Forensic Psychology: Serial Killer Profiling

What is a Serial Killer? The FBI defines serial murder as: A minimum of three to four victims, with a "cooling off" period in between; The murders reflect a need to sadistically dominate the victim; The murder is never for profit"; the motive is psychological, not material; The victim may have "symbolic" value for the killer; method of killing may reveal this meaning; Many victims are surrogates. They stand in for people in the Killers life. What types of relationships Might create this?

What is the difference b/w a serial killer and a mass murder? Serial killers kill several people over a period of days, weeks, months, and even years. It is not a one-time event. The serial killer kills in cycles, shifting between an active period and a cooling off period. A mass murderer kills several people in a matter of hours at most, murdering in an outburst without a cooling off period. What recent mass murders can you think of?

The Mask of Sanity Because of their psychopathic nature, serial killers do not know how to feel sympathy for others, or even how to have relationships. Instead, they learn to simulate normal behavior by observing others. They blend in, camouflaged as “average” people The most coveted role of roaming psychopaths is a position of authority. Some join the army or masquerade as police officers. Why do you think that psychopaths would want to get into a position of power? Where do you think they could achieve this?

Types of Serial Killer: Act Focused Serial killers can be act-focused (who kill quickly), OR process-focused (who kill slowly), they cannot be both. For act-focused killers, killing is simply about the act itself. Within this group, there are two different types: the visionary and the missionary.

Act Focused: Visionary & Missionary Visionary: Murders because he hears voices or has visions that direct him to do so. Missionary: He believes that he is meant to get rid of a particular group of people. What psychological disorders might visionary and missionary killers be suffering from?

Process Focused: Lust Process-focused serial killers get enjoyment from torture and the slow death of their victims. The Lust Killer: The lust killer is sexually motivated. These killers derive pleasure from torturing their victims. Most serial killers are of this type.

Process Focused: Thrill and Power Thrill-Oriented Killer: These guys kill for the joy of it. They enjoy killing very sadistically. They are into the killing for excitement, the chase. Power-seeking Killer: They believe they are “God” and play with people as if they are toys. Their main objective for killing is to gain and exert power over their victim. Activity: Go through the serial killers and try to Categorize them.

Childhood Environmental Factors Child is deprived of love or nurturing; parents are detached or absent. Inconsistent discipline: if father is stern and mother is soft, child learns to hate authority and manipulate mother. Hypocritical parents, who privately belittle the child, while publicly presenting the image of a "happy family". Being publically humiliated as a child. What are some ways in which a child might be publically humiliated?

Environmental Factors: Child Abuse Many children have suffered horrible abuse at the hands of their parents, but did not grow up to be murderers. The abuse of children by their parents is barbaric, and it seems little wonder that anything but a fledgling serial killer could be the result. Children can learn the "Jekyll and Hyde" routine from parents . What might the “Jekyll and Hyde” routine mean?

Environmental Factors: Parenting Authoritarian Parenting: Creates a lack of love in the child’s life. Insecure Attachment: Leads to disconnection from people and withdrawal into a “fantasy world.” Which of Erikson’s Stages might be relevant here?

Environmental Factors: Patterns The three indicators reported with highest frequency are daydreaming, compulsive masturbation, and isolation. Additionally, fantasy has emerged as a major component of the psyche of the serial killer.  Daydreaming  Compulsive masturbation  Isolation  Chronic lying  Enuresis (bed wetting)  Rebelliousness  Nightmares  Destroying property  Fire setting  Hurting Other Children Pick thee and discuss how they relate to the concept of fantasy

Environmental Factors: Peer Rejection and Isolation Many multiple murders are isolation for differing reasons as children. However, they are also rejected by their peers. Strange and bizarre fantasies thrive in isolation. For the serial killer, fantasies of violence create further isolation, which creates a greater reliance on fantasy for pleasure. How does isolation lead to fantasies?

Environmental Factors: Triad of Behavior TRIAD 1 - ANIMAL CRUELTY Torturing animals is a disturbing red flag. Animals are often seen as "practice" for killing humans. Torturing animals and setting fires will eventually escalate to crimes against fellow human beings, if the pattern is not somehow broken. What should we do with children who are caught torturing animals?

Environmental Factors: Triad of Behavior PYROMANIA Pyromania is often a sexually stimulating activity. The dramatic destruction of property feeds the same perverse need to destroy another human. Because serial killers don't see other humans as more than objects, the leap between setting fires and killing people is easy to make. Why do you think some people Become obsessed with fire?

Environmental Factors: Triad of Behavior BED WETTING By some estimates, 60% of multiple murderers wet their beds past adolescence. As the isolation of a child grows more severe, the reliance on fantasies, especially destructive ones, can grow. Have you wet the bed? How did it make you feel? Was it isolating?

