Krystal

Topic: Family

Question:
Are the roots of becoming a serial killer
due to family environment?

Word count: 2003

Introduction:

When parents are unloving, distant, domineering, and contemptuous of their children,
consequences endure a lifetime.1 Albert Fish is answerable for the passings of more than 100 people,
greater part of them are kids. When his parents deserted him at an early age, he was brought to a shelter,
where he was presented with beatings and horrible demonstrations of ruthlessness. He asserted that he
started to expect the maltreatment since it provided him with a great deal of joy.2 Two of life's most
essential influences are nature and nurture. Psychological choices have an influence on human biology.
One's conduct, thoughts, and way of life are all influenced by DNA. From birth until adulthood, the
environment, homelife, education, and social contact all have an impact on human behavior and
cognition.3 Psychiatric abuse was probably definitely a common practice among organized killers in the
past. Any conduct that happens before the age of eighteen is considered childhood abuse. Physical abuse
was recorded by 36%, sexual abuse 26%, psychological abuse 50%, neglect 18%, no abuse at all 32%.
The FBI estimates 2,617 of a total of 3,532 people in the United States suffered abuse.4

Global perspective:

South Africa's culture is very different from most Western nations, these days it’s increasingly
influenced by the Western world. It has long been influenced by European culture, but events such as
apartheid, large scale rescue attempts. Because of increased media coverage, it has brought locals closer
to Western culture. Because of this, the “intensifying clash between indigenous peoples and Western
culture and the subsequent violent political history” mixed with the development of urbanization may be
another reason for the increase in serial murders.5

Due to crimes in the media, it has received attention from people, which further increased the
potential of serial killers. If the event gains recognition, it becomes a possible choice for those who desire
social recognition. Others can learn new acts of violence and strategies as a result of the media's attention,
which can lead to counterfeiting.6 Law enforcement, governmental, and media investigations have
focused on serial murderers and their perpetrators who have had a direct influence on Western popular
culture.7 From 23 in the 1980s to over 270 in 2015, the number of serial killer films has surged
dramatically. The Silence of the Lambs, based on the FBI investigation of serial killer Buffalo Bill, is an

1
Rishita Sengupta, ResearchED: Can An Abusive Household And Toxic Environment Pave The Way To Becoming
A Serial Killer?, September 25, 2021,
https://edtimes.in/researched-can-an-abusive-household-and-toxic-environment-pave-the-way-to-becoming-a-serial-
killer/
2
Katherine Ramsland Ph.D, Extreme Sexual Deviant Tells All Filmmaker publishes unsealed psychiatric records of
Albert Fish., October 4, 2014,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/201410/extreme-sexual-deviant-tells-all
3
NicolaDavies, PhD, from abused child to serial killer: Investigating Nature vs Nurture in Methods of Murder. June
26, 2018,
psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/violecnce-and-aggression/https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/viole
nce-and-aggression/from-abused-child-to-serial-killer-investigating-nature-vs-nurture-in-methods-of-murder
4
Fiona guy, serial killers and childhood abuse: Is there a link? July 2, 2021,
https://www.crimetraveller.org/2015/07/serial-killers-childhood-abuse/
5
Angela Pilson, Western Culture and the Spread of Serial Murder, 12-15-2011,
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1108&context=honors-theses
6
Molly Gross, Serial Murder and Media Coverage, 2020,
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1864&context=honorstheses
7
FBI, Serial Murder
example of serial killers' resurgence in the Western world.8 Claiming that the appeal of the media has led
to a social crisis, and he has nothing to do with the majority of multiple murderers, but rather a bright,
cultural, and versatile man. Viewers find Hannibal Lecter a sexual celebrity.9 10 Miyazaki, a Japanese
serial killer, justified the murders on an alter ego known as "Rat Man," a cartoon creature comparable to a
comic book character. Miyazaki was said to read comic books and watch violent animation on a regular
basis.11 Because of the media, it has the power to articulate socio-political concerns in unique ways, which
may have a big influence on public opinion and views.12 Another consequence would be human
desensitization. It’s the process of a person's sensitivity to something being removed. When watching
violent movies, your executive function system is relied upon to keep you in check. Desensitization of
crime victims led to cognitive and physiological indicators that were more similar to those of the control
group. In this case, it's worth noting that as the prevalence of criminal victimization increases, more
individuals get desensitized to it. Studies should investigate the use of more harsh stimuli, as well as the
significance of missing components in the victimization or desensitization connection.13

Moreover, serial killers expose society to violence and insanity while meeting basic human
14 15
needs. One of the biggest social differences was the popularity of hitchhiking at the time. Society has
become more fluid and less individual. People could hitchhike in any automobile to get where they
needed to go if they did not obtain one. As a result of his inattention to attempting to reach strangers,
Bundy became a serial killer, and many other offenders have been used to abduct, assault, or commit
other crimes against their victims.

