Cause Of Serial Killers

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Serial Killers Serial murder is the term used to describe the killing of individuals by the same person over the course of time. It is a rare occurrence that has sparked an interest in today’s society. Much research has been done on the biological, sociological, and psychological state of the killers and focus on the reasons and motivation for the homicide. There are a number of scholarly theories on the factors that contribute to making a serial killer. Norris has a theory is that the murderers are suffering from a neurogical disorder caused by head trauma and brain damage from early childhood, causing the aggressive behavior (qtd. in Castle t. and Hensley C. 455). Castle and Hensley mention that mental illness and personality disorders…show more content…
For example, Ted Bundy chose many of his victims based on their resemblance to his former girlfriend who broke an engagement she had with Bundy (Fido M. 300). Another example is Jerome Henry Brudos who never felt accepted by his mother (Hale 39). This caused a feeling of humiliation and rejection for him, leading him to murder many women to transfer his hatred. Similarly, Hale describes how Richard Biegenwald murdered many men and women due to humiliation from his alcoholic father who had no interest in his wife and his son Richard (40). Lastly Robert Hansen, described as a skinny pimply-faced social reject, murdered many women due to his continual rejection in adolescence (Hale…show more content…
in Castle T. and Hensley C. 461). Humiliation is described as a "non-reward" situation by Hale , where a reward was previously gained in a situation but is not in a different though similar situation (40). This causes humiliation and frustration to the killer. The frustration builds up and creates a 'distinctive internal stimuli', motivating the individual to avoid other humiliating situations. Hale explains Dollard and Millers theory on how serial killers are just like any other individual who is in need of seeking the approval, love, and acceptance of others (41). Being given these things is a 'reward', however in the case of the killers these rewards are very scarce and thus they do not often feel accepted as one would like to, causing frustration. Frustration is described as what "occurs when a motivated individual encounters some barrier that prevents the person from reaching a desired goal" by Hale (41). From the examples previously given, it is evident that the serial killers were deprived of some sort of approval or acceptance from people significant in their lives. Frustration is then experienced in all of these

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