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Q. In your book "My life among the serial killers" you state at different points during the book that serial killers cannot be healed, they are "not human", like one-dimensional beings. You implied that they do not experience any real emotions as you or I would, but then later you go on to say that they are like infants emotionally.

I can understand that, with regards to the stage of intellectual development that they reach, this is similar to that of an infant but it is contradictory stating that they are similar to children. Yet children experience emotions even if they are egocentric whereas you have argued that serial killers are like robots. Also, how is a serial killer defined exactly? It seems that the emphasis is on the point that they feel no remorse and have a lack of real emotions, but would this not be the case with the two boys who murdered 3-year-old Jamie Bulger in Liverpool in 1993?

Infants are emotionally indiscrete in their expression of affects (emotions). Emotional development is very separate from intelluctual development. The infant is overwhelmed by whatever stimulus they experience, and it is the job of a parent as well as the developmental stage of separation-individuation to help that infant/toddlers learn to contain their emotions.

The containment is part of how an infant begins to somehow "recognise" that he is not the entire world, but to learn that he is dependent on the world for his survival (to put it in adult terms).The infant also must "learn" that he is a separate being. We observe this around the 6th month of age when a child, previously willing to go to anyone, begins to show fear and anxiety and gets upset when they are away from their primary caretaker.

The serial killer never goes through this stage of development thus never becomes a separate, discrete human being. As for their being robotic, they act without thought when they kill, folllowing a path they have followed in prior murders. There is no thought of who, what, when, where or why, just the act which is very robot-like.

The boys who killed the 3-year-old were not serial killers, they had no conscience, just worried they would be caught. In the US they would be described as being psychopaths or sociopaths. These persons only fear being caught and kept from being able to act on their ideas or impulses. They are not insane, but are missing the right-wrong distinction as being caught is a consequence and not a moral dilemma.

Dr Helen Morrison - Forensic Psychiatrist / Author


	8:00PM The Krays 9:00PM Crime 360: Shots in the Dark 11:00PM Crime and Punishment: Blood on the Staircase Sign up for email updates from The Crime and Investigation Network I accept the T&Cs EXPERTS PROFILE READ PREV QUESTIONS SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION ARTICLES RECENT QUESTIONS Q. In your book "My life among the serial killers" you state at different points during the book that serial killers cannot be healed, they are "not human", like one-dimensional beings. You implied that they do not experience any real emotions as you or I would, but then later you go on to say that they are like infants emotionally. I can understand that, with regards to the stage of intellectual development that they reach, this is similar to that of an infant but it is contradictory stating that they are similar to children. Yet children experience emotions even if they are egocentric whereas you have argued that serial killers are like robots. Also, how is a serial killer defined exactly? It seems that the emphasis is on the point that they feel no remorse and have a lack of real emotions, but would this not be the case with the two boys who murdered 3-year-old Jamie Bulger in Liverpool in 1993? Infants are emotionally indiscrete in their expression of affects (emotions). Emotional development is very separate from intelluctual development. The infant is overwhelmed by whatever stimulus they experience, and it is the job of a parent as well as the developmental stage of separation-individuation to help that infant/toddlers learn to contain their emotions. The containment is part of how an infant begins to somehow "recognise" that he is not the entire world, but to learn that he is dependent on the world for his survival (to put it in adult terms).The infant also must "learn" that he is a separate being. We observe this around the 6th month of age when a child, previously willing to go to anyone, begins to show fear and anxiety and gets upset when they are away from their primary caretaker. The serial killer never goes through this stage of development thus never becomes a separate, discrete human being. As for their being robotic, they act without thought when they kill, folllowing a path they have followed in prior murders. There is no thought of who, what, when, where or why, just the act which is very robot-like. The boys who killed the 3-year-old were not serial killers, they had no conscience, just worried they would be caught. In the US they would be described as being psychopaths or sociopaths. These persons only fear being caught and kept from being able to act on their ideas or impulses. They are not insane, but are missing the right-wrong distinction as being caught is a consequence and not a moral dilemma. Dr Helen Morrison - Forensic Psychiatrist / Author