The Abnormalities of Serial Killings

  What turns someone into a serial killer? The answers we have been searching for are filled with immense complexity that points to an underlying cause that stems from the brain. Serial killers are a topic that has fascinated the public for years. The question of, are serial killers born or made, comes up often when debating the motive for these gruesome kills. Studies have linked certain physical and mental conditions to the susceptibility to follow fate in the form of brutal killings.

  We often are led to believe human nature is inherently good, which means that it is in our nature to feel compassion, sympathy, and emotion. It can be hard to believe a child could be born into the world and be set on a path to evil and destruction, but this path is one that stems from genetic, physical, and mental disorders.  

  Physical conditions stemming from genetics and abnormalities in the temporal lobe have been linked to increased violence and a lack of empathy. Iona in “No One is Born a Serial Killer” states, “the emotional side of their brain is damaged, and the absolute absence of any emotions makes them so dangerous.The more their aggressiveness increases, the more their blood pressure drops, which shows that violence has a calming effect on them… Located in the temporal lobes, the amygdala is responsible for the lack of emotions such as fear and anxiety.” The effect of a destroyed amygdala is that its owner does not feel any thrill of nervousness when he makes the others suffer. When we associate car accidents with driving after an accident, this association stems from fear in the amygdala. Those with amygdala dysfunction are not capable of this fear-associated connection and memories. 

  Dysfunction of the amygdala is common in neuropsychiatric conditions. Neuropsychiatric conditions include disorders such as ADHD, bipolar, and major depressive disorder. These conditions are personality disorders which means they have effects that can impact/alter one’s personality and character.   Iona in “No One is Born a Serial killer” found that ”two recent neuroimaging studies have confirmed that amygdala dysfunction is associated with psychopathy… high levels of psychopathy were associated with reduced amygdaloid volume.” These conditions can be caused by traumatic brain injuries, genetics, and environmental factors. 

  Like amygdala dysfunction, neurochemical imbalances in the brain can occur from many factors like genetics and environment, and lead to hormonal imbalances that are linked to increased aggression. These traits are seen more prominently in males. Kiran Hayes, author of “An Exploration of Trauma Markers in the Artwork of Serial killers”, explains “Allely et al. (2014) also found associations between “neuro-chemical imbalance and aggression” (p. 290), such as low monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) activity, increased serotonin levels in the synapses and heightened levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. Furthermore, they assert that, “there may be a complex interaction between pre-existing neurodevelopmental problems (moderators), environmental insults experienced during development such as head injury or childhood maltreatment (mediators) and serial or mass killing.” 

 Other physical conditions such as genetic mutations have been linked to increased violence. A genetic mutation in the male XY sex chromosome adds an extra Y chromosome. The mutation of the XYY chromosome. This mutation is often referred to as the “crime chromosome” as it has been found that this mutation is found in criminals with a rate of five to 10 percent higher than the general population. The article, “No One is Born a Serial Killer”, states “A rare genetic mutation in the XYY chromosome has been found in serial killers. This gene controls sexual behavior, violence, and lack of empathy.” Not only can this gene be linked to criminal behavior but it can also be linked to abnormal behavior described by psychologists. This type of abnormal behavior can also be said to be linked to psychopathy. 

  Psychiatric disorders can also contribute to the making of a serial killer. Some psychiatric disorders can be genetic which means there is a family history such as antisocial disorder, ADHD, and bipolar disorder. Other psychiatric disorders stem from trauma and environmental factors such as conduct disorder. 

  Antisocial disorder is one of the psychiatric disorders stemming from genetics that is often associated with violence and homicidal tendencies when made worse with other concurrent disorders such as substance abuse. The American Association of Psychiatry in “Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders” states “Antisocial personality disorder is more common among the first-degree biological relatives of those with the disorder than in the general population. Biological relatives of individuals with this disorder are also at increased risk for somatization disorder (a diagnosis that was replaced in DSM-5 with somatic symptom disorder) and substance use disorders.” Concurrent disorders such as substance abuse mixed with psychiatric disorders like antisocial disorder heightens the symptoms of the disorder.

  Those with antisocial disorder have a lack of regard for those around them and are incapable of feeling empathy. The lack of empathy allows them to commit crimes against humanity such as killing without realizing the brutality of such crimes. The American Association of Psychiatry defines Antisocial disorder as “Individuals with antisocial personality disorder frequently lack empathy and tend to be callous, cynical, and contemptuous of the feelings, rights, and sufferings of others.”

  It becomes easier for people suffering from Antisocial disorder to disconnect from reality. This disconnection leads to traits such as deceitfulness and blaming others for the actions they receive. This blame can be on the victim for doing something or saying something that caused them to get killed.  Again, this disconnection becomes dangerous as the individual thoughtlessly commits crimes without any remorse attached to it due to the nature of antisocial disorder.

  A disorder that can be directly linked to antisocial disorder is psychopathy. According to Dr. Rhonda Freeman in “What is Psychopathy”, “some with psychopathy are predatory. They hunt or stalk other human beings for the purpose of: violation, control, release of perverse fantasies, additions to their collection, sex, image, money, and/or power gratification.” The incidence and purposes of psychopathy go hand in hand with the motivation for serial killers. Dr Rhonda Freeman states, “individuals with strong psychopathic traits tend to have dysfunctional reward, morality, bonding, and affective/emotional processing systems.” Like psychopathy, serial killers enjoy the control of the kill, fufilling the fantasy and torturing and killing a person, and collecting trophies to remeber the kill. Because of the similarities in these actions, we can conclude a large number of serial killers are psychopaths. 

  There are many motivations for serial killings that we do not understand, but these motivations stem from internal problems such as genetic, psychiatric, and physical abnormalities. Although it is hard to pinpoint exactly why one goes on to kill numerous people, evidence suggests that it is not a matter of will but a matter of physical makeup. Neuropsychiatric disorders suggest that chemical imbalances and psychological disorder occurring in the brain contribute to violence, unempathetic, homicidal tendencies. 

Works Cited

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders : DSM-5-TR / American Psychiatric Association (Fifth edition, text revision.). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

Haynes, Kiran M., “An Exploration of Trauma Markers in the Artwork of Serial Killers” (2017). LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations. 314. 

Ioana, Ilie. (2013). No One is Born a Serial Killer!. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences. 81. 10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.436. 

Freeman, R. (2019, January 17). What is psychopathy? – neuroinstincts: Dr. Rhonda Freeman. Neuroinstincts. Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://neuroinstincts.com/psychopathy/