Capstone Essay

For the final paper I need this paper to be retyped with NO SELF PLAGIARISM.
The file given is a combo of 4 different papers I wrote and it can be used as a reference for the final paper.

Serial Killers & Mental Health:

Can They Be Identified Before Killings Start?

Sophia Devesa

Department of Psychology, Florida National University

PSY 6000: Master Capstone Project

Dr. Jose A. Perez

December 11^th, 2020

Abstract

Serial Killers & Mental Health:

Can They Be Identified Before Killings Start?

There are thousands of movies and documentaries about serial killers just in the U.S alone. Why is this topic of cinema so popular to the average U.S person? The same compulsion that drives people to slow down or even stop to witness a horrific car accident on a busy road is the same that drives them to obsess about reality tv shows, horrific news stories and when they are discovered, serial killers. The population elevates serial killers to celebrity status and are almost idolized in their mystery. Serial killers are like a human puzzle, they have patterns, yet they are very difficult to profile and understand. The reason the average U.S Citizen is so intrigued by serial killers; is the exact reason I am writing this paper.

The driving force behind the captivation of serial killers is that they are basically a “celebrity monster” Serial killers are to adults what monster movies are for children-that is, scary fun” (Bonn, 2017). Being a serial killer during this age of television and social media makes serial killers’ horrific celebrities that people cannot take their eyes off of. The average human being who has such thing as a conscience, a respect for life, their fellow neighbor, and understand emotions cannot comprehend the mind of someone like a serial killer who could torture and kill another human being. “The incomprehensibility of such actions drives society to understand why serial killers do incredibly horrible things to other people who often are complete strangers” (Bonn, 2017).

“Serial killers can be defined as someone who kills three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period between killings.” Researchers have identified four core elements that distinguish serial murder from other types of homicide: (1) repetition; (2) lack of a pre-existing relationship; (3) compulsion to kill; and (4) lack of an apparent motive” (Korte, 2006).

There are four main types of serial killers: visionary killers, power/control seekers, thrill seekers, and mission oriented. Within these categories there are also multiple subcategories that that are further divided based on tendencies to be organized or disorganized. Organized serial killers typically are of high intelligence and their crimes are well planned and leaving very little evidence behind. They often seek out, stalk and study their targets. Disorganized serial killers are typically of a low intelligence, impulsive, leave behind a sloppy scene and are often on the run avoiding being caught by authorities (Margrave, 2011).

Thrill seekers are defined just as it sounds, they are a type of serial killer who finds pleasure in outsmarting the law or for the “thrill” of it. They are usually categorized as organized with the exception of their frequent lack of planning out in advance. They thrive on all of the media attention as well as the cat and mouse chase with law enforcement. Thrill seekers can often be distinguished by messages sent to others and detailed, organized records of their killings (Margrave, 2011).  BTK was a very sought after and well- known thrill seeker serial killer from approximately 1974 to the mid 90’s. He was suspected in 11 murders but convicted of killing 10 people. He was known for sending taunting letters to law enforcement and various news outlets with gruesome details describing his kills. He included in his letters his self-titled name of BTK: B-Bind, T-Torture and K-Kill.

Mission-oriented serial killers are killers who often feel their victims deserve to die and that society is better off without them. Their victims often include, prostitutes, and criminals (Margrave, 2011). The popular TV show Dexter 2006 was based off of a character who displayed Mission-oriented serial killer tendencies. Gary Ridgway The Green River Killer (Heim, 2020) was known to strangle, dump the victims’ bodies then later return to have sex with the corpse. He was finally arrested after a 20-year span of murders with the help of Ted Bundy, whom offered psychological insight.

Visionary serial killers are known to suffer from psychotic breaks and often see themselves as another person or entity. They often see themselves as God or demon possessed. Due to the psychotic breaks they tend to be very sloppy, disorganized and are typically easier to catch (Margrave, 2011). David Berkowitz aka Son of Sam is one example. He shot 13 people from 1976-1977 claiming Satan ordered him to kill and a neighbor’s dog was sending him messages through barking to murder people.

