There are so many bad things in the world but according to many, cannibalism is considered just about the worst. Depending on your point of view, it rises above even such criminal abominations as, rape and genocide. Cannibalism has been a part of humans since their first steps on earth. It was almost the key aspect of survival in those early times, but now, it is seen as a devious act towards another human being. Within the field of psychology there has been study as well as debate on what factors lead a person to practice criminal cannibalism.
There are a many theories which have been presented, ranging from the over nurturing of a child during the first few months of their life to sudden stress. However, there is little evidence to support most of these theories. Nevertheless, the theories put forth present a framework in which one is able to gain a better understanding of the possible psychological factors behind cannibalism. It is believed that children, who are excessively dependent on their mothers, due to maternal over nurturing, are more likely to experience oral aggression and frustration due to separation.
Moreover, he contends that the adult who subconsciously carries this oral aggression is likely to express it in an overtly dominant fashion against women by turning to cannibalism. Mothers who over care for their infant create urgent dependency for contact at all time which will lead into stress like symptoms in their early childhood. The case of Ed Kemper is evidence that his aggression towards the mother might be a possible factor for his cannibalism.
There are other theories that suggest cannibalism, to be a sexual disorder and even an eating disorder. What seems to be a common characteristic among many cannibals is that many of them have been diagnosed with schizophrenia or some other form of personality disorder. Many cannibals, such as Andrei Chikatilo, Albert Fish, Edward Gein, and Issei Sagawa, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. There are several common characteristic of schizophrenia, including thought disturbance, delusions, hallucinations and a loss of reality.
This diagnosis might help explain the experiences many cannibals claim to feel prior to, during and after their cannibalistic activities, including black-outs, heightened sense of self and of the experience, hallucinations and other forms of disorganized thoughts or behavior. Before cannibalism, there comes murder; which is the unlawful killing of another. In other altercation it can create a serial killer, which is hard to define for it takes many forms, and is brought by different states of mind. To discover what makes a serial killer function, it is necessary to look back into their past, particularly their adolescent life.
By looking at many and varied cases, it is evident that virtually all serial killers come from dysfunctional backgrounds involving sexual or physical abuse, drugs or alcoholism and their related problems. Many traits that seem to be universal in all these serial killers, though in varied amounts, include disorganized thinking, bipolar mode disorders, a feeling of resentment towards society brought on by their own failings, sexual frustrations, an inability to be social or socially accepted, over bearing parents and a wild imagination that tends to drag them into a fantasy world.
There are three most reported characteristics of serial killers which are day dreaming, masturbation, and isolation. The daydreaming, which is brought on by an over productive imagination, tends to lead the way into the general fantasy world that the serial killer begins to live in to protect himself from any isolation he is faced with. The masturbation is lack of sexual contact with the same sex, or the opposite sex. The Isolation is a feeling of everybody wanting to separate themselves from that person, or that person not wanting to associate himself with others.
Society generally is quick to label murders as serial killers. Most are not at all psychotics who have lost touch with reality, but instead psychopaths who are suffering from chronic mental disorders with violent or abnormal social behaviors. Ultimately, it is virtually impossible to detect a serial killer, or a cannibal, which is why human beings may never be able to solve the mysteries of these criminal acts, that have been upon us for centuries.
