A more specific profile of a serial killer has been presented by Apsche (1993) stating that most are white males in their twenties or thirties, who target strangers near their homes or places of work. "According to criminologist Eric Hickey, who has assembled the most extensive database on demography of serial murder states that, 88% of serial killers are male, 85% are Caucasian, and the average age when they claim their first victim is usually around 28.5. In terms of victim selection, 62% of the killers target strangers exclusively, and another 22% kill at least one stranger. Finally, 71% of the killers operate in a specific location or area, rather than traveling wide distances to commit their crimes"(Apsche, 1993, p.16). Also, the F.B.I claims that to be classified as a serial killer, the person must first complete 3 separate murders, that are spaced by a duration they call "the cooling off period" which can vary from a few days to years. But one thing that very few definitions include is that for a killer to be known as a "serial Killer", they must have a particular method to their killings. For instance, Wayne Gacy, had the trade mark of gagging victims with their own underwear so that they would die in their own vomit.
To discover what makes a serial killer function, it is necessary to look back into their past, particularly their adolescent life. By looking at many and varied cases, it is evident that virtually all serial killers come from dysfunctional backgrounds involving sexual or physical abuse, drugs or alcoholism and their related problems. Many traits that seem to be universal in all these serial killers, though in varied amounts, include disorganised thinking, bipolar mode disorders, a feeling of resentment towards society brought on by their own failings, sexual frustrations, an inability to be social or socially accepted, over bearing parents and a wild imagination that tends to drag them into a fantasy world. In a chart of serial killer – childhood development characteristics – created by Ressler, Burgers and Douglas (1990), the three most frequently reported behaviors included day dreaming, compulsive masturbation, and isolation.
*Domineering Mother/ Absent Father
Radford University has an ongoing project creating a database of serial killers. It’s quite interesting.
I think each entity that studies serial killers had a slightly different set of criteria for classification but in the end there is usually some dysfunctional family situation at play. This one leans towards the triad of bed wetting, fire, and cruelty to animals.
Check it out-
http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Serial%2 … iption.htm
If you click on "Serial Killer Timelines" there is detailed information about individual killers.
*Domineering Mother/ Absent Father
Not necessarily. Domineering/abusive father and passive mother is an equally toxic combination, if not more so.
That was a joke, Nach. That seems to be what FBI Profiler John Douglas says about everyone and it’s become sort of a running joke to profiling in general.
I do think that criminal profiling is a valid behavioral science for research, but it’s effectiveness as a law enforcement tool remains controversial.
Just in case anyone is interested in seeing things from an opposing viewpoint, not that I personally share it, here’s an article critical of the subject:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/11/12/071112fa_fact_gladwell