Onto my last point, because people and their families travel around a lot, they are less likely to
identify the people who reside in or near their area. As a consequence of lack of knowledge, the people
around make it difficult to track or identify people (Stromberg). Over the last 40 years, Ted Bundy's
historic trial has had tremendous influence. According to Natalie Terranova of Bryant University,
individuals of all ages feel Bundy's atrocities altered society by raising awareness of serial murder and the
necessity for law enforcement, and that people felt apprehensive and afraid as a result of his actions.16

8
Viktor Osinubi, Ph.D. and Timothy Askew, Ph.D, BI FILES: A PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPARISON OF
LITERARY AND REAL-LIFE SERIAL KILLERS, May 2019,
https://radar.auctr.edu/islandora/object/cau.td%3A2019_glapion_quianna/datastream/OBJ/download
9
Michael Spychaj, “Serial killers are interesting, they’re not heroes”: Moral boundaries, identity management, and
emotional work within an online community, 2017,
https://scholars.wlu.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3101&context=etd
10
Scott A. Bonn Ph.D, Serial Killers Play a Role on the Public Stage, February 24, 2020,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/202002/serial-killers-play-role-the-public-stage
11
Angela Pilson, Western Culture and the Spread of Serial Murder
12
FEBEE M. QUBTAN, EDIA ATTENTION TOWARDS SERIAL KILLERS AND MASS MURDERERS AND
ITS IMPACT TOWARDS ATTITUDES ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, December 2013,
https://rc.library.uta.edu/uta-ir/bitstream/handle/10106/24134/Qubtan_uta_2502M_12421.pdf?sequence=1&isAllow
ed=y
13
Rafael Di Tella, Crime and Violence: Desensitization in Victims to Watching Criminal Events, 2017,
https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/18-039_70b17117-3c13-4fb6-917a-7b07211fdbd8.pdf
14
Scott A. Bonn Ph.D, Serial Killers Play a Role on the Public Stage
15
Meher Sharma, The Development of Serial Killers: A Grounded Theory Study, 2018,
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4722&context=theses
16
NATALIE TERRANOVA, Impacts of a Serial Killer: Looking at the Case of Ted Bundy Then and Now, MAY
2020, https://digitalcommons.bryant.edu/honors_history/44/, page 22
National perspective:

Firstly, there are 3,204 serial killers in the United States.17 That's about 19 times more serial
killers than the next country on the list, England (Refer to figure 1). In the United States, serial killers are
predominantly white (73%), black (22%), and Hispanic (3%), with an average age of 33-44 years.18
Common methods used by serial killers in the United States are shooting, strangulation, drugging, and
stabbing.19 People theorize that America keeps record better than other countries and law enforcement are
better at creating connections to murder cases. In many cases, other countries don't publicize serial
killings unless it is leaked by the press. Meaning, compared to other countries. They tend to lie about the
number of killings, unless it’s leaked by the press. However, the US says otherwise. While this
explanation has several merits, it is also a traditional reaction made by US politicians about negative
statistics to simply say they’re better at gathering data.20

Secondly, 1970s, the decade of America's deadliest serial murderers. People have heard of John
Wayne Gacy's horrible crimes, as well as Ted Bundy's, and other prominent persons' gruesome crimes.21
People didn’t lock their doors often until the 1970s, they didn’t feel the necessity to do so. By reason of,
when the media hysteria over serial murder fostered dread in the public. Previously, news articles about
rapists or murderers were uncommon, this marked the beginning of these tragedies becoming increasingly
prevalent in the media. Local news and the entertainment sector only added to the concern around this
phenomena, resulting in a cultural panic and outburst in response. If you didn't lock yourself into safety in
the 1970s, it looked like you were asking for a death wish.22

