Serial Murder and the Psychology of Violent Crimes

The 21ST CENTURY:THE AGE OF SERIAL VIOLENT CRIME Despite technological and societal advances, crimes of an inexplicably violent nature still permeate contemporary civilizations throughout the world. The very existence of such aberrations, despite the passage of time over the centuries and the supposed evolution of our societies, suggests that some of the most basic instincts inherent to humanity may fundamentally relate to its proclivity for violence. Far from being manifestations of the modern era, serial violent crimes bear an uncanny resemblance to a number of ancient mythological creatures. These similarities raise suggestions that such creatures may have been attempts by ancient cultures to account for the abhorrent crimes. A series of seemingly unrelated brutal murders featuring the excessive mutilation of victims, with indications of body parts having been consumed and/or blood having been drunk, provided inspiration for folklore creatures such as werewolves or vampires. Similarly, the demonic spirits known as incubi that would rape women may be the ancient world seeking to account for serial rapists. Moving beyond these mythological examples, identifiable vignettes of serial violent crimes can be found in history, such as the Roman emperor Nero, who is well chronicled for his madness and delight in starting fires. Serial violent crimes in contemporary society no longer typically invoke any relation with the supernatural but are, instead, now more notionally explained by labels such as serial murder, serial rape, or serial arson.

This book brings together an international collection of research literature on the topics of criminal profiling and serial violent crime by integrating the respected insights of both scholars and practitioners from around the globe.

The Psychology of Serial Violent Crimes.- Normalcy in Behavioral Characteristics of the Sadistic Serial Killer.- Compulsive-Repetitive Offenders.- Serial Juvenile Sex Offenders and Their Offenses.- A Study of Offense Patterns and Psychopathological Characteristics Among Recidivistic Finnish Homicide Offenders.- Sensational and Extreme Interests in Adolescents.- Narcissism, Sadism, and Loneliness.- New Dimensions to Violent Crime.- Sexual Homicide.- Serial Killers and Serial Rapists.- Firesetting.- The "Gentler Sex".- Anatomy of a Mass Murder.- Investigative Considerations to Serial Violent Crimes.- Blundering Justice.- Sexual (Lust) Homicide.- Criminal Profile Construction and Investigative Procedures.- Psychological Skills and Criminal Profile Accuracy.- Profiling and Professionalization of Criminal Investigation.