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Krista Schirmer

Instructor Scot Johnson

English Comp. II

November 1,2020

Serial Killers: How and Why

Growing up I spent a lot of time watching true crime documentaries with my

mother. My love for mystery books quickly turned into a love of cheesy murder mystery

books as I hit my teens. I was intrigued by these types of interests for one reason: I

wanted to know “why.” Why do people do awful things? What are the motives? What

causes a person to slip into vile monsters? There is a common saying that hypothesizes

that, “hurt people, hurt people.” Psychologists have used various research methods to

determine what influences lead to the impulsive and unpredictable behavior displayed

by these types of people. There are several characteristics that contribute to creating a

serial murderer, including but not limited to, childhood abuse, past criminal record, brain

injury, and committing animal abuse as a child.

Before we delve into the contributing factors, we must first understand what

psychology is. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behavior. 1

Development psychology is the study of human psychology from birth until death 2.

There is a study of how a sequence of developmental processes contribute to the

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defining characteristics of a person. When looking at what influences contribute to

violent crimes, especially serial offenses and murders, development psychology is used
1
What is psychology
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Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial Killers
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Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial Killers
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to help map out the criminal's life. This branch of psychology will look at not just the

younger years of a person's life but will instead look at all the formative influences

through the course of their life. Forensic psychology is the combination of the study of

psychology and law. This type of psychology is often used within the justice system, and

worth mentioning when speaking of criminals.

The history of serial killers goes back as far as the 1700’s, but one of the most

infamous serial killers began their spree in 1888. 4 Jack the Ripper began their

consecutive killings in 1888 and continued until 1891. The motive of the anonymous

killer is still up for debate today. Popular social media influencers, like Buzzfeed, have

even taken a stab at this historic serial killer. Horror films, Netflix specials, and countless

books have been attributed to more recent serial killers. These names would include

Ted Bundy, Jefferey Dahmer, Ed Gein, and Charles Manson. Only 8% of all serial killers

are determined to be women, and the most often method of killing for women was

poisoning.5 Motive is also a factor that changes between men and women serial killers.

One common link between violent criminals is a history of criminal activity. In one

study represented it states that fifty three percent of the people had prior criminal

records6. In another study eighty-seven percent of the serial killers had at least one prior

criminal conviction. Physical assault on a woman and robbery were of the top

convictions for these men. Men with multiple convictions had a rise in severity of their
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Serial killer. Salem Press Encyclopedia.

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Serial killer. Salem Press Encyclopedia.

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Dismemberment and Mutilation
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crimes as the years went on. This meaning that if the man started with petty theft it took

years for them to evolve into murder. The average age for men to begin their murder

sequence is thirty years old. Defensive dismemberment and mutilation are crimes that

many serial killers inevitably commit. This is the crime of damaging the body of a victim

in the attempt to conceal their crimes. 7

The Behavior Sequence Analysis is a program used to track trends of criminals.

With this database they were able to debunk the common assumption that serial killers

have a high rate of sexual motivations. Only twenty percent of the men in the database

had committed multiple sexual crimes. Not all serial killers are killing for sexual thrill. In

many cases they describe a different kind of “urge,” other killers say that they “just

wanted to.” Sexual abuse and motive are a common misconception when it pertains to

serial killers.

Child abuse is a common denominator among serial murderers. In a study there

were sixty three percent of men found to have experienced physical abuse and seventy

two percent had suffered psychological abuse. The previously mentioned study found

that sexual abuse was the least common type of abuse inflicted on the men in the study.

But the majority of those in the study had suffered more than one type of abuse. This

could be any combination of the sexual, physical, or psychological abuse. Neglect is

another factor that coincides with abuse as child. Abuse and neglect are known to

cause lasting effects like low self-esteem, isolation, and hopelessness. 8 These effects

can change a person's entire life, as they work through the trauma and find adequate

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Dismemberment and Mutilation
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Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial Killers

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coping mechanisms. Unfortunately, not all people are able to find the help they need.

The lack of help will lead to unhealthy ways to cope and leave their trauma unhealed.

The violence and abuse would often be mirrored in a child's school and social

situations. This would eventually also appear in their work environments as they aged. 9

Abuse and violence would grow, so to speak, as the victim grew older. This would result

in the need for control. Control-orientated serial killers often fantasize of having control

over other people.10 In some ways, this can reflect the lack of control they had over

themselves as children.

Many serial killers have siblings who grow up in the same environment and never

commit a single murder. For example, a serial killer who killed eight women in the

1990’s named Keith Hunter Jesperson, had siblings. Jesperson was quoted saying “My

brothers and sisters are not murderers and yet they had the same parents and lived in

the same community as I had”.11 He wrote this in a letter that was sent to multiple

newspapers. This does not discredit the correlation between abuse and neglect as a

child to violent behavior as an adult though. Not everyone, even if they're in the same

family, will endure the same experiences and trauma, or have the same trauma

responses.

