Sociological Perspective On Serial Killers

Sociological Perspective on Serial Killers and Serial Murder

The topic of serial killers is something that is often not spoken about in today’s society, but it is a very interesting concept. Many people refrain from speaking about serial killers because of how gruesome some of their murders can be. Almost all serial killers are driven by or have experienced something that causes them to commit these horrible crimes. These crimes often differ from each other which makes them very interesting to observe and research. The concept of serial killers is mostly thought out to be related only to deviance and crime, but sociology also plays an enormous role in it as well. Many different sociological concepts, theories, and groups can be applied to
Serial killers are defined as a type of killer who kills a number of people over a long period of time (Serial Killer Law & Legal Definition, n.d.). These murders must all be separate and are usually driven by psychological and sociological forces. Mass murders are very unlike serial kills because they kill a large number of people, typically at the same time in a single location (Serial Killers Vs. Mass Murderers, n.d.). The main difference between the two is the time between the killings. Understanding the differences between serial killers and mass murder is important in order to investigate and study the different sociological abstracts that are related to
Some serial killers share the same driving forces; others are completely different from one another. These driving forces can be observed and analyzed on an individual and familial level. These can be described as very small groups which fall under the category of microstructure in sociology. Many serial killers are motivated by anger and want to take it out on their victims. Jeffery Dahmer had a much different driving force for the crimes he committed. Levin stated in an article that Jeffrey Dahmer is said to have been motivated by a different desire, he wanted the company of his victims (as cited in Geis, 2008). Jeffrey Dahmer did this so that he could build intimate relationships with his victims that he was not able to build with other individuals. This intimate relationship with the victims is what drove serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to kill. In another article, serial killer Dennis Rader explained what caused him to commit all of his crimes. Radar uses sexual fantasy to account for the motivation behind (and justification for) many of his crimes and specific actions.” (Bartels & Parsons,