Psychotic Characters: The Lust Behind the Kill

Today will conclude my series on serial killers....mainly because it's just too dark to post regularly about! But don't worry, I'm sure I'll revisit it at some point in the future. Never say never, right? If you missed the other posts in this series, then click here and here.

We last ended with a brief description of the types of serial killers out there, but I promised to go a bit deeper with the Lust Killers, as these are the ones projected in the media the most, perhaps because they are the most disturbing to those who are sane.

Lust Killers basically have sexual gratification as their main motivation. They almost always exhibit sadism (inflicting pain on others for their pleasure). They usually are not opportunistic killers, but rather highly organized, with vast amounts of planning and forethought put into their kills.

Infamous "Lust Killer" Ted Bundy

They tend to go through four phases:

Fantasy - they act out the crime over and over in their mind, maybe with use of pornographic material. The desire to kill is manifested, and this time period may last years before they progress to phase two.

The Hunt - the killer might be focusing on primarily on the "right" type of victim, or he may focus on the "right" type of location. Once he finds the victim, he may stalk them (hunting) for a long time, memorizing their schedule down to the minute. It could take many more years to go through this phase, and cover 100s of miles.

The Kill - the victim is lured into the trap and then the killer makes real on his fantasy. Depending on how elaborate the kill ritual is, this could take a while....several days or longer, even. There will almost definitely be "overkill," in that there could be extreme torture, mutilation, or dismemberment. The killer might have sex with the corpse, drink their blood, eat body parts (hey...you asked for this!)...whatever they can do to preserve their moment of ecstasy however they can. The killer might take a token of their kill or leave a calling card, but not always.

Post-Kill - the killer will likely feel empty or depressed, because their torment was only relieved short-term. More lives will have to be taken in order to have temporary relief. It would be during this stage that a killer would write a confession to the police or media. Unless caught, it is inevitable that he will kill again.

So how's that for a happy ending to a post, huh? Hope that this helps you with your serial killer development.

Let's Analyze:

Psychotic Characters: Types of Serial Killers

Since I got feedback last week from readers wanting more posts like this one, here's a second in what is now a short series on serial killers.

Serial killers come in one of two basic types, both having to do with their motives:

Act-Focused 

These killers generally don't kill for the gratification of the kill, making the act itself their primary emphasis. They kill quickly, and in two subtypes:

Visionaries - usually directed by them getting a vision or hearing voices telling them to kill (either God or the devil), both of which legitimate their violence.

Missionaries - are on "missions" to eradicate a specific group of people, such as prostitutes, white-collared bankers, etc.

Process-Focused

The majority of serial killers are process-focused. They get off (yes, in that way) on the method of their kill. They kill for the enjoyment of it, and usually get a perverse sexual thrill out of it, so therefore they take their time and go very slowly. Hedonism at it's worse. So these killers fall into 4 subtypes, based on their motives as well:

Gain - they get some profit or personal gain from the kill. Most females usually fall into this category, like Lavinia Fisher, who would murder her hotel guests and keep whatever belongings and cash they had. You can read up on the 10 most infamous females here....and almost every one of them stood to get personal gain.

Lust - sexual pleasure is associated with murder. These sick folk actually will have sex while in the process of killing or engage in necrophilia after they have killed. Either/or....twisted.

Thrill - killing someone gives these folk a rush or high. They especially like to watch the lights go out in their victim's eyes. It's the ultimate adrenaline rush...makes them feel alive and euphoric. They typically don't engage in sex either before or after.

Power - The pleasure comes from manipulating and dominating, although the argument could be made for this to fall in with any of the above. Usually sex is involved, but it's not as important to this killer than to the Lust killer? That's confusing, I know. Some research I found led me to think that this is considered the "sociopath," but I think you and I both know that every person talked about on this post would be one of those.

Next week I'll do one more post on Lust Killers, since they seem to be the most prevalent. Stay tuned, although I know some of you will absolutely NOT click back on my blog next week for that post, and that's okay too. :)

Let's Analyze: Most of us probably have heard of a few serial killers. Can you see how these killers fit into either Act-Focused or Process-Focused? Which do you think would make for better fiction?

Psychotic Characters: Where to Start?

Psychosis truly does have its roots in childhood. I spent a goodly portion of the week watching documentaries on YouTube about serial killers, and this fact is glaringly in common with all of them.

Further research led to me the concept of the Macdonald Triad, which is also known as the Triad of Psychopathy (which is pronounced sigh-KOP-athy for those who like to say it the other way!). It's named for J.M. Macdonald, a forensic psychiatrist who wrote "The Threat to Kill" in 1963, a paper which appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

In this paper, he detailed a set of three behavioral characteristics that he claimed, if were found present together in a person, to be associated with later violent tendencies. It should be noted that Macdonald focused on hospitalized patients who had threatened to kill, not patients who had actually killed. The patients who had threatened the most violence often did have these three traits in their background. Other studies have found statistical significance to the Triad, and some studies have not.