Power and control serial killers typically thrive from the fear, yelling and suffering of their victims. They have a tendency to be organized and usually come from a childhood background with history of child abuse thus leading to feelings of inadequacies in adulthood. Their victims are usually sexually abused but not from lust but more from the feeling of power over their victims. Ted Bundy is one of the most well-known Power and control serial killers. Ted Bundy enjoyed torturing his victims and found it sexually arousing to overpower his victims. He was very patient and often prolonged the torture and suffering for personal gratification (Bonn, 2019).

By categorizing serial killers in these four ways we can then come to understand their beginnings, the inception of their compulsion to kill. The beginnings that made them who they are and the reason they have to will to kill. Important times in a humans life start at infancy when they first get the attention and nurturing their parents. For a serial killer it can all start at infancy, for example David Berowitz and Kenneth Bianchi both did not receive the appropriate attention due to being given up for adoption. After infancy early childhood is the next crucial stage of growth for a child, for a pre-serial killer this stage could be crucial due to the neglect and isolation from their peers. A lot of the serial killers suffered from bullying due to a stutter, weight problems and learning disabilities (Freeman, 2018). Serial killers could be survivors of major childhood traumas; sexual and/or physical abuse done by close family, distant family, strangers, peers, etc. All this trauma at an early stage can affect a person’s life traumatically and cause a type of antisocial behavior in adulthood. This being said serial killers can be diagnosed at an early age and even prevented if raised in the right climate and setting.

Movies, documentaries, news stories, news articles, biographies, etc. All ways to know about different serial killers in the U.S and the world. Ways the average person can be entertained with another life and action. The ways serial killers become so horribly famous, just from people being entertained with the horror. The same reason I am writing my essay, I have an interest in the way serial killers think and why they are the way they are, what and who made them the killer they become.

Introduction

The current era has seen increased mental health disorders in the US. Zabel (2019) illustrates that over 65% of US citizens are currently at risk of developing at least two mental health disorders in their lifetime. Such mental health disorders range from the most common forms such as anxiety to the most complicated forms such as post-traumatic stress disorder. With the occurrence of mental health disorders, the rationality of the victims is affected forcing them to engage in various types of crimes.  Brown (2019) illustrates that 76% of the individuals suffering from mental disorders are likely to engage in activities that break the moral standards and codes guiding ethical behavior, including involvement in a crime. Among the various types of criminal activities committed by individuals suffering from mental health disorders is engaging in high-order crimes such as serial killing. Considering the heavy impact levied by the mental health disorders on the victims and their families in the US, scholars have delved into research to understand the motivations behind the individuals’ engagement in criminal activities. Such has seen diverse findings aiming to illustrate whether it is possible for the mental health practitioners to diagnose, a would-be serial killer, based on their past behaviors. This literature review analyzes such diverse findings aiming to illustrate that based on the analyzed literature, the character traits of mental health disorder victims can be analyzed hence aiding in predicting their likelihood of engaging in serial killing.

The impact of genes in leading to serial killing

Zabel (2019) illustrates that the heritability of antisocial personality disorders can significantly guide the mental health practitioners to understand the likelihood of an individual suffering from mental health conditions to become a serial killer. This research illustrates that the heritability of antisocial personality disorder is 38%. The author defines such heritability to be the proportion of the differences in the character traits of a population due to the differences in the genotypic characteristics rather than due to the environment (Zabel, 2019). The researcher thus illustrates that by analyzing the heritability of antisocial personality disorders among the individuals suffering from mental health conditions, the mental health practitioners can guide the prediction of individuals who are likely to engage in serial killing. Supporting the views is Brown (2019) who illustrates that a defining character trait of serial killers is that they portray antisocial behaviors. The research illustrates that individuals with internal conflicts likely adopt antisocial behaviors whose failure to diagnose leads to the development of antisocial disorder personalities. The research thus illustrates that through an analysis of certain traits that are inherited; it is possible to determine the likelihood of an individual with mental health disorder engaging in serial killing. This researcher provides an analysis using the example narcissism as an inherited characteristic common in a large percentage of serial killers thereby illustrating that narcissism in a mental health disorder patient is a likely predictor of engaging in serial killing.

