Why do you think Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer?

An

An

I was talking to my sister about it and she said she thinks he’d be that way regardless of his upbringing but I told her I think it was more so from his parents neglecting him in various ways and the constant arguing and marital turmoil. Obviously its never going to be black and white and it could be a mixture of these reasons.

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COMMENT (29)

lk

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I think it's equal parts nature and nurture with him. His dad is an interesting character. There's an interview with both of them and his dad's responses to what Dahmer did are both fascinating and really disturbing. He gives the impression of someone who has the same compulsion, but held it tightly in check. In that sense, I think there was something broken in both Dahmer and his dad, so it was partly nature. His dad was too interested in what he did, rather than being horrified by it. He made noises about being a good, God-fearing man, but he was too titillated by it all. It was creepy. On the nurture point, though, there was a lot that went wrong. Dahmer witnessed and experienced both abuse and emotional abandonment. His mother was deeply involved in her own mental health issues and attempted suicide when he was young. His dad was absent due to work and studies and his parents' relationship was deeply troubled and toxic, with Dahmer witnessing many fights and arguments. He began drinking at a relatively young age (14) and although he was seen as polite and intelligent by his teachers, he was socially awkward. As a teen, he became aware that he was gay, which was not socially acceptable at that time, so that likely added to his issues. His parents ' divorce in his teen years didn't help. His dad moved out for a time and his mother wasn't much help.I think a lot of factors contributed to making Dahmer who and what he was, but I hold on to the fact that he ultimately determined that his actions were his own responsibility and he would have to answer to God for them. He allowed no excuses. That didn't make him a good person by any means, but he did take a realistic view of what he had done and the cost of doing so. Most serial killers do not show that level of understanding of their own culpability in their crimes, at least as far as I know.

E

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If he was brought up in a perfect home (which doesn’t exist) by a perfect family (also doesn’t exist) then maybe there would have been some protective factors that would have come into play to offset predispositions and what he eventually turned into.I don’t think the constant yelling made him the way he is. Look at domestic violence statistics vs how many serial killers exist. If this were it..we would have way more serial killers. Actually, I would likely be one. My opinion is that genetics play a slightly larger role than environment up to a certain age and than a massively larger role than environment after that age.I place WAY more blame on those cops and the military (if it is true that he was just honourably discharged when he was literally raping other soldiers) than I ever would his parents.

Mr

Mrs • Oct 1, 2022
Haven't watched the thing, just wanted to clarify: There are actually certain genes that are related to aggressive/destructive behavior, but one can have them without them ever being activated (meaning: said person doesn't behave any more violent than average). Environmental factors are what can "trigger" some genes, including some of the ones that are linked to aggression. So, if someone has the gene, and they end up in e.g. a threatening situation, or witness a lot of violence, etc., they are more prone to aggressive behavior than individuals who only experience the environmental factors, but not the genetic factors.

Lu

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Do you know gets me about serial killers? Is how come they all existed round about the same time. Wtf was in air in the 1970’s.

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✈️ • Oct 1, 2022
I think part of it is culture shift as well. There’s less serial killers now, but way more school shooters. Same demographic of angry young men, different expressions of violence.

Ре

Ре • Sep 30, 2022
Meant to say, I was born in the 80s but even then the effects of repressed trauma was still lingering from that generation

Ре

Ре • Sep 30, 2022
You just described my childhood. Not that my dad was a serial killer lol but he was a Vietnam vet and had a lot of issues he brought into our family. And it wasn't just him - all of his friends were the same way, my mom's brother's were the same, it was a profoundly traumatized generation of young men. And then the wives of these men were part of one of the first generations where most women were in the workforce so it was really difficult to support a healthy family structure at this time. I've given a lot of thought to the trauma of that generation and overall era and I think your theory is spot on.

Ре

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I actually just went down a rabbit hole learning about functional psychopaths who are nonviolent and do well in society. I think it's a combination of both - maybe he was born a psychopath but his upbringing and certain life events is what triggered a violent disposition in him. Maybe with a supportive family he could have learned how to live according to a moral code, even if he didn't fully understand it.

Ho

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I believe people are born that way. Yes, there were things in his life that may have played a role, but it would have happened either way. He was a born killer and a VERY DISTURBED human being. He got sexual pleasure from the things he did, that should say how messed up he was

Li

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I did a whole research paper on him for my abnormal psychology class. People like Dahmer, Bundy, BTK, Zodiac, Jack the Reaper, Ed Kemper, etc. are simply born that way. Nothing in their upbringing would’ve influenced their actions. It’s a neurological disorder (usually cluster B personality disorders) and interestingly enough, they are all extremely intelligent. None of them feel any remorse for what they did and that’s what makes them psychopaths and sociopaths. Being abused doesn’t turn someone into a psychopath. While abuse can happen in the home, it doesn’t have much of an influence as their own brain wiring itself. Millions of people are abused and neglected each year and aren’t serial killers who defile their victims. Sure, they can get into crime/drugs. However, they won’t go around decapitating people and eating them… you should read up on Ed Kemper. People think Dahmer was bad… read up on Ed and what he did to his mom (or maybe grandmother I can’t remember). These people are born the way they are

Li

Lillianne • Oct 2, 2022
For the paper I did I didn’t look into the meds his mother was taking while pregnant. I just looked at his childhood and any other behaviors that could’ve explained why he did what he did. Although he was raised in a chaotic environment with his mothers drug addiction, he still had a father who took time to teach him things and spend time with him. All it takes is one person to “save” you in that environment and his dad was it. And even then he still ended up doing what he did. He has a brother who was also raised in the same environment is a successful chemist I believe. He even changed his name so he wasn’t associated with his brother. That alone goes to show that while being raised in the same environment, you can have two completely different people with different personalities, and it’s more nature rather than nurture.

Ni

Nicole • Oct 2, 2022
Did you notice any link between the many meds his mother took during pregnancy and her mental health diagnoses ? I’m fascinated by stuff like that.

Je

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It is generally always a combination of nature and nurture. Trauma mixed with brain chemistry.

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Definitely a combo but I think it’s more so he was born that way. His upbringing didn’t help and prob intensified his urges

St

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I think is an accumulation of alot of this: emotional and mental neglect,parents arguing,Mom popping pills while pregnant,Dad mentioned he had the same thoughts of killing as Jeffrey did so hereditary mental health....

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It’s a combination. Underlying generic factors/ personality disorder paired with environmental triggers. If he had grown up in an environment where he had a better support structure and early mental health interventions he’d still probably have issues, but perhaps not to the same degree.