Serial killers—people who repeatedly murder others—provoke revulsion but also a certain amount of fascination in the general public. But what can modern psychology and neuroscience tell us about what might be going on inside the head of such individuals?
Serial killers characteristically lackempathy for others, coupled with an apparent absence of guilt about their actions. At the same time, many can be superficially charming, allowing them to lure potential victims into their web of destruction. One explanation for such cognitive dissonance is that serial killers are individuals in whom two minds co-exist—one a rational self, able to successfully navigate the intricacies of acceptable social behaviour and even charm and seduce, the other a far more sinister self, capable of the most unspeakable and violent acts against others. This view has been a powerful stimulus in fictional portrayals ranging fromDr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, to Hitchco*ck’sPsycho, and a more recent film,Split. Yet there is little evidence that real-life serial killers suffer from dissociative identity disorder (DID), in which an individual has two or more personalities cohabiting in their mind, apparently unaware of each other.
Instead, DID is a condition more associated with victims, rather than perpetrators, of abuse, who adopt multiple personalities as a way of coming to terms with the horrors they have encountered. Of course a perpetrator of abuse may also be a victim, and many serial killers were abused as children, but in general they appear not to be split personalities, but rather people conscious of their acts. Despite this, there is surely a dichotomy in the minds of such individuals perhaps best personified by US killer Ted Bundy, who was a “charming, handsome, successful individual [yet also] a sad*st, necrophile, rapist, and murderer with zero remorse who took pride in his ability to successfully kill and evade capture.”
“a recent brain imaging study … showed that criminal psychopaths had decreased connectivity between … a brain region that processes negative stimuli and those that give rise to fearful reactions”
One puzzling aspect of serial killers’ minds is the fact that they appear to lack—or can override—the emotional responses that in other people allows us to identify the pain and suffering of other humans as similar to our own, and empathise with that suffering. A possible explanation of this deficit was identified in a recent brain imaging study. This showed that criminal psychopaths had decreased connectivity between the amygdala—a brain region that processes negative stimuli and those that give rise to fearful reactions—and the prefrontal cortex, which interprets responses from the amygdala. When connectivity between these two regions is low, processing of negative stimuli in the amygdala does not translate into any strongly felt negative emotions. This may explain why criminal psychopaths do not feel guilty about their actions, or sad when their victims suffer.
Yet serial killers also seem to possess an enhanced emotional drive that leads to an urge to hurt and kill other human beings. This apparent contradiction in emotional responses still needs to be explained at a neurological level. At the same time, we should not ignore social influences as important factors in the development of such contradictory impulses. It seems possible that serial killers have somehow learned to view their victims as purely an object to be abused, or even an assembly of unconnected parts. This might explain why some killers have sex with dead victims, or even turn their bodies into objects of utility or decoration, but it does not explain why they seem so driven to hurt and kill their victims. One explanation for the latter phenomenon is thatmany serial killers are insecure individuals who feel compelled to kill due to a morbid fear of rejection. In many cases, the fear of rejection seems to result from having been abandoned or abused by a parent.Such fear may compel a fledgling serial killer to want to eliminate any objects of their affections. They may come to believe that by destroying the person they desire, they can eliminate the possibility of being abandoned, humiliated, or otherwise hurt, as they were in childhood.
Serial killers also appear to lack a sense of social conscience. Through our parents, siblings, teachers, peers, and other individuals who influence us as we grow up, we learn to distinguish right from wrong. It is this that inhibits us from engaging in anti-social behaviour. Yet serial killers seem to feel they are exempt from the most important social sanction of all—not taking another person’s life. For instance, Richard Ramirez, named the “Night Stalker” by the media, claimed at his trial that“you don’t understand me. You are not expected to. You are not capable of it. I am beyond your experience. I am beyond good and evil … I don’t believe in the hypocritical, moralistic dogma of this so-called civilized society.”
It remains far from clear why a few people react to abuse or trauma at an earlier stage in their lives by later becoming a serial killer. But hopefully new insights into the psychological or neurological basis of their actions may in the future help us to identify potential future such killers and dissuade them from committing such horrendous crimes.
Featured image via Pixabay
FAQs
Doctors have linked low serotonin levels in the brain to poor orbitofrontal cortex function, which appears in people with antisocial behavior. This phenomenon explains the reason why serial killers find themselves lacking empathy or remorse.
