Me and my friend were having a conversation the other day about why people become serial killers. She thought it was how they were brought up E.G if they had a hard childhood. but i think it is both nature and nurture because alot of people have a hard childhood and not all of then become serial killers. so i want to know what you think. Is it Nature or Nurture?

Mix, as well as chem makeup

pretty sure that this doesn't belong on Main but anyways it would be both a mixture of Nature and Nurture.

I really hate that people treat these things as one of the other as if everything is black and white. Sorry to say but its not the world is shades of grey.

>>3 i totally agree :)

>>3 Well, i think that this could be a topic of discussion, just a very cut in dry one. hm.. we shall see.

Im pretty sure it has to do with both!! Because if you were just being treated bad you would do everything in their power to become better!!! So i think it has to do with both! XD

since it's first, yeah it's a mixture of both. People are all unique and different, we don't all start the same way. Some are ultrasensitive and some are not. Say the ultrasensitive child was born to an overcritical parent. Something bad is bound to come from that, big or small. The child makes his own decision to do what is right and wrong though, the childhood is only an influencing ingrediant to the mix. does that make sense? :o

thats a difficult question. it can be nurture, in a way to get back at people. but also something could drive them to murder others. but also it could be somebody's nature to kill. its hard to explain. its both at the same time and yet its not. it could be trama. like not nature or nurture, an experience that drove them to kill. just to end the insanity. i guess there isnt always one particular cause or reason.

Neither. There are times where people will come from a completely NORMAL family, and become serial killers. It's hard to say, because you can't think like a serial killer, and you don't know what's going on in their heads. Some people are just born evil, it just takes something to set them off.

And yes, I know "evil" is just a word society made up... but it's the best way to describe a serial killer... they just don't have the every day mindset.

>>9
>>10

I find your instant flee to the term "evil" as a description for something isn't normal or accepted by the majority of society to be both disgusting, and quite frankly, the product of inbred weakness.

Assigning colors to the world is stupid, when everything - Even so called "evil" like serial killers, rapists, and anything else, all fall within shades of gray. Looked at objectively, it can be easily seen that all people pursue one goal: Whatever gives them pleasure, or makes them happy.

Because someone derives pleasure from something you do not, or can not understand does not make them evil. It makes them run perpendicular to your moral stand point, which is by far an individualistic scale which varies from person to person and has had its initial purpose completely retooled by such stupid things as politics and religion enforcing a "social norm" that is indicted into the mindsets of people since their birth through repeated education and rote repetition.

Do you agree or support the method they pursue their happiness? If the answer is No, then it means they are different from you. It does not mean they are "Evil". Anything that tries to edge its way into your life which assigns clear cut "good" and "evil" roles to the things around you is quite simply lying to you on a fundamental level.

.... I forgot to put my opinion on the topic at hand.

I believe it's both, to an extent. We can adapt our nature amazingly well provided enough nurturing or conditioning is provided. However, I feel Nature plays more role in the process than Nurture.

People can be born with the mindset and moral values that are equivalent to the production of serial killers or other such things. In fact, a lot of people are born as such - However, they are often nurtured out of it, or into a repression of it.

It's not gone, its just repressed by the overlaid ideals. People will think to themselves "well, that's not legal" or "that's not right, I shouldn't think like that", and these are signs of a trait from your initial nature cropping up and being repressed.

So while Nurture can be used to change someone's moral values over a period of time, it can never truly be rid of Nature - Because it's who you are, at the core. A man who follows the commonly accepted social values at heart can be nurtured by circumstances to be a complete asshole and a criminal, but it would take much less effort for his Nature to reassert itself than it would for his Nurture to have changed him in the first place.

This is why redemption in the eyes of society is possible for some, and a stupid thing to try for others. Some people have a vanilla flavored Nature to revert back to, others require a great deal more effort being put into nurturing, or "re-educating", them into a passable member of societies standards.

I just explained that evil was a term made by society, Ayanavi. So stop calling me disgusting. I knew someone was going to comment about that, because people are always friggen afraid of how they are going to offend people. Evil, good, normal... they're all words that can only be determined by YOURSELF. So if you really think I'm disgusting for stating my opinion of what's evil, tell me the real definition. :/ As I said, people like that are BORN THAT WAY, and being a supposedly "sane" person, I can't see into their mindset. I KNOW I can't, and evil isn't the BEST word, evil is simply the only word to state it in the english language. But perhaps I can make it longer for you? Their chemically imbalanced, or they just LOVE the FEELING of killing people? People have their own reasons for doing supposedly "bad" things. I think I know what I'm talking about, because I have studied psychology, the only problem is putting it into words.

Another thing, the human mind is complex... so how do you even know what I'M really thinking right now? You say I'm disgusting, but you don't even know me, how do you know the true meaning of my words? It's called a miscommunication. You shouldn't go by and call people disgusting, before knowing their full intended message.

@Ayavani - So, are you saying it's OKAY, and NOT evil for someone to rape or kill an innocent person?

By the way, I'm Iza-Koi's sister.

>>14 Maybe you should convey your whole intended message now.

Also, I think it takes a number of factors for a person to become a serial killer, those factors differing for each person. So I goes it is a case of both nature and nurture, but also a case of what the individual perceived as nature or nurture.

Anyways, why are we even talking about this, it's stupid.

>>15 I am incapable of giving less fucks if you're her sister, or just samefagging.

And that is exactly what I am saying. I've already explained my thoughts on this matter in detail, so I don't intend on repeating myself.

>>17 I don't get why I have to explain myself, but sure, why not?

