Psychology of Criminal Behavior

Shamonee Bowen

Dr. T

November 5, 2016

Psychology of Criminal Behavior

Module 1 Assignment #3

The Social coping mechanism development starts early in the child life and it develops as the child learn to connect with their classmates. Most people the failure to progress acceptable coping mechanisms, results in cruel behavior (Morton, 2005). Abuse and neglect during their upbringing have shown to be the causes that display that the serial killer will be violent in the future. Substance abuse sometimes causes the development of hostility and violence. There are known trials of individuals who got serious cranium damages and eventually become violent, despite having no previous background of violence in their life. Some people who attended the Symposium decided that there is not a single source or influence that leads to the progress of a serial murderer (Morton, 2005). There are a lot of aspects that play a part in their development. A serial killer is someone who kills three or more individuals in a period of time. Though, the Federal Bureau of Investigation describes a serial murderer as someone who perpetrates a sequence of two or more killings, committed at different events, typically, but not constantly, by one serial killer acting alone. Many serial murderers do their wrongdoing for mental fulfillment. Based on the research created in the arrangements of interviews, frequent therapies and trials have confirmed many criminals have different excuses for their crime (Morton, 2005). For instance, some aspects of their youth, religious beliefs, mental issues, imaginations, need for power, sexual desires, and being isolated from society. It is typical that the majority of the serial murderers has had a head trauma, they have come from broken homes, majority of serial killers tend to act out their imaginations primary on animals then finally change their killings and torment onto people.

The specific target area I want to address the problem is why do children abuse animals and does it have any correlation to them getting abused in their childhood. What type of abuse did the child go through and does that play a significant role in shaping them into a serial killer? Some serial killers were never abused as a child and came from stable homes, but something is wrong with the chemical balance. I want to focus on adults and their backgrounds of child abuse.

So, if it is hard to reconstruct serial killers then prevention can be the only way to decrease the rising cases of serial killings (Morton, 2005). There are several ways to rehabilitate serial killers, or other criminals using methods such as the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Token Economy Therapy, however, there are no identified restoration therapies that can help a serial murderer sociopath to become civilized, and due to a number of their awful crimes, it would be wrong to give serial killers the pleasure of being rehabilitated and eventually be permitted to be released

Serial killers are in a position to suitably be designated as having a rather serious form of mental disorder, which does advise that they rather are characterized as an angry person instead of a wicked person (Morton, 2005).  The psychologist believes serial killer's behavior are characterizing as a mental disorder such as psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder. Serial killers have restraints on their behavior because of their mental disorder in that it is fixed in their psychopathologic nature (Jasper, 1997). Though the serial killers may have a mental illness this does not indicate that the legal accountability of serial killers should be reevaluated and possibly be excused. Nevertheless, it cannot be deprived of that the serial killers need to be prohibited from them continue actions, they have been considering an alternative other than going to prison it is still being evaluated (Kohut, 1998). Many researchers looked at the challenges and possible drawbacks with treatment, the argument continued in the direction of a proposed self-psychological treatment. Empathy is used as a self-object transference in a therapeutic setting (Kohut, 1998). This is suggested as an aspect that indicates that self-psychology is the most liked treatment for serial killers. There is the hypothesis that empathic self-objects are what has been lacking in the life of people with the narcissistic disorder, and such that letting this be played out in a therapeutic setting. In order to be able to do this treatment, it is vital that you understand the serial murderers (Ornstein, 1997). The problems with being empathic and other counter transferences are imagined as being the key reasons why there is a prognosis for treating empathy. Kohut says you have to both understand and treat serial killers right during the treatment in order to get results in a positive direction (Kohut, 1998). Some serial killers have a narcissistic personality and Kohut suggestions for a self-psychological therapy for serial killers. Self-psychological therapy can help the serial killer understand that his/her destructive childhood activities were not evil or revolting. This can help people who do not have a narcissistic personality because it the serial killer can still benefit from this type of therapy. Many other researchers believe that should not show support or empathy to the serial killer because of what they did, but in my opinion, everyone is human and something that happens to them early in their childhood can be the reason why they commit the crime. It can be closer for some serial killers who had an awful childhood and never had someone to talk to and for others this therapy does nothing, but it does not hurt to try an intervention.