Serial killers have been portrayed in countless movies, books and, TV shows. They play a prominent role in the media and instill fear into the minds of the general public. Everyone has seen them on the news or in their textbooks. However, what many people neglect to do is consider what it would be like to be in their shoes. The public fails to consider what it may be that made them the way they are. Serial killers are not born serial killers. Psychological factors and childhood experiences play an extremely significant role in their development. Serial killers have always existed, yet they still remain an enigma to the surrounding world. This is because each killer's psychosis is unique and internal, as a result of their experiences and environment. However, certain characteristics, including race and gender, have been proven to be more common than others.

Serial murder is the killing of three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period. The psychological rest period between incidents, which could be considered a time of predatory preparation, could be weeks, months, or even years. Serial killers have existed for quite some time, and still make the headlines today. In fact, serial murder has been recorded throughout Western European history since the 1400s. This is not a new issue. Rather, it is timeless.

According to studies conducted by the Radford University/FGCU Serial Killer Database, the total number of recorded serial killers in the United States was at an all-time high in 1980. Since then, the number has slowly decreased. However, since 1900 the number has increased tremendously. John Douglas, former Chief of the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit and author of Mind Hunter states, "A very conservative estimate is that there are between 35-50 active serial killers in the United States at any given time." This estimate proves that serial killers are still active in our world today and are not going anywhere.

Serial murder is estimated to comprise less than one percent of all murders committed in any given year. However, it is all over the media. This public fascination began in the late 1880s after a series of unsolved prostitute murders occurred in the Whitechapel area of London. These murders were committed by an unknown individual who named himself “Jack the Ripper.” Jack sent letters to the police claiming to be the killer. Since then, Jack has turned into a character has appeared in countless novels, poems, comic books, short stories, songs, plays, operas, games, films, and television programs.

The history of serial killers has also given an insight into certain characteristics that are more common than others. Serial killers span all racial groups. The racial diversification of serial killers generally mirrors that of the overall U.S. population. That being said, most serial killers are between 26 and 31-years-old. They are about 90% male, and the majority of serial killers are Caucasian, at an estimated 52%. Following Caucasians, African Americans make up the next category of serial offenders, taking up 40%, then Hispanics, which account for approximately 5%. These statistics show that there is no definite gender, race or age for a serial killer.

Although certain characteristics have proven to be more common, they are not guaranteed. There is no way to limit these characteristics because any individual could commit serial murder. In fact, the majority of serial killers are not isolated social outcasts who live alone. They do not appear strange or unusual. Many actually hide in plain sight within their communities. Serial murderers often have families and homes, are employed, and appear to be normal members of the community. So, there is really no way to distinguish them from their peers based on their appearance. The differences must be found within their individual psychosis.

The question that seems to be at the forefront of the topic of serial killers is what caused them to become murderers, and whether they are born that way, or made to become that way. In an article published by University of New Mexico, neuroscientist Kent Kiehl and postgraduate student Joshua Buckholtz explain that neuroscientists are coming to the conclusion that most killers are not bad. Instead, they simply suffer from a brain abnormality that leaves them "wandering in an emotionless world." They do not have feelings of compassion or empathy. Instead, they live their lives void of emotion. It is as if the psychopaths have a learning disability that impairs their emotional development. This disability can prevent the affected individual from forming healthy relationships with others, empathizing with others, and learning from their mistakes. This reasoning would support the idea that serial killers are born with a chemical imbalance that causes them to feel and act the way they do.

On the other hand, countless testimonies and cases have supported that certain experiences can also cause a serial killer to turn to murder. The first that comes to mind is the perpetrator's childhood. In their book, Sexual Homicide Patterns & Motives, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents Robert Ressler, Ann Burgess, and John Douglas evaluate the childhood traits of 36 serial killers for commonalities expressed by the group. Their main findings include that traits such as daydreaming (82 percent), compulsive masturbation (82 percent), bed wetting (68 percent), cruelty to animals (46 percent), and chronic lying (75 percent) were common to the cases examined. While some of these traits may not seem extremely alarming on their own, collectively they are indicative of a great problem. Numerous serial killers also faced some type of abuse as a child. In fact, an estimated 50% percent of serial killers experienced emotional abuse or neglect during their childhood. These statistics support the idea that serial killers are made, not born, because a majority share similar traumatic childhood experiences.

Once the killer has been caught, many wonder whether or not they are sorry. The killer is often questioned about whether or not he or she feels bad for his or her actions, and if he or she would do things differently if given the chance. Carl Panzram, serial killer, rapist, arsonist, and burglar, is an example that greatly enforces the belief that serial killers are incapable of empathy or any feelings of remorse whatsoever. After being apprehended, Panzram described the way he felt about his criminal injustices by stating:

"In my lifetime I have murdered 21 human beings. I have committed thousands of burglaries, arsons and last but not least I have committed sodomy on more than 1,000 male human beings. For all of these things, I am not the least bit sorry. I have no conscience so that does not worry me. I don’t believe in Man, God nor devil. I hate the whole damned human race including myself."

This quote demonstrates the idea that the mind of a serial killer is past the point of logical thinking and reasoning, sympathy, or sorrow.

Serial killers are not born serial killers. They are made that way through experiences and external forces having drastic influences on their state of mind. These forces can consist of many things, examples being abuse and neglect throughout their childhood or externals such as alcohol and drugs. Serial killers are real, have lasted for a very long time, and are still out there today. Their minds do not function normally or properly, which prompts them to commit crime without any feelings of empathy or remorse. Society needs to be more understanding and cautious of the way human beings are treated before more people reach the point of no return.