Shaice Coulter
G. Butler
English 101
Research Paper
12/3/13
Mind of a Maniac: Looking for the Drive of a Serial Killer
The minds and the inner workings of a serial killer have been analyzed, investigated, and pondered upon for many years. “Questions such as what makes his or her mind tick? Does he or she target one fitting victim? What are his or her motives?” are some of the most common that spring to mind. We all hold the power of being aggressive, of encompassing unthinkable and destructive thoughts of “torture, sadism and murder”, but we do not all become serial murderers (Knight, 21). This deviant behavior is often feared because it displays a small but troubled percentage of people who immerse in the torture and death of other
By the age of 16, the subject dropped out of high school, joining the military shortly after. After 19 months, he was generally discharged due to his “underlying immature personality” (Beasley, 401-402). This subject’s life consisted of powerful but negative milestones that all interfused together creating the killer he became. The absence of his mother caused an imbalance in him, particularly due to the fact that he referred to her as “cold and distant.” Distance with a parent and a child can result in a feeling of loneliness and resentment since no efforts were made to ever be in his life. His father, who not even mentioned, was replaced by an abusive step father. The truancy of both biological parents left a part of his life empty; that vacancy can be saddening to a child, but one who is psychically abused will most likely tie it in with anger. The troubles he encountered in school with the failure of third grade and dropping out at the age of 16 caused a very self defeating demeanor. His signs of low self-esteem he showed throughout grade school carried on and concluded in him dropping out completely in high school. The military did not assist with his lack of maturity and knowledge, being as though he was discharged only and year and a half later. Torturing the animals was the one of biggest signs of emotional disturbance. He inflicted the pain he felt all his life on innocent animals,