Serial Killers Vs. Humanity

    This research project will attempt to explain the difference in human behaviors among serial killers and those of the general population deterred from committing serial murders.  There is a difference between those who commit a single violent act versus those who commit habitual violent acts.  There is also a difference between those who commit habitual violent acts versus those who are deterred from committing violent acts.  A murderer is defined as a serial killer when he or she murders three people or more in a short period of time.  All serial killers suffer from some form of antisocial personality disorder (Wikipedia).  Those who have some from of antisocial personality disorder are not serial killers, though.  In an article, The Inpatient Evaluation and Treatment of a Self-Professed Budding of a Serial Killer, the question of concern is how can we differentiate a serial killer a seemingly harmless individual with obsessive homicidal fantasies? Predicting serial killing cannot be done (2).

In order to demonstrate the difference between serial killers versus those who are deterred from committing murder, I plan to provide a better understanding of the motivations of serial killers.  Using the research that I find, I will then support the thesis by describing why serial killers act on their impulses to kill.  As humans we have impulses that we can decide what to act on.  Obviously, most of us are aware of the consequences of committing murder.  How can capital punishment deter us, and why are serial killers not deterred?

This study will demonstrate the difference between serial killers and humans.  They are people, as well, but this study suggests that serial killers are more like monsters.  Authors McGee, Noffsinger, and Reisner presented a case about a young man who was hospitalized after claiming he was becoming a serial killer.  He kept a journal of his thoughts, claiming he no longer felt human.  He wanted to kill so badly, that he was in pain.  This man knew that he was a danger to society, but what is the importance between knowing you are dangerous and admitting yourself to that of knowing you are dangerous and commit murder?

Blog Entry #4

    My major research concern is the difference between the drives of serial killers and the drives of the people that are deterred from committing harmful acts on others.  I’m curious about this because the human brain is a very complex organ.  I just want to figure out the correlation between the ways we think and how we act in relation to committing a crime such as murder.  I’m interested in this topic because I’m majoring in criminology.

Statements:

1.  I’d assume that the majority of serial killers have a mental illness.

2.  Not all people that are mentally ill are serial killers.

3.  Capital punishment deters the general population from murdering other people.

4.   I’d assume that the motives of serial killers are different from the motives of the general population

5.  There is a distinction between those who have committed a single act of violence compared to those who commit crimes of violence habitually.

Questions:

1.  What causes serial killers to murder?  What are the common mental illnesses among serial killers?  Are most serial killers men or women and who is more prone to being diagnosed with mental illnesses?

2.  What triggers the mental illness of a serial killer to commit murder?  What is the connection between mental illness and violence?

3.  How can we deter people from committing murder?  How does capital punishment deter individuals from committing murder?

4.  What are the motives behind serial killers?  What are the characteristics of a serial killer?  What were the childhoods like of some known serial killers?

5.  What is the distinction between those who commit single acts of violence and those who commit violent acts habitually?

There has already been research on serial killers, period.  It’s a broad topic and most of the literature I’ve looked at just discusses what serial killers are, what the characteristics are, etc.  I want to include the characteristics of the general population and compare them to that of a serial killers.  By including several different topics from the mental capacity of serial killers and the general population, to the motives of each, and some how relate this topics to the fact that people who have mental illnesses,  have had rough childhoods, thoughts about hurting other people do not develop into serial killers.  I would like to pinpoint the differences and some how come up with a conclusion for why these people do not act upon their thoughts; as opposed to that of serial killers.

I plan on getting my research mostly through peer-reviewed journals.  By reading an abundance of them on the different topics that I plan to include, I will try to distinguish a conclusion that there are some psychological and motivational aspects of serial killers that make them completely different from the general population.

Journal of Constructivist Psychology 

Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal 

Journal of Criminal Justice 

British Journal of Criminology 

Journal of Social Philosophy 

Freewriting

I’m really interested in the topic of serial killers.  I’m a criminology major.  I’m somewhat more drawn to the personalities of serial killers compared to the personalities of every day citizens.  I feel that there is a difference between the brain activities of those who are able to kill for the thrill, and those who are detterred from killing.  I’m thinking about comparing the psychological aspects of the both of these groups.  I’m not sure what to write about anymore.

This semester has been dumping loads of work on me already.  Specifically my statistics class.  I enjoy this class because I like to write.  So writing every day doesn’t really bother me if there’s a lot to do.  I don’t know what to write about.  I don’t know what to write about.  I don’t know what to write about.  I’m tired.  I don’t want to go to statistics.  It’s really nice outside.  I hate winter.

Blog Entry #3

1.  What is the difference between the drives of law-abiding citizens versus that of serial killers?

I find the human mind to be a very complex aspect that influences our motives.  I would like to learn more about the mind of serial killers.  I would like to discover the differences between the minds of serial killers versus the law-abiding citizens.  I find this topic to be important because, just like any other phenomena that puzzles us humans, we are determined to solve puzzles.  One cannot be so sure as to say if it’s our motives that drive our actions, or if it’s the mental capacity that allows us to act socially acceptable.  I would like to try to bring something new to this topic by comparing the motives of law-abiding citizens to that of serial killers, as well as comparing the brains of both groups in order to discover the difference between the two.

2.  Determine which form of communication works better, verbal or non-verbal.

Communication is key.  In order to be socially well-rounded, one should know the keys to good communication, whether it be verbal or non-verbal.  But which one is more important?  Verbal communication involves words and sounds, while non-verbal communication involves eye contact, facial expressions, and body gestures.  Is one really more important than the other, or does it depend on the situations when one form of communication is better than the other?

