Serial Killer Social Construction Theories
A serial killer can be defined as a person who kills more than four victims in a moderately short period of time usually 72 hours (Larson, 2011). Serial killings usually take place in different locations and have no connection with the preceding assassination. For a serial killer, substantial gain is not the drive for killing his victim. Instead, it is his craving of power and strength over the 'prey' that motivates him to take an innocent life (Giannangelo, 1996).
There are a number of theories that have been propounded in order to understand the origins, foundations and causes of the social construction of a serial killer. The first theory that needs to be discussed is the Social Process Theory. The childhood experiences of a serial murderer contribute significantly in his making into an atrocious 'animal'. The personality of a serial murderer is seriously affected by the early experiences of childhood. These experiences have a permanent, long-lasting impression on the individuality and behavior of a person. Children who tolerate and observe family violence are expected to reveal the same characteristics and behavior when they grow up. It is not necessary to be the victim of violence to become such a personality in the future. The viewing of family violence during childhood can also be a reason to develop a mentally-ill personality. Continuous denunciation in childhood by parents can be said as another reason why the future activities of a child reveal immoral and illicit mental condition (Larson, 2011). This theory can be justified by glancing over the life of Albert DeSalvo, a serial murderer of 13 women. He had an adverse childhood in which he watched his mother cruelly beaten by his father. He eye witnessed murders in his vicinity. Not only this, he was bought as a slave. The story of another serial killer named Henry Lee Lucas further justifies the Social Process Theory. This man had an ill-fated childhood in which he was raised as a girl. He experienced ruthless physical abuse as a routine....
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