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This trait is common in both sociopaths and psychopaths, and therefore present in the majority of serial killers. It’s impossible to be empathetic towards someone and still carry out premeditated homicide on them. One of the most common characteristics of serial killers is a lack of emotional depth. Now let's take a look at each of these behavioral issues, and show specific examples of famous serial killers who exhibit them. With that in mind, let’s look at the most common serial killer traits and early warning signs. In this article, I’ll use the term ‘most serial killers’ rather than ‘all serial killers’ as it would be inaccurate to apply these characteristics to every single serial murderer. While one trait (such as grandiosity) may be cranked up to 10, another trait (such as impulsiveness) may be at a 5. Think of psychopathy and sociopathy as mixing boards made up of various dials. This means that they’ll exhibit behavior in line with these disorders, which means we’re able to notice them.īefore we get into the nitty gritty, it’s important to mention that behavior, personality and psychopathology will differ significantly from killer to killer. However, a serial killer might let their mask slip on occasion.You’ve probably heard terms like psychopathic, sociopathic, narcissistic and psychotic used in relation to the psychopathology of serial killers, and it’s true that these personality disorders (and various others) are often common serial killer characteristics. They hide in plain sight by camouflaging themselves amongst the general populace as functioning human beings. Serial killers walk among us every day, going to the same schools and the same workplaces as we do, consuming the same news and forming the same opinions as us. Surprisingly, this isn’t always the case. A different species, exhibiting traits and raised in conditions that normal people would never be subjected to. Surely, there are common signs of a serial killer, right? They’re a different breed than you or I.
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It’s tempting to write serial killers off as monstrous, inhuman aberrations and nothing more.