The Mind of a Serial Killer Essay -- Murder Killing Murderer Psycholog

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As police walk into an abandoned house, a foul stench overtakes them. The room is dim and looks as though no one has been here for months. They walk further into the house and begin to see spots of blood on the floor. They follow this trail down the stairs into the basement where the smell becomes overwhelming, causing some of the officers to gasp and run back up the stairs. In the basement, they find the remains of several young boys who have been molested and badly mutilated. What could cause someone to participate in such horrendous deeds? What sort of person is able to perform such wicked acts?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Serial killers always have aroused the curiosity and concern of the public. People seem to be both fascinated and repulsed by their horrendous crimes. The stories make newspaper headlines, and their gruesome murders are the subject of popular movies and best-selling books. In this paper, I will discuss what causes a human being to become a serial killer. Although social scientists have developed many theories to explain the mind of a serial killer, the scientific evidence supports the theories of sociopathy, psychopathy, sadistic fulfillment, childhood abuse, and genetics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines a serial murder as the killing of several victims in ten or more separate incidents over an extended period of time (Dietz 483). Serial murderers are often classified into specific categories. One category is motive; motive killers are sexually sadistic killers or spree killers. The psychology of the killer is another category used to characterize these criminals. These types of killers are classified as sociopaths and psychopaths. This paper will focus mainly on killers of the psychotic and sexually sadistic kind, for these are the ones on which the public and media tend to focus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to James Fox and Jack Levin (19), serial killers are most always Caucasian males who are in their twenties or thirties. Although there are reported cases of female serial killers, the field is predominantly composed of males. There are two key characteristics of a serial killer, one being the presence of sociopathy or aggressive antisocial behavior. It has been estimated that nearly three percent of males in our society may be sociopaths. Most socio-paths are not violent: they may lie, cheat, or steal, but rape and murder are not nec... ...ts continue to study genetics, they undoubtedly will provide more information about the genetic makeup of a serial killer. The public is disgusted by the bloody deeds that serial killers have committed, but they will forever intrigue us. The fascination stems from the fact that in most cases the killers are so similar to the common person. On the outside they seem as normal as the next. Fortunately for humanity, the next person is not capable of such ghastly deeds. These serial killers are often psychopathic or sociopathic persons who were abused as children. Others may be trying to fulfill their own sadistic fantasies that were brought on by their childhood experiences. The most recent reason identified is a link to a genetic predisposition to violence. The inherent goodness of humans can sometimes go awry and lead to a person who is as evil as a serial killer. No matter how one analyzes the killers, they are not normal in any sense. Edmund Kemper when asked what he thought when he saw a pretty woman walking down the street replied, â€Å"One side of me says, 'I'd like to talk to her, date her.' The ot her side of me says, 'I wonder how her head would look on a stick?'† (Ming Ho).

