Serial Killer Theorists

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Basic Ideas and Major Theorists Psychopathic killers are known to be brutal and ruthless. They feel nothing but pleasure and satisfaction from the moment they start their path to their killing sprees. But what is really behind the mind of these serial killers. Are they mentally ill? Or are they stuck in a fantasy life that they show in their reality. The article by A.L. Carlisle, “The Divided Self: Toward an Understanding of the Dark Side of the Serial Killer” analyzes that serial killers have two separate entities, one good entity and the bad that is portrayed as the “Dark Side”. First the serial killers are perceived as good citizens, yet they’ve turned into vicious killers. Why would a person who is an outstanding citizen turn to…show more content…
Psychotic criminal behavior explains the behavior is formed by delusions or a distorted sense of reality. “Psychosis: A Syndrome in which people have lost total control and are dominated by their primitive Id, their behavior may be marked by bizarre episodes, hallucinations and inappropriate responses to situations” (Criminology in Canada Theories, Patterns and Typologies, 1999, p. 199). Carlisle (1993) states that a fantasy is made to fill the emptiness and gain gratification. A person engages in acts in his mind that he currently can’t do or won’t do in reality (p. 26). He further goes into how the identity in the fantasy starts controlling the person’s life. The anger starts and begins to form a specific purpose for the person. “Anger and emptiness become the energy and motivating forces behind the fantasy” (Carlisle, 1993, p. 26). Everything around the person is ignored and now they are totally absorbed by their fantasy. Psychodynamic theory backs up Carlisle’s theory by the explanation of the ID, controls the seeking pleasure and impulses. These people suffer from weak egos developed by poor social skills and other factors dealing with everyday life. This makes a person over time turn to the fantasy when stressed or feelings of emptiness. The dark side starts to become stronger and takes over the “good” side, they start being controlled by their “Dark side”. “Over time the dark…show more content…
Carlisle article explained that the dark side envelops their personality by the fantasy they were living in subconsciously. Now that the dark side consumed them they start satisfying their urges in reality. His theory is effective because it relates to how the serial killer thinks while they are under their other persona. The psychological theory that Carlisle describes in his article does not contribute to the role of situations and socioeconomic factors in crime. Psychological theory doesn’t explain the social reasons why the serial killer becomes who he is, such as poverty and the people around him creating the behavior of killing tendencies. Biological theory also is not related in his article. Where as these serial killers motives were passed down from relatives that had the same unstable sense of subconscious mind. That their behavior is passed down threw generations and the environment around them shapes their motives. What was missing in the article was the biosocial attributes that can shape a killer. Antisocial behavior is connected to the environmental factors of the person’s life. How they were raised, what friends they had, what they did on their spare time can affect their behavior when growing up. If this is all a negative effect, their childhood is what shaped them to be the serial killer. They adapt to what they know from a child and present it as an adult in an aggressive manner. They can’t

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