Serial Killers and Gender

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses serial killers, specifically the roles of gender in determining serial killers. It looks at some of the theories of what drives serial killers and suggests that many of the theories are based on male case studies that often do not hold true for female serial killers. It also presents a study in the form of a survey to illustrates its hypothesis.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Hypothesis
Participants
Method

From the Paper:

"The idea that all serial killers are driven by sexual fantasies has been challenged by some theorists, who suggest that these murders are less defined by sex -- even when it plays a functional role in their execution -- and more driven by some other psychological aspect, such as the desire for power or status. (It is somewhat ironic that theorists have traditionally argued that rape is always about power, rather than sex, but that serial murder is always about sex) According to Buss, serial killers may actually be motivated by status. Serial killers, in this idea, are seeking revenge on the world for denying them the status they feel they have earned, while mass murderers are attempting to gain or maintain status by killing those who threaten it. This might be applied both to sadistic sexual murders and to what might be called "feminine" murders of intimate associates."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anderson, Jeremy. "Genesis of a Serial Killer: Fantasy's integral role in the creation of a monster." Senior Paper. Psychology Department, Luther College. May, 1994. <http://www.angelar.com/~jeremy/genesis.html>.
• Bryant, Michelle. "The Murderer Next Door." The University of Texas at Austin. 30 May 2005. <http://www.utexas.edu/features/2005/murder/>
• CourtTV. "Aileen Wuornos : America's First Predatory Female Serial Killer." Courtroom Television Network. 2003. <http://www.courttv.com/onair/shows/mugshots/episodes/wuornos.html>.
• O'Coonnor, Tom. "Female Serial Killers." Criminal Profiling. North Carolina Wesleyan College. 5 March 2006. <http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/428/428lect11.htm>
• Turney, Brent. Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis. Academic Press, 2002.

More papers on Serial Killers and Gender:

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• Descriptive Essay # 118959 : "Female Serial Killers"
• Comparison Essay # 116598 : "Bad Girls"

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