Serial Killers

[Nikkif8]

My big thing is serial killers. FOr some reason the phsycological aspect of what the hell makes these people do this things fascinates me, as well as forensics but... Who is your favorite serial killer, real or from a movie. Mine would be Ed Gein, most horror movies dipict what he did in some form or another.

[Vodstok]

the funny thing is, although he is typically grouped with serial killersa, by definition, Ed Gein is not one. although it often differs, the commonly accepted definition of a serial killer is 3 or more victims with a cooling down period in between killings. Gein only killed 2, he was mostly a grave robber.


The most interesting poeple to me are Edmund Kemper (who still hopes to get out someday... fat chance) and albert fish.

[urgeok]

i think serial killers are chicken shit assholes with baby dicks and abandonment issues.

i think we should ignore them because it's attention they seek.

glorifying them is pathetic.

[Nikkif8]

I don't think any of us are "glorifying" them, at least I know I am not. I am more into the the psychology aspect of figuring out what makes these people tick because all of them are from very different backgrounds, some were abused some were not, some have cemical embalances some don't, ect.

[Haunted]

You have a point, Urge. Unfortunately, what happens is the first kill attracts the police, which in turn attracts the media. Thus, the vicious cycle begins, case in point, the Washington Sniper incident a few years ago. I also recognize that you're indicating the gross (amount) quanties of books on the subject inspiring those folks with the pre-existing conditions for such behavior to embark on a rampage.

Psychiatry links their behavior to antisocial personality disorder (sociopaths/psychopaths [commonly and grievously confused with psychosis/psychotic which, in most cases, the patient is rarely if ever violent or even terribly aggressive]). So, as was stated, the more society glorifies the "serial killer" the more people with this type of behavioral problem will feel compelled to act out their desires in order seek out attention. Another problem is that antisocial pd is hard to treat because A. Diagnosis, because the patient doesn't see that they have a problem and B. There isn't really a controlled way to treat them other than just locking them up straight away.

Then the question is: Is antisocial personality disorder an actual disorder? It's in the DSM. However, the real psychiatrists of today, i.e. those that actually research medicine, the brain, and neuro-science (like my own psychiatrist- I'm fortunate, let me tell you) have isolated mental disorders into five actual measureable disorders: Clinical or Chronic Depression, BiPolar and BiPolar II Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic/Anxiety Disorder and those disorders that fall under the Schizo family (Psychosis... although psychosis itself can be a complication of any real mental disorder. These disorders can be seen on brain scans, so we now know that do, indeed, exist. (Multiple Personality Disorder is not an actual mental disorder).

I did a lot of research about my health problems...:o

[the_real_linda]

i dont think any of us idolise them, its just really interesting too delve into a person psyche who can commit these actions....why people do anything is interesting to know but extreme actions like these do push what humans are capable of

[urgeok]

i know for a fact that a lot of people DO idolize them..


maybe not the people here ... :rolleyes:

but people do. they feel they generate a sort of aura of bad ass coolness - some misguided folks respond to this.

Devil's Rejects, anyone ?

for the most part they killed people - defensless people - when they didnt expect it.

most serial killers are little insignificant worms who are looking for the least difficult way of changing the world around them. getting attention. making the news.
they couldnt conceive of doing it in a way that would actually take some positive effort.

lets face it - once you are fucked enough to make the choice that 'yeah - i can kill someone' how much skill does it take to walk up to someone unsuspecting and shoot them in the back of the head ?


and if someone is crazy enough to kill someone - i really dont care why ..

the fucker was wired wrong - send him back to the store.

[Vodstok]

I find aberrant psychology interesting, and it doesnt hurt that i am married ot someone with degrees in psychology and criminla justice...

but i refuse to give them any glory, though . i refuse to do articles on any living serial killer on my site. The funny thing is that i sdont think very many people really glorify them or look up to them, more they are curious about them like they would be a circus freak with 4 hands... plus, they are scary. the make the idea very real that the person sitting next to you could murder you and have his way with your corspe simply because he wants too. And fear is fascinating. if it wasnt, this website would not exist.


it's weird, they are real, but at the same time, they arent. they exist in the world, but most o fus will never have our lives touched by them in any way, so they are basically fictional characters with real-life counterparts, to boil them down to their parts, and that is very interesting to many of us.


However, saying that anyone admires them... thats just crazy talk :)

[slasherman]

..i like watching documentaries about them...gives me ideas...but only fiction ...

[Haunted]

I stand somewhere in with Urge and Vod's statements. It's true that most of us will never encounter a serial killer, however, for the people that do it's horribly unimaginable. No one should have to go through that.

I try really hard to be compassionate, but Urge made a good point when he said, "...send them back to the store." With antisocial personality disorder (which is the clinical problem you're dealing with here) that's pretty much all you can do other than permanent hospitalization and added to isolation from other patients, because these people cannot and/or will not acknowledge that they have a problem. Also there is no chemical problem, so medication doesn't work short of sedation.

If you look at other animal species on this planet, when they have a member of their pack, family, pride, etc, that doesn't not function in such a way that promotes survival or endangers them, they will kill that member of the group. It happens.

The hard part is figuring out the personality type/traits before one developes into a sociopath. Usually they start developing these traits in childhood, but parents miss them and the developemental problems get worse.

Instead of studying serial killers themselves, it might be more beneficial to study the psychiatry/psychology behind them. That way, we as a society divert our attention from the people and towards the problem. It's like warning systems for weather, if we see the patterns we have enough time to react with little to no casualties.