The Application of Learning Theory to Serial Murder or “You Too Can Learn to be a Serial Killer”

... Recently, research has found evi- dence of the importance of social relationships and ties with criminal others in the perpetration of violence Sherretts & Willmott, 2016), however these social factors were significantly less important determi- nants of offence perpetration in homicide inmates, than other offender groups (Sherretts, Boduszek, Debowska, & Willmott, 2017). For behaviourists, a funda- mental criticism of psychodynamic perspectives, including Neo-Freudian object relations theory, is the degree of emphasis attributed to childhood experiences and caregiver influences, which as a consequence negates seemingly significant adult experiences and environmental factors in the commission of behaviour (Castle & Hensley, 2002;Hale, 1993). ...

... It was also during this time that he began experimenting with drugs. Consumption of extremely heavy doses of marijuana and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) (Hofmann, 1980) became common practice for Chase (Morrison, 2011). One of his previous girlfriends said that he started hanging out with the " acidhead " crowd (Ressler & Shachtman, 1992, p. 12). ...

... This lack of control that Chase had over his penis could possibly have been a prolongation of a loss of control in his childhood (Bollas, 1987Bollas, , 1995Johnson & Becker, 1997). It might have accumulated to this early loss and reinforced a need to strive for control and power (Claus & Lidberg, 1999;Hale, 1993) . ...

... If children are denied this right to omnipotence, they suffer " lifelong feelings of being deprived of their own existence " (Claus & Lidberg, 1999, p. 431). This results in a drive to regain lost power (Hale, 1993) or a " striving towards an establishment of the infantile omnipotence " (Claus & Lidberg, 1999, p. 429). Neither of Chase's parents furthered a nurturing practice that would bolster feelings of omnipotence within Chase. ...

... From a neurobiological perspective, aggression has been linked with high levels of testosterone and low levels of certain neurotransmitters such as serotonin [11]. Aggression has also been linked to genetics1213 and social learning1415. However, it was argued that there is no single factor credible enough to determine the root of aggression [16]. ...

... Ending the lives of his packages was a cathartic act for the humiliation he suffered at the hands of so many individuals in his life (Hale, 1993). Genetics and poor development of object relations short changed Ray early in his life, and persistent abuse at every turn fanned the flames for violence. ...

... While we might identify a serial killer's motivations, we will never comprehend their behavior. The second major theme concerns questions of defi nition (Dietz, 1996; Hale, 1998; Holmes and DeBurger, 1998; Ferguson et al., 2003; Canter and Wentink, 2004). By convention, a serial killer is someone who has killed three or more people who were previously unknown to him. 1 There must also be a 'cooling off' period between each murder. ...

... Most of the empirical work in this area, however, has entailed studies that analyze data without the guidance of a theoretical framework (Godwin, 2000; Hickey, 1991; Kraemer, Lord, & Heilbrun, 2004; Ressler, Burgess, & Douglas, 1988; cf. DeFronzo, Ditta, Hannon, & Prochnow, 2007; Hale, 1993; Lundrigan & Canter, 2001), yet the criminal career tradition in criminology provides a clear framework for examining offending specialization or versatility among homicide offenders. A criminal career is defined as " the characterization of the longitudinal sequence of crimes committed by an individual offender " (Blumstein, Cohen, Roth, & Visher, 1986, p. 12 ). ...

... The literature on serial murder is largely the product of broad-based descriptive studies of large numbers of cases of serial killers or the result of individual case studies, such as the research of Douglas and Olshaker (1999), Abrahamsen (1985), Ressler and Shachtman (1997) and Vorpagel (1998), while some have described their own case experiences (Kirwin, 1997;Lewis, 1998). The application of social learning theory has been applied to serial killers (Hale, 1993;Wright & Hensley, 2003), but this theory does not account for why those who are also exposed to violence do not become serial killers. Another perspective taken is the phenomenological approach to understanding serial killers (Skrapec, 2001). ...

... The literature on serial murder is largely the product of broad-based descriptive studies of large numbers of cases of serial killers or the result of individual case studies, such as the research of Douglas and Olshaker (1999), Abrahamsen (1985), Ressler and Shachtman (1997) and Vorpagel (1998), while some have described their own case experiences (Kirwin, 1997;Lewis, 1998). The application of social learning theory has been applied to serial killers (Hale, 1993;Wright & Hensley, 2003), but this theory does not account for why those who are also exposed to violence do not become serial killers. Another perspective taken is the phenomenological approach to understanding serial killers (Skrapec, 2001). ...

... Serial murder is one area to which scholars have attempted to apply learning theory. Hale (1993) suggested that serial murder is a crime that can also be learned. ...

... This happens, however, only if killers recognize and internalize the humiliation as a motive. Hale (1993) used Amsel's (1958) frustration theory to explain how killers internalize the perceived wrong and use it as a justification for murder. Based on this theory, killers associate certain cues from the situation in which the humiliation initially occurred with the later humiliation. ...

... The abundance of these nonreinforcement situations does not allow killers to discriminate one situation from another. Hale (1993) also uses Dollard and Miller's (1950) theory of learning to explain why killers " instigate " a certain behavior. An instigated behavior is a behavior where the predicted response is the consequence. ...