Caroline Shama – 5656442 PSYC 4P07 Assignment #9 March, 26th, 2018

A study done by Mitchell and Aamodt (2005), Aimed to show that most serial killers

were somehow abused as children, whether physically, sexually or psychologically which

can be beneficial for parents as well as teachers to know the affects their abuse can have

on the future of children. When an individual murders three or more people and takes

time off between these murders, they are defined as a serial killer. Both biological and

social factors play big roles in an individual’s life that leads them to becoming a serial

killer. Some biological factors may include brain injuries, or their parents drug or alcohol

dependency. Whereas, most importantly, social factors mainly include abuse in

childhood. In this study four main types of abuse were discussed that included, physical

abuse which is when intentional harm is caused to another person; sexual abuse, which

includes any illegal sexual behavior towards a child; psychological abuse, which can also

be known as mental abuse and it includes draining the child emotionally in many

different ways; and lastly, neglect, which is not caring for one’s child or not providing

them with the necessities they need to survive like food and water. There are many types

of serial killers to be studied, but this study mainly focused on serial killers who kill for

sexual pleasure, these serial killers are known as “lust killers”. By looking at 50

offenders, and at times personally interviewing them, researchers looked at the offenders’

history by mainly focusing on their childhoods and looking at which type of abuse was

used against them. By dividing the lust killers into 3 categories: organized, disorganized,

and mixed, the researchers found that child abuse is definitely correlated with serial

killing, and the type that mostly affects children is psychological abuse, followed by

physical abuse followed by sexual abuse then neglect. Although, child abuse is not the

main reason these children become serial killers, it does contribute a great deal for them
Caroline Shama – 5656442 PSYC 4P07 Assignment #9 March, 26th, 2018

to become murderers. Although this study got its sources from a third party, it still shows

how much child abuse can affect an individual. This is important for parents, teachers,

and caregivers to be aware of, due to the fact that individual who are the abusers,

especially psychological abusers, do not realize the affects that they have on their

children’s development.

References

Mitchell, H., and Aamodt, M. G. (2005). The Incidence of Child Abuse in Serial Killers.

Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 20(1). Retrieved from,

http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Research%20-%20Forensic/2005%2020-1-

Mitchell-40-47.pdf