{"id":2351,"date":"2022-03-13T21:35:35","date_gmt":"2022-03-13T21:35:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wickedness.net\/?page_id=2351"},"modified":"2022-03-20T13:09:28","modified_gmt":"2022-03-20T13:09:28","slug":"serial-killers-childhood","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wickedness.net\/serial-killer-articles\/serial-killers-childhood\/","title":{"rendered":"Serial Killers Childhood: Does Childhood Trauma Create Serial Killers?"},"content":{"rendered":"
A serial killer is considered a person who murders 3 or more people, typically in the service of abnormal psychological gratification with a certain amount of time between each murder. One must wonder, are serial killers childhood the reason for their behavior? And while most authorities place a threshold of 3 murders, others lessen it to 2 or extend it to 4 in these cases. Moreover, some serial killings include sexual contact with the victim. However, the FBI claims that the motives of the killings can also include profit, thrill-seeking, anger, or attention-seeking.<\/span><\/p>\n The murders can be attempted or done similarly and the victims can have something in common such as the same appearance, demographic profile, race, or gender which helps the FBI recognize the pattern of a serial killer. And based on that pattern, they will try to identify the person and their motives.<\/span><\/p>\n Although<\/span> serial killers<\/span><\/a> aren\u2019t the same as mass murderers, spree killers, or contract killers, in some cases, there can be overlaps between these categories. Today, I will try to determine what makes a serial killer. Does a traumatic and violent upbringing create a serial killer? Are serial killers born? Or made?<\/span><\/p>\n Some victims of violence at a young age tend to continue the cycle of violence. Meaning, violence gives birth to violence. However, not every child with a poor upbringing becomes a serial killer. Further, some serial killers such as Ted Bundy had a happy or normal childhood and still became serial killers.<\/span><\/p>\n In this article, I will discuss childhood trauma in serial killers and establish a connection (if any) between a violent upbringing and becoming a serial killer. That being said, let\u2019s take a look!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n At different stages of life, people encounter different situations that can have a profound effect on their behavior and disrupt the emotional field as well as interpersonal relationships. And how people respond to events such as psychological trauma depends on their personality.<\/span><\/p>\n In some cases, a traumatic or abusive upbringing shapes a person. The \u201cpsychological trauma\u201d term was first introduced in the 19th century. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Problems describes trauma as a personal experience of something that includes real or threatening death or serious injury, witnessing a traumatic event, threat to someone\u2019s physical integrity, and learning about injury by a family member or someone close.<\/span><\/p>\n The memories associated with trauma aren\u2019t easy to forget. On the contrary, they\u2019re usually explicit and formed in early childhood (between the age of 0 and 6). Kids can experience emotional, sexual, physical, and psychological abuse as well as neglect (the parents don’t provide care).<\/span><\/p>\n Neglect includes dirty clothes, lack of necessary education and medical intervention as well as food. And when parents neglect their kids, they actually put them in environments where they can be subjected to other types of violence such as physical abuse. Physical abuse includes the force used to harm kids. Examples of this type of abuse include slapping, punching, throwing, shaking, poisoning, hanging, drowning, forbidding sleeping, food, and medication. Psychological and emotional abuse isn\u2019t visible. But it still has a deep effect. These types of abuse include damaging self-esteem, making the child feel unloved, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n Emotional and psychological abuse can be both non-verbal and verbal, accompanied by physical activity. Examples include convincing a child that they\u2019re a bad person, restricted physical contact as well as love, screaming, threatening, silencing, ridiculing, etc. There\u2019s also sexual abuse by a family member, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n Involving a child in sexual acts is sexual abuse. Other forms of sexual abuse include sharing 18+ jokes or stories, watching 18+ movies in the presence of kids, encouraging sexual relations, etc. So, the answer is that yes, some kids who experience violence at a young age tend to continue the cycle of violence. However, not every child who was a victim of violence becomes a serial killer. And not every serial killer has had a traumatic childhood. Therefore, no one can say for sure that<\/span> childhood trauma creates serial killers<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Are serial killers a product of nature including genetics or nurture including environmental factors? Peter Vronsky has tried to explain why some people become killers and others don\u2019t in his book \u201cSons of Cain: A History of Serial Killers from Stone Age to the Present\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n The book examines how people\u2019s understanding of serial killers before modern psychology has changed over time and provides possible answers to the question: what makes a serial killer? As I already stated, most serial killers have experienced early childhood trauma of some type.<\/span><\/p>\n For instance, some serial killers have experienced sexual or physical abuse, emotionally distant or absent parents, or family dysfunction. And if you take a look at the biographies of serial killers, you will notice a single recurring theme \u2013 trauma which causes suppression of any emotional response.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\nDoes Childhood Trauma Create Serial Killers?<\/b><\/h2>\n
How Does Childhood Trauma Create Serial Killers?<\/b><\/h2>\n