Can young children be diagnosed with antisocial disorder?

  As my psychology teacher exposed us to an amuzing article, all I could think of was, "These kids are Demon children." It was hard to read all the cruel behaviors these children exhibited. It was like reading about the behaviors of antisocial adults but instead of grown ups being the instigators, it was young children below the age of ten years of age. These children have committed crimes, in one case, a young boy pushed his toddler sibling into a pool, pulled a chair and sat to watch him drown. In another incident, a child would cut pieces of his cat's tail throughout weeks just "to see how the cat reacted." All these children are born with deficiencies inside their brain that block the ability for them to feel remorse or empathy. The children can be very manipulative and plan out strategically to obtain whatever they please. Anne, the mother of Michael who is one of the children discussed in this article, explained that the situation with her son does not bring much pleasure in her life: “...They shouldn’t judge until they’ve walked in my shoes. Because, you know, it takes a toll. There’s not a lot of joy and happiness in raising Michael." This made me wonder if the treatment of the parents toward the children could affect the future of the child. Dr. Lynam explained, "because parents don’t necessarily bond to children who behave cruelly, those children tend to get punished more and nurtured less, creating what he calls “a self-fulfilling prophecy.” So, these kids are naturally born with these tendencies, but depending on the behavior parents have towards them can define if the child will become a criminal, or if the child will learn to overcome this and "grow out of it". Kahn Jennifer, . "Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?." New York Times Magazine. N.p., 2012. Web. 20 May 2012.

Statistics

The blog entry will be a bit short this week because the article I chose is solely statistical. I decided to look up the statistics on serial killers because I was wondering if culture was a factor. I was actually very surprised to read that 14% of serial killers are homosexual. I always thought that homosexuals were more sympathetic. I expected the number to be lower. This statistical review also stated that the United States has 76% of the world's serial killers, at least 90% of them are males, and 84% are Caucasian. These numbers are noticeably high, which made me wonder if a culture that values tight societies over individuality could have less serial killers. What also surprised me was that Maine had no records of serial murder. Why is that? Also, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, Delaware, and Vermont have had only had one case of a serial killer. What makes these states different from Texas, Florida, Illinois, California, and New York (the states that have had the most serial killers)?  




"Thread: Serial Killer Statistics." Serial Killer Statistics. Web. 12 May 2012. <http://www.crimecasefiles.com/forum/crime-records-and-statistics/464-serial-killer-statistics.html>.

Cannibal Albert Fish

  

The life of cannibal Albert Fish was lacking an affectionate childhood after his father died and his mother left him at an orphanage. This wasn't the only factor that led him to become such a twisted and evil adult. His family had a history of mental illnesses, which could explain the biological point of view on his behavior. He appeared to be a common and caring grandfather. He would use this appearance to lure his victims and to gain their trust. Fish's interest in cannibalism first started after his wife of 20 years left him to raise their 6 children by himself. He would often serve his children raw meat for dinner every time there was a full moon. Albert Fish was caught after he sent a letter to the parents of a little girl explaining how he had killed, cooked, and eaten her. After authorities arrested him, he confessed to over 100 murders. This man was also a masochist who enjoyed sticking needles inside his body and leaving them inside. Fisher was sentenced to the electric chair and he seemed to be looking forward to it.

This video left me speechless after I watched it. Cannibalism has always been very hard for me to understand when a human isn't under severe circumstances. I wonder what causes the desire of human flesh. Could it be biological? Are humans instinctively cannibals in order to survive? is cannibalism accepted in other cultures?

. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr 2012.