During fetal development, a human's biological makeup starts being formed

based off the environmental influences present. 12 In a study done by the previous

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

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Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial Killers
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Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial Killers
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mentioned Perfect Storm article it was determined that seven percent of the men were

born to at least one parent with a substance use disorder. The highest number of men

were born to a family with a father battling addiction, which resulted in thirty percent of

the participants. The number of men born into families with mothers with addiction was
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lower, but still a significant amount, coming in at twenty three percent. This shows

how drug exposure during fetal development may play a role in future violent crimes.

Pre-exposure to drugs and alcohol during development also has been linked to a lower

number of neurotransmitters. Specifically, dopamine and serotonin. 14 These

neurotransmitters have a direct influence on human behaviors. Lower levels of

serotonin are found in those who have impulse control issues, much like many serial

killer's experience. “Dysfunctional interactions between 5-HT (serotonin) and DA

(dopamine) systems in the prefrontal cortex have been associated with impulsive

aggression and other comorbid disorders, such as addiction and antisocial personality

disorder”.15

Once born, humans brains develop at a rapid pace. This gives humans to

opportunity to learn at a faster pace than other mammals. Children that are raised in

abusive and neglectful homes will lack the opportunity to grow in a healthy way. A child

deprived of basic human needs and compassion at an early age does not have the
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same type of brain development as a child born to a loving and safe home. Children

develop their personalities based off the environment they grow up in. This is especially
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Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial Killers
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Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial Killers
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Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial Killers
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Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial Killers
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important at the crucial beginning, when the brain is forming at its fastest pace. When a

child is neglected or abused in early childhood, damage will be done to the developing

brain and psyche and impact the person's life and personality in the future. This is a

reason abuse plays such a leading role in the development of serial killers. If they are

abused or neglected while their personality is still developing, they will carry the

characteristics into adulthood.

The term psychopath, which means mind illness, was re-named to Antisocial

Personality Disorder.17 The reason for this change is because people with this disorder

typically have no link to a major mental illness. The belief of psychologists is that this

disorder comes about from abandonment and rejection in early childhood. 18 Just like the

previously mentioned abuse and neglect related to serial murderers, Antisocial

Personality Disorder is also linked. The reason that people with this disorder are more

likely to become serial killers than people without it, are because of their lack of

sympathy. People with Antisocial Personality Disorder cannot put themselves into the

shoes of their victims. They are unable to accept or give love due to their childhood

rejection and cannot comprehend remorse in the same way that someone without the

disorder would be able to.19 Serial killers with this disorder see killing in the compacity

as lying or stealing. This makes it easier for them to commit heinous crimes, because

they do not feel the loss in a significant way. Their motive is typically and simply, the

thrill of the kill. It is noteworthy to mention that just because someone has an Antisocial

Personality Disorder diagnosis does not mean that they will become a serial killer. The

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Antisocial Personality Disorder
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Antisocial Personality Disorder

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Antisocial Personality Disorder
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vast majority of people with this disorder live normal lives without harming other

people.20

A brain injury can happen in diverse levels of severity, resulting in various levels

of aftereffects. Mild TBI are not related to neuropsychological deficits, behavioral

problems, and poor social outcomes in the same way that moderate to server TBI’s are.

Behavior related issues with traumatic brain injuries can be combated with rehabilitation

and therapies in most cases. TBI prevalence rates range from 25% to 87% in adult

inmates.21 This means that brain injuries could play a part in the amount of people

incarcerated for violent crimes. This could be in part due to the way brain injuries can

change behaviors and personality in the people who suffer from them. The cause of

traumatic brain injury in a study done stated that joyriding, falls while on drugs, falls

while sober, sports injury, and fighting were the leading causes of their injuries. Falls

while on drugs were of the highest percentage out of all the other causes.

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

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A Risk Factor for Re-Offending, Poor Mental Health and Violence?”
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Richard Ramirez is an infamous serial killer who suffered a brain injury. He was

called the “Night Stalker,” and broke into homes in California in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

After breaking into these homes, he would kill his victims. At age six Richard Ramirez

was knocked unconscious for several hours after being hit by a swing.22 There is no way

of knowing if this incident at age six had a direct impact on his violent crimes as an

adult. I found it worth noting though, due to the number of violent criminals with this type

of injury.

Anger issues and frustration are a common behavioral change that can be

caused by a brain injury. Further, impulsivity and poor judgement are also side effects

common with brain injury. Another common issue that often coincides with a brain injury

is perseveration, which is characterized by repetitive behaviors. 23 These behavioral

changes are much like those that are experienced by children who were abused, and

those who were affected by environmental factors even before birth. All of which are

similar to those presented in antisocial personality disorder, as well. These behaviors

and characteristics are all prevalent in serial killers. People who commit sequence

killings are irrational, aggressive, impulsive, and do their killings with repetition. Most

serial killers leave a pattern behind that distinguishes them from other killers. Like

having a cooling off period between killings, where they spend time attempting to

repress the feelings, or they use the time to fantasize about their next killing.

