Understanding True Crime Stories: The Basic Psychology Of A Serial Killer

Understanding True Crime Stories: The Basic Psychology Of A Serial Killer

If you keep tabs on true crime stories in the world, you must have heard the horrendous story of Samuel Little (78) — the US serial killer who admitted to committing 90 murders. BBC News and various other leading media houses published the heart-breaking story late November 2018 sending shock waves down the spines of many. By the time the story went on air, the police had already linked him to 34 murders with further investigations ongoing.

Samuel is just one of the many serial killers known to man. In the past, we’ve heard unbelievable tales of deadly men and women who derived pleasure in taking other people’s lives.

The big question is, “What makes serial killers do what they do?” We’ll talk about that in a while but first, let’s understand what a ‘serial killer’ means.

Who Is A Serial Killer, Exactly?

A serial killer is a wrongdoer who repeatedly murders innocent people for the purposes of pleasure and other twisted reasons. Serial killers can be either disorganized or organized or somewhere in between. The first category works out their crimes methodically (abductions, enticing with ploys, and hiding bodies) while the second category acts spontaneously. In essence, it is easier to find disorganized serial killers because they leave traces but organized serial killers are experts at hiding their activities for years.

The Link between Childhood and Crime

A background check of serial killers will point you to cases of child abuse, sexual abuse, rejection, and neglect. Kids who sense a feeling of being unloved and unwanted tend to develop a defense mechanism which often displays itself as a deep desire for power. Their extremely low self-esteem and need for attention make them brutally murder innocent people without a hint of remorse or guilt.

Are All Serial Killers Psychopaths?

The simple answer is that most of them are. Simply put, a psychopath is an individual who gives no regards about societal and social norms and other ethical principles. The reason why we have lots of true crime stories is that serial killers have invented their own absurd set of morals which they believe in. A closer look at these murderers will prove that they are charming, impulsive, shallow, and generally have criminal minds. Furthermore, these abusive and violent traits are exhibited during their early years.

It is easy to sit on the sidelines and blame murderers for their behavior but their actions should be a wake-up call for the society to handle children with wisdom as they grow up. Honestly, this seems like the only hope for doing away with unnecessary and baseless murders.

No Comments

Post a Comment