Many killers over the years have said “I wanted to stop, but I couldn’t.” Dennis Nilsen said he didn’t want to kill but he had no other choice. This one is both and yes and no, but it’s present in enough serial killers to warrant a place on this list. There may be exceptions, such as Dahmer claiming “I should be dead for what I’ve done” and perhaps Edmund Kemper for turning himself in, but these instances are very rare (and possibly another form of manipulation). Psychologists and researchers into the criminal mind claim that on a whole, serial killers do not feel remorse, and all other claims are made for their own benefit.
Some people believe this is no more than a manipulation tactic, and given that many serial killers are skilled at concealing their true intentions, it’s impossible to really know the truth. Many serial killers have vocally opposed this trait, with some claiming that they’d learned to feel remorse after a significant time has passed since their crimes. If they did, they wouldn’t have earned themselves the ‘serial’ prefix. Once again, a serial killer will rarely feel remorse for their crimes.
This goes hand-in-hand with the entry above. The most bizarre entry in this category may be Jeffrey Dahmer, who happily decapitated local dogs he found in his street, yet would never hurt his own spaniel, Frisky. Dennis Nilsen, John Wayne Gacy and Harold Shipman were all dog lovers. Jeffrey Dahmer interview photo taken from Youtubeįor example, there have been a number of serial killers throughout the years who adored their pets. A number of studies have shown that serial killers will be fully aware of their victim’s distress, they just won’t feel it themselves. It’s completely possible for a serial killer to show empathy towards another human being, although that human being rarely becomes one of their victims. Interestingly, this isn’t to say that a serial killer will lack empathy for absolutely everything and everyone. This trait is common in both sociopaths and psychopaths, and therefore present in the majority of serial killers. It’s impossible to be empathetic towards someone and still carry out premeditated homicide on them. One of the most common characteristics of serial killers is a lack of emotional depth. Now let's take a look at each of these behavioral issues, and show specific examples of famous serial killers who exhibit them. With that in mind, let’s look at the most common serial killer traits and early warning signs. In this article, I’ll use the term ‘most serial killers’ rather than ‘all serial killers’ as it would be inaccurate to apply these characteristics to every single serial murderer. While one trait (such as grandiosity) may be cranked up to 10, another trait (such as impulsiveness) may be at a 5. Think of psychopathy and sociopathy as mixing boards made up of various dials. This means that they’ll exhibit behavior in line with these disorders, which means we’re able to notice them.īefore we get into the nitty gritty, it’s important to mention that behavior, personality and psychopathology will differ significantly from killer to killer. However, a serial killer might let their mask slip on occasion.You’ve probably heard terms like psychopathic, sociopathic, narcissistic and psychotic used in relation to the psychopathology of serial killers, and it’s true that these personality disorders (and various others) are often common serial killer characteristics. They hide in plain sight by camouflaging themselves amongst the general populace as functioning human beings.
Serial killers walk among us every day, going to the same schools and the same workplaces as we do, consuming the same news and forming the same opinions as us. Surprisingly, this isn’t always the case. A different species, exhibiting traits and raised in conditions that normal people would never be subjected to. Surely, there are common signs of a serial killer, right? They’re a different breed than you or I. It’s tempting to write serial killers off as monstrous, inhuman aberrations and nothing more.