Experts say serial killers can look extraordinarily ordinary on the outside.
Jack Levin, PhD, knows a lot about psychopaths and serial killers.
He’s the director of the Brudnick Center on Violence and Conflict at Northeastern University in Boston and the author of several books on serial killers, including Extreme Killings. Levin said that serial killer Dennis Rader’s cool and dispassionate detailing in a Kansas courthouse last year of his 10 murders was not surprising for a psychopath. Even Rader’s gory name he created for himself, BTK (“bind, torture, kill”) — is an example of a psychopath’s pride in his work.
“For a person with a conscience, Rader’s crimes seem hideous, but from his point of view, these are his greatest accomplishments and he is anxious to share all of the wonderful things he has done,” Levin tells WebMD. “He held this close to his vest for three decades.”
Psychopaths May Appear Outwardly Successful
As many as 5% of people display psychopathic or sociopathic personality disorders. That’s according to experts and the professional bible of mental illnesses — the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). These personality disorders are marked by antisocial and impulsive behavior, disregard for societal standards, and no indications of fear or guilt.
Serial killers often “don’t look like sociopaths or deranged killers, because if they looked like monsters, they would be apprehended almost immediately,” Levin says. more
