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What are the effects of childhood abuse on serial killing behavior? It has been very clearly demonstrated that serial killers were abused as children, to one degree or another. The levels and types of abuse vary widely from sexual, physical, and emotional abuse to simple neglect. The abuses may be forced and obvious, or very subtle and not so easily identified. The most important factor in the abuse has appeared to be how it was perceived by the child (Egger 117). When the child felt the abuse was unwarranted it was seen as much harsher than in situations where they felt that the parents had a reasonable justification to beat or neglect them.
In other words, if the child felt that they deserved to be punished for something, they did not see it as abuse. Another common factor among the interviewed serial killers appears to be their relationships, or lack thereof, with their families. It has been shown that the future killers did not learn to inter-act sufficiently with members of their families. The relationships were strained, and sometimes nonexistent.
The significance of this is that by not learning how to relate to family members, they were also not learning how to relate to other members of society. If they were not taught to value their relationships within the family unit, how could they have learned to value those outside that family? These behaviors combine and continue to worsen as the child matures. Without early psychological intervention, the possibility of a child reared under these circumstances becoming a murderer, and specifically a serial killer, increase dramatically (Lassieur 75). Unfortunately there is not a perfect solution for stopping serial killers, even with such accurate indicators during childhood. Study of previously convicted serial killers has certainly been an aid in understanding the motivations behind behaviors; however it is not conducive to stopping serial killers before they commit their crimes.
Knowing the indicators of a possible serial killer type of personality does not allow the medical, psychological, or legal communities to prevent the murders that are likely to occur. Research into this phenomenon will only assist in its prevention when parents of these children learn to understand the possible consequences of abusive actions, understand the warning signs in childhood behavior, and undertake to prevent the tragedies that could result by securing psychological assistance for a child displaying these indicators. In most of the cases, the abuse of a child by a family member is the most likely element to trigger the uncaring rage of a serial killer. It is little wonder how anything but a serial killer could come out of such horrible circumstances. Many murderers portray their childhood as a constant state of devastating sexual abuse and horrifying torture. (Furio 68) Child abuse, however, can not be viewed as the sole reason for causing a killer, as many abused children are able to function as adults without violent outbreaks.
Some murderers claim that exposure to severe violence serves as motivation for them to kill. Again, violence cannot take the sole responsibility because not all serial killers have been exposed to horrific acts of violence as children. When a child is abused, he / she usually ends up severing ties with one or both of his / her parents. Most serial killers end up with a strong disliking or even hate for their mothers. Serial killers are often found to have unusual or unnatural relationships with their mothers. Some people even want to dismiss some serial killers as "mama's boys who never fully matured. " (Reinhart 155) Some mothers link sexuality with death in an effort to keep their children chaste.
Others have exposed their children to inappropriate sexual behavior. Few serial killers blame their problems on their fathers, however when they do, they state abuse as the reason for their paternally driven angst. When the latter circumstance is investigated, it is usually a sadistic, disciplinarian father that emerges in the serial killer's background. Adoption is yet another common link in the background of serial killers. (Egger 156) Adoption is considered as a potential contribution to the serial killer's motivation because it creates confusion in a developing mind.
While investigating possible elements that cause the acts of a serial killer, officials have two main concerns. The first is that the biological parents may have passed on defective genes to their children. The other is that if a child becomes knowledgeable of his / her adoption, it leaves the child wondering about his / her true identity. Was the mother a prostitute? A rape victim?
Was the father an alcoholic? A high school student? An adopted child may question why their biological parents did not accept them. This sense of rejection can have serious consequences on their psyche. The damage can be intensified if the child meets his / her biological parents and is once again rejected. However, it goes without saying that adoption does not create serial killers.
