Serial Killers

5. “Inside a Serial Killer’s House” is a cycle of photographs depicting the twists and turns of one of the best
known serial killers Ed Gein, the Wisconsin serial killer stunned by his domineering mother. All of them have eye-catchy titles, such as “The End of a Quiet Rein of Terror” and “A Boy’s Best Friend is his Mother”, each concealing a true story from Gein’s life.
The life of Eddie Gein is tragic and unusual: “it is believed that his grief over the death of his mother in 1945 inspired his crimes”. Finally, “he was found guilty of murders ad placed in a mental institution for the rest of his days”.
The story in pictures shows that a serial killer is not a super-man but a usual person with his own fears and convictions, his brutal crimes are echoes of his childhood psychological traumas.

6. “Popular Myths and Misconceptions about Serial Killers Debunked. What do you Really Know about Serial Killers?” touches upon the key points that mislead the authorities and rapidly spread among scared citizens. It is erroneously considered that serial killers are all white males, they are insane and cannot stop killing, they wish to get caught and be famous, they are single failures. However, things are frequently quite the other way round.

The article is of particular interest, because it shatters the common myths about serial killers “amidst all the romanticism surrounding the topic”. It is proved that “serial killers are not necessarily dysfunctional loners”, “they are
seemingly normal” and at times charming people, the examples of them include Rader, Yates, Ridgway, Bundy etc.

The article contributes to making the profile of contemporary serial killers and dispels the misconceptions promoted by the media.

7. The book “Talking with Serial Killers: The Most Evil People in the World Tell their Own Stories” by Christopher Berry-Dee is a rich collection of an investigative criminologist’s serial-killer-related thoughts. Berry-Dee offers abstracts from transcripts and correspondence narrating with a special thrill.
At the same time he not only tells the life-story of the brutal criminals but also reveals killers’ emotions as though they are rank-and-file humans. So, Henry Lucas confesses “I hated all my life. I hated everybody. When I first grew up and I can remember, I was dressed as a girl by Mother. And I stayed that way for three years”.
The book provides a powerful insight into what occurs in the serial killer’s mind before and after the flesh-creeping homicides.

8. “The Personality Profile of a Serial Killer” by Julietta Leung defines what a serial killer truly is and discusses the typology of the notion, that is visionary serial killer, missionary serial killer, lust killer, power seeker killer thrill killer gain serial killer corresponding to their
motives. The researcher analyses the factors that contribute to the development of serial killers’ personalities.
The article concerns fortuity and deliberation of a victim choice: “There have been many serial killers throughout history who have committed horrible crimes by torturing and murdering innocent bystanders who were simply just at the wrong place and at the wrong time”. And as “they are all motivated to kill in different ways”, the profile of a serial killer will never be perfect and stereotyped.

9. The article “Antisocial Personality Disorder among Serial Killers: Is there any Hope or Do we Throw away the Key?” deals with the profile of a serial killer, defines what is meant by it and offers characteristics of a criminal introduced by different scholars. Knight defines a serial killer as “a unique blend of interrelated elements from neurological, social”¦ realms”
The article is invaluable as it provides detailed analysis of multiple factors that impact a serial killer.
10. The article entitled “Serial Killers and Self-Concept” presents an interesting perspective on the lives and crimes of serial killers. It has four main sections that tell about Richard Ramirez, Ken Bianchi, John Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer and uncovers the nature of the psychopaths.
Ramirez, “believing he is evil and wants everyone to think he is motivated by Satan” is contrasted with Bianchi,
viewing “himself as a victim and product of the violent influences”.
The article provides readers with psychological models of serial killers that predetermine their behavior and reveal the mechanisms that help them to avoid responsibility and justify themselves.