Serial Killer Essay

Psychological or emotional abuse - is any action which has an effect on an individual's mental well-being, causes suffering and effects their quality of life and ability to function to their full potential.

Statistically, the average serial killer is a white male from a lower-to-middle-class background, usually in his twenties or thirties. Many were physically or emotionally abused by parents. Some were adopted. As children, fledgling serial killers often set fires, torture animals, and wet their beds (these red-flag behaviors are known as the “triad” of symptoms.) Brain injuries are common. Some are very intelligent and have shown great promise as successful professionals. They are also fascinated with the police and authority in general (Scott).

Child Abuse: When a parent or any caregiver causes injury, emotional harm, or death to a child.

Serial murder is one of the most baffling crimes that occur in the U.S. and all over the world. Knight (2006) defines serial murder as the killing of three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period. The cooling off period may be weeks, months or even years long. Researchers have proposed various psychological, biological and sociological theories that offer a partial understanding of the nature of serial murder. Some propose that the basis for criminal behavior is a predisposition to violence as well as a mix between environment, personality traits and biological factors. Serial killers are predominantly male. Only 3 percent of serial murders are committed by women (U.S. News and World Report,

Emotional Abuse – pattern of behaviour that ruins a child’s emotional development or sense of self-worth. This may include constant criticism, threats, or rejection, as well as withholding love, support or guidance. Emotional abuse is often difficult to prove.

Emotional abuse – involves the persistent psychological mistreatment of a child and may include making the child feel inadequate, unloved or worthless, imposing inappropriate developmental expectations on a child, threatening, taunting or humiliating the child or exploiting or corrupting

Emotional abuse may include screaming, yelling, biting, name-calling, lack of love/affection, and so on. Children may be emotionally scarred when the y are labeled as stupid, ugly, crazy, or unwanted. Emotional abuse includes acts of omission by the child’s primary caregivers that could cause behavioral, emotional, or mental disorders. In some cases of emotional abuse the child’s caregiver may use excessive and bizarre forms of punishment like torture, or locking a child in a dark closet. These things emphasize the need for the intervention of The Child Protective Services.

According to FBI Special Agent Robert K. Ressler, more than 60 percent of serial killers went the bed beyond the age of 12. Many are involved in vicious activities. Frequently, serial murders come from dysfunctional families, where the father is almost absent and the mother is often passively domineering. (Julieta, p.2, N.D.) Families of serial killers will often have criminal, psychiatric or alcoholic histories. Family members often abused the serial killer as they were growing up, physically, emotionally or sexually.

Emotional / psychological abuse is when a person uses threats, bullying, trying to control a person’s mind, makes them feel powerless, as well as making them believe it is their own fault. This type of abuse results in mental and physical distress and includes

Emotional / psychological abuse is doing or saying things that demean and make someone feel less of themselves. This includes bulling, blaming, threatening and damaging other’s feelings of self-esteem.

Neglect: medical condition deteriorating unexpectedly or not improving as expected, hypothermia or person cold or dressed inadequately, unexplained loss of weight, clothes or body dirty and smelly, delays in seeking medical attention

Emotional/psychological abuse – a person subjecting or exposing another to behaviour that can result in psychological trauma, often associated by a power imbalance such as child abuse or abuse in the workplace

The CDC (2008), defines psychological abuse as, “Intentional caregiver behavior (i.e., act of commission) that conveys to a child that he/she is worthless, flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or valued only in meeting another’s needs” (Leeb, 2008, p.16). This may occur in at certain times or happen constantly. Psychological abuse can include, but is not limited to, “blaming, belittling, degrading, intimidating, terrorizing, isolating, restraining, confining, corrupting, exploiting, and spurning” (Leeb, 2008,

This is the continuous emotional mistreatment of a child. It is also sometimes known as psychological abuse and this can seriously affect a child’s development. It can include intentionally trying to scare or embarrass a child or isolating or ignoring them. Sometimes children who are emotionally abused could also be suffering from another type of

Emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior by parents or caregivers that can seriously interfere with a child 's cognitive, social, psychological, and emotional