Nature vs. Nurture...It's Not an Either / Or

Serial killers are fascinating to us because they deviate so significantly from the norm. These sadists enjoy watching the souls of their victims slip from bodies that grow ever more still.
Robert Ressler, a criminologist who is well known for his work in criminal profiling, has claimed to have traced psychopathic behavior to fractured families. According to a report by Everett Gratrix (1993), Ressler believes that “serial killers are less likely to be born than created.” Ressler has worked with and interviewed over 100 mass and serial killers, attempting to “understand the events leading up to the crimes as the killer saw them…” (Gratrix). In his work, Ressler has found that almost all of the killers he interviewed sustained physical and emotional abuse as children. Also, Ressler determined that “mental illness, criminal activity or alcohol or drug abuse existed in the immediate families” (Gratrix). Ressler also goes on to explain that serial killers are disproportionately present in North America because of the demise of the nuclear family, violence on television, easy access to weapons, and a lack of supervision.

While I agree with Ressler, that these factors indeed create a rich environment in which to breed a sociopath, I feel that he places too much prominence on nurture, and pays no attention to nature. Our environments greatly contribute to the people we become without a doubt. It is absurd, however, to believe that we are all genetically identical in terms of our emotions and personalities when we are born.

We know that anti-social personality disorder, or sociopathy, is present in all serial killers. "Current experts believe that sociopaths are an unfortunate fusion of interpersonal, bioligical and sociocutltural disasters."

According to the DSM IIIR, a psychological surveying tool, between 3-5% of men, and less than 1% of women are sociopaths. Shirley Scott argues that it is the sociopath's perception that others are worthless and available for manipulation, combined with a history of perceived injustices that lead to gruesome murders.

Current tests have shown that the nervous system of a sociopath is indeed different. The sociopath feels less fear and anxiety than the average person. One study found that the sociopath's arousal levels are quite low, leading to impulsiveness and thrill-seeking. Also interesting are the findings of several more studies that have determined that the biological relatives of adopted sociopaths were 4-5 times more likely to also be sociopathic than the average person; and, when sociopahts inherit developmental disabilities, it is usually a stunted development of the higher function of the brain. 30-38% of sociopaths show abnormal brain wave patterns, with the abnormal activity being found in the temporal lobes and the limbic system, which control memory and emotions. These studies indicate a powerful argument toward a modern day Frankenstein theory that serial killers really can be made.

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/tick/psych_6.html

Gratrix, E. (1993). When Men Become Monsters. Alberta Report / Newsmagazine, 20(16), 27. Retrieved June 11, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.