The Antisocial Behaviour of a Psychopathic Serial Killer; Does its Origin Lies in an Evolutionary Defect?
By Maria Anna van Driel, www.medium.com
Throughout history, humans have committed horrific crimes, which seem to reflect a primordial and animalistic behavior in human survival. But what exactly makes someone a serial killer? Are they the product of bad genes, the victim of environmental factors, or should we look in the direction of an evolutionary defect?
In my article “Pareidolia; Does it Teach us the Difference Between Life and Death With Affection?” I viewed the question if Pareidolia is teaching us what affection is as well if this phenomena has any influence on how we treat both our own emotions and those of others in our adult life’s. Writing a plausible answer to this mind dazzling question made me think about if there is a possibility that the gruesome actions of psychopathic (serial) killers has its origin in the absence of ‘feeling’ the effects in this phenomenon? Meaning, ‘them’ not having the full experiencing of this evolutionary effect in face-recognition, aka Pareidolia, could be the cause of these ‘humanoid predators’ not being able to recognize and acknowledge the human emotions in the facial expressions of their victims?
Killing or Hunting
Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer…the mind of a psychopath is indeed a curious entity. Not only are many of us intrigued by their way of thinking, we also have, in one way or another, a macabre fascination for their grisly actions.
Not that we are taking an example from their actions but more with the question ”What is it that triggers someone to follow a path of violence and committing horrible crimes?” and, “Is it possible to unravel the mind of a serial killer and unlinking the many narrow alleys of this entangled labyrinth they are walking in their mind?”
As with most things in life, the answer to a question is not always a simple yes or no. The same platitude can be applied to the question if someone has the potential of developing the characteristics of that of a psychopathic (serial) killer or not. Although the answer is not that simple, it appears that there is a requirement for a genetic, physical, and social combination for a person to show an antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). Those born with the so called ‘genes’, and possible associated brain structures, of a psychopath are not guaranteed to become one. Likewise, those who suffer some form of childhood trauma or abuse are also not likely to become psychopaths. Is it when both these conditions are merged that psychopathic behavior is presenting itself?
Honestly, I have no concrete answer for what drives these ‘celebrity monsters’ as Prof. Scott Bonn refers to them in his article “What Drives Our Curious Fascination With Serial Killers?” on his blog of Psychology Today.
But, personally, I do agree on the thought that most of us have a ‘phobia-level response’ to violence, as the author Dave Grossman described in his book, “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society”. The human species is not born with the skill to ‘kill’, we are born with the skill to ‘hunt’. Even though these two skills sound different, these behaviours can be seen as one and the same act but viewed from a different angle by means of the situation, and environment, in where ‘the kill’ is taken place. What for us is seen as killing is, for a psychopathic (serial) killer, considered as a hunt. The difference between us ‘hunting’ a deer for food and a psychopathic (serial) killer ‘killing’ his/her victim in a, for instance, sound proof cellar, seems to lie in the thrill of both seeing the ‘target’ suffering and the end results.
Born or Made?
For years, neuroscience and psychology have become progressively focused on the brain differences between individuals and specifically trying to identify what makes someone kill another human being without feeling any regrets and guilt. But, despite the efforts of modern criminology to decode the brain of a typical serial killer, a concrete explanation has not reached yet.
However, while not all killers are psychopaths, psychopathic traits are seen in many of them and may be well a combination of environmental factors and the lack of support in a personal psychological evolution during childhood.
I wonder if severe trauma’s as such can cause the brain making a conscious choice to exclude certain effects when distinguishing between what is ‘dead’ and what is ‘alive’ what in turn can trigger the grisly behavior(s) we see with psychopathic (serial) killers.
It is a thin line indeed! Fortunately, for most of us, taking the life of another is an act we cannot imagine. We have an innate brake system, something which tells us that this is an act we just cannot carry out.
Can we consider this form of ‘defect’ in an evolutionary process during childhood being a reality and thus link their ‘acts’ into their adult lives?
Although the question Have these humanoid predators developed a robotic view what is causing them not being able of recognizing and acknowledging the human emotions in the facial-expressions of their victims might still lie in front of us like an open and abandoned piece of dry desert, the possibility of the brain learning how to make a clear distinguish between something being alive or dead by means of the effects in Pareidolia, should not be ignored when trying to decode the behavior of a psychopathic (serial) killer.