Recently, scientists have been paying more attention to the brain and genetic makeup of serial killers. (Lassieur 138) They hope that this research will help them to understand what makes a serial killer lash out and what possible clues are available in comprehending his / her thought process. As children, the typical serial killer would have displayed many traits which are not considered normal. Several behaviors, which are alarming, are self-mutilation, cruelty to children and animals, and convulsions. (Schechter 80) When a child is left alone for long periods, their minds begin to keep them company, which begin the fantasies. During the fantasies, masturbation begins.
An example is Ed Kemper. As he sat in the basement alone and confused, because his mother thought that he would molest his sister, the fantasies began. The longer he was left there, the more violent the daydreams became. The continued isolation and the verbal abuse from his mother gave his daydreams the chance to become the dominant force in his life. One of his final victims was his mother. It is well known that fantasy plays a large role in the life and motivation of the serial killer.
And it is widely accepted that the serial killer uses fantasy as a crutch, as a coping mechanism for day-to-day life. (Schechter 93) The research has shown that some serial killers are precociously demented, fascinated by sadistic violence at a very early age. As a child, Ed Kemper was already beheading his sister's dolls, playing "execution" games, and once told his sister that he wanted to kiss his second grade teacher, but "if I kiss her I would have to kill her first. " (Lassieur 112) One of first places our society looks to for an explanation is the serial killer's upbringing. "So many of us wanted to believe that something had traumatized little Jeffrey Dahmer, otherwise we must believe that some people simply give birth to monsters. (Lassieur 113) In some cases, the abuse of children by their parents is barbaric, and it seems little wonder that anything but a fledgling serial killer would come from such horrible squalor. As a child, the "Boston Strangler" Albert De Salvo was actually sold off as a slave by his alcoholic dad. (Egger 139) Many sadistic murderers portray their childhood as an endless chain of horrifying sexual abuse, torture, and mayhem. Some stories of torture may be exaggerated for sympathy (it is always to the killer's advantage to concoct wicked parents as an excuse) but some have been corroborated by witnesses. Even families that appear healthy on the outside may be putting on an act. Children can learn the "Jeckyl and Hyde" routine from parents who are outgoing and social with neighbors and co-workers, but who scowl at their kid's inadequacies when they get home.
As we examine childhood abuse as a possible key to the serial killer's behavior, we must remember that many children have suffered horrible abuse at the hands of their parents, but did not grow up to be lust murderers. Childhood abuse is not a direct link to a future in crime. And while many girls are victimized as children, very few grow up to be sadistically violent toward strangers. Childhood abuse may not be the sole excuse for serial killers, but it is an undeniable factor in many of their backgrounds. (Wilson 133) In his book Serial Killers, Joel Norris describes the cycles of violence as generational: "Parents who abuse their children, physically as well as psychologically, instill in them an almost instinctive reliance upon violence as a first resort to any challenge. " (Wilson 140) Childhood abuse not only spawns violent reactions, Norris writes, but also affects the child's health, including brain injuries, malnutrition, and other developmental disorders.
Some parents believed that by being harsh disciplinarians, it would "toughen" the child. Instead, it often creates a lack of love between parent and child that can have disastrous results. If the child doesn't bond with its primary caretakers, there is no foundation for trusting others later in life. This can lead to isolation, where intense violent fantasies become the primary source of gratification. "Instead of developing positive traits of trust, security, and autonomy, child development becomes dependent on fantasy life and its dominant themes, rather than on social interaction. (Wilson 190) When the child grows up, according to these authors, all they know are their fantasies of domination and control. They have not developed compassion for others.
Instead, humans become flattened-out symbols for them to enact their violent fantasies. In looking to the parents for explanations, we see both horrifying mothers and fathers. The blame usually falls on the mother, who has been described as too domineering or too distant, too sexually active or too repressed. Perhaps the mother is blamed more because the father has often disappeared, therefore "unaccountable. " (Furio 126) When the father is implicated, it is usually for sadistic disciplinarian tactics, alcoholic rants, and overt anger toward women. It all seems to begin or end with Mother. Henry Lee Lucas launched his murderous career by killing his mom; Ed Kemper ended...
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