White (2018) illustrates the impact of the inherited characteristics on mental health disorder victims in engaging in serial killing by examining the role of the inheritance in the functioning of the hormonal system. This research illustrates that male serial killers have higher levels of testosterone compared to the average males (White, 2018). The researcher illustrates that even though the development of antisocial personality disorder and levels of testosterone exist differently, the high levels of testosterone lead to high levels of aggression. Thus, for individuals who have mental health disorders, their compromised rationality and cognitive ability to make informed decisions likely expose them to a higher risk of misusing their physical power to engage in violent behaviors such as engaging in serial killing. The author in this research thus illustrates that mental health victims who are diagnosed to have very high levels of testosterone should be regularly monitored as such would be a likely predictor that the high levels of testosterone would likely cause them to engage in serial killing. Holding a different perspective on the impact of hormones is Brown (2019) who illustrates that the analysis of the brain chemical dopamine in a patient with mental health illness can likely aid in the diagnosis of the likelihood of engaging in serial killing. The researcher illustrates that dopamine is responsible for motivation and pleasure and thus individuals having low levels of dopamine or low numbers of dopamine receptors have to experience a high level of excitement before they become motivated or excited. Thus, while acting on the basis of gratifying their ego demands, individuals with low levels of dopamine must engage in high order crimes for them to be excited (Brown, 2019). In this research 78% of the mental health disorder patients involved in the study and had low levels of dopamine were twice likely to abuse their counterparts in the mental health clinic.  Thus, the researcher illustrates that low levels of dopamine can be a predictor of whether individuals with mental health disorders are likely to engage in crime or not.

The impact of the social environment

Opposing the argument of the impact of heritability in guiding the prediction of the likelihood of  a mental health disorder patient engaging in serial killing, Brown-Montesano (2019; p. 85) illustrates that the “development of antisocial behaviors is highly influenced by the environmental characteristics (to a large extent) compared to the impact of the genes”. The researcher thus views that analyzing the social environment of an individual significantly aids in defining their likelihood of engaging in serial killing. Based on this study’s findings, the researcher illustrates that nurture only influences 40% of the behavioral attributes while the rest of the 60% are defined by nature (Brown-Montesano, 2019). The researcher thus views that predicting the likelihood of engaging in serial killing among the mental health disorder based on genetics would be misleading and thus cannot aid in offering accurate predictions. White (2018) supports these ideas by illustrating that a large proportion of individuals who exhibit personality disorders fail as functional human beings and this is contributed majorly by the nature of the society’s standards and not merely on the genetics. The researcher in this research thus observes that while certain individuals may not fit in certain societal settings, transferring the same individuals to another setting might increase their functionality. Thus, the researchers view that the social support structures developed in society play a significant role in defining the social functionality of an individual, which in turn increases their likelihood to engage in serial killing or not. Failure to meet an individual’s social needs thus leads to gaps in the development of the individual’s functionality, which in turn triggers the development of antisocial personality disorder (White, 2018).

Herrero et al. (2017) illustrate that the nature of the environment in which an individual is raised up has a significant impact on their morals and ability to develop and sustain healthy social relationships. Based on this study’s findings, individual youths who are born in dysfunctional families are likely to develop mental health conditions, which in turn make them violent, always resorting to violence while handling issues. Thus, the research illustrates that individuals born and raised in dysfunctional families characterized by violence are more likely to engage in serial killing compared to individuals who are born in families enjoying healthy relations. Simpson (2017) supports the idea by illustrating that in the US, a large percentage of serial killers convicted in history had suffered injustices either in their family settings or in the larger societal setting. The research illustrates that the violent and unfair experiences facing the individuals with stress and depression thus likely see them engaging in brutal actions in their efforts to seek justice, with serial killing being one among the perceived ways of obtaining justice. Further, while analyzing the impact of unemployment and high order crimes, Simpson et al (2017) illustrate that serial killing rates are more common in societal settings that experience social problems such as unemployment, food insecurity, homelessness, and deplorable housing, among other social issues. The researchers thus illustrate that it is possible to predict the likelihood of an individual suffering from mental health disorder engaging in serial killing by evaluating the nature of the social environment they live in.

