in their killings and women only have

a 7.3% rate (Kozlowska). Men are also at a higher chance of developing a mental disorder such

as the schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder as

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mentioned before. It can also be guessed that males are at the higher chance of having a genetic

disposition because of the prehistoric roles they played as well. The males were always the

hunters and went out searching for their prey which can be translated into their killings today.

The males tend to go out and “hunt” for their victims anywhere and everywhere. Males motives

can also account for part of the reason they are more genetically exposed. Males kill for the

reasons of “revenge, jealousy, thrill, ‘love’, gain, conviction/hate, and concealment (that is, to

cover up another crime)” (Parker par 6). The thrill side of their actions can stem from an

imbalance of adrenaline in the body. If they have a low amount of adrenaline, then they need

higher thrill seeking activities such as killing and committing other heinous crimes.

So if men are genetically inclined, what does that make women? Due to the ways that

females tend to kill such as poisoning, they tend to fall on the nurture side of the discussion.

Women tend to be less aggressive and gruesome in their killings, which is the biggest difference

between males and females. Men will stalk and hunt their victims while females know and tend

to care for victims. Women’s motives are another reason that they can fall on the nurture side. A

very common motive for women to kill is for financial stability. It is not rare to see a woman go

for a man who is very financially stable and comfortable. When a woman wants the money but

no longer wants the man who has the money, she does the unthinkable. Women will kill for a life

insurance policy. They may have never even thought about committing a murder or even

harming another person but people get greedy and everyone wants money. A woman could have

absolutely no signs of being a murderer or serial killer, but as soon as they are in the position to

obtain a large amount of money, their character switches. Nurses may kill their patients to lessen

a workload if they know that the patient will not survive much longer. With nurses having the

ability to obtain different types of medications, they could give someone the wrong medication
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without the family or even other coworkers knowing. Nurses are supposed to be trusted so when

they provide a loved one with their prescription, one never thinks twice about what is going on or

rarely even ask what it is or what it does. Nurses know they are in the trusted caregiver position

and are able to use this as an advantage. Along with wives who want money, nurses may also not

show any signs of being a murderer or a serial killer, but when they want to make their life

easier, they will.

When men suffer from a low expression of the MAOA gene, they suffer from a higher

amount of aggression which can then be transferred to why they kill and attack others when they

get angry. In a study done by a group of psychologists on happiness, it was found that “In

women, low expression of MAOA (MAOA-L) was related significantly to greater happiness”

(Chen par 1).

As stated before, women are capable of having a mental illness that may trigger their

aggression and killing tendencies. Aileen Wuornos and Kristen H. Gilbert are two examples of

this. If women are more commonly related with the nurturing of the discussion, what about these

two women? They were genetically exposed to their actions instead of something acting upon

them to cause them to do something. These two women prove that they can have genes that

affect them just like how many men are which debunks the idea that only men have the genetic

side and women are in the wrong environment.

So if women can be genetically exposed to murdering, can men just have the wrong

environment? Gang members are a great example of men who tend to not have a mental illness.

Gang members are surrounded by people who think very strictly and only think one way. In

many cases, gangs are to kill or to be killed. When members join a gang, some do have mental

illnesses such as anxiety, but during and after being with a gang, post-traumatic stress disorder
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can occur. Men can join gangs because of their brothers, fathers, friends, family, and even just

where they grow up. If one grows up around gangs and gang violence, they could think that

being in a gang is the only way to live. Growing up in a rough neighborhood or in a family with

a rough past does not mean that their mental stability is affected. This can be quite common in

low-income cities and populations all over the world and the United States (Robinson).

Nature vs. Nurture can play a part in both males and females. Men typically lean towards

the nature side because they are more prone to mental illnesses and because of what a low

expression of the MAOA gene can do to them. Women typically lean towards the side of nurture

because of how their MAOA gene affects them and their motives when they kill. Women can

have genetic factors and men can have environmental factors that lead them to their actions, but

this is a lot less common. Therefore, it is safe to say that men are genetically inclined to commit

a murder and women have the environmental factors that push them to commit the murders they

do.

Works Cited

Altizer, Jay. “Aileen ‘Lee’ Wuornos.” Aileen "Lee" Wuornos, Radford University,

maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc 405/serial killers/Wuornos, Aileen _2008,

spring_.pdf.

Arrese, Isabella. “Psychological Profile of Jeffrey Dahmer.” Scribd, Scribd,

www.scribd.com/doc/129657729/Psychological-Profile-of-Jeffrey-

Dahmer.

“Case Study: Ted Bundy.” Time Life, pp. 15

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Chen, Henian, et al. “The MAOA Gene Predicts Happiness in Women.” Progress in

Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, U.S. National

Library of Medicine, 10 Jan. 2013,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6299830/.

Daly, Elizabeth, et al. “Kristen H. Gilbert.” Kristen H. Gilbert, Radford University,

maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc 405/serial killers/Gilbert, Kristen -

2005.pdf.

“Dangerous Minds: Mental Illnesses of Infamous Criminals.” Forensics Colleges,

www.forensicscolleges.com/blog/resources/dangerous-minds-criminal-

mental -illness.

Fowler, Leann, et al. “David Berkowitz ‘Son of Sam.’” David Berkowitz "Son of Sam",

Radford University, maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc 405/serial

killers/Berkowitz, David.pdf.

Jenkins, Brandie, et al. “Edward Theodore Gein ‘American Psycho.’” Edward Theodore

Gein "American Psycho", Radford University,

Kozlowska, Hanna, and Hanna Kozlowska. “If Male Serial Killers ‘Hunt’ Their Victims,

What Do Female Serial Killers Do?” Quartz, Quartz, 25 Feb. 2019,

qz.com/1556745/the-differencesbetween-male-and-female-serial-

killers/.

Lawson, Ben, et al. “Ted Bundy.” Ted Bundy, Radford University,

maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc 405/serial killers/Bundy, Ted - 2005.pdf.

“MAOA Monoamine Oxidase A [Homo Sapiens (Human)] - Gene - NCBI.” National

Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine,

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19 Mar. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/4128.

Mitchell, Heather. “The Incidence of Child Abuse in Serial Killers.” Radford University,

2005, maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Research%20-%20Forensic/2005%2020-

1-Mitchel l-40-47. pdf.

Parker, Belinda. “What Drives Women to Murder Is Very Different from Men.” ABC

News, 6 Feb. 2018, www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-05/female-murderers-

mo re-likely-motivated-by-love-financial-gain/9378404.

Robinson, Grace. “Young Gang Members Also at Risk of Developing Post-Traumatic

Stress Disorder.” The Conversation, 20 Nov. 2018,

theconversation.com/young-gan g-members-also-at-risk-of-developing-post-

traumatic-stress-disorder-90068.

Sirkel, Jane, et al. “John Wayne Gacy ‘Killer Clown.’” John Wayne Gacy "Killer Clown",

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Storey, Amanda, et al. “Richard Trenton Chase ‘Dracula Killer’ ‘The Vampire of

Sacramento.’” Richard Trenton Chase "Dracula Killer" "The Vampire of

Sacramento", Radford University, maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc

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“This Little Old Lady Turned Out To Be The Terrifying Boardinghouse Serial Killer.”

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be-terrifyi ng-boardinghouse-serial-killer/.