The Cause of Serial Killers Essay

Statistically, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower-to-middle-class background, usually in his twenties or thirties. Many were physically or emotionally abused by parents. Some were adopted. As children, fledgling serial killers often set fires, torture animals, and wet their beds (these red-flag behaviors are known as the “triad” of symptoms.) Brain injuries are common. Some are very intelligent and have shown great promise as successful professionals. They are also fascinated with the police and authority in general (Scott).

According to available information, Jeffrey Dahmer led a virtually pretty normal childhood. He was born May 21 1960 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to his parents’ Lionel and Joyce Dahmer. When he was six years old his brother David Dahmer was born and the family moved to Ohio. During the move Jeffrey became more shy and withdrawn. When he was ten years old his mother was admitted to the hospital for her anxiety. This put a strain on his parents marriage. Also, when he was around 14 or 15 years old, he started to have more thoughts about violence and sex, but “didn't know how to tell anyone about it so he didn't” (Jeffrey Dahmer). Throughout high school, he saw his

Born May 21, 1960 his parents are, Lionel and Joyce Dahmer. He was considered a happy child till the age of 4 when he received a double hernia surgery. As a teen he had no friends and when he was 14 he was having compulsions toward necrophilia and murder. And said his parents divorce caused his thoughts into action. As a kid he had no friends, and was very unresponsive to family and teachers. After his parents got a divorce he took his thoughts into action.

Jeffrey Dahmer was born on May 21, 1960 in West Allis,Wisconsin. He and his parents, Lionel Dahmer and Joyce Annette, were an average american family who strived for the best. Jeffrey’s father was a graduate student who wanted to pursue a career as an analytical chemist. His mother worked as a teletype machine instructor. However, Jeffrey Dahmer’s mother was not a stable women. She had a history of psychological problems which meant that her son was susceptible to mental illness due to genetic factors. Growing up, Jeffrey had trouble with interacting with his peers. He also had a peculiar fascination with dead animals and “according to his father, his son was ‘oddly thrilled’ by the sound the bones made and instantly developed a fixation for playing with and collecting animal bones (“Jeffrey Dahmer” Wikipedia).” As he got older, he developed an addiction to alcohol. He started drinking heavily during high school which negatively affected his grades. Another issue that Dahmer faced in his early life was

After the move, when Dahmer went back to school, he was scared and very reserved from everyone else. His teacher even told Dahmer’s parents that Dahmer was not doing as well in school and that he was showing a disinterest in his school work. As Dahmer continued to grow up, his parents’ absence took a toll on him. He continued to become more and more isolated. Dahmer became frustrated easily, but held everything inside. He did not participate in any activities and rather spent his time walking around the woods or exploring the insides of animals. His mother eventually got sent to a neuropsychiatry facility for a month. Dahmer put a lot of her illness on himself, blaming himself for all the issues going on in their family.

Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 men between the years of 1978 to 1991 in which he participated in necrophilia, dismemberment and cannibalism (Meyer, 2006). As a child, Dahmer was shy and suffered from low self-esteem. At a young age, Dahmer displayed abnormal behavior starting with the collecting of dead animals and using acid to strip off the meat having necrophilia desires. This escalated in his teen years turning into fantasies of killing and mutilating men. After graduating from high school, he was living alone and the feelings of abandonment returned giving him justification in his mind to commit crimes. Throughout his teens years he abused alcohol, which also lead to abnormal behavior. By the

As a child Dahmer faced numerous obstacles to success: he was a poor student who struggled socially and turned to alcohol as early as high school. All of these factors culminated in a young man who had given up on many cultural goals of the time- he wasn’t attracted to women, so having a family of his own was out; he had no real ambition to contribute to the work force, was unable to get “desirable” jobs due to his lack of education and dishonorable discharge, and his family supported him financially most of the time. For a time, he was in the military, but discharge due to his

