Psychology of Murder: An Overview

Course Topics

• The course covers topics including solitary murderers, murder-suicides, mass murders, sex-based murders, family honor killings, intrafamilial homicides, and genocide.
• It incorporates perspectives from evolution, law, psychology, sociology, biology, media, gender studies, and mental illness.

The Psychology of Murder: Introduction

• Most countries punish murderers with life imprisonment, but some still have the death penalty.
• REA MENS refers to malice aforethought or the intention to commit a crime.
• REUS ACTUS refers to the actual criminal act.

Types of Homicide Offenses (According to Israeli Penal Law - Until 2019)

• Until 2019, there existed 3 homicide offenses: manslaughter, murder, and negligent homicide.
• Murder required intent, while manslaughter involved awareness that actions could harm another person or lacked premeditation.
• Manslaughter carried a sentence of up to 20 years, murder carried a life sentence. Judges had significant discretion..

Homicide Offenses

• Negligent homicide has a sentence of 3 years in prison resulting from negligence without intent to kill.
• It must be proven that the person took an unreasonable risk.

Homicide Offenses (According to Israeli Penal Law - 2019 Reform)

• The manslaughter offense was abolished.
• Murder (Section 300(a)):
  • Causing another person's death intentionally or with indifference.
  • There is no need to prove intent or planning.
  • The penalty may be life imprisonment, subject to judicial discretion.
  • "Indifference" - Lacking concern whether the victim dies or not.
• Aggravated Murder:
  • Only life imprisonment.
  • Emphasis on the circumstances of the murder, such as premeditation, facilitating another crime, obstructing legal processes, motivated by racism, punitive action, familial abuse history, extreme cruelty (torture, rape, etc.), defenseless victim (under 14, or under 18 if killed by their guardian), endangering others, an act of terror or organized crime.

Homicide in Circumstances of Diminished Responsibility (Section 300(b))

• Added due to cases where the victim killed after prolonged abuse by the victim.
• The murder can be with or without intent.
• 301 b.(a) - Severe mental distress due to severe and continuous abuse is punishable by 15 years.
• 301 b. (b) - 20 years imprisonment (without a history of domestic violence) due to provocation and loss of control or quasi self-defense.
• Due to severe mental disturbance or intellectual disability with partial awareness of the act and it's wrongfulness.

Consequences of the Reform

• The manslaughter offense was abolished.
• It was previously more difficult to convict of murder before the reform.
• Proof of intent (and planning) was required before the reform, only indifference is sufficient now.

Frequency of Murder in Israel (2018-October 7, 2023)

• Approximately 1,000 people were murdered.
• The majority of victims being men, both among Arabs and Jews.
• The Jewish sector has had almost no change over the years but the Arab sector has seen a general rise (nearly a 3x increase in 2018-2023).

Why is the topic of murder so interesting?

• Preference for Negativity:*
  • People tend to pay attention to and seek out shocking and disturbing events.
  • Negative information is granted greater significance, and is more likely to circulate. Psychological reactions to adverse events tend to be stronger.
• Curiosity:*
  • Drive that encourages investigative behavior and desire to know, experience and see.
• Morbid Curiosity:*
  • Morbid curiosity pertains to excitement, dread, and internal strain which drives a want to learn about frightening things including things related to death and terror.
• Human Attraction to Disturbing Scenes:*
  • Researchers found disturbing images were regarded unpleasant but interesting.
• Researchers testing attraction to images from 9/11 found that the viewing had an intense blend of intrigue, revulsion, and anxiety.
• Students prefer negative images.
  • Students intentionally seek out shocking images.

Morbid Curiosity and Entertainment

• Morbid curiosity is widespread in fictional and non-fictional content.
• Horror films grossed $733 million in 2017 and true murder series achieve high level viewership.
• Groups that prefer horror films: 30-44, women are more strongly drawn to horror films (insignificant).
• People with high-school and above education prefer horror movies.

Additional Evidence of Public Interest in Murders and Murderers

• A booming industry related to murder and serial killers (dolls, art, t-shrits, coloring books) in addition to the above.

Why are we drawn to the topic of murder?

• Glorification of actual crimes has resulted in lowered sensitivity towards shocking content.
• Evolutionary awareness of negative and hazardous things > protective alertness. Because we live in a safe location compared to previous societies, it can be that we're busy around murder so as to get reminded that we be cautious.
• Danger\threat predisposition: it is better for us to focus good on parts that endanger us to make us take better care.
• Survival tactic: as included in an evolutionary approach.

Morbid Curiosity and Interest in Murderers

• Harrison & Frederick found:
  • Morbid curiosity = an interest in murderers.
  • Men had a higher measure of morbidity.
  • No gender variation in rate of interest was discovered: Both have an interest in murder.