As I stated in my article “Pareidolia; Does it Teach us the Difference Between Life and Death With Affection?” this paranormal phenomena seems to be an important evolutionary process in one’s life as it is teaching us how to treat both ourselves and others in our adult life. And, not to serve ‘time’ as a psychopathic (serial) killer.
Paranormal Phenomena; Does the Origin Lie in a Forgotten Human Ability?”
An interview with film director, science-based paranormal investigator and award winning author Benjamin Radford.
It is being said that when a ghost, spirit or demonic force is in the near…your hair is standing up straight due the static electrical charge it is moving in and/or with. But what if there is another reason for our hair to act this crazy from time to time?
What if we, the modern version of the Homo Sapiens, still possess a primordial but natural ability of blowing ourselves up, so to speak, as soon as we are in a stress or dangerous situation?
Indeed, an idea as such could be for some a ridiculous one but imagine you walking home from work and you are passing a dark allay. You will feel a little bit stressy due to the fact of you not knowing what might be hiding in the dark corners. This feeling of fear could be a left over from ancient times in order for us to sense if there is a blood thirsty predator or not and then to flee or fight?
I am your host Maria Anna van Driel and you are listening to “The Next Truth; Where Science and Myth Meet”. This week I am speaking with, film director, science-based paranormal investigator and award-winning author and co-author of over twenty books and thousands of articles on a wide variety of topics including urban legends, the paranormal, critical thinking, and media literacy, Benjamin Radford about if there could be a more Earthly explanation for what we have become to understand as “The Paranormal”.
[Top]Have We Misunderstood the Science of Mythology?
By Maria Anna van Driel, www.medium.com
Mythology is an artistic performance, so, yes, this study overlaps the ART in STE(A)M.
Once our whilom Earth saw an evolution in where people across oceans and vast tracts of land to then step onto and conquer, the territory of others. This sounds to grisly moments in history but this has not always been done with war-like thoughts and aggression. Many ancient civilizations have ‘conquered’ an uplifting and rich knowledge through sacred storytelling, aka Mythology and Folklore which express the beliefs and values about these subjects held by a certain culture, including our own.
Whether the story told lies in the framework of sacred symbolism drawn on the wall of a cave, the historical events shown in a documentary or, in science fictional movies, stories always brought the transformation of people’s surroundings into something else, something more than what was physically in front of their eyes.
In this I do not mean the entertainment that is produced for us, and that we consume. I mean the stories that are playing out in the midst of your life and that need to be told. The sacred story that unfolds in the ordinary moments, and in the midst of the joy and tragedy of being alive. Because yes, sacredstories are far from being a thing of the past.
Storytelling was of great importance to many civilizations from the past. Nowadays we tend to think of ‘stories’ being a 10 minute bed-time-story about fictional worlds and its habitants for our children to enter a dreamy world. But, storytelling is still holding this same importance, its meaning and our traditions which are often best conveyed not by theological statements or scholarly arguments, but by simply telling them.
Through storytelling, the “other” becomes real, human, and knowable, and barriers between seemingly separate individuals are erased. Stories can open our hearts in a way that few things can. They teach us about our origin both psychical and spiritual.
Why is the study of Mythology, Myth and Folklore important?
Regrettably, storytelling is often overlooked in contemporary education. Unusual or surprising, as it might sounds to those who tend to think of ancient stories falling in the remit of being ‘cinematic’, but mythology is an artistic performance, so, yes, this study overlaps the ART in STE(A)M.
The study of myth with its storehouse of narratives and images can help guide us by facilitating our personal and collective transition into a more vibrant reality. Myth reveals the unconscious narratives of both past and present, making the study of myth vitally important to our time and thus young people.
“If we think of myths as existential or fundamental stories—stories that without which we would not be us— this allows us to view mythology both in past and in present times, and to distinguish these stories from the wider term of “religion.” Anthropologist and Associate Professor at the University of Southern California, Tok Thompson says.
“All religions have myths, and as far as I’m aware—creation stories of how, for instance, people came to be. Myths can be distinct from institutional religion.”