Three Ingredients

Looking for pet scans of serial killers, I came across this article that talked about the biology of the brain of a serial killers. It also answered one of psychology's most complex questions: nature or nurture?According to the information gathered by Jim Fallon, a neuroscientist at the University of California who studies serial killers, there are three components that are what we can call the ingredients to become a serial killer: certain "violent" or "aggressive" genes; damage in certain brain areas; and exposure to early childhood abuse or trauma. He was inspired to carry out this experiment after his mother told him there had been around 7 killers on the family's ancestors list. Studying closely his family's pet scans, Dr. Fallon discovered that out of all his family, he was the one that had the "brain of a serial killer."  His scans showed no activity in the orbital cortex, which  is involved in social adjustment, aggression and impulsivity. The temporal lobe which is involved in the processing and memory of emotional reactions, was also lacking activity in Dr. Fallon brain. Most people use these two areas in their brains when making decisions. This explains why he might not have much emotional engagement. Dr. Fallon also found that he carried most of the genes linked to violence and aggression. The only missing ingredient in his case was the traumatic childhood.   The examination that Dr. Fallon made answered a question I had been asking myself: are humans born serial killers? Or do they become serial killers through life experiences? The collaboration of nature and nurture are what produce a serial killer. In Fallon's case, his nature was that of a emotionally disengaged criminal mind, but his nurture overcame these genetic and biological factors. Does this showcase that nurture overcomes nature? Which is more important, nature or nurture? Are most serial killers affected by life experiences or by biological imbalances and genes?  Naik, G.. "Whatyyys on jim fallonyyys mind? a family secret that has been murder to figure out." . N.p., 2009. Web. 15 Apr 2012. xxxlt;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125745788725531839.htmlxxxgt;.

War and Serial Killers

During the last months of 2011, homeless people on Orange County, California, were somewhat terrorized. Three homeless people had been stabbed to death multiple times and policed speculated that these murders were the acts of a serial killer. When the Los Angeles Times released all the speculations, they used a photograph of John Berry, a homeless Vietnam War veteran who had slept by the riverbed in Anaheim for years. A few days after, he was brutally stabbed in a public shopping center in front of various witnesses. The civilians chased him and he was later arrested by the police. The man they had captured was Itzcoatl Ocampo, a 23 year old Iraq war veteran. He had been honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 2010. After he was arrested, investigators found a list of future victims Ocampo had planned to stalk and kill. They also found hat this man followed media about his killings very closely. Ocampo is being charged with the four murders but there is no evidence indicating his desire to plead or not. 
     As I read this article, the biggest question that came to me was, "How in the world is this man killing the people he once protected?" This irony was sick. I know war can change people, do horrible things, and  most certainly leave scars that will never leave. I also wondered if his experiences during the war had created somewhat of a motive to kill these innocent homeless people. Or maybe it built some sort of anger inside him that led him to find relief in brutally killings. This man killed with absolute anger as if he had a personal problem with the victims. 40-60 stabs per person is evidence of the anger he exhibited on his victims. What also caught my attention was that, if this was the case (war had caused enough psychological damage), then why was he not treated after his release? Or maybe he was treated, there's not enough information to jump into conclusions. But if he was treated, why wasn't he treated longer? Did his insurance "run out"? Shouldn't war veterans have elongated psychological treatments after war due to all the things they experience? Maybe our government should take a deeper look at all this and compare it to cases of other men that have defended our country. 

Lovett, Ian. "Veteran Charged in Slayings of Four Homeless Men." www.nytimes.com. New York Times, 2012. Web. 25 Feb 2012.  

Opinions on Serial Killers

Opinions on Serial Killers

                                  Throughout the generations, serial killers have evolved from being “witches and werewolves” to being mentally insane individuals. Historically, society has elected to categorize serial killers very adversely. In recent studies, scientist and psychologist have determined that serial killers have lived a lifetime of violence, usually beginning with abuse or neglect as a child and resulting in pathological violence, i.e. murder. Before society had the benefits of technology, people believed that killing a human was impossible for another human to carry out, hence the invention of witches and werewolves. Society needed something to blame and refused to believe that their neighbor could commit such a violent crime without paranormal influence.

                                  In the late 20^th century, the media exploded with the thought of serial killers and the typical murder show was produced. Since then, shows like Criminal Minds and Dexter has exploded with popularity throughout America. Criminal Minds is based off of a real FBI task force called the Behavioral Sciences Unit and portrays what they do on a daily bases to locate and prevent serial killers.

