Abnormal Psychology

[Raynu]

can we just talk about The Lucifer Effect...? what is it exactly that makes a person like Richard Ramirez, Ed Kemper, or Ed Gein?

 

[Pete]

So what makes humans to do things that is considered at evil? I think it comes down to how they are brought up. Whether or not they were abused as a child or how they were lacking of nurturing from their parents or loved ones. But then you going to ask so what caused them to be a psychopath or murderer if they were abused as child? The answer might have to do with hormone imbalances and the impaired social behaviors, and one of the hormone is called Oxytocin

Oxytocin is aka feel good chemical. The neurons of oxytocin needs to be properly nurtured in order to develop. When doing great thing such as receiving love, oxytocin releases and making us feel good. It also being released especially when a mother breastfeeding their baby. Abused child tend to lack in the nurturing aspect growing up. Any animals or humans that are lacking in these receptors for oxytocin tend to act like psychopaths. And as you may know, most of the murderers are psychopaths

[Raynu]

well we have that information. but not every abused individual who grew up with no moral compass turns into a serial killer.  do you think some of them are maybe born that way? another interesting note to add is that a lot of really fucked up killers suffered multiple good bumps to the head. for example, we have Chris Benoit... with CTE. 

 

just things that make you go.. "hmm..."

[R0BINH00D1182]

In all honesty, this is something I've studied and thought about probably too much in my life. And what I have seen, is there is no one thing. It's a soup. You have to add the right ingredients at the right times. The problem being, everyone is a different type of soup, and you don't know that ingredients are needed until it's too late. 

[UncleFester]

Personally my own conception of evil is to knowingly contribute to the detriment of others for one's pleasure or benefit. The rest is just the scale of the infraction.

But ultimately, with regards to the Lucifer Effect, I think the main determinant of non-pathological sadism is fear. If you look at plantations for example, the need to cause pain and suffering was a direct consequence of the slave masters being outnumbered by the slaves, and this is also the case in prisons. If you look at Haiti, this fear was well justified. 

Creatures like Gein, Ramirez or Kemper are another discussion altogether. There are two general understandings of antisocial personality disorder, and these are contingent on the nature vs nurture argument. I cannot say for Ramirez, but Kemper and Gein had deep seated contempt for women as a consequence of their formative experiences.

[Raynu]

yea, severe mommy issues. Ramirez took a few good bumps to the head and some suggest that creates violent killers as well...

[UncleFester]

Yeah, there could be a whole host of issues going on there then. I don't know about CTE, but anything that affects the brain, if it occurs as a child or adolescent, has a more pronounced effect as they develop.

[Raynu]

this whole subject is very interesting. 

[CthyllaB]

(brand new lurker here - hope its okay to drop in some thoughts) I've not yet read the book - so I'll start by saying thank u - I love coming across good reading suggestions.)

 

I grew up in South Africa which is meant to be 3rd in the world of highest serial killers (I know technically Gein isn't classed as one)  and that fact always surprises because of the sheer brutality which passes for the 'norm' (rape, murder, human trafficking animal cruelty) 

So we have our fair share of serial killers and rapists (if interested Moses Sithole, the ABC killer ; is worth reading - very violent) their acts - in my opinion - a reflection of the widespread violence and depravity experienced by millions.

I have moved to the UK - and while I know there is no such thing as a perfect country - I'm always stunned by how much the 'average everyday person' genuinely doesn't have ill will against another and its recently got me interested in the psychology of a society and how the 'big stuff' going on up top reflects in the every day person - for example shortly after the Russian state took over farms and caused wide spread famine in the USSR the world was gifted Andrei Chikatilo 

....

would love to hear other's thoughts - I completely agree with the other factors as well (mental illness, brain injury, childhood and having the right mix that would make a person want to make nipple belt) but am also curious about how a society can be 'diagnosed' (in a sense) based on the crimes their people commit

 

[Raynu]

On 5/19/2021 at 7:07 AM, CthyllaB said:

(brand new lurker here - hope its okay to drop in some thoughts) I've not yet read the book - so I'll start by saying thank u - I love coming across good reading suggestions.)

 

I grew up in South Africa which is meant to be 3rd in the world of highest serial killers (I know technically Gein isn't classed as one)  and that fact always surprises because of the sheer brutality which passes for the 'norm' (rape, murder, human trafficking animal cruelty) 

So we have our fair share of serial killers and rapists (if interested Moses Sithole, the ABC killer ; is worth reading - very violent) their acts - in my opinion - a reflection of the widespread violence and depravity experienced by millions.

I have moved to the UK - and while I know there is no such thing as a perfect country - I'm always stunned by how much the 'average everyday person' genuinely doesn't have ill will against another and its recently got me interested in the psychology of a society and how the 'big stuff' going on up top reflects in the every day person - for example shortly after the Russian state took over farms and caused wide spread famine in the USSR the world was gifted Andrei Chikatilo 

....

would love to hear other's thoughts - I completely agree with the other factors as well (mental illness, brain injury, childhood and having the right mix that would make a person want to make nipple belt) but am also curious about how a society can be 'diagnosed' (in a sense) based on the crimes their people commit

 

love all this input ! i had no idea about the norm of the country you come from. thats very interesting. ive been away for some time, im sad i didnt see this post sooner. welcome ! 🙂

[Diavolo]

This is a huge one. Phylogenetic vs Endogenetic. The first issue is not only about how one person was raised, but also about the quality of the genetic material obtained from the ancestors. It is known that psychopaths always present a neurologic deficit. The second Issue, endogenetic, may be external factors. For example, the structure of any society: its common ideology, the distribution of wealth, education, social class mobility, and so on. Every social-individual problem is multi-factorial.

Edited July 2, 2021 by Diavolo

[Trappernicus]

To understand that one extreme we may need to understand the opposite extreme. The title of this thread is “Abnormal Psychology”. So I would suggest to be able to understand what is deemed “abnormal” we may need to take into account what is deemed “normal” and why it is. 🦊