I never intended to say their "evil", as I said before, it's simply the fact that THEY ARE CHEMICALLY IMBALANCED or simply find utter JOY raping, killing, etc. But just because they find joy in that, doesn't mean that raping or killing is "right" I suppose. But that's also the mindset of society - how are you to know what's truly right or wrong? We're animals, and so sometimes we could still have the nature of one. I still don't think their "joy" should be taken out on innocent civilians though. But the human mind is so complex, you do not know what ANYONE is truly thinking... so how are we to judge someone?

@ Iza-Koi and Ayanavi -
I thought this website was meant for helping people, not BITCHING about what others think. Now shut up, both of you.

i think its how strong willed you are.
If you have a tough childhood, it can mess you up. but if your'e tough enough to move through it, it can just make you stronger. so nature and nurture can contribute to your character, it comes down to the choices you make.
but thats just what i think. decide for yourself.

>>21 That was exactly my thoughts sis, as I said "I don't get why I have to explain myself, but sure, why not?"
Honestly, I don't give a damn what people think, I am who I am. I just thought I should state my whole mindset on this subject before someone judges me, hence, post #20. Now lets stop this argument and actually do something the Dollars stand for. Now.

If you didn't give a damn what she thought, then you wouldn't reply back to her, would you?

I only care what she may make the fellow dollars think of me by twisting my words into something they weren't. The dollars like my family... but we can talk about this to one another. We're in the same house. lol.

Not gonna say anything to anyone in this conversation anymore~ I'm gonna go to a happier place and talk about unicorns.

Weirdly enough some studies were done on serial killers and alot of them have had serious head injuries in the past. The scans show that their brain is seriously messed up. So don't drop your kids.

It is both, technically. As opposed to just opinions of which I have many on this subject, I'm going to stick to facts I've learned. There is very little if any human nature as we define it (Being that things are genetically encoded into someone from birth and there is very little you can do about it) It's a misconception to say the least. Human nature is actually behaviors, actions or traits that are a predisposition in a person to cause happen. For instance, I may have a history of my family being violent or perhaps have clinical depression, which means have a predisposition to be inclined to be that way ONLY if certain outside external factors trigger that to happen. This technically makes me born with that trait, however, that trait does not effect me at all unless something triggers it to take effect. Such as bad child hood, neglectful parents, bad experiences etc. Very, very few things are human born with in the sense that you had them since the minute you were born. So, nature in that sense has a much, much more deciding factor on what you act like, you personality and your reactions to things. Humans are extremely social creatures, we pick up on and generally mimic each other. As far as serial killers go, from what I've read they generally have no empathy, meaning their brain doesn't process the idea of the other person hurting so they both don't care and don't understand. A person with empathy can't handle killing other people, at least not on a scale of more then 3-5 even if it was in self defense. Anyway, that's what I've learned. Also many people who exhibit abhorrent behavior do generally have really crappy child hoods or traumatic experiences, often having to do with a crime being done to them or a family member that they do later for revenge.

U r both rite. I watch 2 much law & order. U r rite And so is ur friend.

>>29 "I watch 2 much law & order."

Its a fucking TV show. None of that stuff is entirely real.

Psycho Killers are created through both their nature and they way they are brought up.

Nature can be because of a slightly smaller hippocampus (and another part of the brain closer to it) that controls these impulses, and they way they react to certain things. So, yes, some people are born evil. The brain can also be wired differently.

Nurture is obviously poor handling or care as a child. No need to explain it.

Yeah so. Even if it is a tv show who cares. I learned a lot about the law more than u will ever learn.

>>31 BAHAHAHA TRY ME

Prove it

You are telling me you know more than me about the Law system..from watching a show..lol.
Okay then,
How many courts are there in the Judicial Branch, or rather, how many levels are cases handled on?

>>34 am I allowed to answer? I feel like >>33 won't be able to...

I think it will depends on how people deal with their own problems and whether if they also can handle their emotions, some people kill out of lust, rage, greed, and also it might have to deal with psychological.

I'd like to ask the OP or frankly anyone who wants to take a shot at it to DEFINE Nature and Nurture. If you mean definition 1; Nature, as in impulses, responses, ways of thinking, personality that is completely encoded and irreversible. Or, do you mean definition 2: Nature, as it the propensity towards one inclination or another given that the external factors are right to set it off? Also, terms "evil" and "good" are not only really empty distinctions, but totally subjective. My "evil" is very different from someone else's. Definition 1: Nurture, being all external factors, occurrences and situations that happen from birth to current age that have an effect on a persons personality, thoughts, actions and reactions. Or Definition 2: Nurture, being how the said external factors influence internal ones, such as mentioned in definition 2 of nature?

I'd love to test this all but alas I don't think it's legal. I suppose both influence the outcome to a certain extent.

I would have to agree with your friend....

I was thinking about something similar to this recently actually. My question was "if you were born in someone else' shoes then would you grow up exactly the same?" In other words who we become is entirely based on our surrounding environmental factors (nurture I guess). I think it plays a huge part either way and therefore think that know one has any right to judge people. But as far as nature goes I wouldn't what our nature is also be based on luck (like the factors of our environment)? We don't choose what kind of person we are made like. So either way I don't judge.
To answer your question though I would go with a mix of both. That sounds about right.

Like everything in the word it is balance (yin and yang)- so a little bit of both :D

>>43 I agree with you :)

All of our brains are essentially human, therefore I would say that most of us start out roughly the same. Of course, people are born with different things; dyslexia, red hair, natural tallness... These types of things affect how you grow up; through bullying, how fast you learn, how many apples you can pick... But I think that other than these things, the rest is up to Nurture.

Your home environment, your school/work environment, your friends(or lack thereof), you hobbies; these are the things that determine who you become as a person. But it's not really as simple as that. You still always have a choice. "Should I stay hope and play on the computer or go to the park with my friends?" These types of everyday decisions that require remarkably little though are the main influence on you life, they affect you far more than any individual(including yourself) even can.