I think like a serial killer

[bluntforcemama]

Go figure, all that work on my junior thesis (6 months of diving into the minds of our world's most dangerous criminals) about the childhood upbringings of serial killers has rearranged my thought processes. I wonder if I can get that flexible conscience, too. I'm even starting to profile some of the kids I see in the daycare. Little warning bells are going off everytime they do something that a fledgling serial killer did in history. Maybe I got too involved in that project.

 

[Svedish_Chef]

I am a serial...

Um I'll get back to you on that, need to finish my chianti

 

[Scabbers]

I just killed

a bowl or cereal for dinner. Ya got a problem with that!

 

[Todd]

I did a similar self prescribed project.

I came to the same signs as you now readily see.

I went to a mentor friend for advice, they offered this;

"Now that you know, now you have a responsibility"

Took me a year and a half for that staement to truely, truely sink in.

Sorry for interupting your thread

 

[p_p_man]

Little warning bells are going off everytime they do something that a fledgling serial killer did in history. Maybe I got too involved in that project.

That's scary, real scary...

 

[koalabear]

Welcome to my world........eh eh eh !

 

[PacificBlue]

Go figure, all that work on my junior thesis (6 months of diving into the minds of our world's most dangerous criminals) about the childhood upbringings of serial killers has rearranged my thought processes. I wonder if I can get that flexible conscience, too. I'm even starting to profile some of the kids I see in the daycare. Little warning bells are going off everytime they do something that a fledgling serial killer did in history. Maybe I got too involved in that project.

So what did you find out? Poor potty training?

Seriously...any trends?

 

[pabloback]

the two most famous people to attend my school were graham young [the st albans poisoner]
and mike gatting [ex england cricket captain] but we try to keep it quiet about him

 

[Basia]

Awww... isn't that cute! the little ones are going to kill.

 

[bluntforcemama]

Yeah, actually

Most were in abusive homes, or lacked parental supervision, which in turn caused isolation, and thus an escape into fantasy, where revenge became commonplace, then more of a sexual fetish... it's more complicated than that, but I can't seem to find more than the first page of my thesis. I transferred it between computers, I'll just have to figure out where I wrote the rest of it.

 

[Never]

Re: Yeah, actually

Myst
"Most were in abusive homes, or lacked parental supervision, which in turn caused isolation, and thus an escape into fantasy, where revenge became commonplace, then more of a sexual fetish..."

There are a large number of children who 'lack perental supervision', escaping into fantasy is also fairly common - most people do it a couple of times a day, somepeople do it for hours at a time, we used to classify those types of children as budding writers and artists. As for daydreaming about a form of 'revenge' - if Freud is correct most children are somewhat obessed about gaining revenge or power. The whole killing off one of your parents thing always stuck me as a tad unhealthy.

I'm just saying that the percentage of people who fit your criteria is much larger than those that become serial killers.

 

[bluntforcemama]

Never, I'm well aware of that, I did the research.

 

[pabloback]

i used to like cereal but the makers killed off my favourite one

 

[Fly_On_Wall]

Re: Yeah, actually

Most were in abusive homes, or lacked parental supervision, which in turn caused isolation, and thus an escape into fantasy, where revenge became commonplace, then more of a sexual fetish... it's more complicated than that, but I can't seem to find more than the first page of my thesis. I transferred it between computers, I'll just have to figure out where I wrote the rest of it.

that actualy sounds like me. an isolated person, I live in a dream world. i'm nice on the outside, never lash out at people (usually) but the things I do to them in my head...... Just cause the warning signs are there don't mean that that person will act on it.

 

[Never]

Myst:
"Never, I'm well aware of that, I did the research."

Yet, little warning bells are going off.

 

[Mensa]

Re: Re: Yeah, actually

Myst
"Most were in abusive homes, or lacked parental supervision, which in turn caused isolation, and thus an escape into fantasy, where revenge became commonplace, then more of a sexual fetish..."

There are a large number of children who 'lack perental supervision', escaping into fantasy is also fairly common - most people do it a couple of times a day, somepeople do it for hours at a time, we used to classify those types of children as budding writers and artists. As for daydreaming about a form of 'revenge' - if Freud is correct most children are somewhat obessed about gaining revenge or power. The whole killing off one of your parents thing always stuck me as a tad unhealthy.

I'm just saying that the percentage of people who fit your criteria is much larger than those that become serial killers.

One of the factors being that the majority learn to control those impulses. They still exist and under the right circumstances could again come to the fore. The minority who become murderers never learn how to control them or else willingly give in to them.

Myst, did your research indicate what percentage of the murderers came from single child homes as well as the percentage who came from single parent homes, or how many were in a single child- single parent environment?