Introspection Within Frankenstein by Mary Shelly Essay

Introspection reveals something about a person to himself. In a literary work such as Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Introspection reveals something about a person to themselves and the audience. Although the monster of Frankenstein killed he is still a good person because he shows compassion, friendliness, and through remorse for the bad things that he had done; much of this had been shown through introspection Also, the monster had no control of him when he committed murder, therefore he is good even though he committed murder. The monster shows that he is good and not evil by showing compassion. He shows this when the monster realized that the family of peasants were unhappy because of their poverty that the monster had been contributing to by stealing their food. When the monster realizes this he becomes torn by his guilty conscience he stops surreptitiously taking their food and does what he can to reduce their hardship by collecting firewood and leaving it outside their house for them. Before the monster finds out what causes their despair he says that he is deeply affected by their unhappiness, â€Å"The young man and his companion often went apart and appeared to weep. I saw no cause for their unhappiness, but I was deeply affected by it† (71). This shows that the monster has a good heart and conscience and that he can show compassion. The monster also shows compassion when he helps a woman who is drowning. The monster says, â€Å"She continued her course along the precipitous sides of the river, when suddenly her foot slipped, and she fell into the rapid stream. I rushed from my hiding-place and with extreme labour, from the force of the current, saved her and dragged her to shore. She was senseless, and I endeavoured by every means in my power to restore animation†(93), showing that he did his best to save the woman because of his compassion towards her. Although Frankenstein’s Monster is often described as rude, he is friendly. He tries to make friends with the family of peasants which he had been helping secretly. Frankenstein’s Monster attempts to befriend the family of peasants, but is harshly rejected. The monster says,† You and your family  are the friends whom I seek† (88), to the old man, signifying that he is looking to make friends. This shows that Frankenstein’s Monster is a good person. Another thing that shows the monsters friendliness is that he calls people that do not know him friends. For example, Frankenstein’s Monster calls the family of peasants his friends. Frankenstein’s Monster says, â€Å"I slept; the remainder of the day was spent in observing my friends.†(73). this shows that Frankenstein’s Monster is friendly. Frankenstein’s Monster’s friendliness is a sign that he is good. Although the monster killed he is still good because he showed remorse for his negative actions. For example, the monster when the monster was talking to Walton he says, â€Å"You hate me, but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself. I look on the hands which executed the deed† (152). The monster essentially said that he is disgusted by himself and he explains that it is because of his negative actions. Another example of the monsters remorse is when the monster tells Walton, â€Å"After the murder of Clerval I returned to Switzerland, heart-broken and overcome. I pitied Frankenstein; my pity amounted to horror; I abhorred myself† (151). The monster is saying that after the murdering Henry Clerval he felt so bad for Frankenstein that he described it as horrible. This shows that the monster felt deep remorse after one of his few murders meaning that he was mistaken for committing the act. The monster is good because he was not in control of himself when committing murder. The monster even said, â€Å"I knew that I was preparing for myself a deadly torture, but I was the slave, not the master, of an impulse which I detested yet could not disobey† (150). By saying, â€Å"preparing for myself a deadly torture† (150), the monster meant killing because the guilty conscience after murder was deadly torture to him. So essentially the monster is saying that murder was an impulse which he did not like but he could not disobey the impulse that he was a â€Å"slave† to. An example of this impulse is when the monster said, â€Å"Urged by this impulse, I seized on the boy as he passed and drew him towards me† (94). When the monster seized the boy, he strangled him shortly after. The monster was talking about the same impulse which he was a slave to. The monster was put through immense  emotional pressure with a childlike mind and the body of a monster. The monster had no control over the impulse which led him to kill therefore he was not to blame thus acquitting him of murder. Therefore it cannot be argued that the monster is bad because he was not in control of himself. It cannot be argued that the monster is bad because of murder because he was not in control. Also the monster showed emotions synonymous with being a good person. These emotions include remorse, compassion, and friendliness among others. This shows the monster to be without a doubt good. The real monsters are the people who led the monster to commit murder by treating him poorly. This mirrors countless real world situations such as school shootings, perhaps the shooting in Columbine when a few students were out casted, then they committed a massacre in the school. The same principle of an outcast with the mind of a child, with power, in the case of columbine, guns, killing many because he or she was out casted is apparent in the book Frankenstein as it was in other shootings. Works Cited Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2012. Print.

