Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Ms. Dao
Puente sophomore
16 May 2019
The causes of a psychopath is still a mystery, but many cases have proven that
psychopathy is more DNA than their upbringing. A lot of serial killers didn't have a toxic
A study following twins that have been reared apart in Minnesota by a Minnesota
Professor of Psychology Thomas Joseph Bouchard Jr, the study showed that psychopathic is
about 60 percent heritable (Psychology Today, by Berit Brogaard). The research was a success,
but there are still some downfalls to the experiment. The development of twins still has multiple
issues with various mutations in their early years because some twins can be genetically
different. "Brain scans revealed that psychopathy in criminals was associated with decreased
connectivity between the amygdala, a subcortical structure of the brain that processes negative
stimuli, and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a cortical region in the front of the
brain that interprets the response from the amygdala." (Psychology Today by Berit Brogaard).
This experiment still showed a possible connection in being born as a psychopath or having an
or they develop after a traumatic incident. Yes, a person can exhibit these mental illnesses over
time without having to be born with them or being genetic."These instances of mental disorders
represent only a small fraction of people diagnosed and the majority of people afflicted do not
engage in criminal activity, especially if given proper treatment and social support."(
Forensics college). Some serial kills didn't kill because of their mental illnesses.
The first 12 months are especially critical of the evolution of emotions of a child such as
guilt and affection, if a child does not receive sufficient attention and physical touch during this
time period, they may suffer substantial personality disorders in the future (The Psychology of a
serial killer). There may be signs that the child has a psychopathic personality by the age of 2
(Vronsky 2004)(The psychology of a serial killer, No author). Some serial killers were adopted
and lacked their physical contact with their mothers/motherly figure. However, their
Many serial killers have been abused as a child and became a horrible human being, but
many didn’t have a bad childhood and were born with these intentions.
Sources:
Paragraph 2:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-superhuman-mind/201212/the-making-serial-kill
er
Paragraph 3:
https://www.forensicscolleges.com/blog/resources/dangerous-minds-criminal-mental-illness
Paragraph 4: http://web.lemoyne.edu/~Freemams/index_files/psych_serial.htm