 

[bluntforcemama]

Less than 1% of abusive homes turn out to be the spawning ground of a "successful" serial killer. I think that's pretty obvious, without having to be stated, or else we'd have a million serial killers running around. Most started out as arsonists, and I imagine many of them that could reach serial killer status are sticking to arson and killing the neighbor's pets because they've been instilled somehow with the threat of punishment and retribution for their actions, some as severe as death itself.

Because I can think like a serial killer doesn't mean I am one, I think that's been demonstrated already. The warning bells I hear are just that, bells. I'm not saying that I have little serial killers in the daycare where I volunteer: I'm saying that it's conceivable that they might carry certain characteristics that are not neccessarily exclusive to mass murderers, but are definitely a trait that is atypical of most socially balanced people. I was merely stating that these characteristics come into plain view when you're suddenly aware of them. The child who sits alone in the corner, playing by himself and shunning offers to accompany the other children while displaying compulsive actions is definitely atypical. This doesn't mean he won't grow up to be a balanced adult. Such abnormalities I see in a certain child might be the need to stay away from crowds, messiness, extreme cleanliness, a fear and/or hatred of the opposite sex, excessive daydreaming, or a skewed perception of society. These abnormalities, in this context, are not a result of mental impairment or biological defects, but of atypical childhood development.

 

[Juspar Emvan]

Myst:
"Never, I'm well aware of that, I did the research."

Yet, little warning bells are going off.

Duh.

So you think that if a child displays classic symptoms that could indicate a serial killer mentaility, we shouldn't get warning bells, because the actual percentage who act on the impulses is really very small? Tell that to the grieving mothers and children.

 

[Never]

Juspar:
"So you think that if a child displays classic symptoms that could indicate a serial killer mentaility, we shouldn't get warning bells, because the actual percentage who act on the impulses is really very small? Tell that to the grieving mothers and children."

These classic symptoms being? Is Myst watching as these kids set cats on fire?

I mean it's daycare for Chriss's sake.

 

[bluntforcemama]

These classic symptoms being?

Rewind:
Such abnormalities I see in a certain child might be the need to stay away from crowds, messiness, extreme cleanliness, a fear and/or hatred of the opposite sex, excessive daydreaming, or a skewed perception of society. These abnormalities, in this context, are not a result of mental impairment or biological defects, but of atypical childhood development.

 

[Spinaroonie]

Go figure, all that work on my junior thesis (6 months of diving into the minds of our world's most dangerous criminals) about the childhood upbringings of serial killers has rearranged my thought processes. I wonder if I can get that flexible conscience, too. I'm even starting to profile some of the kids I see in the daycare. Little warning bells are going off everytime they do something that a fledgling serial killer did in history. Maybe I got too involved in that project.

I wouldn't sweat it. Should we profile all the mail carriers cos David Berkowitz did? Should we profile everyone who listened to the Beatles backwards cos Manson did it? What about clowns cos of Ted Bundy?

Then there are the ones like Charles Whitman who gave no signs.

If profiled you could probably find something on everybody. Cops do it all the time.

 

[Never]

Myst:
"Such abnormalities I see in a certain child might be the need to stay away from crowds, messiness, extreme cleanliness, a fear and/or hatred of the opposite sex, excessive daydreaming, or a skewed perception of society. These abnormalities, in this context, are not a result of mental impairment or biological defects, but of atypical childhood development."

The need to stay away from crowds? Messiness? 'Excessive' daydreaming? Holy Fudge. Someone lock me up before I strike!

Myst, medical students often develop a form of hypocondria. The chances that someone in your daycare is going to become a serial killer almost non-existant. Is it possible that these warning bells are a result of emersing yourself into your studies and have very little to do with the child or children your'e interacting with?

 

[bluntforcemama]

I think you're missing the point.

Because I can think like a serial killer doesn't mean I am one, I think that's been demonstrated already. The warning bells I hear are just that, bells. I'm not saying that I have little serial killers in the daycare where I volunteer: I'm saying that it's conceivable that they might carry certain characteristics that are not neccessarily exclusive to mass murderers, but are definitely a trait that is atypical of most socially balanced people. I was merely stating that these characteristics come into plain view when you're suddenly aware of them. The child who sits alone in the corner, playing by himself and shunning offers to accompany the other children while displaying compulsive actions is definitely atypical. This doesn't mean he won't grow up to be a balanced adult.

 

[Never]

Being white male is atypical. Being a white female there's an over 80% chance that if I'm raped it will be by a white male.

Yet, when I interact with white males 'warning bells' do not go off.

'The child who sits alone in the corner, playing by himself and shunning offers to accompany the other children while displaying compulsive actions is definitely atypical.' Yet, not even a sizable majority of children who fit this discription become killers or serial killers. And I may be wrong but I'd guess a smaller number of these children turn out to be killers than white males turn out to be rapists.

I'm sorry but I don't think that six months of study qualifies you to 'profile' these children. She me a PhD in head shrinking and then I'll respect your 'warning bells'.

 

[Juspar Emvan]

OK, who pissed in Never's cornflakes? Own up!