Nature Vs Nurture
...pression in Ukraine, his mother would fill his head with bedtime stories of an older brother who was cannibalized at the hands of starving Ukrainians. Since he grew up during World War Two, his dad was off fighting, and he never had a father figure around to look up to, only his vindictive mother. Chikatilo slept with his mother until the age of 13, and still peed his bed at that age as well. His mother was a cruel woman, who would often ridicule and abuse Andrei when he would pee his bed. In his later years, he learned he was impotent and could not perform sexually, which would put the serial killer in a state of rage, and lash out on his victims. Chikatilo, by no means had a normal childhood. He had to face his brutal mother every day and her vicious attacks on him both physically and verbally. His anger towards his mother was displayed on his murder victims who were mostly women. Sleeping with your mother and peeing the bed until you were 13 was not the only way that these serial killers were tormented; some were also taught to believe things most people could not imagine. The Gein family is a perfect example. The family lived on a farm, and Ed Gein was only allowed to leave the property when he had to go to school, and his mother would prevent him from making any sort of friendships. His mother also drilled into Ed’s head, of the immorality of the world, the evil of drinking, and, most importantly, that all women, expect herself, were whores. She would also read sections from the bible dealing with detailed descriptions of death and murder. When Ed Gein started his killings, he targeted prostitutes, because his mother had him convinced that they were evil. Events like this are not found in a normal childhood. Although this does not mean that any other childhood would be considered normal. However, the fact that his parents sheltered him from the world, not allowing him to make friends, and believing that all women were evil, is not a life that most children lead. Another common trait I found was the fact that most serial killers killed someone they believed were lower than themselves, like prosititues, or childern. Killing gave them a sense of power, one of which they had never known growing up as a child. Being constantly dominated by a parent, and forced to do and think things that they don’t necessarily want to believe in. These frustrations carry over to their later years and lash out on victims who will make them feel more powerful. A serial killer develops ...