Thirdly, America was still recovering from the Vietnam War. Serial killers often begin killing
around the age of 28. They were all raised during or just after WWII, as well as throughout the Cold War,
according to Vronsky, an investigative historian.23 Due to the brutal conflicts, evidence shows those who
have been personally impacted by conflict may be driven into violence when they come home.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sufferers as consequently potential murderers. War dehumanizes.
The Vietnam War was one of the most complex and bloody battles in modern history. Soldiers in United
States were trained to murder an adversary on the other side of the globe who posed no threat to them,
their nation, or their families. Therefore, it weighed heavily on their minds. 24

17
Rick Jr. Paulson, SERIAL KILLERS BY COUNTRY, Feb 9, 2018,
https://serialkillersinfo.com/serial-killer-statistics/serial-killers-by-country/
18
WorldAtlas, Countries That Have Produced The Most Serial Killers, December 22, 2020,
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-that-have-produced-the-most-serial-killers.html
19
Abbie Jean Marono,Sasha Reid,Enzo Yaksic, and David Adam Keatleya, A Behaviour Sequence Analysis of
Serial Killers’ Lives: From Childhood Abuse to Methods of Murder, February 6, 2020,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7144278/
20
WorldAtlas, Countries That Have Produced The Most Serial Killers
21
Ryan Bergeron, CNN, Notorious killers of the 1970s, October 17, 2018,
https://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/08/entertainment/the-seventies-the-decades-worst-killers/index.html
22
Natalie Terranova, Bryant University, Impacts of a Serial Killer: Looking at the Case of Ted Bundy Then and
Now, May 2020, https://digitalcommons.bryant.edu/honors_history/44/
23
Joshua Rhett Miller, Brace for a surge in serial killers in 25 years, August 13, 2018,
https://nypost.com/2018/08/13/the-greatest-generation-gave-rise-to-the-golden-age-of-serial-killers/
24
Crime investigation, WAS THE VIETNAM WAR RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING A GENERATION OF
SERIAL KILLERS?
 My last point is serial murders increased as a result of a number of factors, including population
growth, technological advancements in the media, and a growing 'tabloidization' of news reporting; it also
reflected "prevailing social and political currents, which in the United States at the time tended to be
strongly conservative," as Philip Jenkins puts it. Due to the enormous concentration of factional and false
serial murder tales, there were concerns about personal safety and moral disintegration at this time.25

Courses of action:

In 1963, psychiatrist J.M. Macdonald released a divisive analysis of previous data that revealed a
relationship between these childhood habits and an adulthood inclination toward violence. The
Macdonald triad identifies three key factors that predict serial violent conduct; Animal cruelty, fire setting
and bedwetting (enuresis).26 Common symptom of suspected serial killer activity is the killing or injury of
animals. Provoked, tormented, or slaughtered animals are all possibilities. Serial killers want complete
control over other people's life, and a little animal is the easiest to command completely at a young age.27
Willfully using fire to hurt others, such as setting fire to a popular gathering spot. A young person's first
effort at displaying aggressiveness or violence is believed to be this. Other circumstances, setting fire to
something might mean releasing pent-up rage and fury.28 Enuresis was found in 68% of violent criminals
and 28% of nonviolent criminals.29 Bedwetting has been related to delays in neuronal development in the
brain, with the amygdala being one of the most prominent locations of shortage. The amygdala aids
emotional learning, increases fear, and amplifies external stimuli. According to investigations, the
amygdalae of criminal psychopaths have been revealed to have connective and structural abnormalities.30
Serial killers, unfortunately, have no remedy. Serial killers are unstoppable by any medication,
vaccination, or cure.31

Mental health professionals were making substantial progress in treating young psychopaths
using an innovative new method to criminal rehabilitation.32 The Decompression Model at MJTC
(Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center Program) was first used on Wisconsin's most troublesome young

