Abstract
This paper explains that a female serial killer, whose motivations in committing the crime of murder is manifold and range over a wide variety of reasons, often goes unnoticed and goes on committing her crimes, undetected over many years. The author points out that a majority of the female serial killers, who often are quite shy, employ toxic substances, harmful medicines and asphyxiations as their procedure for murder. The paper states that criminal profiling is just another investigative tool, not a total solution; because of the many myths surrounding female serial killers, criminal profiling of female serial killers is not appropriate.

Table of Contents
F.B.I. Criminal Profiling of Female Serial Killers
Sexual Predator, Black Widow, Angels of Death, Revenge, Profit and Unsolved Categories
Methods and Motives
How to Stop or Prevent Creating Profiling the Female Serial Killer

From the Paper
"In some cases, a female can take more females as partners, and the crimes will be asexual, or she can team up with a single man, in which case the crimes become sexual in nature. Female serial killers connive with their male accomplices in forty to forty-five percent of the cases, whereas in fifty-five to sixty percent cases they do it all by themselves. Though killings at the hands of a female serial killer must have been going on from time immemorial, it is only from the year 1960 onwards that serious notice was taken of the phenomenon of the serial killer, when the number of murders began to rise at an alarming rate, and it was in the 1980's that the FBI began to think up a system of identifying and studying the psychology behind a serial killer. "

Tags:motivations, unnoticed, procedure, profiling, myths

Abstract
This paper discusses the phenomenon of the serial murderer, considering the definition and the many sociological and psychological theories that have been offered for the fact that such persons kill repeatedly, often in sadistic ways. The paper finds that there are certain common features among serial killers, that is most are male, age 25-35, and have a background that includes trauma and abuse. The paper also finds that there are many exceptions to this rule. In conclusion, the paper recommends continuing coordinated studies to try to track down such persons.

Outline:
Upbringing
Psychological Contributions
Serial Murder and the Social Control Theory
The Neutralization Theory and the Desire to Kill
The Labeling Theory: A Social Cause

From the Paper
"The neutralization theory examines the ways in which people such as serial murderers rationalize their behavior. In order for murderers to rationalize their violent actions, they apply various techniques to mitigate their own guilt. These include denial, denying both the injury and the legitimacy of the victim, condemnation of those who condemn them, and an appeal to higher loyalties. This amounts to dehumanization, common among serial offenders. This theory has been essentially beyond verification because it would require a showing that the murderer neutralized a set of moral beliefs before killing. However, the available data suggest that serial offenders who rationalize their behavior generally do this after the fact, after they have already killed their victims. (Hickey 1991)"

Tags:murderer, killing, psychopathology, sociopathology, criminal, saddism, violence

Abstract
This paper describes and analyzes the phenomenon of the serial murderer, further discussing the definition and the sociological and psychological theories surrounding this. The paper notes that there are certain common features to serial killers, but it also finds that there are many exceptions to this rule. It recommends continuing coordinated studies to try to track down such persons

From the Paper
"This paper discusses the phenomenon of the serial murderer, considering the definition and the many sociological and psychological theories that have been offered for the fact that such person kill repeatedly, often in sadistic ways in which they take delight in the suffering of their victims. It finds that there are certain common features to serial killers - most are male, 25-35, have a background that includes trauma and abuse, - but also finds that there are many exceptions to this rule. It recommends continuing coordinated studies to try to track down such..."

Tags:serial, killer, sociopathology

Abstract
Are serial killers programmed to kill? Research paper with psychological and genetic background that focuses on early family life and behavioral science methods to capturing such criminals.

From the Paper
"Each murder committed by a serial killer is unique. The method that he or she uses to kill, the ways that the victims are chosen, the eventual disposal of the bodies, and the sexual perversions are all a result of many factors. These can be things such as the environment in which he or she was brought up in, the relationship that the parental figures in the family had, the community in which they resided, the friends with which they spent time, the religion which they followed, and the levels of education attained by the killer. The motivation behind these killings is sometimes not apparent. However, most infamous serial killers share some common genetic diseases, familial issues, and disturbed childhoods. Whether they are acting on instinct, are programmed to act the way they do, or are expressing their emotions and frustrations in this perverted way, each serial killer has some sort of motivation for their actions."

Tags:fbi, genetics, jacobs, killer, motivation, psychology, serial

Abstract
Serial killers have long fascinated the general public, not only because their crimes are so heinous, but also because they embody the extremes to which psychological disorders can take a person. In the name of psychological insight, the lives of serial killers are dissected down to the most minute detail in the hope of understanding what factors contribute to making a 'monster'. This paper shows that what motivates the serial killer is an area of much research. Whether we are any further ahead in our understanding of the psychotic personality is debatable, however. The question of environment versus genetics is a matter of contention in the study of serial killers, as is the question of power versus pleasure in the motive. By looking at such serial killers as John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, and Jeffrey Dahmer, this paper provides a clearer understanding of the many influences in developing the antisocial or psychotic personality.