Schmidt (2020) uses exposure theory to illustrate the mechanism used by human beings to get rid of common phobias. Using this theory, the author explains how the brain of an individual engages in desensitization to address the factors that cause fear or emotional strain. The author illustrates that a major environmental factor that can be attributed to the increased adoption of the serial killing behavior among mental health disorder patients is desensitization, which requires a motivator before the individuals can desensitize (Schmidt, 2020). The researcher illustrates that while the human brain is engaging in desensitization, the gradual exposure to fear in an individual makes their fear neurons less prone to emotional awareness and self-judgment when they have engaged in immoral activities. With such a decline in the emotional awareness and ability to execute self-judgment, the researcher thus illustrates that mental health disorder patients are more likely to engage in any inhumane act. The author provides the example of Gary Leon Ridgway, who was claimed to have engaged in the killing of more than 90 people and would finally resort to killing an innocent boy at the age of 16 years. Thus, the researcher illustrates that through the use of the exposure theory, mental health practitioners can understand the likelihood of an individual engaging in serial killing. Mental health disorder patients whose fear neurons have been exposed to high levels of emotional strain are thus more likely to engage in serial killing since they cannot engage their moral values to self-judge their immoral acts.  Supporting the argument is Herrero et al. (2017) who illustrate that serial killers who engaged in the first act of murder are twice likely to repeat the act compared to individuals who have never engaged in the act. The researchers illustrate that the high exposure to serial killing makes the fear neurons of the individual (who is used to the killing behavior) denies them a sense of humanity and engaging in self-judgment after engaging in immoral and inhumane acts.  The researchers give an example of Ted Bundy who was obsessed with sadomasochism long before he started engaging in serial killing. Also, using the example of Jeffrey Dahmer, the authors illustrate how his experiences with the dead whom he was experimenting with influenced him to adopt the serial killing behavior. Thus, the authors illustrate that such long experiences of the two individuals who spent a lot of their time with the dead bodies made their fear neurons used to the act of killing and thus engaged in serial killing as a norm.

Conclusion

Based on the analyzed literature, the character traits of a mental health disorder patient can be diagnosed hence aiding in predicting their likelihood of engaging in serial killing. Such can be defined by analyzing the heritability of the antisocial personality disorders, which can significantly guide the mental health practitioners to understand the likelihood of the individual suffering from mental health conditions hence engaging in high-order crime. Secondly, the likelihood can be analyzed by exploring the functioning of the hormonal systems whereby individuals with high levels of testosterone and those with low levels of dopamine are more likely to engage in serial killing. Thirdly, analyzing the social environment of an individual can significantly aid in defining the likelihood of mental health disorder patients engaging in serial killing. Based on the research findings, individuals who are born in dysfunctional families are likely to adopt violent behaviors thus more likely to engage in serial killing. Also, individuals who are born in harsh environments characterized by poverty are more likely to engage in serial killing. Lastly, based on the exposure theory, individuals who have previous long experiences of dead bodies are more likely to engage in serial killing since their fear neurons are used to handling the experiences. Thus, the individuals take serial killing as a norm since they are guided by a low sense of self-judgment thereby suffering lack of humanity.  Thus, in conclusion, based on the analyzed literature, it is possible to diagnose the would-be serial killers among mental health disorder victims using their genetic history and characteristics of the environments where they live.

Serial Killers & Mental Health:

Can They Be Identified Before Killings Start?

My profession that I have chosen for myself is to be a college softball coach. I am completing this master’s program, so I am able to become a head college softball coach in the NCAA, in the future. Personally, my topic does not relate to that profession, but the class and psychology as a whole can help me in the future with being a college coach. Being a college coach comes with a lot of responsibility that people don’t realize. Not only are you a softball coach worrying about improving your athlete’s skills, but you are also an “academic advisor”, a “parent”, a mentor, and even a psychologist when your athlete just needs to talk. Psychology can be defined as the scientific study of the human mind and its function (McLeod, 2019). My topic is about how one can identify a would-be serial killer, obviously college athletics does not relate to this topic at all. But in a way coaches can identify when an athlete is struggling. From early on during the recruiting process a college coach gets to know the athletes. Gets to know their background, their family, the learn about how the athlete grew up and they learn the athlete’s personality. Just how psychologists learn about their clients and how they know what sets off the client and what doesn’t. For an athlete a coach knows what can help an athlete succeed and what makes them go downhill into a “slump”, as athletes call it when they are performing at a lower level then what they usually perform at and are expected. In a way the whole program as a whole is beneficial towards the career of collegiate athletic coaching. With the interaction with different individuals happening every day and in different settings, to knowing personalities of an individual from the early stages of recruiting and understanding what works and what doesn’t for an athlete.

