Why serial killers are true psychopaths

The mind of a serial is something many people want to understand. After all, how can they kill over and over again and do such terrible things to people? The fact is, that they are psychopaths, but not the kind seen on TV shows like Criminal Minds.  

The truth is that serial killers are the True psychopaths who have no feelings and could care less who or how they kill, but how did they get that way? In this post, we will explore the development of a true psychopath as well as look at the different types of psychopaths who actually do have feelings.

A blooming psychopath

The early life of a serial killer starts off troubled. Serial killers may lack proper interpersonal skills which means they have a hard time interacting with others, but some will learn to manipulate and adapt if it gets them what they want. Some have been shunned by their peers, abused as children or  witnessed violence at an early age; but how did they become psychopaths?

Psychopathy starts with Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) which is a personality disorder which affects a person's thoughts, emotions, impulse control and interpersonal relationships and skills (Personality Disorders, 2014). Symptoms of ASPD begin in childhood and include a history of cruelty to animals, fire setting, anger, rebellion and legal trouble (Personality Disorders, 2014). Once a person is diagnosed with this disorder, the symptoms include impulsiveness, irritability, deceitfulness, failure to consider consequences for their behavior, lack of empathy and a major disregard for the law (Personality Disorders, 2014). Although ASPD is like psychopathy, all those with ASPD are not psychopaths. 

So what is a psychopath?

In 1993 Robert Hare, a leading expert on Psychopaths describes a psychopath as social predator who is manipulative, ruthless, charming and who selfishly takes without empathy or conscience (Bartol & Bartol, 2008). Hare describes 3 different types of psychopaths; a secondary psychopath who is neurotic and anger driven, the dis-social psychopath who shows aggressive antisocial behavior learned from their environment, and the primary true psychopath who is the calm cool serial killer (Bartol & Bartol, 2008). The true psychopath is not the neurotic or the emotionally disturbed killer seen on many TV shows like CSI and Criminal Minds. 

What is a true psychopath?

A true psychopath according to Hare is not normally outwardly explosive, destructive or violent, but is instead more outgoing and charming and often possesses above average communication skills (Bartol & Bartol, 2008). The true psychopath is the person who shows no emotions because to them, they have none. This complete lack of emotions allows these individuals to coolly and calmly calculate their next plan of attack without the added attention emotions create before, during and after their crimes. To help you understand this better, we will discuss how these individuals become emotionless in a later post.

References:

Bartol C., Bartol, A. (2008). Criminal behavior: a psycho social approach Pearson Education

     Inc. New Jersey

Personality Disorders (2014). Personality disorders AllPsych Online. Retrieved

     from http://allpsych.com/disorders/personality/index.html

Why serial killer awareness pays off

Welcome to the Serial Killer Awareness article series is meant to provide insight into the minds and lives of serial killers.  Part of learning about how they operate means we will have to look at the reasons behind their motivation as well as explore what behavioral signs to beware of as you go about your daily life in order to keep your family safe. The goal here is to share with you that a serial killer may not be who you think they are.

Sadly, with any crime a serial killer or any other violent offender causes severe harm to not just their victim, but the victim’s family as well. If you are a surviving victim of murder, you need to take extra care of your emotional well-being. This series will also offer help and information for victims of violent crime.

Why learn about serial killers?

Serial killers are interesting to many of us because what they do is so horrible and disgusting that we ask, “How can a person turn against society and kill?”  Part of answering this question requires us to learn more about their personalities which are at the core inhuman, unfeeling, and heinous in many cases; but not all serial killers show their true nature so beware that real feelings can be faked but more importantly studies show that serial killers are not all alike, nor are they predictable.

Many people interested in serial killers watch TV shows and learn about how the FBI's criminal profiling techniques are used. But in reality, TV shows are not able to cover the full depth of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit's true role in capturing serial killers. In this column, we also will explore the many resources available to help catch a killer, so be sure to explore their site for information on the latest news.

Awareness is Safety

The sad thing is there are many serial killers still on the loose, so unless you educate yourself about serial killer safety, you too could become a victim. By not being aware of what types of serial killers have not been caught, you will not be aware of their tactics so you can properly defend yourself. Keep in mind that any killer still at large, who is suspected of killing one person may have actually killed much more so check the serial killer news feed regularly to stay informed, and be sure to spread the word so others can be warned as well!