Understanding psychopathy is vital to our examination of serial murder so I discuss it in much more detail in the next chapter.
Conclusion
In this chapter, I have explained the long history and evolution of criminal profiling. I discussed the various techniques developed by the FBI and psychologists to identify and apprehend unknown serial predators. I have critiqued the effectiveness of criminal profiling and discussed its contribution to the public’s awareness and perceptions of serial killers over the past few decades. As we have seen, criminal profiling has become a very popular topic in the mass media in recent years. I have debunked a number of myths about criminal profiling perpetuated by the news and entertainment media such as that it is an exact science. Profiling is a science, in part, but it is not an exact science. Rather, criminal profiling is both an art and a science—a blending of the two.
CHAPTER 5
THE MOTIVES, RITUALS, AND FANTASIES OF SERIAL KILLERS
Thus far is this book, we have defined serial homicide, discussed its prevalence in the US, debunked popular serial killer myths, and explained the contributions of criminal profiling and forensic psychology to our understanding of serial killers. We have also explored how certain antisocial personality disorders, particularly psychopathy and to a lesser extent sociopathy, are linked to serial murder, and we explored how antisocial personality traits can be predictive of specific predatory criminal behavior. As discussed, a chronic disregard for the laws of society and an inability to emotionally connect with others characterize psychopathic serial killers. However, psychopathy alone cannot fully explain the diverse patterns, rituals, motivations, and fantasies of serial killers.
This chapter is devoted to an in-depth exploration of the varied and complex motivations and ritualistic behaviors of serial killers. I’ll explain the diverse motivations of serial killers, including differences by gender. Also, I’ll compare and contrast the various categories and sub-types of serial killers such as thrill killers, hedonist lust killers, and power/control killers, which have been identified by the FBI and criminologists. In addition, I’ll present compelling case studies and important new insights into the varied motivations and lurid fantasy lives of serial killers. Expanding on chapters 3 and 4, this chapter also addresses the significant contributions of criminal profiling and clinical psychology to the identification and classification of serial killers.
The Secret Desires and Motivations of Serial Killers
As explained in chapter 3, tremendous attention has been paid to the psychological profiling of serial killers in recent decades by the news and entertainment media. The aspect of criminal profiling that seems to fascinate the general public the most is determining the motivations of serial killers. This is likely due to the fact that many people have a deep and compelling need to understand why someone would stalk and kill other human beings. The almost incomprehensible desires of serial killers elicit morbid fascination among the general population, social scientists, and even the law enforcers who hunt them.
In the criminal justice process, knowing the motivations of an unknown perpetrator helps detectives form a suspect pool in a serial murder investigation. Although the same approach is used to identify an unknown killer’s motivation in any homicide investigation, it is far more complicated in a serial homicide case. As mentioned previously, the majority of homicides are committed by someone the victim knows and, in many instances, knows well. The overall homicide pattern in the US reveals that more than two-thirds of all victims know their killer. In fact, many homicide victims, especially females, know their killer intimately. Such killings are considered crimes of passion due to the intimacy of the relationship between the victim and
Conclusion
In this chapter, I have explained the long history and evolution of criminal profiling. I discussed the various techniques developed by the FBI and psychologists to identify and apprehend unknown serial predators. I have critiqued the effectiveness of criminal profiling and discussed its contribution to the public’s awareness and perceptions of serial killers over the past few decades. As we have seen, criminal profiling has become a very popular topic in the mass media in recent years. I have debunked a number of myths about criminal profiling perpetuated by the news and entertainment media such as that it is an exact science. Profiling is a science, in part, but it is not an exact science. Rather, criminal profiling is both an art and a science—a blending of the two.
CHAPTER 5
THE MOTIVES, RITUALS, AND FANTASIES OF SERIAL KILLERS
Thus far is this book, we have defined serial homicide, discussed its prevalence in the US, debunked popular serial killer myths, and explained the contributions of criminal profiling and forensic psychology to our understanding of serial killers. We have also explored how certain antisocial personality disorders, particularly psychopathy and to a lesser extent sociopathy, are linked to serial murder, and we explored how antisocial personality traits can be predictive of specific predatory criminal behavior. As discussed, a chronic disregard for the laws of society and an inability to emotionally connect with others characterize psychopathic serial killers. However, psychopathy alone cannot fully explain the diverse patterns, rituals, motivations, and fantasies of serial killers.
This chapter is devoted to an in-depth exploration of the varied and complex motivations and ritualistic behaviors of serial killers. I’ll explain the diverse motivations of serial killers, including differences by gender. Also, I’ll compare and contrast the various categories and sub-types of serial killers such as thrill killers, hedonist lust killers, and power/control killers, which have been identified by the FBI and criminologists. In addition, I’ll present compelling case studies and important new insights into the varied motivations and lurid fantasy lives of serial killers. Expanding on chapters 3 and 4, this chapter also addresses the significant contributions of criminal profiling and clinical psychology to the identification and classification of serial killers.
The Secret Desires and Motivations of Serial Killers
As explained in chapter 3, tremendous attention has been paid to the psychological profiling of serial killers in recent decades by the news and entertainment media. The aspect of criminal profiling that seems to fascinate the general public the most is determining the motivations of serial killers. This is likely due to the fact that many people have a deep and compelling need to understand why someone would stalk and kill other human beings. The almost incomprehensible desires of serial killers elicit morbid fascination among the general population, social scientists, and even the law enforcers who hunt them.
In the criminal justice process, knowing the motivations of an unknown perpetrator helps detectives form a suspect pool in a serial murder investigation. Although the same approach is used to identify an unknown killer’s motivation in any homicide investigation, it is far more complicated in a serial homicide case. As mentioned previously, the majority of homicides are committed by someone the victim knows and, in many instances, knows well. The overall homicide pattern in the US reveals that more than two-thirds of all victims know their killer. In fact, many homicide victims, especially females, know their killer intimately. Such killings are considered crimes of passion due to the intimacy of the relationship between the victim and
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