From the Paper
"The serial killer who seeks sexual pleasure may be of several different types. "Lust murders can be disorganized or organized, and the sexual orientation can be either heterosexual or homosexual. The primary difference is that an organized lust killer can usually escape police detection." (Connor, 2004). Ted Bundy fits the profile of an organized lust killer, who seemed quite personable, and was able to seduce at least twenty-two women to their deaths. A variety of deviant practices often accompany the lust murder. These may include pedophilia, bestiality, pyromania, necrophilia, torture and cannibalism, although the latter three are usually found in the disorganized serial killer. (Connor, 2004)."

Tags:sexual, dysfunction, lust, killer

Abstract
This paper discusses the definition and psychology behind serial killers. It compares serial killers to other types of murderers and criminals and discusses the general profile that serial killers tend to follow as well as the types of victims that serial killers tend to choose. The paper then discusses the psychological and sociological factors that motivate serial killers.

Table of Contents:
Opening Statement: Introduction
First Fact: Serial Killers Tend To Follow A General Profile
Second Fact: Serial Killers Choose Strangers As Their Victims
Third Fact: A Serial Killer Is Motivated By Both Psychological And Sociological Factors

From the Paper
"This would suggest that there are other factors at play in the development of the killer, such as social influences and experiences. For example, one of the main features of this type of criminal is that the serial killer is an individual who does not conform to the common social norms and values in society. This in turn can be related to psychological aspects such as lack of restraint and internal control. Researchers such as Egger state that in most cases the serial killer is not mentally ill in any accepted medical sense but rather that they are sick in a different sense."

Tags:traits, victims, murder, control

Abstract
This paper explains that, to the public, serial killers appear to be so skilled and clever that they are a particular worry for society and a hidden danger for which there seems to be no shield or protection. The author points out that, in addition to disrupted childhoods, there seems to be some genetic link to criminal behavior as demonstrated by twin studies, which have shown that patterns of significant antisocial behavior are more common between identical twins than non-identical siblings. The paper stresses that serial killers are caught because, regardless of how clever they are, eventually, they leave some kind of evidence behind that forensic science, which has made tremendous advances in recent years, can use to identify the killer. The paper includes many examples of serial killers.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Traits of Serial Killers
Causes
Examples of Serial Killers
Example
Catching Serial Killers
How Many Serial Killers are There?

From the Paper
"While most serial killers are white, some belong to other races. Most are male, but about 15% are female. Female serial killers are often harder to detect because they work so quietly, often using poison, kill with longer gaps between victims, and typically murder for financial gain, although a few, such as Aileen Wuornos, use more violent methods and target strangers much as men tend to do. The average male serial killer will have 10 - 13 victims before being stopped."

Tags:disorders, profiles, bundy, gacy, dahmer

Abstract
This paper takes a look at female serial killers who make up only 8% of the total number of serial killers. The author describes female serial killers as more precise and careful compared to their male counterparts. The traits and motives of female serial killers are discussed as well as their preferred methods. The paper also includes the study of five different types of female serial killers and shows how certain characteristics make females more successful and less likely to get caught than make killers.

From the Paper
"A serial killer is defined as someone who murders three or more people at separate times mostly for their own pleasure. Scientists, reporters, and the human population in general have been fascinated and mesmerized by the atrocious crimes that serial killers commit. When people think of serial killers, the usual assumption is that the killer is male. Female serial killers only make up about 8% of the total number of serial killers , but it is argued that the killings committed by females are more careful, precise, and in the end, more successful."

Tags:crime, murder, gender

Abstract
This paper discusses psychological profiling of serial killers. It provides the case example of serial killer Arthur Shawcross. The writer states that serial killers have long fascinated and repulsed Americans and the world and that many of them are extremely famous, such as Jack the Ripper and the "Boston Strangler." It discusses how much study has gone in to why some people become serial killers, and this has helped identify and capture many modern serial killers. Serial killer Arthur Shawcross killed eleven people in Rochester, New York during a two-year spree; his profile by the FBI turned out to be amazingly accurate and helped lead to his capture.

From the Paper
"What makes a killer take the lives of repeated victims? Serial killers (those who kill more than three victims) have been around for centuries. One reporter writes, "Yet in the last two decades serial killings have become increasingly frequent, with as many as half a dozen peppering the headlines and newscasts simultaneously, terrorizing entire cities and regions" (Methvin, 1995). While this type of murder may be relatively common, it was not until recently that serial killers were seriously studied, and devices were created to help identify and capture serial killers on the loose. That method is psychological profiling."

Tags:jack, ripper, boston, stranger, psychological, prophiling

Abstract
The paper shows that for many years people have studied the patterns and lives of serial killers in the effort to establish how they are created; and other studies are conducted to discuss the pattern of the victims of the serial killers. It shows that since the 1960's the women's movement has been in full force-- from housewife and helpmate to equality in the world between the genders. The paper examines several works which have been published that have examined the feminist role, and reaction to serial killers. Books examined include "In Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film" by Carol J. Clover and Mark Seltzer's "Serial Killers: Death and Life in America's Wound Culture".

From the Paper
"Chapter six of the book discusses the popular psychology of the serial killer. In this area of the book the reader is taken on a journey of what the popular beliefs are when it comes to serial killers(Seltzer, 1998). This chapter also addresses the victim even if not directly. It manages to dovetail with Clover's opinion that serial killers in films are not the heroes."

Tags:slasher, occult, satanic, possession, victims