What is the neuroscience behind serial killers? ›
Brain abnormalities in serial killers
Other studies have found that serial killers may have abnormalities in the amygdala, a part of the brain that is involved in processing emotions like fear and aggression. This can make it difficult for individuals to regulate their emotions and may contribute to violent behavior.
What happens in the mind of a serial killer? ›
Rather, the most consistent psychological feature among serial killers appears to be extreme antisocial behavior—they tend to lack empathy, appear incapable of remorse, show no regard for laws or social norms, and have a strong desire to revenge themselves against individuals or society at large by carrying out violent ...
What is the difference between a serial killer's brain and a normal brain? ›
People who do the worst things often have troubled brains.
On SPECT, the brains of murderers show abnormal activity in a variety of brain regions, especially the prefrontal cortex involved with empathy, judgment, and forethought. Look at this scan of a healthy brain compared to a scan from Kip Kinkel.
What chemical imbalance do serial killers have in their brains? ›
“Serial killers frequently test positive for abnormal levels of chemicals in their body associated with depression or compulsive behavior, such as monoamine oxidase (MAO) and serotonin.
What serial killer's brain was studied? ›
killers (including Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer) and. discovered what they have in common: http://t.ted.
What does the psychology behind serial killers show? ›
The Psychology of Serial Killers is a touring masterclass which dives deep into the darkest and most thought-provoking of subjects. During this 90-minute interactive experience, Dr. Rachel Toles, true crime's preeminent Psychologist, seeks to help us understand these pressing questions: What makes a serial killer?
What is the psychology of a murderer's mind? ›
The brains of several killers were studied, and nearly all of them revealed identical brain abnormalities. There was decreased activity in the prefrontal cortex, the portion of the brain that controls emotional impulses, and increased activity in the amygdala, the area of the brain that produces emotions.
Are killers born or made? ›
There have been many questions raised about whether people are born serial killers or whether environmental factors are the cause. But most psychologists agree that it's often a combination of both.
Do serial killers know they are wrong? ›
Do serial killers feel guilt or awareness that what they're doing is wrong? Scott Bonn: Serial killers who may be psychopaths or sociopaths have antisocial personality disorders for which there is no cure. They know right from wrong, they just don't care. Society's laws and our morality mean nothing to them.
There were MRI or CT abnormalities in nine of the 19 subjects tested, consisting primarily of atrophy and white matter changes. Psychiatric diagnoses included paranoid schizophrenia (8), dissociative disorder (4), and depression (9). Virtually all subjects had paranoid ideas and misunderstood social situations.
Do serial killers have high IQ? ›
Studies have suggested that serial killers who got caught generally have an average or low-average IQ, although they are often described, and perceived, as possessing IQs in the above-average range. A sample of 202 IQs of serial killers who got caught had a median IQ of 89.
What genes do serial killers have? ›
Studies show that low MAOA gene activity is specific for violent crime, since it can affect the serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine systems. 16 Males are more likely to commit such crimes in the presence of the MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism. These associations are in line with other studies.
What neuroscience do serial killers have? ›
Doctors have linked low serotonin levels in the brain to poor orbitofrontal cortex function, which appears in people with antisocial behavior. This phenomenon explains the reason why serial killers find themselves lacking empathy or remorse.
What is the serial killer gene in the brain? ›
A rare point mutation in the MAOA gene that resulted in a total loss of monoamine oxidase-A was found to be associated with the repeated generational incidence of violent criminal behavior among members in a Dutch family (Brunner HG et al, 1993).
What neurotransmitters do serial killers have? ›
The MAOA gene codes for the enzyme monoamine oxidase-A which plays a key role in the breakdown of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. Individuals with defects in the MAOA gene that are associated with a low dopamine turnover rate have been shown to be more prone to aggressive behavior than their counterparts.
What is the psychology of serial killers called? ›
These traits and behaviors are consistent with the psychopathic personality disorder. Attendees felt it was very important for law enforcement and other professionals in the criminal justice system to understand psychopathy and its relationship to serial murder.
What is the physiology of a serial killer? ›
Many serial killers experience childhood trauma or early separation from their mothers. As a consequence of that trauma or separation, scientists believe, they learned to suppress empathy or suffered damage to the areas of the brain that control emotional impulses.
