Criminals...What Makes Them Tick...

Thats a question that would be hard to answer, me and my husband were talking about that the other day, what in people's brains causes them to do crimes like that? These days they would blame it on them being bi-polar, but back in the 80's and the earlier years you never heard of the word bi-polar and if you did, nobody would know what it meant, you never heard of anything like that. I don't know what would possess a person to want to go out and kill or rape someone just for the fun of it, I don't know if it has anything to do with their upbringing, I think its just some bad wiring that went wrong in their brain, they are just plain crazy. The people you mentioned in the discussion are just evil in my book and I don't think they could of been cured of it. Thankfully there isn't anyone in my family thats that crazy...

The only thing that comes to mind that I haven't read in some of the other responses is how in the bible in the book of revelation there is a bottomless pit. There's mysteries in the book of rev/apoc (til the mysteries are solved) and this one is that the bottomless pit is in the heart of man (and angels). To have rationality is to be able to make choices, and in reality, this can move us away from God/Life/Perfection (which is what happened) and it is also a bottomless pit.. there is no limit as we can see to how far one can go (and fall). As to why? I do believe these things are passed on by brutal treatment people get especially in their formative years. And there is a lot to be said for those who were mistreated in such a way and have not passed it one! Kudos to them. I read a thing not so long ago that said gory movies, like the "Saw" movies are popular (which I cannot imagine) because some who watch them have been victims, and these type sadistic movies give them a sense of power they didn't have when they were being victimized. To actually carry out heinous crimes, you and I cannot understand, but I believe it has something to do with this.. that and the influence of dark forces/entities, the fallen angels who seem to take joy in all suffering and depravation in this war between good and evil.. Or the war of who or what will be God...

there are a lot of psychological profiles done on serial killers, and what makes them tick, do they feel remorse, now, some of pure crazy like manson, some are anti social, psychopaths that do not feel anything at all, and just get their goodies from killing.

I really believe that all these people are mentally ill because there is no way that a normal human being could commit such acts of violence.

I don't think the average person can begin to understand the mind of someone with criminal intent. Some of the crimes that I am familiar with, have known about, have read about, have happened in my corner of the world I would not only never consider doing, but it would never be a thought that entered in the first place. Society can offer up reasonable explanations for a criminals behavior, and in some cases their reasons may be legitimate, but you can't tell me that every single violent criminal was raised in homes that were detrimental to their upbringing. I wonder how many mothers sat and watched their children go to prison or executed and wondered how they could have done things differently. All we can do is give our children the tools, what they do with them is out of our control. I show my son a shovel and believe that when I show him how it is used that he will use that information to dig snow or turn over the garden. I have no control if my child takes the shovel and buries his victims with it.

Hi twoey-Some of these people that commit these crimes I do put down to their childhood eg if a mother was too possessive over their boy and he grew up only knowing how cruel she could be in not letting friends over, punishing or threatening him..all of these things add to a hatred of women then when they finally are able to get away from mother's grips they could like Ted Bundy settle down but then without their g/f knowing go out and commit crimes against women-it is a mystery to me why they do it especially when it comes to eating their victims...littleowl

well in all these years Charles Manson is the same. So I don't think they can be totally cured. Maybe a small fix but I feel they would just go back to being the way they were before treatment if they weren't kept on a strict treatment and made to take their medication daily. I do not have any one on my family that would commit a crime that I am aware of.

I think some of these monsters have an evil spirit within them. They are sick, some have mental illness. I don't know if "normal" people could ever understand how and why some people do what they do. I do believe that some people let evil take over their lives. Its so sad and so very scary too. These people don't always look weird or odd,Dahmer looked like a "normal" guy and look what he did.

I personally think some are born with crossed wires just like other handycaps. Not their fault but just something happened at birth. Excuse for murder and nah lock em up if they do the crime to protect others and themselves. But then there are those that do te stuff they do because of whom they are hanging with. Then there are those that just are following what their family did or does. A lot of people blame it on their past but you know everyones life isn't all rosey and peachy just some know how to rise above the crap and become better people than what they were brought up in. They just have to want to.

I think 90% of them have something wrong with their brain. The other 10% just think they are above the law and can get away with anything.

If anyone knew the answer to that one I guess there wouldn't be any criminals left--they would all get fixed. I do, however, think that upbringing has a lot to do with it, although in some cases it might just be a chemical imbalance in the person. The Japanese did a study where they brought people with a history of bad behavior in for sensory deprivation therapy, with what seemed to me to be remarkable results. It wasn't like solitary confinement in prison, exactly, but they were given a nice comfortable bed and nourishing but plain food and allowed no radio or TV or conversation until they straightened out and then privileges were gradually re-introduced, but withdrawn if the person backslid, as I recall. Of course if they had waited until someone became a crazed killer, that would be too late for such methods! They have to be taught young what behavior is acceptable and what is not, I think, and society at large also needs to be taught how to "read" people. Then we would not have so many young women falling prey to these monsters. Girls need to be taught not to be so trusting.

I, too, was picked on in school to the point where I would've liked to kill a few people. But if I did, what would my parents think, my grandparents? They'd be ashamed of me. That mattered to me and gave me strength to get through those times and many more hard times in my life. I don't know what made those people you mentioned do what they did--I just looked up a brief synopsis of Manson's and Dahmer's childhoods and they were not happy, their parents were not supportive. Maybe that's a factor, I don't know.

no, thank god i have nonone in my family that has ever comitted sush heinous crimes. i'm really like you i don' understand it. i will say this tho & i believe it w/all my heart problems start at home & if they were recognized instead of ignored there might not be such horrible people in the world.

They had a program about this and they said it was an extra gene in them that make them do this some times I think they lack the pain gene so they dont know that they are really hurting someone. and then to they are just plain nutso! Nope no one in my fqamily has done any of this . Think I would have to en thier life if they did.