Use social conflict theory to gain a deeper understanding of what a serial killer is like. Through many conflicts in a person's life, a person has to choose whether to live a normal life or a life of crime. This theory also demonstrates how education plays an important part in how a person will behave when they are older. By looking at the characteristics of a serial killer and the different types you will be able to see what society thinks an average serial killer looks like. Society creates roles that it wants people to fit into, and if someone doesn't fit well, a conflict arises that pushes people to act outside the norm. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The United States has approximately 3,204 serial killers, which is seventy percent of the world's serial killers (Aamodt, 2016).​ What is a serial killer? A serial killer is a person who has killed two or more people over a period of time (Beirne, 2015). Most of the time a serial killer has a "cooling off" between murders ( if there is no break between murders he becomes known as a mass murderer).​ Some of the most famous American serial killers include; Jeffery Dahmer (notorious for cannibalism, responsible for seventeen killings), Ted Bundy (responsible for over thirty killings), Charles Manson (a notorious cult leader, responsible for seven killings), and John Wayne Gacy (responsible for thirty-three killings).​ Society (such as family, friends, religious environment… etc.) has a lot of effect on the way a person grows up and the path he chooses. Society creates roles that a person can be a part of and sometimes a person is molded perfectly to fit society, however there will always be those people who push against the mold and take action. However, how they behave is important. By looking at social conflicts and how they affect a person's life choices, one might understand how a mentally healthy person can become a serial killer who commits heinous acts against another person. What most people think of when they hear about serial killers is an average-aged white male. Since this is somewhat true, only fifty percent of American serial killers are white males (Aamodt, 2016). This leaves a lot of freedom. space for the other percentage. The FBI stated that, "contrary to popular belief, serial killers span all racial groups. There are white, African-American, Hispanic, and Asian serial killers. The racial diversity of serial killers generally mirrors that of the overall population of the United States United” (Mortan, 2005).​ The media and films make serial killers a fascination for people and portray them in a way that makes people enraptured by them.​ they create fascinating films about real-life scenarios They describe the perpetrator of crime as if they have a perfect life and then one day the situation changes and they go on a crazy killing spree. However, this is not always the case. How a child grows up has a huge impact on how they will behave when they are older.​ If a child grows up with two loving parents who are motivated by goals and push him towards education, there is a good chance that the child will go to college. If a child grows up in a broken home, with a who continuously hits him day after day, there is a high probability that the child will grow up angry at the world and feel the need to regain some kind of control. Thirty-two percent of serial killers in the United States had a motive that was entertainment (lust, power, or thrill) (Aamodt, 2016). When acriminal kills for lust or thrill, he is known as a hedonistic killer (Chase, 2015). Hedonistic killers like to take time with their victim to get the full gratification of killing. These types of killers become addicted to murder as a person would be addicted to drugs​ .​ The other type of serial killer is a power or control killer, this is when an offender will kill when they feel they have lost power (Chase​,​ 2015).​ Both types of serial killers can gain sexual gratification from the domination and humiliation of victims, “​there are many other motivations for serial murders including anger, emotion, financial gain, and attention seeking (Mortan​ , ​2005).​ ​These types of serial killers are similar because their main goal is to take control and feel more powerful than before. Power and control are key to understanding why these criminals continue to kill. In the mind of a serial killer, they thrive on the fear of the victim and the feeling of dominance gives them the desire to kill more (Beirne, 2015). ).​ Once the killer has perceived the intensity and weight of the murder​,​ he wants to do it progressively​,​ thus creating a serial killer​.​ ​In serial murders, there is generally no relationship between the offender and victims​.​ A killer will usually choose a victim randomly who meets the desired criteria​.​ In most cases a killer will look for victims with similar appearance to each other (height, race, hair color , age,​... ​etc​.​).​ These victims are chosen because they share some sort of resemblance to someone who took away the offender's power in his past (Williams, 2017). The offender wants to feel powerful again and will do anything to achieve this target.​ The number of male serial killers far exceeds the number of female serial killers.