The serial killer next door
Profiling serial killers
What makes a serial killer? Explore the minds of serial killers and uncover the psychology behind their actions. Explore the dark realms of who, why and how they murder. Learn about psychopaths and how they differ from other serial killers. Get an understanding of why couples kill together and why women serial killers are different from their male counterparts. In this online course you will:
- Learn where the term serial killer comes from.
- Dispel some of the myths about serial killers.
- Who is likely to become a serial killer and why.
- Understand why couples kill together.
- Learn how female serial killers operate.
This is an evidence-based course to give you the most up to date and factual information on the psychology of serial killers.
What's included?
Dr Hughes talks about where the term serial killer was born and why. Dr Hughes talks you through why the FBI set up their behavioural profiling unit in Quantico and how the study of criminals developed. You will be guided through understanding organised and disorganised offenders.
You will learn about the various types of serial killers and some of the characteristics they are likely to have. You will also discover the various behaviours and serial killers and how they choose their victims.
Dr Hughes also talks about psychopaths and their psychology. Not all serial killers are psychopaths and not all psychopaths are serial killers.
Learn about the various methods that they use to kill their victims and evade capture. There are a few myths surrounding serial killers and you will explore the differences between fact, fiction, myths and reality.
Serial killers might kill for revenge or have a sexual nature to them. Dr Hughes helps you to understand the various themes behind their murders.
Some people, such as Fred and Rose West, killed as a couple. The psychological mechanisms behind these joint killings are also explored. Women have also been known to murder multiple victims. Female serial killers are somewhat different from male serial killers and have a classification system of their own.
Your Instructor
I have always been fascinated by crime and criminal behaviour. I would watch fictional TV programs and real crime documentaries and often wonder if it was actually possible to get into the mind of the offender. Actually, I thought I could do it myself because I had watched that many programs! My favourite film was Silence of the Lambs and my favourite TV series were Cracker and CSI. I would watch many experts give psychological profiles of famous criminals and would have so many questions. I wanted to know, what drives people to commit crimes and how are these people different from the rest of us?
I have always had a passion for learning and decided to become a student later in life. I went to college and university to learn about the psychology of offending. I was a little bit disappointed to learn that you couldn’t deduce everything about an offender by examining the crime scene, but the reality was so much better.
I was lucky enough to work alongside one of the world leaders in criminal psychology, Professor David Canter. As soon as I started university I was determined to get involved in his work. I worked as an intern and research assistant for Professor Canter and it was very much sink or swim – fortunately I stayed afloat.
One of my first assignments was to go out and interview members of the general public. This led to me doing interviews with prisoners in North West England. That was like a dream come true. I got to interview murderers, gang members, fraudsters, and many more about their crimes. I’m sure at one point I asked to be referred to as Clarice! I was surprised by how nice the majority of prisoners seemed to be.
I decided to set up CrimePsych to share my knowledge and experience in the psychology of offending. I want to share my passion for learning with others and encourage people to ask questions and seek out answers. For every crime there is a victim, therefore it is against my moral values to glorify or dramatize offending in any way. Everything I do is based on fact and research and is aimed at improving understanding.
The mission of CrimePsych is to enhance the understanding of the Psychology of Offending. It does so by providing online courses and live events where people from any background can learn the motivations, justifications and underlying behavioural characteristics of criminality. CrimePsych aims to bring awareness of Investigative Psychology, Offender Profiling, and Forensic Psychology to illustrate the ways in which these disciplines can be used to understand offending.
CrimePsych helps people develop the knowledge, understanding, and skills that will enable them to interpret offending behaviour and gain insight into criminality. CrimePsych offers information on many aspects of criminality including deception, stalking, domestic abuse, rape, and murder, which are delivered through weekly blogs, vlogs, live events and online courses.