Extant Serial Murderer Classifications

One of the major weaknesses of traditional classifications of aggressive behavior is the common belief and assumption that there are only two types of people: the violent and nonviolent. This is due in part to the fact that, historically, traditional studies on aggression in murder have used single homicides as case studies, without any exploration of murderers.

Two distinctions are usually made about the serial murderer’s crime scene actions: 1) the actions are emotional or reactive; and 2) actions involve some sort of planning. For example, the FBI’s organized and disorganized dichotomy essentially derives from the instrumental and expressive aggression theories. In the early FBI interviews with convicted serial murderers, the offenders claimed that their crimes were reactive, with no planning involved.

The planning is thought to be reflected in the crime scene actions of the killer, which tends to be methodical, and signifies ritualized behavior and careful planning with dominance, power and control as the most frequent motivational themes.

There are weaknesses in the organized and disorganized dichotomy. For example, there is no one single explanation in the literature of the differences between the organized and disorganized serial murderer. Rather, what the organized and disorganized dichotomy actually seems to describe is the different levels of aggression in serial murderers, although no literature source acknowledges this. The differences in the organized and disorganized crime scenes are usually explained in the form of a psycho-dynamic drive. The dynamic drives are: 1) revenge; and 2) sadism.

The differences between the two types therefore appear to originate from several traditional theories of aggression and personality disorders. For example, it is alleged that the organized offender has the ability to maintain some control over his aggressive behavior, while the disorganized offender is unable to maintain control. There is, however, a third type: the mixed offender, which is rarely discussed in the literature. The mixed type was added to accommodate offenders who did not fit into either the organized or disorganized category.

According to the FBI classification, the organized (nonsocial) serial murderers are generally assumed to be cunning and spend vast amounts of time planning their murders, whether consciously or not, and this behavior is reflected at their crime scenes.

The organized serial murderer is described as one who is positively antisocial but often more gregarious, quite normal on the outside, maintaining normal relationships. He will be more forensically aware, mobile, creative, and adaptive; he often has a preferential victim, a certain type. Although victims’ bodies are normally concealed, he will tease the police by leaving some bodies open to view. The FBI profilers suggest that the organized type serial murderer is out to shock and offend the community and taunt the police because he feels so much more powerful than them. It is suggested that the murder is planned, and the offender is likely to use a con or ploy to lure his victims to their deaths. For example, the individual may strike up a conversation or pseudo-relationship with his victims. For organized killers who consciously plan their murders, selection of the victim is believed to be a first step in acting out their fantasy; victims are thought to be chosen because of their symbolic similarity to someone in the killer’s life or because of meanings the offender assigned to particular actions, such as hitching. However, the FBI provides no empirical research supporting the theory that serial murderers target specific victims for psychological reasons. The organized serial murderer is also forensically aware and rarely leaves incriminating evidence behind. The FBI suggests that the organized serial murderer is more likely to rape and torture victims prior to death, while the disorganized types are more likely to mutilate and to perform post-mortem sexual acts. However, these assumptions have been challenged by several researchers. The revenge (nonsocial) drive explanation for repetitive murder is supposedly that it is the offender’s unconscious effort to discharge aggressive drives toward another person who represents a significant other from past life experiences. The act supposedly originates from the Oedipal trauma — trauma by a seductive or rejecting mother and a punitive or absent father. The ego’s defenses cannot prevent the action, but direct it towards an alternative object — the victim. The rationale of the revenge formulation is that the relationship between a child’s parents sets the patterns not only for the sexual and aggressive behavior, but also for general standards of expressing and prohibiting all sorts of behavior. The revenge focus for serial murder may have some validity; however, the Oedipal theory neither explains why some serial murderers would need to seek revenge repeatedly nor why convicted killers do not necessarily demonstrate weakened defenses in other aspects of their lives. In Freud’s Theory of Sexuality, he concluded that in such perversions as sexual murder and necrophilia, “It is impossible to deny that in their case a piece of mental work has been performed which, in spite of its horrifying result, is the equivalent of an idealization of the instinct.” The asocial (disorganized) serial murderer is described as a loner, withdrawn, and more cowardly in his crimes. His crimes are often committed without a plan, and the victims are usually attacked in a blitz style. Some researchers suggest that the disorganized crime scene indicates a serial murderer whose motivation consists of uncontrolled sexual drives, reflected by his inability to control impulsive behavior or change his action in consideration of others. The disorganized offender is also described as one who shows no forensic awareness, often leaving fingerprints, bloody footprints, semen, and evidence of little or no preparation for the murder by selecting weapons of opportunity. For example, the FBI profilers point out that the disorganized serial murderer is not likely to use restraints because the victim is killed immediately.

To sum up, in addition to these discrepancies, there are two further shortcomings in the organized and disorganized offender typology. First, the behavior that describes each type is not mutually exclusive; a variety of combinations could occur in any given murder scene. This is, of course, a weakness in all the murder classification schemes discussed in this chapter. Next, there is no discussion as to why serial murderers have the need to repeatedly kill. Both the revenge and sadistic drives seem too vague. It can also be noted that the organized and disorganized scheme also provides no reason why serial murders select some victims and pass up others.

Acknowledgements:

The Police Department; 

https://www.politie.nl/mijnbuurt/politiebureaus/05/burgwallen.html and a Chief Inspector – Mr. Erik Akerboom     ©

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