​ In the United States ninety point eight percent of serial murders are committed by a male offender and only nine point two percent of these types of murders are committed by female delinquents (Aamodt, 2016). ​But if you consider the gender of the victims, you notice that the figure is very female. There could be many reasons why women are mainly victims of serious crimes. One reason could be that males feel a power struggle between of them and females and consequently resort to killing. ​The victims of serial murders are mainly women, but in numerous cases there are also children or men. One reason could be that the perpetrator was injured or abused as a child and when he grew up in the only way possible to feel better was to vent his anger on people who remind him of his past. No one truly knows the motive for the murders until the perpetrator is caught (unfortunately, many serial killers are good at hiding from the law).​ The idea of ​​nature versus nurture is a big argument behind why serial killers murderers are as they are. In some cases nature is the reason, usually for people with mental disabilities. But for a perfectly healthy person to commit such heinous acts, one must believe that nurture is the cause. So, what happens in society that drives a person to become a serial killer? Society's roles on people have a huge impact on who they are. If one were to believe that education is the cause of crime, a sociological theory could help understand how this occurs. The social theory that best explains this criminal behavior is conflict theory. Conflict theory states that “tensions and conflicts arise when resources, status, and power are distributed unevenly among groups in society and that these conflictsthey become the engine of social change”. " (Crossman​,​ 2019).​ ​In order to understand the connection between serial killings and conflict theory,​ it is necessary to know the foundations of the theory.​ Social conflict theory is a social theory based on Marxism which argues that individuals and groups within society interact on the basis of conflict rather than consensus ​(Crossman​,​ 2019) ​Through various forms of conflict, groups will tend to obtain different amounts of material and non-material resources materials​.​ More powerful groups will tend to use their power to maintain it and exploit groups with less power​.​ The conflict theorists' point of view conflict as an engine of change, since conflict produces contradictions that are sometimes resolved , creating new conflicts and contradictions in an ongoing dialectic​.​ Conflict can take many forms and involve a struggle for many different types of resources​.​ ​(Crossman​,​ 2019)​. A person does not wake up one day and decides he wants to become a serial killer. There are a series of events that lead to this choice of criminal life.​ ​Conflict theory is used to understand a serial killer's growth due to life experiences. These life experiences are what drives the individual to choose their criminal path. Accordingly, “[the criminal] recognizes certain life events that may predict criminal behavior over time, such as later attachments to significant others or to work,” which will prevent those with low self-control from offending” (Arrigo​ ,​ 2004).​ If a person becomes distant or different in work environments, these could be warning signs​.​ People who commit murders are usually triggered by something before their first murder​.​ The author of offender might live a normal life and a death or something else might happen in his life that brings him back to childhood trauma, this is called a trigger. In a case study done by James Beasley, one of the serial killers he interviewed stated that “his actions were influenced by several factors, including family instability, the death of his father two years before the first murder, social isolation, and a deep resentment towards young women” (Beasley, 2004). The events in this delinquent's life have caused many unresolved conflicts, and instead of dealing with his conflict properly, he has dealt with the blow by resorting to murdering women. .​ He lived in an unstable home and had a trigger that led him to a series of murders​.​ This offender commented that he felt no remorse after the murders and that they had become more of a hobby for him than anything else ( Beasley,​ 2004). ​This is an example of how social conflicts lead a person to a life of crime. Most serial offenders experience one conflict after another which leads to a life of unequal opportunities, this shows how education is the reason why serial killers are created. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay There are many serial killers in the United States, 3,204 of them are registered. The two main types of serial killers are power/control killers and hedonistic killers. These types of serial killers thrive on dominance over a victim and act when they have lost control of their life. Social conflict theory explains why these types of serial killers act. These types of offenders have had an accumulation of conflict in their lives and feel as if their last resort is to inflict pain on someone else. The importance of this topic is.