Scientific Blood
In the non-fiction novel In Cold Blood we can see two obvious serial killers. Dick and Perry. Now, it is believed that behavior is something one is born with, and some believe that behavior is something that you learn. Both are half right. In order for someone like a serial killer to emerge in our society there needs to be quite a bit of background troubles in order for someone to become that way.
In the following TED Talk staring Jim Fallon, we learn a lot about what it takes for someone to become a serial killer. What Fallon teaches us is that half of the causes come from a genetic and neurological point of view. There are certain genes called MAOA Genes, which are sex linked, on the X chromosome. This way, you can only receive this gene from your mother. This also explains why males are more likely to become serial killers. Females have two X chromosomes, one from their mother and one from their father, which can dilute the problematic gene. However, for males they only have one X chromosome which has to be from the mother, and without a second X chromosome to counteract in, the MAOA Gene has the ability to act in full swing. There is another half to this whole story, consisting of behavioral causes for criminal activity. Having the MAOA Gene is a start, but it means nothing without a cause to put into action. Normally this cause has to be before the age of puberty or final forms of development. This 'something' has to be quite traumatic in order for the gene to be triggered. It may range from a societal disaster, war, or even a murder in your own family. Watching one of these things happen at a young age is critical to the learning process and may cause such images to remain imprinted into one's thoughts forever, altering their actions and behavior in the future. In our novel In Cold Blood Dick and Perry had problems with their families as they grew up. Such problems consisted of an attempted murder in Perry's family. Something like this could ruin a child or teenager's thought process, causing them to grow into something much more dangerous in the future. As we can see, there are several primary ingredients in the making of a murderer. Perry, being our example, growing up and taking part in an attempted murder in his own family. He had the MAOA Gene along with a traumatic event in his developmental years. The keys to a crime committing fool. Jim Fallon's research is very sophisticated and could possibly lead to a new lead in changing our problematic society forever. |
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