By telling our story, whether it be adapted from a folk tale, sacred text, or a personal experience, we draw upon what can be considered as “the Torah of our lives” – the sacred text that lives within us all. Storytelling, like music and other creative endeavors, is a way to break through analytical modes of understanding.
In the books “The Truth of Myth” and “The Ancient Mythology of Modern Science: A Mythologist Looks (Seriously) at Popular Science Writing” the authors explore and argue that mythology, like science, is a means for approaching “truth”, and that mythology, through its powerful narratives shapes the sort of questions they ask, and the categories they assume to be natural.
“Myths are very much a part of our present day lives”, Professor Thompson explains. “Both myths in Western culture (like Jehovah creating the world, and mankind, or even of Ancient Aliens coming down and crafting our world), and those outside of Western culture (say, Native American myths, which are still very strong for many groups today— or indeed, in just about any non-Abrahamic tradition in the world.”
Pre-historic cave paintings, etchings in stone, tombs, and monuments, they all suggest that, long before human beings set down their myths in words, they had already developed a belief structure corresponding to the definition of `myth’.
The study of mythology is something we should encourage young people to enroll. Not only because this key-unlocking scientific field is exploring the interpretation of traditional and sacred tales of a culture, aka myths or, the collection of such stories which deal with various aspects of the human condition, it also express the beliefs and values about these subjects held by a certain culture and addresses the meaning of life and death, the afterlife and the gods or a god. So, what one might call ‘cinematic storytelling’ in the present day was of great importance to ancient civilizations.
In this we may say that both Mythology and the (sacred) stories told, are the origin of the, philosophical, life questions we are still asking ourselves. I wonder if this why they are still so powerful today?
A personal thought
Personally, I think that we have become this remote from the, or any, “truth” lies in the rapid evolution of artificial technologies creating a form of ‘creative laziness’. I mean, once we created our world(s) by voicing our thoughts, dreams and (spiritual) experiences. Today we accept the avalanche of information we read on this electronic highway, aka internet, without giving it a second thought. Creativity has almost disappeared from our existence and thus this world what once connected us with ourselves, other humans and animals on a psychological level. Sadly, but today we are being ridiculed, rejected, when expressing the believe in, for instance, the Akashic records. Why, because dozens of articles have written it all in this box what is labeled “Crap Factor”.
Still, these same people who call it, among others, ‘hypothetical nonsense’ do apply mathematical equations to their theories in order to proof the correctness of it. But, did you know that math is Mother nature’s logical philosophy on chaos what, in turn, seems to connect every species on both this planet and in the universe?
With my humble knowledge in Mythology, I am pretty sure that we can find several ancient stories speaking of such a connection which can be connected to, for instance, the Pythagorean Theorem.
Hum, it seems that we are allowed to remove this silly label from that infamous box after all.
[Top]Reiki; Does it Brings the Human Psyche Into an Alternative State of Reality?
With the owner and president of the company Austen & Parker and Reiki practitioner, Davina Zarnighian
Proponents and practitioners of various esoteric forms of spirituality and alternative medicine refer to a variety of claimed experiences and phenomena as being due to “energy” or “force” that defy measurement and thus are distinguished from the scientific form of energy.
Reiki is a Japanese form of alternative medicine called energy healing. Reiki practitioners use a technique called ‘palm healing’ or ‘hands-on healing’ through which a “universal energy”, aka Chi, is said to be transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient in order to encourage emotional or physical healing.
Even though the concept of “qi” (energy) appears throughout traditional East Asian culture, such as in the art of Feng Shui and Chinese martial arts, there seems to be no scientific evidence for the existence of such energy.
I am your host Maria Anna van Driel and you’re listening to “The Next Truth; Where Science and Myth Meet”. This week I am speaking with the owner and president of the company Austen & Parker and Reiki practitioner, Davina Zarnighian and discus with her the pro’s and con’ of Reiki and, how jewelry is related to this ancient energy healing.
[Top]Should We Take a Second Look at How We Teach These Days?