Being in the profession of college athletics, really any profession at all, I understand it’s not always guaranteed to last. So, I’m the event that coaching college softball isn’t my forever career, I have a plan B where I will go into crime analysis. The International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) states, that crime analysis is defined as, “a profession and process in which a set of quantitative and qualitative techniques are used to analyze data valuable to police agencies and their communities. It includes the analysis of crime and criminals, crime victims, disorder, quality of life issues, traffic issues, and internal police operations, and its results support criminal investigation and prosecution, patrol activities, crime prevention and reduction strategies, problem solving, and the evaluation of police efforts.” The IACA also defines crime analysis as all types of analysis performed within a police agency, with the exception of evidence analysis (e.g., DNA, stolen property), human resources related administrative analysis, and analysis of supplies and equipment (IACA, 2020). Being a crime analysis comes with many duties, some of these duties are as followed:

• Using a range of resources, including crime mapping technology, computer-aided dispatch, police reports, and contacts with other professionals in their area and around the country.
• Looking for trends and to provide answers to issues puzzling police in real time. This, in turn, helps law enforcement better prepare.
• Locating times and areas where a particular crime or a range of criminal activity is occurring. Identification of these areas, called hot spots, helps law enforcement plan their manpower needs, pinpointing when and where police officer should patrol in order to maximize their effectiveness.
• Gathering and analyzing crime statistics and producing reports.
• Developing intelligence, advising police commanders, and identifying criminal trends, including emerging problems. Researches long-term problems and presents response strategies (Roufa, 2019).

Being a crime analysist, I will have to thoroughly examine crime scenes to either figure out what has happened or predict what will happen in the future with the specific individual. Just as I chose the topic to write about how serial killers could possibly be identified before the killings, how serial killers have similar childhoods and how they were raised and grew up. Crime analysis could use the past of an individual, who has the patterns of a serial killer, to stop and avoid more killings from happening. This topic is helping me prepare for the future with information I can use to have an upper hand on topics and situations that will come, if I choose to go the route of becoming a crime analysist.

Like I said in the beginning of this essay my chosen profession that I am currently pursuing is being a college softball coach, I hope to become an NCAA D1 coach one day and I will use the knowledge I have learned from this master’s program to do so. With the knowledge about psychology and how people work it can benefit me in being a “players coach”. A players coach is someone who not only knows the player as more than just an athlete but as a student, a friend, even as their own child. A coach is a lot more than just a person who teaches skills in the specific sport, they also teach skills that can be used in life to come after athletics, skills I carry with me throughout my post athletic career. As I stated above as a coach you learn a lot about a player, their personality, their family, their past, how they became the player they are today. Just like how forensic psychology is used to find out about an individual who could be a would-be serial killer.  Writing about whether one can identify a would-be serial killer has been very informative due to the abundance of information on the different types of serial killers. I would use this information to help me get further in the career of crime analysis, use it to possible be on a specific task force that identifies and studies serial killers and their patterns. Wherever life takes me profession wise I know this class, topic, even program will benefit me in the future.

References

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Bonn, S. (2019, December 30). Examining Serial Killer Ted Bundy. Retrieved November 09, 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/wicked-deeds/201912/examining-serial-killer-ted-bundy

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Heim, B. (2020, April 14). The haunting tale of Gary Ridgway the Green River Killer. Retrieved November 09, 2020, from https://filmdaily.co/news/gary-ridgway/

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Mcleod, S. (2019). What is Psychology?

https://www.simplypsychology.org/whatispsychology.html.

Roufa, T. (2019, June 18). Crime Analyst Job Description: Salary, Skills, & More. The Balance Careers. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/crime-analyst-career-profile-974846.

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