Serial Killer. Does this make your spine go cold? Umpteen numbers of Hollywood movies have been made on them. But they are not fiction. They are fact. Every country has its own lists of psychopathic killers.
The most famous of them recently (last year) was Alexander Pichushkin, the monster of Moscow. He was sentenced to life after trial (He escaped the gallows as Russia has no capital punishment). During the trial the police accused him of killing 49 people. He claimed he has killed 61. He would invite his victims for vodka at the Bitsevsky Park in Moscow. Then after getting them drunk, he would bludgeon the victim’s skull to little bits or drown them.
Why do serial killers act the way they do? There are two main theories on this.
First theory- This says that the killers have had a bad childhood. They grow up with repressed feelings of anger and frustration at their state. Killings are a way of giving a vent to these feelings. Killing somebody gives him (or her) a sense of power. It makes him feel special.
Second theory- Put forward recently by Helen Morrison. According to her the serial killer has an undeveloped, childlike mind. They have a sort of mental retardation. They do not have the comprehension as to right and wrong. Killing is like experiencing new things for them. They are childlike with no control over emotions. We are not talking here of the psychology jargon like schizophrenia etc. We leave that to the professionals. This is our take on the subject.
Another interesting psychological insight on psychopathic killers (or serial killers. The term is of US origin) is that they feel the cost of what they do (killing) is far less than what they get- personal satisfaction. It may be a sense of power they get, the satisfaction of dominating. Of being superior to others. They are not afraid of the consequences if caught; capital punishment or life sentence.
Everyone of us have the instinct to kill. It is only that the fear of punishment from the law is greater than satisfaction of killing. That is the very reason laws have been made. To curb the 'animal instincts' of humans. Otherwise civilized life, as we know it, would not be possible.
Traits of US serial killers
List of serial killers by country
Image credit
The most famous of them recently (last year) was Alexander Pichushkin, the monster of Moscow. He was sentenced to life after trial (He escaped the gallows as Russia has no capital punishment). During the trial the police accused him of killing 49 people. He claimed he has killed 61. He would invite his victims for vodka at the Bitsevsky Park in Moscow. Then after getting them drunk, he would bludgeon the victim’s skull to little bits or drown them.
Why do serial killers act the way they do? There are two main theories on this.
First theory- This says that the killers have had a bad childhood. They grow up with repressed feelings of anger and frustration at their state. Killings are a way of giving a vent to these feelings. Killing somebody gives him (or her) a sense of power. It makes him feel special.
Second theory- Put forward recently by Helen Morrison. According to her the serial killer has an undeveloped, childlike mind. They have a sort of mental retardation. They do not have the comprehension as to right and wrong. Killing is like experiencing new things for them. They are childlike with no control over emotions. We are not talking here of the psychology jargon like schizophrenia etc. We leave that to the professionals. This is our take on the subject.
Another interesting psychological insight on psychopathic killers (or serial killers. The term is of US origin) is that they feel the cost of what they do (killing) is far less than what they get- personal satisfaction. It may be a sense of power they get, the satisfaction of dominating. Of being superior to others. They are not afraid of the consequences if caught; capital punishment or life sentence.
Everyone of us have the instinct to kill. It is only that the fear of punishment from the law is greater than satisfaction of killing. That is the very reason laws have been made. To curb the 'animal instincts' of humans. Otherwise civilized life, as we know it, would not be possible.
Traits of US serial killers
List of serial killers by country
Image credit
