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What subtopics can I write about for serial killers being my main essay topic?

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By PD Tutor#1
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Serial killers are a topic that has fascinated people, beginning before the term was even coined.  They have been romanticized in pop culture, but their crimes seem to be rooted in a personality disorder that keeps them from empathizing with others.  They kill in a variety of ways and, when left unchecked, the number of people that they can kill can get into the 100s. 

Some subtopics to consider when writing about serial killers for your essay topic are:

  1. The role of Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) in serial murders.
  2. Psychopath or sociopath?  Where on the spectrum of personality disorders are most serial killers located?
  3. How do head injuries contribute to the creation of a serial killer?  Do post-mortem looks at serial killer brains reveal brain damage that would suggest there might be a physiological basis to their impulses?
  4. The connection between serial murder and sexuality- is it always a sexual experience for killers?
  5. America’s lingering fascination with Ted Bundy.
  6. The portrayal of serial killers in popular fiction and whether it portrays them as too human.
  7. The father in Prodigal Son is a serial killer who tortured and killed his victims, but appears to have some type of affection for his family; does that reflect the real-life family relationships of notorious serial killers?
  8. Do serial killers generally slip under the radar and avoid police notice…

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