This paper will discuss serial killers and identify a research problem in regard to the topic. Generally, a serial killer can be defined as a person who has murdered three or more people within a time range of more than a month with some significant emotional cooling periods in between the events. Furthermore, this has to be in service of abnormal psychological gratification. However, over the years, various professionals such as mental health experts and law enforcement investigators have been trying to study serial killers in vain since they have never reached a consensus in regard to the issue in question. Therefore, the problem to be addressed by this study is that there is not enough information about the life of the serial killers before the killings started (Abe, 2017). Comment by EasyTiger: Try to form a concise problem statement that has it’s own paragraphs apart from the rest of the sections or in a section of its own. The problem statement should have a maximum of 500 words. Understanding serial killers Generally, from the studies, it is clear that the motivations for serial killers are quite complex and therefore, only an intensive psychological analysis on the individuals can help in providing some significant insight. This might include how and why the individuals in question became serial killers. Information from the analysis can then be used in preventing cases of serial killings in future. For example, since the various incidences of serial killing are known to have a number of similar features, these similarities can be used to identify a killer who is actively killing and, hence, prevent any other cases of homicide in the future. However, the problem is that many relevant authorities or rather bodies that are supposed to deal with cases of serial killing lack this vital information that might be instead used to curb any further homicidal incidents. However, in a bid to understand them, there are some areas that need to be discussed in detail that include: the motivations involved in serial killings, the psychological, and neurodevelopment disorders (Ioana, 2017). Psychological Disorders As much as the research into serial killers might still be in its infancy, current evidence indicates that psychological disorders play a significant role. This can be well understood by looking into the motivations of serial killers. Evidence shows that some of the motivations involved in serial killing include the need for perfection or power or the fear of rejection. As a result, a majority is usually much afraid of rejection and is usually also very insecure. They also avoid close or painful relationships. This is the reasons many of them are usually reported to having sex with their victims or even their corpses to reduce the chances of being rejected. Furthermore, they tend to prolong the suffering of their victims, especially when killing with the main aim of creating a sense of power over the victims. In addition, they also hold on ...

1. This paper will discuss serial killers and identify a research
problem in regard to the topic. Generally, a serial killer can be
defined as a person who has murdered three or more people
within a time range of more than a month with some significant
emotional cooling periods in between the events. Furthermore,
this has to be in service of abnormal psychological gratification.
However, over the years, various professionals such as mental
health experts and law enforcement investigators have been
trying to study serial killers in vain since they have never
reached a consensus in regard to the issue in question.
Therefore, the problem to be addressed by this study is that
there is not enough information about the life of the serial
killers before the killings started (Abe, 2017). Comment by
EasyTiger: Try to form a concise problem statement that has it’s
own paragraphs apart from the rest of the sections or in a
section of its own. The problem statement should have a
maximum of 500 words.
Understanding serial killers
Generally, from the studies, it is clear that the motivations for
serial killers are quite complex and therefore, only an intensive
psychological analysis on the individuals can help in providing
some significant insight. This might include how and why the
individuals in question became serial killers. Information from
the analysis can then be used in preventing cases of serial
killings in future. For example, since the various incidences of
serial killing are known to have a number of similar features,
these similarities can be used to identify a killer who is actively
killing and, hence, prevent any other cases of homicide in the
future. However, the problem is that many relevant authorities
or rather bodies that are supposed to deal with cases of serial
killing lack this vital information that might be instead used to
curb any further homicidal incidents. However, in a bid to
understand them, there are some areas that need to be discussed
in detail that include: the motivations involved in serial

2. killings, the psychological, and neurodevelopment disorders
(Ioana, 2017).
Psychological Disorders
As much as the research into serial killers might still be in its
infancy, current evidence indicates that psychological disorders
play a significant role. This can be well understood by looking
into the motivations of serial killers. Evidence shows that some
of the motivations involved in serial killing include the need for
perfection or power or the fear of rejection. As a result, a
majority is usually much afraid of rejection and is usually also
very insecure. They also avoid close or painful relationships.
This is the reasons many of them are usually reported to having
sex with their victims or even their corpses to reduce the
chances of being rejected. Furthermore, they tend to prolong the
suffering of their victims, especially when killing with the main
aim of creating a sense of power over the victims. In addition,
they also hold on a belief that the only power that matters is
that of inflicting pain on others and therefore, it is only through
killing that they can get such empowerment. In short, the main
themes of serial killers are power and rejection. However, there
are cases where the theme of a perfection of killing plays some
role. This is the reason some serial killers tend to kill some
groups of people in the society such as women and prostitutes
who are believed to be unclean. By doing so, they believe that
they are making the world a better part (Ioana, 2013).
Comment by EasyTiger: You need a citation for any and
all assertions of fact. However, you don’t have to cite every
single sentence if the same source is being used as evidence for
2-3 sentences in a row. Comment by EasyTiger: Try to engage
in scholarly writing and a professional tone. If you don’t know
how, let me know. We can discuss.
There are also some disorders such as antisocial disorder that
contribute to serial killing. This disorder is normally
characterized by one’s inability to distinguish between what is
right or wrong. Therefore, they tend to perceive situations and
relations with others in a different way and are therefore fond of