3.  Why do children develop imaginary friends?

I am sure all of us can recall having an imaginary friend when we were children.  The mind of the child is so innocent and immature compared to the adult mind.  There are several theories behind how children develop imaginary friends.  Imaginary friends were once viewed as supernatural beings or spirits.  I would like to bring something new to this discussion by researching why it seems normal for children to have imaginary friends, while it seems rather odd if an adult develops an imaginary friend.

Thesis

Whether or not Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street, was a true murderer or myth is debated.

Was Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet street, a true murderer or a myth?

Did Sweeney Todd really exist, murder his customers and make them into pies?

What is the difference between the myth of Sweeney Todd and his true story?

2

About Me

    January 17, 1994, Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; this is where I spent the night playing games of Go Fish with one of the nurses in the waiting room. I was extremely fed up with the game and I just wanted my parents.  Being five years old, I was not really sure why I was waiting for my parents, but I knew instantly that something was not right when my family returned with rivers of tears flowing down their faces. There was one person missing though, my three year old brother, Camren.

“A child’s experience of losing a sibling depends partly on their understanding of death, which is associated with age and developmental level.” (White). Seeing him laying motionless in a box was not enough for me to understand that my brother was gone, forever. This moment was permenantly etched into my mind. In order to help me cope with his loss, my parents bought me a book called Water bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children. The story, written by Doris Stickney, explains that all water bugs must leave the water and develop into dragonflies.

One day, the water bugs left in the pond would meet the dragonflies when they too developed into one. This book just upset me more. Specifically the line, “Now that he was a dragonfly, he could no longer go into the water…” (Stickney).  My dream of my brother coming home was shattered. Research shows that children who experience the death of a sibling often have trouble with their health, behavior, school work, self-esteem, and development (White).

Several years after my brother’s passing, I started to become very introverted. I became very depressed and had nightmares of my brother’s funeral for years. All of the questions that had built up inside of me had to be answered. When I became a teenager, I finally found the courage to ask my parents what really happened. My parents began to explain what happened, and I finally found some closure. My brother was diagnosed with seven different heart defects.   In an article written by my mother, she states, “It’s a day I’ll never forget. As they took him out of my arms, I told the surgeon to take good care of him. He told us not to worry. We went to the waiting room and waited for updates during the surgery. One of the OR doctors came in and I just knew by the look in her eyes that something was wrong. Call it mother’s intuition. She told us that there had been a terrible mistake. During surgery, the surgeon accidentally stitched his coronary artery and he suffered a heart attack. He was on life support for five days and then we had to turn off the machine. His fight was over.”

Losing my brother has made me the person that I am today. He taught me how to love with every thing I have. Death Cab for Cutie, writes in one of their songs called What Sarah Said, “Love is watching someone die.” This line cannot be more honest. You do not really understand what love is until you experience losing someone who was so close to you.  “Surviving siblings may be troubled throughout life by a vulnerability to loss and painful upsurges of grief around the date when the sibling died.” (White). This is true. I feel the most upset around January 17.

I grew to learn that life throws obstacles at us every once in a while. I grew stronger and now I am able to live my life for him. I can wake up every day and appreciate every aspect of life. I now can proudly explain what the tattoo on the back of my neck stands for. I can talk about my brother’s amazing personality and his fight to live with a smile on my face. I can look up to my younger brother as a hero.

Works Cited

Fal, Diane. “Life’s Lessons: When A Loved One Dies.” Helium. 20 Jan. 2007.        <http://www.helium.com/tm/638673/young-youll-understand-first>.

Stickney, Doris. Water Bugs and Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children. Cleavland ilgrim Press, 2004.

White, P. Gill. The Sibling Connection. 2000-2007. 20 Jan. 2007

<http://www.counselingstlouis.net/child.html>.

I chose to write a narrative essay. This essay is considered to be a narrative because of it’s frequent use of the word “I” as well as the fact that I am telling a story about my past and how it has helped me to value my life. The audience for my research paper would be people who’s lives have been changed by the loss of a loved one. If I were asked to revise this essay, I would probably consider including how writing and listening to music have helped me to cope with the loss of my brother. I feel that my strongest part of the paper is including the quote from my mother’s article and researching how children can be effected by experiencing death.

What is research?

    Research is what you make it. It’s kind of like life, you live and you learn. You do research and you learn. In general, research describes the act of increasing one’s knowledge about a certain topic of interest. Researching does not have to involve some type of scholarly purpose. An individual may be interested about a topic because it strikes a sense of curiousness.

Personally, I believe that curiousity is the root of research, whether the research method being used is for scientific purposes or personal use. As human beings, we have this urge to know the answers to everything. Think about it; without the ability to feel curious, research may have never been developed. Therefore, if we were never able to explore different things, we would not have some of the things that we have today. For example, technology and medications would have never been invented without an individual having the ability to research a way to make life better.

As a college student, I have observed that I am more interested in classes that pertain to topics that I already have some knowledge or interest in.  If a topic does not interest you, you most likely do not know that much about it, or care to even learn about it. The more I think about what the word research actually means, I could define it as my experiences while I’m in college. Some students come to college and choose to research certain events because they have never experienced them before.  Some of those students may make bad decisions and consider them as mistakes.  And we all know the motto:  you learn from your mistakes.