After spotting a petite brunette with a middle part, T.B. kindly smiled and asked for assistance with loading his books in his yellow Volkswagen beetle. She warmly smiled back and bent down to pick the books up. As soon as the brunette turned her head, T.B. swiftly and strongly swung a crow bar at the base of her head. Ted Bundy, a notorious serial killer, is known for his ability to manipulate both his victims and the people around him. Is Bundy a victim of nature or a victim of nuture?
Nature refers to genetic inheritance and the DNA received from biological parents. Nurture refers to environmental influences an individual might be exposed to throughout life such as family, education, social interactions, and culture. A person may have a genetic trait however their environment can influence how the trait develops. The brain of serial killers look different from people convicted of other serious crimes. Scientists discovered that low prefrontal cortex activity, smaller amygdala size, genetic predispositions, and childhood trauma are important factors in the development of serial killers. A reduced prefrontal cortex activity impairs impulse control and moral reasoning. While a smaller or underachieve amygdala indicates a lack of empathy and fear. Childhood abuse has also been associated with later cognitive processing problems, which may lead to an aggressive thought pattern. In a study of sixty two male serial killers, Eric Hicky a criminologist found that forty eight percent of them had been rejected as children by a parent or some other important person in their lives. In some instances, circumstances define our path in life. What do you think, are serial killers born this way or made this way?
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Hmm, this is a very thought-provoking post. I think the only real answer is that it’s a bit of both. While abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex or amygdala may make someone more vulnerable to violent behavior, plenty of people with those same traits never become violent at all. Bundy may have had neurological or genetic factors at play, but his early life experiences and social environment surely shaped how those traits ultimately manifested. I also think it can be detrimental to search for a single, definitive cause. The idea of a “serial killer gene” worries me because it could create pressure, stigma, or even influence how someone behaves if they were told they had it. Worse, it could give these individuals an excuse to disregard human life, as if their biology alone absolves them.
ReplyDeleteMany serial killers know that their actions are wrong, yet they continue. Yes, impulse control is clearly an issue, but why is murder their impulse? Most people with poor impulse control end up with questionable tattoos or move across the country on a whim, not take a life. Then what about the serial killers who don’t show these brain abnormalities, what's their excuse? That brings the focus back to upbringing, trauma, and the freedoms or lack of boundaries they experienced growing up. In the end, it seems impossible to fully separate nature and nurture, they interact in ways that shape who we become, for better or for worse.
This question is one that my friend and I argued over tirelessly. I was always on the side that it was mostly nature instead of nurture, but I could still see how sometimes it was nurture instead. This honestly led to me believing there is no one versus the other, but rather, maybe they both work together to form someone able to murder. Each person could even have their each unique case that would make them go down this route, but I am absolutely tired of people saying that because it's nature they aren't as guilty. The whole "they couldn't help that their brain didn't develop right so it's fine if they murder a couple of people." I might be exaggerating a little bit, but there are some out there who defend some killer like Ted Bundy which is infuriating.
ReplyDeleteI find this really interesting as someone who has watched Criminal Minds like 20 times. What really stood out to me was the part about childhood trauma. Nearly half of the serial killers in Hickey’s study being rejected or abused as kids says a lot. It shows how powerful early environment is, especially when combined with biological vulnerabilities. Someone might be genetically predisposed to aggression or emotional detachment, but the environment often determines whether those traits escalate into something dangerous. I think this question cant truly have one answer as not every serial killer is the same. Some have the perfect childhood and still end up as serial killers, while other people have the environment to become a serial killer yet become decent human beings. Im curious, what do you think if you had to choose an answer?
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