Violence as it relates to the Fantasy Wheel may be
better described as level of aggression demonstrated during the commission of a
series of murders. This variable can change from one murder to the next and
often escalates in severity over the series of murders. There are case examples
of nurses that kill patients by lethal injection of medications, which on an
aggression scale can be viewed as low. On the other end of the continuum are the
more common acts committed by serial murderers that include mutilation of the
bodies or "overkill" type injuries.
The interactions that can be included with the Violence variable are extensive.
Anger can play a large role in aggression and overkill type injuries will be
seen. Sadism (Paraphilic variable) is also an obvious interaction with high
levels of aggression and severe injuries. There are also interactions that occur
in conjunction with other variables that will reflect high levels of violence or
aggression. An example of this would be an interaction with Personality and
Reality-Testing in a psychotic offender that leads to an extremely
violent/aggressive act, such was the case with the serial murderer Richard
Trenton Chase.
The more common form of aggression is affective in nature (see
here
for a description of Affective versus Predatory Aggression). In my
personal definition of serial murder, I refer to the aggression as being
primarily predatory in nature. Although there may be exceptions, I have yet to
discover a serial murderer that is truly affectively aggressive during the
series of offenses. As I have stated numerous times when speaking about my
theory on fantasy and serial murder; these offenders (serial murderers) are
qualitatively different from other murderers. Even when the offender is
"disorganized" or psychotic, their crimes still reflect a pursuit of killing
their victims and is done so in a manner that better reflects a predatory form
of aggression. I welcome everyone to send cases that would not support my
thinking on this subject.
An additional purpose of the previous paragraph was to recognize the most common
objection about my thoughts on fantasy and serial murder. I recognize there are
different opinions and thoroughly enjoy having discussions about the research I
have been doing on the subject. The most common objection I have received is
that there are offenders that do not have fantasies prior to committing murders.
First of all, most examples I receive to debate are not serial murderers by any
definition. Secondly, I always agree that there are offenses where aggression
and violence occur and there was no fantasy involved. Yet, in all the cases I
have studied to date on serial murder, there is a fantasy element to some
extent. It may not be elaborate, it may not even have been understood until the
offender explained it, but there was something there and it began long before
the first murder. The result of this fantasy is always an aggressive/violent act
and is the reason Violence is included among the variables.
E-mail your questions or suggestions to
Bryan Nelson