Holmes Typoology Disorganized vs. Organized: There are important differences between a psychotic individual with a diagnosable mental illness (Disorganized) and a psychopathic individual with a Personality Disorder (Organized). Asocial vs. Nonsocial: Offenders who are alone because they are inexperienced and lack basic social skills. (Asocial). Offenders who are alone out of choice and preference for solitary (Nonsocial).

Organized: Antisocial Personality Disorder Most Organized Serial Killers have Antisocial Personality Disorder. This type of person was previously referred to a psychopath or a sociopath. The key aspects of this disorder are that the person lacks empathy & morality and is extremely manipulative. How could we test someone to see if they have Antisocial Personality Disorder?

Disorganized Psychosis: When someone has a break with reality they are undergoing psychosis. At some point they had a psychotic break. While going through psychosis, they may experience delusions (false beliefs) and hallucinations (seeing things, hearing voices). Schizophrenia is a psychological disorder that includes psychotic breaks of different lengths.

DISORGANIZED, ASOCIAL OFFENDERS ORGANIZED, NONSOCIAL OFFENDERS The Holmes Typology DISORGANIZED, ASOCIAL OFFENDERS ORGANIZED, NONSOCIAL OFFENDERS IQ below average, 80-95 range IQ above average, 105-120 range socially inadequate socially adequate lives alone, usually does not date lives with partner or dates frequently absent or unstable father stable father figure family emotional abuse, inconsistent family physical abuse, harsh lives and/or works near crime scene geographically/occupationally mobile minimal interest in news media follows the news media usually a high school dropout may be college educated poor hygiene/housekeeping skills good hygiene/housekeeping skills keeps a secret hiding place in the home does not usually keep a hiding place nocturnal (nighttime) habits diurnal (daytime) habits drives a clunky car or pickup truck drives a flashy car needs to return to crime scene for reliving memories needs to return to crime scene to see what police have done may contact victim's family to play games usually contacts police to play games no interest in police work a police groupie or ‘wanabee’ kills at one site, considers mission over kills at one site, disposes at another usually leaves body intact may dismember body attacks in a "blitz" pattern attacks using seduction into restraints depersonalizes victim to a thing or it keeps personal, holds a conversation leaves a chaotic crime scene leaves a controlled crime scene leaves physical evidence leaves little physical evidence Look at the chart. Discuss the difference between the two types for each of the actions. Choose one that you think is interesting to report back to the class.

Souvenirs and Trophies Souvenirs: Personal items allow the killer to enjoy the memories of the crime. A trophy can become something of a shrine Why would a serial killer want to collect trophies and souvenirs?

Signatures The MO (Modus Operandi) is basically the way the predator commits the crime. While the MO tells us something about how he did it, the signature gives us some insight into why. The signature is a ritual, something the subject does intentionally for emotional satisfaction -- something that isn't necessary to perpetuate the crime. (For example, posing a body.) What was Jack the Ripper’s Signature?

Signatures Generally, the signature is a more reliable guide to the behavior of serial offenders than an MO. That's because the MO evolves, while the emotional reasoning that triggers the signature doesn't. What was Gacy’s MO?

The 6 Phases: Aura There is a withdrawal from reality into fantasy. The killer may attempt to self-medicate. They fantasize about the murder.

The 6 Phases: Trolling Consists of the behavior patterns that a particular killer uses to identify and stalk his victim. They look for victims and begin to plan the crime.

The 6 Phases: Wooing The time period when most killers win the confidence of victims before luring them into a trap. How might you gain a victim’s Ttrust if you were a serial killer?

The 6 Phases: Capture May include the locking of a door or a blow that renders the victim helpless. The killer savors this moment. How was Bundy able to convince all Of these girls to get in his car?

The 6 Phases: Murder The ritual reenactment of the disastrous experiences of the killer's childhood, but this time he reverses the roles. What might you predict that Gacy’s childhood was like?

The 6 Phases: Totem After the kill, murderers sink into a depression. The trophy or souvenir is meant to give the murderer the same feelings of power he experienced at the time of the kill. Why did Pickton keep Body parts on his farm?

The 6 Phases: Depression A victim, now killed, no longer represents what the killer thought he or she represented. The killer sinks further into depression In each subsequent murder, he attempts to make the scene of the crime equal to the fantasy. Why will the serial killer never fully recreate the traumatic experience?

Profiling Profiling the UNSUB is, in the simplest terms, coming up with a reasonable composite of the person, or people, who committed one or more crimes. Profilers employ psychological theories that provide ways to detect mental deficiency such as delusions, spot imprints from hostility, recognize criminal thought patterns, and predict the right character defects.