A Study on The Relationship Between of Childhood Trauma and Antisocial Personality Disorder in The Formation of Serial Killers

Abstract

This paper intends to understand the relationship between antisocial personality disorder and childhood trauma. A serial killer is an individual who has committed atleast three murders over a period with some time in between, called a ‘cooling – off period.’ Serial killers are always suspected to have some form of mental disorder, such as psychopathy, sociopathy, and sexual paraphilia, to name a few. One such disorder is antisocial personality disorder, which is a mental disorder characterized by lack of empathy, irresponsible behavior and manipulative nature, all in varying degrees of severity. ASPD may be linked to environmental factors, such as those problems arising the family, especially during childhood. The childhood traumas may be physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, or even sexual abuse. The trauma plays a large role in formation of the morals in an individual the child grows up to be. This research aims to draw the relationship between childhood trauma, antisocial personality disorder and serial killers by in depth case analysis of the various serial killers in history over time.