https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/article/was-the-vietnam-war-responsible-for-creating-a-generation-of-seria
l-killers
25
Bentham, AA, Fatal attraction : the serial killer in American popular culture, 2015,
https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/57498/1/Abby%20Bentham%20Fatal%20Attraction%20FINAL.pdf
26
Tim Jewell, Can the Macdonald Triad Predict Serial Killers?, March 24, 2020,
https://www.healthline.com/health/macdonald-triad
27
Crime museum, EARLY SIGNS OF SERIAL KILLERS, 2021,
https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/early-signs/
28
Jody Allen, 3 Common Traits of Serial Killers To Watch Out For, May 23rd, 2019,
https://www.stayathomemum.com.au/true-crime-series/evil-triad-3-significant-childhood-traits-of-serial-killers/
29
CECIL ADAMS, Are Serial Killers Also Bed-Wetters?, NOVEMBER 8TH, 2013,
https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/206874/are-serial-killers-also-bed-wetters/
30
Ross Pomeroy, The Surprising Link Between Bedwetting and Committing Homicide, May 16, 2020,
https://www.realclearscience.com/quick_and_clear_science/2020/05/16/the_surprising_link_between_bedwetting_a
nd_committing_homicide.html
31
Scott A. Bonn Ph.D, A Cure for Psychopathic Criminals?, August 11, 2014,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201408/cure-psychopathic-criminals
32
Youth.gov, Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center, not mentioned,
https://youth.gov/content/mendota-juvenile-treatment-center
felons. The Youth Psychopathy Checklist, the gold standard for predicting whether a youngster would
grow up to be a full-fledged psychopath, placed them in the severe category. Kids are taught that their
incentives scale, meaning that the longer they behave well, the more benefits they will receive. The
advantages of a social society were emphasized to children.33 Therefore, patients who got MJTC therapy
were matched with those who did not. After they were released, researchers tracked both groups for five
years. After four years, only 64% of MJTC minors were arrested again, compared to 98 percent of
non-MJTC children. Children who participated in the MJTC were 50% less likely to commit a violent
crime. MJTC kids did not commit a single homicide after their discharge, but non-MJTC kids killed 16
people.34

Evaluation of sources:

I mainly used sites that are scholarly, academic, government, fbi, psychological, news cooperation
and scientific. Such as: Scholars.wlu.ca, youth.gov, fbi.gov and psychologytoday.com, the New York
times. On top of that, the authors of the sites: Psychiatryadvisor.com and radar.auctr.edu, are professionals
who hold a PhD. Due to this, the sites are highly credible and reliable. They provide strong and factual
information. To make sure the site is reliable, I used other websites to ensure it supports the information I
have discovered. Additionally, I have used statistics and data, found on the website worldatlas. However,
some of the sites I used were outdated. For instance, one of the sites I used was published in 2011 and
2005. This is an issue because the information I have gathered may have changed over time and is no
longer applicable to the present time. Some sources lacked a date or an author. For instance, the
government websites I used, because it’s a governmental website.

Personal response:

“Are the roots of becoming a serial killer due to family environment?” From my perspective, yes
it does. However, this doesn't apply to all serial killers. It's both from nature and nurture. Serial killers
may be formed due to their family environment. The way their parents treat them and raise them. Whether
they were abused, sexually harassed, verbally or physically abused. They can gain PTSD (post traumatic
stress disorder).35 Moreover, a biological issue, focusing on malformations of the brain. Or a mental
disorder a person could be suffering from; ASD (Autism spectrum disorder), NPD (Narcissistic
personality disorder), BPD (Borderline personality disorder).36 However, 32% of all serial killers had no
history of abuse.37 These serial killers can´t be cured. We can´t help these individuals.38 Unless, we fully
get rid of these individuals, by sending them to a mental hospital.

33
Goodtherapy.org, Psychopathy, March 17, 2017, https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/psychopathy
34
Yale University, Can Psychopaths Be Cured?, not mentioned,
https://modlab.yale.edu/news/can-psychopaths-be-cured
35
Dani Adelstein, Ermanette Diaz, Matthew Hood, Caige McAuliffe, Tara Pickett, Melinda Rule, & Tes Tuason,
Ph.D, Serial Killers & Childhood Trauma, 2020, https://unfsoars.domains.unf.edu/serial-killers-childhood-trauma/
36
Clare S.Allely, Helen Minnis, Lucy Thompson, PhilipWilson, ChristopherGillberg, Neurodevelopmental and
psychosocial risk factors in serial killers and mass murderers, May–June 2014,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359178914000305
37
Heather Mitchell and Michael G. Aamodt, The Incidence of Child Abuse in Serial Killers, 2005,
http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Research%20-%20Forensic/2005%2020-1-Mitchell-40-47.pdf
38
Scott A. Bonn Ph.D, A Cure for Psychopathic Criminals?
Figure 1: