Research Journal #4

I am interested in researching what causes serial killers to become killers

Because I want to find out if there is any genetic component to serial killing

And this is important because serial killing is currently treated as a social problem and if there is a genetic basis then we cannot tackle the issue until we can understand and address the underlying causes.

1) What are the different types of serial killers and how do they differ?

2) Are there differences between the crimes of or causes affecting male and female serial killers?

3) Are there any cultures or ethnic groups in which serial killing does not exist or is undocumented?

3 thoughts on “Research Journal #4

  1. This person is researching the cause of serial killing in order to discover if it is caused by genetics. This is important because it could change the way that the problem is adressed.
    Do serial killers often have children involved in serial killing?
    How much could be caused by nurture rather than nature?
    How does socioeconomic status affect someones liklihood to become a serial killer?
    Types of evidence: 1. Biographical info on the serial killers and their children 2. police reports 3. Genetics research articles: if there is a genetic component, is it known which genes are involved?

  2. The rephrasing simplifies my question to some degree: it states I am researching to see if serial killing is “caused by genetics” rather than if genetics is a component and, how much influence it has.

    I do not neccesarily think that the question on children really applies to my paper given the way I want to focus it, however, looking at whether or not children of serial killers are more likely to become serial killers would have relevance to my topic. Socio Economic status is definitely something that I need to look at when researching cultural influences on serial killers.

    Serial killers occur in a number of cultures, environments, and socio-economic groups. Given this, I would like to research what causes serial killers to become killers in the context of cultural and genetic impacts on their behavior and tendencies, and which may be the more prevalent factor. As serial killers affect communities world wide and have for centuries, the underlying causes of serial-murder must be explored in order to work toward minimizing the social damage these killers cause.

  3. They say that Serial Killing is both genetically and culturally influenced

    I say I want to find out which of these two factors has the greatest impact and why that impact is so different in serial killers from others.

    The I say section is somewhat shaky because I have not done enough research into the subject to really take a firm stance on which factor has the greatest impact or why that impact is so great in some but not in others. Part of what I am trying to do is take the “they say” debate of which factor effects not just serial killers but behavior overall most and have the “I say” take a stand on one side of this debate.

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