The traits, in no particular order, are:

1) Bedwetting

If a child bedwets past the age of 5, Macdonald found this to be significant. Two psychiatrists (Hellman and Blackman), claimed that enuresis - the act of voiding urine while asleep - was a form of sadism or hostility, because the act of voiding "in fantasy was equated with damaging and destroying."

Research had subsequently discounted associating bedwetting with violent tendencies, but does make the point that bedwetting past the age of five can be humiliating for the child, depending on how the child is treated by parental figures for the act. If belittled or treated cruelly, the child might then be more inclined to engage in the other aspects of the triad as an outlet for their frustration.

2) Animal Cruelty

Torturing animals can be seen as a precursor or rehearsal for killing humans. Torturing any animal is bad, but messing with dogs and cats is particularly so, because they are seen as more humanlike due to being pets. Toads, turtles, worms and the like are less like pets and doesn't violate that connection between humans and pets as much.

Some psychopaths engage in animal cruelty as a way to vent frustrations, since in childhood, the child could not retaliate toward those who humiliated them. So they selected vulnerable animals, seeing them as weaker....it's future victim selection at a young age. Studies have been done that prove those killers who engaged in animal cruelty often used the same method on their victims.

3) Firesetting

Firesetting is seen as a less severe or "first shot" at releasing aggression. Since extensive humiliation is found in the backgrounds of many serial killers, it's been theorized that setting fire and venting frustration and anger by doing so helps return the child to a normal state of self-worth.

It doesn't have to be huge fires to be an outlet for aggression. Trash cans, small flame throwers, homemade "bombs"--they all serve their purpose, just as setting fire to a building or car does.



Hopefully I haven't freaked you out, but serial killers really fascinate me, and I was happy to stumble upon this concept and relay it to those of you, who, like me, get into this stuff.

Let's Analyze: What might some other childhood predictors of later violence be? Do you think this idea holds water? Do you ever want me to post on something this disturbing again? :)

For a chance to win Ann H. Gabhart's new release, Words Spoken True, click here!

Traits of Self-Destructing Characters

I have had a hard week. I had started this blog post yesterday, but fell asleep too exhausted to finish it. I have a client who is the epitome of self-destructing. It's one thing to read about them, but it's quite a different thing to be their therapist.

As a result of my interactions and observations while in session with this client, I'm bringing you--straight from the trenches--a glimpse into the mindset of someone like this. I've noticed some general characteristics that will definitely help make your self-destructing characters more realistic.

1) They will have an obsession, and it will be their Achilles's heel. The character will live and breathe for a particular person, achievement, desire. It usually consumes them, and reality fades as to how unbalanced they are becoming in their quest for this obsession.

2) They will put their welfare below their desire for the obsession, even if it means their death. Whether they are addicted to drugs or a person (think Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction), the means to their end are always justified. They can't see beyond the next tree to see the forest, so consequences are minimized or they are completely blind to them.

3) They likely will have a personality disorder or serious mental disorder. This one is on my list by default. Anyone who exhibits the first two will probably qualify for something like borderline personality disorder, bipolar, schizophrenia....something pretty major.

4) Attempts to reason with this person will fall on deaf ears. As mentioned before, reality takes a back seat. As a therapist, I am obligated to do what I can to help my client see a different, better way.  A more healthy way. I usually receive a blank stare or feel like I'm talking to a wall. But writers should give one to two scenes over to someone trying to talk sense into this character.

5) Their demise probably will not be satisfactory to any involved, as it's more tragic. Don't get me wrong. Sometimes the bad guy has to die, and I know this. But if you've done your homework and included the above, their end will resonate with the reader more in a reflective way, not necessarily a "awesome, he/she is dead" way.

If any of this gives you a clue to what my week has been like, then I'll ask for prayers! Dealing with someone like this exhausts you emotionally and physically. In the end, I go home and go to sleep with their name on my lips in a prayer to God to keep them safe and watch over them, because there is only so much I can do and there is only so much the person will let me do.

Let's analyze: Ever had interactions with someone who was going one-way down a dead-end road? What other characteristics of someone like this might you see fit to add?

I'm still giving away a copy of my Writer's Guide to Creating Rich Back Stories...all you have to do is comment on this post about my tentative foray into vlogging.

And click over to read my therapeutic review of Ashes to Beauty: The Real Cinderella Story. Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of the book for a special girl on your Christmas list!