Attack of the Cloning Regulations Essay - 2139 Words

Attack of the Cloning Regulations Better and new technologies and ideas are constantly introduced through the passage of time, most of which are just for the convenience of modern life. There is usually not much of an objection when they are introduced into society because the pros of the idea greatly outweigh the cons; however, this is not the case with the discovery that human cloning is now practically possible. When a breakthrough like cloning comes about regulations must be set forth to insure the safety of all those who would use it. On one side there are people who want strong restrictions on cloning. They would prefer to have cloning be as limited as possible or even banned to prevent any unethical or dangerous†¦show more content†¦On the ban cloning side of the argument there is Canada’s pro-life pro-family newspaper online known as The Interim. It contains stories and editorials all about the subject of pro-life and related topics. â€Å"Stop Cloning Now,† the article selected f rom the February 2003 issue, is an editorial that discusses the subject of cloning. The position that the editor takes is that cloning is just plain evil. The main point presented is that cloning is unsafe and should not be performed under any circumstances. The editorial is divided into several parts covering the topics of why cloning should not be done, what the public thinks about cloning, and what politicians are doing about it. Beginning the editorial with a comparison of cloning scientists to Jack Kevorkian is a very powerful use of pathos. It creates in the mind of the reader the image that both cloning scientists and Jack Kevorkian are evil. There are many people opposed to Dr. Kevorkian and with those who would clone being made into the equivalent of the doctor then those same people should logically be opposed to cloning. Next, the editorial starts to talk about the problems with cloning. The first problem stated is that â€Å"cloning is unsafe.† Ethos is gained in the article by quoting the head of Russia’s Molecular Genetics Institute,Show MoreRelatedThe Limits Of Scientific Limits1306 Words   |  6 PagesFurthermore, the issue is derived from a conflict of ethos; thus, Guinan believes in stronger regulations toward unethical experiments such as cloning and stem cell research. With the intention of playing god, scientists attempt to manipulate certain pathogens that are directed toward a specific people. In an attempt at ethically swaying his audience, Professor Guinan discusses the idea that a â€Å"super-germ attack that would make the anthrax episode pale in comparison† (Guinan, 305). A super-germ is aRead More We Should Not Fear Cloning Essay1794 Words   |  8 PagesWe Should Not Fear Cloning    With the successful cloning of animals, many people have reacted with frightening and usually uninformed ideas about what cloning is and what researchers hope to achieve through it. Many wish to ban all cloning without even looking at the positive things that cloning will be able to provide for us in the future and with continued research. Like any new technology, people are at first afraid, but this is no excuse to abandon research that could one day save millionsRead MoreCloning: The Benefits and Where to Draw the Line Essays1826 Words   |  8 PagesParkinson’s) and over twenty-five million have been diagnosed with diabetes (Statistics about Diabetes). Cloning could offer a cure to these diseases and more. A clone is defined as an identical copy of an organism or cell, produced from the genetic material of a single organism (Cloning). Although the process of cloning is still developing, it is quickly becoming a reality. There are two distinct types of cloning: reproductive and therapeutic. Both processes can be achieved using the same technology calledRead MoreEssay on Reproductive and Therapeutic Cloning2440 Words   |  10 PagesReproductive and Therapeutic Cloning New areas of science often raise questions about safety. Reflecting back on the past medical technologies invented, people have always opposed it but often benefit from it later on in life. The use of in-vitro fertilization, for instance, was once a controversial issue. Some people worried that society could discriminate against humans produced as a result of IVF and humans could spread diseases. Furthermore, its usefulness cannot be predicted becauseRead MoreThe Cloning Of Human Cloning1774 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction- Cloning is defined as two organisms having identical genetic DNA and has been around since the early 1800s. When people think of the word ‘cloning’ many think of Dolly the sheep; however, the first organism to ever be cloned was a sea urchin in 1885. When scientists created Dolly, they took a cell from the mammary gland from an adult Finn Dorset sheep and an egg cell from a Scottish blackhead sheep. Dolly’s white face was the first sign that she was genetically modified because if sheRead More The Unnecessary Paranoia of Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake1111 Words   |  5 Pageswhat it is today. We already do live in a world with an unregulated pursuit of knowledge and that is how it should be. Instead of rigid government regulation, we should have oversight and industry self-regulation. The government should stay out of the way as much as possible. The government for example, should not create legislation prohibiting human cloning just because people are afraid of a new race, like people such as the â€Å"Crackers.† This would be ludicrous because no scientist would ever considerRead MoreSynthesis Essay on Cloning3550 Words   |  15 Pagesto attribute both direct and indirect citations. Introduction: Cloning hit the mainstream as a scientific debate when scientists cloned a lamb named Dolly in 1996. Cloning is a process that results in an identical genetic copy of a biological product such as cells, tissues, genes or entire entities. After scientists took cloning beyond the genetic engineering of simple DNA to actual mammals, the controversy grew to new heights. Cloning happens naturally. Plants and bacteria often use asexual reproductionRead MoreAdvantages Of Human Embryonic Stem Cells1572 Words   |  7 Pagescells is known as a medical sensation, with its research having the potential to cure many diseases. But there are still ethical issues standing in the way of this research, and due to this, different parts of the world have different rules and regulations regarding the research of stem cells and their use in cellular therapy, and it is even illegal in a number of countries. Before I dive straight into the advantages and disadvantages of their use in cellula r therapy, I should talk about the basicsRead MoreBiomedical Ethics: Cloning and Sales of Organs3677 Words   |  15 Pagesï » ¿Biomedical Ethics: Cloning and Sales of Organs July 17, 2012 Table of Contents ITEM PAGE # Introduction 3 I. The Initial Horror 3 II. What is Cloning? 3 III. Bioethics 5 IV. Immanuel Kant 5 V. Presidents Council on Bioethics (2002) 6 VI. Utilitarian Viewpoint 7 VII. The Debate on the Sale of Organs 8 VIII. Human Rights 12 IX. Justice Approach to Ethics 13 X. Distributive Justice Approach to Ethics 13 Summary and Conclusion 16 Biomedical Ethics: Cloning and Sales of Organs Introduction Read MoreEthics And Supply Chain : Case Study1647 Words   |  7 Pagesintellectual property right violations and counterfeits and many more .Child labor does exist in developing countries due to economic instability. Healthy and safe working conditions is yet a problem in developing countries due to lack of laws and regulation .This is due to high rate of corruption and political instability .Wages are not paid properly and extended working hours have to be taken care . Recognition of intellectual property rights such as patents, trademarks and copyrights is yet an issue