A serial killer is typically a person who kills three or more human beings normally under pressure of unusual psychological enjoyment with the killing taking place over more than a month and including a significant period between them. The importance of this topic is to give us an understanding of the mental and behaviours of serial killers, and also the reasons behind their actions. Serial killings occur in our daily lives, and it happens when an individual has a mental disorder in which he does not show regards for good or bad and ignores the rights and feelings of others. There shall be a discussion of how serial killings relate to stress, psychological disorders and how to achieve coping.
Stress
Contrada and Baum (2010) highlighted that stress is a judgement, a ‘bad’ state that needs fixation or cured. Stress attributes as a significant cause for serial killing. It is a natural physical and mental reaction to life experiences. When left unattended, it becomes adverse and it makes an individual irresponsible and killing people is as usual and good as doing any other task. A serial killer does not feel agitated or shame when they are caught doing wrong. They do not feel bad when they torture people. Due to stress, serial killers continuously feel pleasure in killing people because their minds tell them nothing apart from hunting and hurting (Contrada " Baum 2010). This condition causes them to have difficulties in making decisions, forgetfulness, mental blocks and difficulty thinking or concentrating clearly. They will kill today and be ready to repeat even tomorrow due to the mental distortion.
Psychological Disorders
A psychological disorder, also known as a mental disorder refers to a sequence of behavioural symptoms that affect a wide range of life areas and creates discomfort to the person experiencing it (Brady 2015). The widely recognized mental disorder is Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). People with this disorder exhibit superficial charm and a lack of empathy for anyone. They also manipulate and intimidate people, and they see nothing wrong in that. Brady (2015) pointed out that the psychological evolution of human beings tends to follow a clear pattern, like a flight of steps. If someone is a killer, he/she will always have a reason to kill more people and will ensure this follows suit. A mental disorder would be better if noticed earlier and treated so that the killer can have a place in the society rather than the usual scolding usually subjected to the serial killers.
Coping
Coping means to invest own conscious effort, to solve problems and interpersonal problems to minimize and avoid stress. Coping would mean coming up with strategies that would reduce the condition. Contrada and Baum (2015) observed that the efficiency of coping efforts depends on the kind of stress, the person and the environment. Coping strategies are broad, but the common ones involve appraisal focused strategies which are directed towards the challenging personal assumption as it modifies the way an individual think and also the emotion-focused strategy which shows the need for self-control and accepting responsibilities and blames.
The discussion has looked into how an individual finds themselves in serial killing out of their unawares. These killings are mostly a result of psychological problems in individuals. Stress and psychological disorders have been found to effect serial murders. The public should first diagnose whether the serial killers have mental issues before laying blame on them and wishing them dead too.
References
Brady, I. (2015). The Gates of Janus: Serial Killing and its Analysis by the Moors Murderer Ian Brady. New York: Feral House
Contrada, R., " Baum, A. (2010). The Handbook of Stress Science: Biology, Psychology, and Health. New York: Springer Pub. Co
