The Serial Killer

Term Paper # 102798

Criminology
Film > Analysis, Criticism, Etc.
Psychology

The Serial Killer

This paper studies the serial killer and looks at the related psychopathology.

1,234 words () | 6 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that the serial killer has become a staple in crime fiction, movies, and television shows, including the recent film 'Zodiac', which tells the story of a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco for almost a decade. The writer points out that as the latter shows, the serial killer is a reality and not just a plot device, and the psychopathology of this sort of killer has been studied closely for its cause and different ways in which it is manifested. The writer notes that such studies are of use to psychiatrists, of course, but also to a profiler who uses the data to make assessments of serial killer cases in order to hone in on a suspect and stop the crimes. The writer concludes that studies of serial killers are necessarily largely confined to those caught and convicted, leaving some uncertainty about killers who have not been caught and even more about the many who may not even have been discovered or recognized.

From the Paper:

"Victims may be chosen for their symbolic value as much as for any other reason. A series of murders undertaken for financial gain would not qualify. Cult murders would also be eliminated because there is a different motivation for that sort of crime.
"The serial killer is most often identified as a psychopath or sociopath. The criteria for this disorder have been identified by the American Psychiatric Association as follows. First, this individual shows a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others. This would have been true since the age of 15."

Sample of Sources Used:

American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, quick reference guide (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Del Fabbro, G.A. (2006, May). A family systems analysis of serial murders. University of Pretoria. Retrieved March 25, 2007 from http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-11222006-141729/unrestricted/00front.pdf.
Egger S. A. ( 1990). Serial murder: An elusive phenomenon. New York: Praeger.
Fincher, D. (2007). Zodiac. Paramount Pictures.
Leung, J. (2004). The personality profile of a serial killer. Retrieved March 25, 2007 from http://www.bxscience.edu/publications/forensics/articles/psychologicalprofiles/killer.pdf..