With Microsoft Certified Trainer, Dr. Keith McNally
“The earliest roots of science can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in around 3000 to 1200 BCE. Their contributions to mathematics, astronomy, and medicine entered and shaped Greek natural philosophy of classical antiquity, whereby formal attempts were made to provide explanations of events in the physical world based on natural causes.”
Nowadays, young people have a free access to a high speed electronically world we have become to know as ‘The Internet’. Wikipedia in this, is a frequently visited site for students to upgrade their already possessing knowledge.
But how reliable is the written knowledge we can find on the internet? I mean, are we in the position of adding a form of creative an critical thinking to this avalanche of information? Are we allowed to take this information, discuss it , break the taboo and convert it all into a new evolution in science?
I am your host Maria Anna van Driel and you’re listening to “The Next Truth; Where Science and Myth Meet”. This week I am speaking with Dr. Keith McNally who has created a project-based learning environments in college classrooms for the past dozen years.
“Young People Science” May/June 2021 – Out Now!
TNT-Young-People-Science-May-June-2021Scroll your mouse/cursor over the cover with the scientists and click (at the bottom of the cover) the box with the little arrows. This way you can read this month’s edition of your scientific magazine “Young People Science”.
Or, click here to download the interactive PDF via MagCloud.
From Philosophy to Microbiology…from Engineering to astrophysics, regardless which field is holding you in its grip, is firing up your curiosity… we can all agree on the fact that science is in no way boring, it rocks!
“Science Rocks!” This is an amazing message what should reach young people on a global scale. But sending this message into the world, what is improving the career opportunities for our future experts, for them to build on the incredible knowledge, discovered and refined by renowned scientist from both the past and the present, is TEAM work which in turn is an essential STEM skill.
In this edition of Young People Science we discuss some STEM, or STE(A)M subjects which are not just a subject at school it’s a way of thinking and doing and an important skill set that could see your generation working together to solve some of the world’s greatest challenges.
For print-on-demand and the interactive digital issues of The Next Truth magazines visit: https://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/1512517
The Truth of Myth
An interview with Anthropologist and Associate Professor, Tok Thompson.
‘Mythos’ is the Greek word for story-of-the-people, and ‘logos’ stands for word or speech. Myth, or Mythology, is the spoken story of a people and has played an integral part in every civilization throughout the world.
Pre-historic cave paintings, etchings in stone, tombs, and monuments all suggest that, long before human beings set down their myths in words, they had already developed a belief structure corresponding to the definition of `myth’.
Studying mythology is the interpretation of traditional and sacred tales of a culture known as myths or the collection of such stories which deal with various aspects of the human condition. For instance good and evil… the origin of place-names, animals, cultural values, and traditions. But also, the meaning of life and death, the afterlife and the gods or a god.
Myths… they express the beliefs and values about these subjects held by a certain culture. So, what one calls “mythology” in the present day, was the religion of the ancient past. But what it the truth behind these ancient stories?
Click here to be directed to Prof. Thompson’s book (Amazon)
The Lost City of Atlantis, Alien Abductions and Ghostly Apparitions; Can We Explain the Unexplainable?
An interview with freelance writer, editor and author, Kathryn Hulick
A ghostly apparition walking through the wall, an odd shaped craft hovering in the sky or strong ripples on the surface of a lake indicating that there might be a sea monster swimming by! Even though many people have seen and reported these rare but remarkable events, they do not have an explanation for what they have witnessed.
Are those, in the dark hiding, eerie shadows, truly disembodied humans who are lost or, is this an effect of Sleep Paralysis.
Is walking through a forest at night only creepy because we are breathing in these, released by the trees, small amounts of methane gas while the pineal gland in your brain is detecting the ultra– and infra sound-waves are bouncing off on the trees after it has released by your own body? Or is there something malevolent hiding behind the shrouds, waiting for you to become its prey?!
The lost city of Atlantis, alien abductions, shadow figures and haunted houses; can we explain the unexplainable?
I am your host Maria Anna van Driel and you’re listening to “The Next Truth; Where Science and Myth Meet”. This week I am speaking with freelance writer, editor and the author of the book “Strange But True: 10 of the world’s greatest mysteries explained”, Kathryn Hulick and explore with her which scientific explanations there are for what it is that is haunting our dreams.
