The Complexity of Serial Killers
According to Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, a serial murderer is defined as an individual who kills two or more victims in separate events. Emma Fridel and James Fox have broken serial killers into three groupings: “those who killed two victims, those who killed three to seven (whom the researchers termed the typical serial killers), and the deadliest killers who had eight or more victims” (Bartol, p. 343). Examples of well-known serial killers in our society include Gary Ridgway, Jack the Ripper, Jeffery Dahmer, and Ted Bundy, but there are often misconceptions in society, perpetuated by the media, that overtake the actuality of serial murderers.
In the podcast, Speaking of Psychology, Dr. Louis Schlesinger, a forensic psychologist, speaks about the complexity of the psychology of serial murderers. When asked the question of what drives someone to become a serial sexual killer, Dr. Schlesinger states that “the best understanding I think we have at this point is that it’s a biopsychosocial phenomenon with, in my view, a heavy emphasis on neurobiology…And in order for somebody to become a serial sexual murder, I believe many things have to go wrong” (Schlesinger, 2023). This emphasizes the notion that it is not just one factor that leads to individuals committing crimes, but instead, many influences play a role. The podcast proceeds and Schlesinger makes some interesting points that further the overall complexity of serial killers. Particularly stating the inaccuracy of killers in the media, “American people want their serial killers to be evil geniuses with IQs of 180 … Nothing could be further from the truth” (Schlesinger, 2023). This is just one of the misconceptions Schlesinger points out, along with the role that mental illness plays. It is assumed that all serial killers are psychopaths or suffer from other severe mental illnesses, but that is not always the case. Most of the time in society, there tends to be blame placed on mental illness, something that then proves to be detrimental to those who are actively struggling with mental illness. Understanding the illusions that are put out in society about serial killers is necessary to analyze their psychology and comprehend the intricacy of their criminal behavior.
Bartol, Curt R.; Bartol, Anne M.. Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach. (Function). Kindle Edition.
Schlesinger, L. (Guest). (2023). Understanding the mind of a serial killer (No. [episode number]). In K. Mills (Host), Speaking of Psychology. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/serial-killer-mind