When he realized that he was a homosexual, the thoughts of naked men, with dead things would arouse him even more. It would not be until the age of eighteen, when Dahmer would lure his first victim, and then take his life. He picked up a hitchhiker, they drank alcohol, had sex, and then when Dahmer did not want the man to leave, he would hit him over the head with a dumbbell. In an interview he once had with a FBI profiler, he stated “the guy wanted to leave, and I did not want him to.” He now had a dead human being lying on his floor, for him to have his way with. He would masturbate on to the body; he cut him up, put him into trash bags, and dumped the bags into a ravine. His parents would soon be settling for a divorce, which did not go over well with Dahmer, especially with his abandonment issues. He started drinking, which would cause him to steal to get money to buy more alcohol, which led him to drop out of college, and down a path of self-destruction. With no other choices, he joined the army where he became a cook, which is where he picked up his butchery skills. The alcohol once again got the best of him, and he was discharged from the army. A few years later his urge to kill had grown stronger and could not resist it any longer. He started luring men to him apartment, where he would drug and disremember them. He would start to experiment with trying to

According to FBI Special Agent Robert K. Ressler, more than 60 percent of serial killers went the bed beyond the age of 12. Many are involved in vicious activities. Frequently, serial murders come from dysfunctional families, where the father is almost absent and the mother is often passively domineering. (Julieta, p.2, N.D.) Families of serial killers will often have criminal, psychiatric or alcoholic histories. Family members often abused the serial killer as they were growing up, physically, emotionally or sexually.

In the article The Serial Killer Phenomenon Richard Whittington-Egan aims to explain what exactly a serial killer is by giving an in-depth evaluation on how a serial killer differs from a mass murderer, or a psychopath. Whittington-Egan breaks down and showcases the defining characteristics of a serial kill with the help of numerous cases of evidence which confirms the accuracy of each statement. Characteristics such as narrowed age, race, and typically being a loner with difficulty with relationships are talked about. The article concludes by examining the future of this phenomenon, what has been done, and most importantly, how difficult it will be to solve such an unpredictable behavior. The Serial Killer Phenomenon article shows us what evil is through the lack of morals and

Serial killers tend to be white heterosexual males in their twenties and thirties, who are sexually dysfunctional and have low self-esteem. Serial killers generally murder strangers with cooling off periods in between each murder. Serial killers are twisted in nature. Some return to the place the murder happened or the gravesite to fantasize about their deeds. Serial killers have made many excuses for their killings and behavior such as: Henry Lucas blamed his upbringing, Jeffrey Dahmer claims he was born with a “part” of him missing, Ted Bundy said porno made him do it and John Wayne Gacy turned the blame around and said the victims deserved to die. Many killers blame their families for

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was born on May 21st, 1960 in West Allis, Wisconson. He was born to Mother, Joyce Dahmer and Father, Lionel Dahmer after a difficult pregnancy; with frequent morning sickness and muscle spasms that had Mrs. Dahmer on prescription drugs. Dahmer, who perceived to have a early normal childhood until a serious event occurred. He was described as an energetic and happy child until the age of 4, when surgery was done to fix a double hernia, which affected Dahmers attitude. He had two parents who dearly and loved their only son at the time. Joyce actually had a scrapbook where she recorded the events of her son 's life; his first accident, his first step, his first tooth and even his first scolding. Jeffreys father was a lab-technician

There have been many studies conducted in the hopes of determining what makes serial killers do what they do. The study behind nature versus nurture when it comes to serial killers has become one of the most important studies for many social psychologists due to the curiosity behind these interesting people’s actions. From these studies, some have concluded that nature is behind their behavior, suggesting that their genes and DNA are to blame. Others argue that their actions are due to how they were brought up and how their environment impacted them. And lastly, there a few psychologists who have determined that it is a combination of both nature and nurture.

Many things today confuse, yet enthrall the masses. War, murder, medical science, incredible rescues, all things you would see on The History Channel. There is another topic that is also made into documentaries however, serial killers. Dark twisted people that commit multiple murders are of interest to the population, but what caused them to be this way. What horrible tragic set of events could twist a man to murder one or many people. Could Schizophrenia, psychopathy, or sociopathy? Many people have researched this topic and believe that childhood trauma, heavy drugs during the growing phase of life, as well as many other things have twisted the minds of men such as Jeffery Dahmer, Charles Manson,

The events of the past can hold a great influence on the actions and behaviors of the future. From being raised in a supportive and loving home, to one that is full of neglect and abuse, each event can potentially impact the future of an individual. In the case of serial killers, there has been some debate on whether the evil ones are made or born; does it happen because of a genetic factor, environmental factor, or is it simply they addicted to the feeling of slaughtering another individual’s life? Although, the most important key in finding the truth deals with the past and shapes the outcome of the future. Upon viewing in a psychological stance, there is no clear understanding of why one aspect that most serial killers share, namely