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Inside Criminal Minds
The psychology behind why someone commits a heinous or violent crime has been studied for decades. Criminal profilers have literally spent hours interviewing and studying well-known criminals such as Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer to gain a better understanding of what drives them to commit such horrific crimes.
One conclusion that has been reached is that it is a matter of both nurture an nature. Hardened criminals are lacking in the ability to empathize with their victims, or to realize that what they are doing is wrong. They feel justified in committing the crime and often feel as if the victim “deserved” it. They may choose to seek out a select group of people to “punish,” such as women. Often in these criminals’ past is a history of severe child abuse or neglect, mental illness and an absence of parental involvement in the rearing of the child. Early warning signs that something is terribly wrong with the child’s behavior or language is overlooked. They are often ridiculed by peers and family members, or made to perform unnatural acts. Often profilers are able to describe the type of car a criminal may drive, what kind of clothes they wear and what job they hold simply based on the type of crime that has been committed and the manner in which it was executed.
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