Are Serial Killers Made or Born?

Introduction

A serial killer is a person who murders several people to seek unusual psychological gratification. Serial killers often execute these homicides within short time frames, and they often tend to include a critical time lapse between them. Over the past few decades, discussions on what repeatedly forces serial killers to commit violent crimes have emerged. A couple of studies affirm that both social and biological factors contribute to the making of serial killers. These studies have concluded that genetics and environments go hand in hand when it comes to encouraging brutal criminal behaviors. The primary aim of this paper is to discuss whether serial killers are born or made.

The cultural popularity of serial killers remains high across the globe. This has pushed scholars to conduct numerous studies and publish articles on serial killers’ psychological and biological mysteries. Through such studies and articles, people can learn more about these people and the factors that motivate their actions. According to reports released by the FBI’s Behavioral Science unit, a significant percentage of serial killers in the United States are white males. They tend to execute heinous murders when they are between 20 and 40 years old. A significant percentage of them are also characterized as intelligent, and most of them tend to be loners. Most serial killers have past criminal history records, and criminologists affirm a relationship between serial killing, burglary, and rape (Miller, 2014).

Attributions of serial killers.

Psychosocial perspectives.

Nature plays a significant role in the making of serial killers. Recent research has shown that childhood maltreatment significantly contributes to antisocial behavior. Traumatic events, child abuse, and parental violence shape people’s personalities during childhood. Scientists have also found a significant relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and later criminal conduct. However, it is crucial to note that not all abused children become serial killers, and not all serial killers endured abuse during childhood (Hernandez et al., 2015). Some serial killers further do not show any signs of becoming murderous. They lead everyday lives just as regular children, score good grades, love going to school and have loving families.

Biological perspectives

Various biological perspectives, including brain abnormalities and genetic predispositions, are also used to explain the behaviors of serial killers. According to (Sharma, 2018) , criminals tend to have higher brain dysfunction levels than non-criminals. Numerous studies further affirm that biochemical imbalances contribute to violence and criminality. Aggressive behaviors among males have also been linked to varying levels of male sex hormones such as testosterone and androgen. When it comes to genetic components of criminal behavior, theorists speculate that males whose biological fathers are criminals are more likely to become criminals than those whose fathers were non criminals.

Conclusion

When researching on the behaviors of different famous serial killers, they all seem to have different explanations for why they committed homicides. While they may have a few things in common, they are inadequate to give 100% connection. Numerous scholars further affirm that genetics, trauma, environment, and personality are among the variables that collectively drive serial killers. Therefore, generalizing the cause of serial killers’ conduct is clearly off base and pretentious. It is quite evident that more studies need to be conducted to understand better what makes a serial killer. There is significant interest across the professional and public spectrum to warrant thorough evaluation.

References

Hernandez, J., Highsmith, J., Madrigal, S., & Mercado, M. (2015). Nature (MAOA) and Nurture in a Criminal. UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal, 8(1).

Miller, L. (2014). Serial killers: I. Subtypes, patterns, and motives. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 19(1), 1-11.

Sharma, M. (2018). The development of serial killers: A grounded theory study.