Why do people murder? Psycho-Biological factors

Murder and Organic\Physiological Factors: Beginning of the Journey

• Biological Determinism:*
  • Exploration of murderers began with biological aspects, based on the idea that violence and criminal activity result from causes that offenders can't control.
  • This has been discredited.
• Lombroso:*
  • Atavistic man and atavism are regressions to earlier phases.
  • Saw criminals as more similar to previous human evolutionary eras (in terms of the brain).
  • Bio-anthropologic approach.
  • Also associated with personal characteristics such as egotism, lack of regret, and pride.

Psycho-Biological Research: Inheritance

Important concepts

• Gene - Unit of information passed to offspring, containing instructions for production.
• Genotype - Unique genetic makeup.
• Phenotype - Product of interaction between genotype and environmental influences.

Four models for the development of violent criminal phenotypical factors

1. Diathesis-Stress Model:

• Genetic tendency triggered by exposure to a hazardous environment.
• Hazardous atmosphere: economical depression, ethnic heterogenicity, instability, radiation to racism.
• Possible preventive components: financial/social capital.

2. Differential Sensitivity Model:

• The outcome of genome-environment interacts depends on level of sensitivity.
• In extreme cases:
• The worst surrounding (greatest environmental harm) are touched by the bottom.
• Achieving a summit in a great setting.
• Phenomenon compliance\ compliance genetic. In the model, genetic has no significance in a great setting, but does in bad.

3. Social Impulsion Model:

• In a regular environment, genetics influences over. In extreme social situations the surroundings push the phenotypic parts.
• Relative issues: at diaethsa stress: the nearby surroundings influences the phenotype.

4. Social Distinction Model:

• Doesn't support genome-environment interaction expression, argues no interaction at all.
• The near situation may influence gene.
• In a good setting (like the social climate) it is simpler (genes have less harm): strong relations.
• In a bad setting (like the social climate) it is bad.
• The environment does not influence the genes.

"What Model best predicts?"

• A study by Borman checked the 4 stated items, discovered risky genotypical codes and criminal behavior were depressed by great social resources and supervision lessens the burden.
• These parts, people with a certain climate genes will decrease from those with that genic.

What causes more than one set?

• The first way people think-genetic background but the world around us.
• The most effective thing we learn-more than we think.

"1 to 10-4 or something about mental situation and genes:"

• In a general connection, one in every x number is risky.
• In a specific situation- all will express.

Year of 11\1 - "days

Neurotransmitters (Related to the biological theory)

• Neurotransmitters = chemical that allows neurons to communicate.
• Almost all neurobiological causes deal with roles of emotions, memory and understanding\learning. (Serotonin- People with low serotonin levels tend to be involved in risk taking behavior and tend to be more impusive. Dopamine- Functions including cognitive control in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Norepinephrine- Stress hormone impacts ability to focus, has link to anxiety , Alzeimer, and PTSD as well. Adrenaline- fights\runs = stress hormones- high during fighting.)
• Serotonin:*
  • Impacts mood, aggression, anger, reward.
  • Low levels affect memory, cause depression, anxiety and hopelessness, verbal skill impairment, emotional processes damage, risk tasking and propensity for impulsivity.
• Dopamine:*
  • Impacts learning, motor control, reward, emotion, high process functions, managing and processing the same, working memory, planning and making decisions.
  • Disturbance of volume: schizophrenia, mental states, depression, Tourette and ADHD.
• Norepinephrine:*
  • Stress, resting, strain sense, focus and tuning.
• Too much: anxiety, temperament problem, ADHD, Alzheimer and PTSD.
• Adrenaline:*
  • Ready for danger poses (fights or runs).
  • Increase aggression.

The Neurotransmitter/Gene Connection

• 13CDH gene: Too good to be true = intense aggressiveness.
• MAOA- a bad performance\total absence would more adversely affect human males that human females.
• One gene doesn't account for all instances.
  • Influence or effects of surrounding.
  • Study: "males had problem in genes would be very risky to cause any problem by taking that medicine."

Brain Structure, Homicide and Violence

• Relationship Between Violence and Pathological Changes Inside parts of the Brain:
• The limbic belly, and how they are responsible for passions, inspiration, memory and knowledge.
• A front that the Tempralit\Temporal: its jobs are relevant in learning new memories and it has to do with language.
• Is pre-frontal on face: responsible for high job managing\short memories, lack of the impulse of stopping and handling expression in feeling.
• Can damage pathology in these regions relate to violent behavior.

Pscheo causes for homicide: Overview

• Hitting the books of old and alterations in the access toward the value of parts Biology.
• Inheratence: 4 examples describe the setting relationship between what an ancestor looked and what a environment does.
• Neato transmitters: -sararontin-dopa - more for pain from - adrenaline.
• Hitting to genes\Neato transmitters: For those who have a difficulty the Neato transmitting will also have a hard part the process is also bad.
• Pathologies of face form.