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The Life And Crimes Of Richard Ramirez; The Night Stalker
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Behavioral and Emotional Effects
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Another common trait among serial killers is their cruelty towards animals at an
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early age. Typically, this behavior will be displayed by or before six years of age. The

reason for the abuse towards animals is usually a reflection of the trauma they have

faced during their formative years.25 Two infamous serial killers who we know had a

history of harming animals at an early age are Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dhamer. Jeffrey

Dahmer would collect roadkill from the side of the round and bring it home to try and

preserve them in concoctions in his shed. It was rumored that neighborhood animals

also went missing during Dahmer's childhood, but nothing definitive has been proven.

This would mirror his adult life and crimes. As an adult, he would try to preserve his

victims body parts in different chemicals in his home after murdering them. As a child

Dhamer would nail animal bodies to trees behind his home and put their heads on

stakes. 26

The reason I chose this topic for my research paper this semester is because of

my interest in psychology. My major is in psychology, but I have not yet decided on

which direction within psychology that I would like to study. This research paper was my

chance to dive deeper into behavioral psychology, and how varied factors can influence

a person to create truly heinous acts. My intent with this paper was not to find excuses

for the behavior, but instead to get a better understanding of why it happened. My

thinking is that if we can discover the “why,” then we can find a way to stop the “what.”

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Links with animal cruelty

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

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\Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia.
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This was also the thinking of many psychologist who study the habits and lives of serial

killers. One noted theory is that if we can stop child abuse and neglect, we can

potentially help people from turning into serial killers. 27 The rationale behind this, is if we

can stop the actions that put in motion the creation of a serial killer, we can stop the

serial killing all together. One way that is proposed to do this, is better training for

teachers and other mandated reporters to spot neglect and abuse in children. 28 If we

can save these children from holding on to the anger and violence and rejection put on

to them as children, we could potentially save hundreds of lives. It is thought that in the

United States of America there are about ten serial killers active each year, resulting in

around 100 deaths a year.29

In conclusion, there are several characteristics and factors that contribute to

creating a serial murderer, including but not limited to, childhood abuse, past criminal

record, and traumatic brain injury, Antisocial Personality Disorder. And these factors can

occur throughout a person's life. Starting at conception, with the combination of

environmental influences. We know this from the extensive research done by

psychologists. Abuse, in any form, from childhood and on can cause permeant damage

physically and psychologically. And finally, a history of criminal activity that escalates

into sequenced killings. This is prevalent in many forms. Animal abuse and mutilation is

a common theme among serial killers, and evident in some of the most infamous serial

killers of our time.

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

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Antisocial Personality Disorder
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Work Cited:

Petreca, Victor G., et al. “Dismemberment and Mutilation: A Data ‐Driven Exploration of

Patterns, Motives, and Styles.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 65, no. 3, May

2020, pp. 888–896. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/1556-4029.14274.

Reid, Sasha, et al. “The Perfect Storm: Mapping the Life Course Trajectories of Serial

Killers.” International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative Criminology,vol.

63, no. 9, July 2019, pp. 1621–1662. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1177/0306624X19838683.

Lachmann, Annette, and Frank M. Lachmann. “The Personification of Evil: Motivations

and Fantasies of the Serial Killer.” International Forum of Psychoanalysis, vol. 4,

no. 1, Mar. 1995, p. 17. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=edb&AN=76009248&site=eds-live.

“A Behavior Sequence Analysis of Serial Killers' Lives: From Childhood Abuse to

Methods of Murder.” Psychiatry, Psychology and Law,

www.tandfonline.com/doi/figure/10.1080/13218719.2019.1695517?scroll=top.

Harmening, William M. Serial Killers: The Psychosocial Development of Humanity’s

Worst Offenders. Charles C. Thomas, 2014. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b1855153&site=eds-live.

Huw Williams, W., et al. “Self-Reported Traumatic Brain Injury in Male Young Offenders:

A Risk Factor for Re-Offending, Poor Mental Health and Violence?”

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Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, vol. 20, no. 6, Dec. 2010, pp. 801–812.

EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/09602011.2010.519613.

“Behavioral and Emotional Effects.” Traumatic Brain Injury - Behavioral and Emotional

Effects, tbi.cemmlibrary.org/The-Caregiver%E2%80%99s-Journey/Chapter-

Two/Behavioral-and-Emotional-Effects. Links with animal cruelty. (2009). Gold

Coast Bulletin, The, 7.

James, J. (2020). Jeffrey Dahmer. Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia.

Warnes, K., PhD. (2019). Serial killer. Salem Press Encyclopedia.

Simons, Cassandra L. “Antisocial Personality Disorder in Serial Killers: The Thrill of the

Kill.” Justice Professional, vol. 14, no. 4, Nov. 2001, p. 345. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/1478601X.2001.9959630.