 Serial killers are grouped into three distinct categories: organized killer, disorganized killer, or medical killer. Organized killers are believed to be one of the hardest styles of murderers to be caught because they plan their attacks so obsessively. They plan every detail and leave little room for error, which increases the difficulty for law enforcement to apprehend them. Disorganized killers are killers of opportunity and typically kill with a high level of violence. Since they do not plan their attacks, they have a high margin of error and are easier to catch than organized and medical killers.  Last, we have medical killers, also known as “Angels of Death”. Angels of Death, similar to organized killers, are extremely hard to catch because they are so thorough and careful. They typically believe that the person they are killing needs to die because of the pain or misery they may be enduring. They think that they are helping the victims.

                                  Punishment of serial killers has become a very controversial topic amongst many Americans. Murder is one of the very few crimes that result in Capital Punishment. Some argue that you cannot kill a serial killer because they are mentally unstable or ill. They attempt to justify killing because of their childhood issues or mental illnesses. Others say that killing is killing no matter how you want to look at it and it should be punished by death. Telling a family that the man/woman who killed their loved one is being let go or receiving a lower penalty because they are insane is unfair.

                                  Each generation is plagued with a serial killer of some type and each generation deals with them differently. It is growing harder to handle these murderers because of the way our judiciary branch is set up. It takes years for a murderer to be tried and they still have a chance of being released. Past generations led a more direct approach to murderers and immediately killed them. Either way, history shows that as long as humans are on earth, we will be forced to catch and punish serial killers.

                                  Serial killers are a very abstract phenomenon to understand. They are more than your average murderer and have a very specific style of killing that the average human could not fathom. To a psychologist, studying a serial killer is a very intriguing topic, but how do psychologists and behavior analyst actually study serial killers? How do they determine the difference between a sane person and psychopath? The way a serial killers mind works is like none other. Each one is different and each one requires an in depth understanding of the killer’s life long experience, especially the catalyst that created the monster. HL Long’s article does an extremely well job of covering the basics of serial killers and their evolution from “witches” to “Angels of Death”.

                                  Serial killers make an awesome plot for a T.V. show or a movie and people love them. They enjoy the suspense and the drama and some even idolize them. Without serial killers, basic cable would not have the drama and excitement for the viewers.

                                   I believe that studying serial killers and understanding their mentality is a very important factor for law enforcement. The better they understand them, the more people they will be able to save. Serial killers are always going to pop up and the only thing we can do about it is to understand them and stop them. Every serial killer that has erupted in history has been unique. Each one of them is different and has different motives, styles, and purposes. But all of them relate to each other because they all kill.

                                  I think serial killers should be punished with death no matter what their mental state is. They took multiple lives and they do not deserve to have theirs. The families of the victims need justice and allowing the murderers three meals a day does not equal the pain and suffering the families are experiencing. Serial killers will remain an interesting topic and continue to be studied throughout the generations. As we evolve, they evolve. The killers of our age will be totally different than the killers of our grandchildren. They prove to be a force society needs to account for and learn to locate and prevent to insure the least amount of suffering for law abiding citizens.

Long, HL. "Public Opinions on Serial Killers." unc.edu . ibilio.org, 2011. Web. 19 Feb 2012. <http://long102portfolio.web.unc.edu/journal-article/>.

Welcome!

When I was presented with this new project, I was a bit stuck on what I wanted to research and write about. There are numerous subjects that interest me, the hard part was picking the right one. The next morning, I was having a conversation with my psychology teacher about the asylum she had worked in and we later touched the subject of serial killers. Not only all the psychology behind their reasons for killing, but also the neurological processes happening inside the brains intrigues me tremendously. That's why I decided that this would be an appealing topic to elaborate on. So, I hope you all enjoy learning about serial killers as much as I will enjoy studying them!