3. manipulating people and later on acting with indifference.
Therefore, people in the society tend to remove them from the
social norm. Other groups that suffer from the same fate include
those with Autism Spectrum disorders, those who have
experienced psychosocial stressor in the past, and those who
have experienced head injuries. As a result of the place the
society tends to put them in, they end up in some mental state
that might influence them to commit certain heinous crimes
such as serial killing. However, despite all this information,
some researchers still argue that these disorders do not
implicate in any way that one is a serial killer (Miller, 2014).
Neurodevelopmental Disorder
Neurodevelopmental problems include things such as ASD and
head injury which when interplayed with other psychological
factors might lead to very serious outcomes. However, evidence
indicates that neurodevelopmental disorders alone are not to be
blamed for serial killing (Allely, Minnis, Thompson, Wilson &
Gillberg, 2014). This is because a significant number of the
serial killers with the above mentioned neurodevelopmental
disorders were found to have other significant stressors in their
childhood. These environmental stressors might include things
such as sexual abuse, a death of a close person, or even parental
divorce. As a result, what is mainly found to result in an
individual developing into a serial killer is majorly the complex
interplay between both environmental and neurodevelopmental
factors.
A good example of where the complex interplays between
neurodevelopmental and psychological factors lead to adverse
outcomes is in the case of Jeffrey Dahmer who was a notorious
killer. He killed seven men and boys and on many occasions, he
displayed symptoms of Asperger Syndrome. This is because,
during his childhood, he was unattached and rarely made bonds
with anyone. He also lacked the reciprocal social interaction the
reason he was unable to make close friends with his peers. He
was also always shy, unhappy as well as rigid. This is not to
mention that he had some issues with his nonverbal

4. communication, in that his unusual gaze and facial expression
were very much inconsistent with the nonverbal social deficits
of people with ASD. This is not to mention that his father was
absent and inattentive throughout his childhood while his
mother suffered from depression. At the age of four, he
underwent a major brain surgery to repair a double hernia.
Therefore, this clearly suggests that as much as autism plays
some role in the serial murder, the media should void falsely
overemphasizing its link to serial killing (Coyle, Ross, Barnard,
Peacock, Linch & Prahlow, 2015).
Lack of enough information
Different studies indicate that there is a major problem when it
comes to the provision of information about serial killers and
hence making it hard for the law enforcement departments to
look for effective ways to curb serial murders. The information
provided about serial murderers is very shallow and at times
misinforming and hence making it hard for the relevant
authorities to come up with effective measures to curb the
menace. For example, by clearly understanding the various
features or characteristics that serial killers have in common,
the law enforcement investigators can easily identify those
serial killers who are actively killing and stop them before
much damage is done (Dolan, 2018).
There is also evidence that there is lack of enough information
about the serial killers. For example, a recent study on the
availability of rigorous research on mass and serial killers
proved that there are only twenty-two peer-reviewed articles
related to the subject and they are all single case reports.
Furthermore, there are only a hundred and eighteen web
articles, one public report, four book chapters, and 20 books
providing an analysis in relation to this topic. This is a clear
show that there is not enough information about serial killers
(Dolan, 2018).
Who is influenced by the problem?
The society is more likely to suffer from the problem of lack of
information. This is because, with the lack of proper analysis

5. into the menace of serial killers, fear will continue gripping the
members of the society not knowing who might be the next
victim. However, with proper information, the society can
easily help in identifying members of the society who are likely
to turn into serial killers if their problem is not addressed. As a
result, they can help them overcome the issue by providing them
with the love, and take them to hospitals where need be. They
can also help the relevant the authorities in identifying active
serial killers and hence reducing cases of homicide.
What needs to be known that is currently unknown is that
neurodevelopmental disorders alone do not make serial killers.
Otherwise, there are other factors such as environmental and
other psychological factors that interact with these disorders
whose end result is adverse results. Therefore, not all people
who suffer from neurodevelopmental disorders are serial killers.
If this problem fails to be addressed, the cases of homicide as a
result of serial killers will continue being an issue in the society
and the dream of curbing it will be more of farfetched.
Furthermore, the society might continue suspecting and
segregating the wrong people such as ASD victims who have
nothing to do with serial killing.
Conclusion
From the study, it is clear that the lack of enough information
about serial killers before they started killing is a major
problem that might hinder the efforts to curbing serial killers.
Therefore, various research agencies together with the
government should start putting more efforts and resources into
this form of information. By obtaining the information it can
possibly give a more detailed and accurate picture of the killer
as well as potential future killers.

6. References
Abe, K. (2017). What is a serial killer? What is a mass
murderer? How do they
differ?. European Journal of Academic Essays, 4(4), 187-198.
Allely, C. S., Minnis, H., Thompson, L., Wilson, P., & Gillberg,
C. (2014).
Neurodevelopmental and psychosocial risk factors in serial
killers and mass murderers. Aggression And Violent Behavior,
19288-301. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2014.04.004
Coyle, J., Ross, K. F., Barnard, J. J., Peacock, E., Linch, C. A.,
& Prahlow, J. A. (2015).
The eyeball killer: serial killings with postmortem globe
enucleation. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 60(3), 642-647.
doi:10.1111/1556-4029.12714
Dolan, E. W. (2018). Serial killers and mass murderers:Study
examines the role of
neurodevelopmental disorders. Retrieved from
http://www.psypost.org/2014/11/serial-killers-mass-murderers-
study-examines-role-neurodevelopmental-disorders-29528
Ioana, I. M. (2013). No One is Born a Serial Killer!. Procedia -
Social And Behavioral
Sciences, 81(World Congress on Administrative and Political
Sciences), 324-328. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.436
Miller, L. (2014). Serial killers: II. Development, dynamics, and
forensics. Aggression
And Violent Behavior, 1912-22. doi:10.1016/j.avb.2013.11.003