The study of serial killers has been dominated by an individualised focus on studying the biography of offenders and the causes of their behaviour. Popular representations of Jeffrey Dahmer Harold Shipman John Wayne Gacy and other notorious figures emphasise the sociopathic tendencies of the lone serial killer presented in accounts that accentuate how assorted personality traits and risk.
They may seem completely normal to the regular person.
Sociology theories of serial killers. They figured that the structural variables might predict the states in which killers killed because they measured opportunity. Whereas the cultural variables might incite young serial killers thus theyd be related to the states in which serial killers grew up. Here are the results.
All of the relationships are positive as the rate of divorce goes up for example so does the rate of serial killing and about. Model 1 the first column of numbers shows the relationship between our independent variables and the state where serial killers committed their largest number of murders. Model 1 offers good evidence that social structural variables influence whether serial killers actually kill.
Vulnerable individuals living in high-density environments may enable these crimes. Serial killers who are considered visionary serial killers are primarily motivated by a mental illness and or psychotic break. These type of serial killers are usually driven to murder because of a higher power which they belief is something out of their control.
The Social Control theory indicates that Wuornoss life experiences may have caused her to become a serial killer. Wuornos was abandoned by both her parents molested at a young age and kicked out of the only home she had as a teenager. These life experiences caused her to lead a life of crime and to earn a living as a prostitute.
She dropped out of school at an early age and even became. All theories of serial killers assume the back stage reality is his real social identity. It is his master status.
The differences between these theories can be seen in the explanations for the control the killer has over his dark side from emerging. In essence these theoretical differences are minimal. Sociological approaches to analyse and explain both behaviour and personality of serial killers.
This is a bid to apply the existing theories of violence hostility aggression and criminality in general to the incidents of serial murder. In an attempt to evaluate the related theories similarities among and treatments and solutions for the murderers are drawn upon. The paper is written with.
The functionalist tradition of sociology provides useful insights into the presence of serial killers in modern society. In particular it offers powerful insights into their actions. Sociological Theories Explaining Violent Behavior And Serial Murder Research Paper Self-Control Theory of Criminal Behavior.
Whereas it remains true that African-Americans and other racial minorities. Serial Killers Opening Statement. Many theories about how and why serial killers can kill not just once but multiple times and enjoy it.
That is so flabbergasting to basically everyone that many people have tried to crack this mystery. Many theories have been bounced around some ridiculous some only ridiculous because they have been disproved and some reasonable. They were abused in childhood.
Theories on Serial Killers Holmes and DeBurger 1998 specified the typology of serial killers and expressed this typology into four distinct categories. Visionary killers are categorized as being out of touch with reality and are noted as hearing voices in their head Mission-oriented serial killers state that their lifes mission. Routine Activity Theory Of Serial Killers 1342.
The study of serial killers has been dominated by an individualised focus on studying the biography of offenders and the causes of their behaviour. Popular representations of Jeffrey Dahmer Harold Shipman John Wayne Gacy and other notorious figures emphasise the sociopathic tendencies of the lone serial killer presented in accounts that accentuate how assorted personality traits and risk. This essay is focussed on serial killers through the perspectives of both sociology and psychology.
Serial killers are killers with a minimum of three or four victims with a cooling off period in between. The killer is usually a stranger to the victim - the murders appear unconnected or random. The murders reflect a need to sadistically dominate the victim.
The murder is rarely for profit. According to Hickey 1991 three assumptions about the core characteristics of serial killers influence the development of typologies. Serial killing is psychogenic the locus of motives is internal and the reward for killing is psychological.
As we noted about the definition of serial murder these assumptions exclude those serialists who are externally motivated eg. Hit men terrorists politically or religiously motivated. From a functionalist perspective the social construction of the serial killer identity is symbolic and it helps to clarify the moral boundary that separates good and evil in society.
They are antisocial have low IQs and dont stay in one place for too long. Disorganized killers are prone to take no actions to cover up evidence and do not remember their victims. Sociology of Serial Killers.
Sociology study serial killers from a psychological as well as criminological standpoint. Serial killers are notorious in the sociological field. They act differently than others and spark interest among many people even outside of the sociological world.
They may seem completely normal to the regular person. They may even come across as kind funny or charming however they may come across as or be considered outcasts. Notorious female serial killers using the theories of sociologists Emile Durkheim and Robert K.
The principles of Durkheims Anomie Theory and Mertons Strain Theory have been selected as tools of analysis in helping to understand how a set of thirteen specific sociological factors may have contributed to causing these particular. This video illustrates various sociological and criminal theories helping us to further understand the minds of serial killers.