expectations for even the youngest of children.
Holmes and De Burger continue to say that this inconsistency is a common point
between serial killers and sexual addicts.
*Serial killers learn behavior that encourages violence, and that will one day lead to
multiple murder.
Ressler and the FBI report that, there is a high degree of instability in the family life
just like the sexual addict’s family.
*Their families typically moved around a great deal, or parents frequently changed
occupations.
*Psychological and behavioral problems, such as alcoholism and drug use are not
uncommon in their families, either. Ressler reports that 69% of interviewed serial
killers had a family history of alcoholism. Better than half of the serial killers
reported psychiatric problems in their families, and 70% of the families had a
history of alcoholism.
Sexual Abuse
Over 50% were suspected of sexual abuse. Peter Worthington, author of “The Journalist
and the Killer,” reports that Clifford Olson, for example, who reported being sodomized
by his uncle as a young child, later went on to murder eight girls and three boys in a
nine-month spree. His murder methods included strangulation, bludgeoning and stabbing.
Steven Dubner, who wrote “Portrait of a Serial Killer,” states that Alex Henriquez,
suspected by police of being sexually abused during his childhood and through his teens,
strangled two girls and one woman to death.
Ressler points out that this abuse is a critical phase in the creation of the serial killer.
*The sexual abuse result in intense physiological arousal, and the abused child quickly
associates the two.
Jim Orford wrote “Excessive Appetites: A Psychological View of Addictions,” and is
quoted as saying “The male emphasis on sex, along with greater prominence of male
sexual organs, greater degree of initiative expected of males, and more obvious signs of
physiological arousal lead young males to label physiological arousal as sexual.”
Fantasy- Childhood fantasies of domination may also lead to future violent behavior as
Ressler points out.
*The play of the child is oriented around aggression and violence, and this only increases
over the years.
*Children feeling abused may be very egocentric, seeing others as only an extension of
their personal world.
*In essence the future killer is using fantasy as a way of escaping an otherwise poor
family life. The abuse they are suffering may push these fantasies toward violence
and aggression.
*In fantasy the child is in control and can do the abusing instead of being abused.
Ressler gives a good example in the situation in which a child may want to feel power of
the family dog. One day the child goes so far as to kick the dog. Feeling the power, the
child may continue to beat and later even kill the dog.
*As the child grows these fantasies become an addiction.
*It becomes the child’s only source of emotional arousal and soon included sex as well as
aggression.
*As a result of this need for fantasy the now young adult may develop negative traits
including; preference for autoerotic activity, aggression, chronic lying,
rebelliousness, and a preference for fetish behavior.
Ressler continues to point out that soon the killer is trapped in a chronic cycle of self
stimulation through fantasy, increasing social isolation followed by increased anger do to
more isolation and increases the reliance on fantasy.
This sexual fantasy as pointed out by Albert Drukteinis in his work entitled
“Contemporary Psychiatry: Serial Murder–The Heart of Darkness,” is the focal point of
most serial killers desire for power. Drukteinis gives us a quote from Ed Kemper, a
serial killer from California. He described the roles of dominance, power and sex in his
own sexual fantasies:
“I have fantasies about mass murder…[I] make made passionate love to their dead
corpses. Taking life away from them,…and then having possession of everything that used
to be theirs. All that would be mine. Everything.”
Conclusion-Is there a way to predict?
The FBI, over the past decade has collected huge amounts of information on the killers
themselves, their motivations and their methods. Unfortunately, to date there is no sure
way to identify serial killers before they strike. Most of the time the killer is stumbled
upon accidentally by local police or the FBI, according to Ressler. The Behavioral
Science Unit of the FBI has devoted much of their department to studying and attempting
to understand these fascinating people. They have turned crime scene profiling, the
development of a serial killer’s description and characteristics from evidence at the scene
of the crime, into a science. Despite these advancements there is still much to be learned
about serial killers. It is my opinion, through my research, that it is impossible to develop
a fool-proof way to predict that a certain person will become a serial killer. As Holmes
and DeBurgers point out, many people who share identical experiences as serial killers do
in their childhood and young adulthood do not become serial killers. Fortunately, the
information that the FBI has gathered has led to many quick arrests of serial killers and
has probably saved many lives. I am sure there will be many more advancements made in
years to come and we will see a decrease in the number of active serial killers and in
relation the number of victims. I hope you have enjoyed this presentation and have
enjoyed a short glimpse into the world of the serial killer.
Bibliography
Introduction
Sources:
Gregg, Brian and Wilfred. The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. 1988.
Holmes, Ronald M. & De Burger, James. Serial Murder. Newbury Park: Sage. 1988.
Ressler, Robert. Sexual Homicide. Lexington: DC Heath & Company. 1988.
Worthington, Peter. “The Journalist and the Killer.” 1993.
Who Are They?
Common Traits
Sources:
Holmes, Ronald M. & De Burger, James. Serial Murder. Newbury Park: Sage. 1988.
Ressler, Robert. Sexual Homicide. Lexington: DC Heath & Company. 1988.
Classifications
Male
Sources:
FBI . “FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin: Violent Crime Issue.” 1985.
Holmes, Ronald M. & De Burger, James. Serial Murder. Newbury Park: Sage. 1988.
O’Connor, Dr. Thomas R. Dept. of Justices Studies. “Male Serial Killers” and “Female
Serial Killers.” 4 October, 1999. .
Female
Sources:
Kelleher, M. & C. Murder Most Rare: The Female Serial Killer. NY:Dell. 1998.
O’Connor, Dr. Thomas R. Dept. of Justices Studies. “Male Serial Killers” and “Female
Serial Killers.” 4 October, 1999. .
Participation
Sources:
O’Connor, Dr. Thomas R. Dept. of Justices Studies. “Male Serial Killers” and “Female
Serial Killers.” 4 October, 1999. .
Why Are They?
Childhood
Sources:
FBI . “FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin: Violent Crime Issue.” 1985.
Holmes, Ronald M. & De Burger, James. Serial Murder. Newbury Park: Sage. 1988.
Langevin, Ron. “The Serial Killer.” In Ann Wolber Burgess (Ed.), Rape and Sexual
Assault III: A Research Handbook, New York: Garland. 1991.
Ressler, Robert. Sexual Homicide. Lexington: DC Heath & Company. 1988.
Sexual Abuse
Sources:
Dubner, Steven J. “Portrait of a Serial Killer.” New York. 1992.
Orford, Jim. Excessive Appetites: A Psychological View of Addictions. New York: John
Wiley & Sons. 1985.
Ressler, Robert. Sexual Homicide. Lexington: DC Heath & Company. 1988.
Worthington, Peter. “The Journalist and the Killer.” 1993.
Fantasy
Sources:
Drukteinis, Albert M. “Contemporary Psychiatry: Serial Murder–The Heart of
Darkness.” 1992.
Ressler, Robert. Sexual Homicide. Lexington: DC Heath & Company. 1988.
Conclusion
Sources:
Holmes, Ronald M. & De Burger, James. Serial Murder. Newbury Park: Sage. 1988.
34c