Unveiling the Twisted Psyche: Nature or Nurture?
Drilling into a young man’s head and dismembering the body, he threw skin, blood, and bone into a fifty-gallon tank of acid, dissolving what was left of the young guy. This was Jeffrey Dahmer’s psyche; he murdered not out of rage, revenge, or financial gain, but out of impulse and want. Like many serial killers before him, such as Albert DeSalvo and Theodore Bundy , psychiatrists, criminologists, and scientists sought to understand why serial killers commit these mass crimes and how they became such vile individuals. The question remains, though, whether serial killers are born with a drive to kill or if it develops over the course of their life. Nature or nurture? It appears that both genetics and conditioning may play a part in the development of a serial killer.
The Warrior Gene
In the 1990s, a concept known as the “warrior gene” emerged, linking aggressive behaviour to a gene called monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) found on the X chromosome. This gene is in charge of neurotransmitter functions such as dopamine and serotonin, which affect mood and behaviour. When researching a Dutch family with violent tendencies and cognitive problems, researchers observed this link. Some family members committed inhumane acts, ranging from arson to assault.
The MAOA gene makes an enzyme that breaks down key neurotransmitters in the brain — dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Different versions of the gene exist in people, leading to varying enzyme activity levels. The low-activity type (MAOA-L) results in less enzyme production, while the high-activity type (MAOA-H) generates more.
Provoking Aggression: ‘Warrior Gene’ Experiment Insights
This phenomenon was the subject of an odd and interesting experiment co-authored by Rose McDermott, a professor of political science at Brown University. The experimental procedure was as such:
A total of 78 subjects took part in the experiment over networked computers (all were male students from the University of California–Santa Barbara). Each subject (A) first performed a vocabulary task in which they earned money. Then they were told that an anonymous partner (B), linked over the network, could choose to take some of their earnings away from them. The original subject (A) could then choose to punish the taker (B) by forcing them to eat unpleasantly hot (spicy) sauce — but they had to pay to do so, so administering punishment was costly. In reality, the “partner” who took money away was a computer, which allowed the researchers to control responses. No one actually ingested hot sauce.
Their findings demonstrate that:
1. Low-activity MAOA participants were marginally more aggressive overall than high-activity MAOA subjects.
2. There was strong evidence for a gene-by-environment interaction, such that MAOA is less associated with aggression in the low-provocation condition (when the amount of money taken is low), but significantly predicts aggression in the high-provocation condition (when the amount of money taken is high).
Conclusion
Figuring out why serial killers commit their horrifying acts is crucial to preventing their deadly sprees. Scientists have looked into this, and some solid proof suggests genetics play a major role in who turns into a serial killer. But on the other hand experts in crime and psychology argue that growing up in tough situations, like abuse or abandonment, can set the stage for these individuals to develop into twisted murderers.
Here’s the scoop: both sides have good points backed by research and numbers. Yet, neither side alone has all the answers about why serial killers exist. After checking out both arguments, it seems that it’s actually a mix of genetics and the way they’re brought up in their culture. But to suggest that this criminal behaviour is caused solely by some “serial killer gene” is entirely misleading.
References
· https://www.alittlebithuman.com/the-truth-about-the-serial-killer-gene/
