<P> Family interaction also plays an important role in a child's growth and development . "The quality of their attachments to parents and other members of the family is critical to how these children relate to and value other members of society ." Wilson and Seaman (1990) conducted a study on incarcerated serial killers, and what they felt was the most influential factor that contributed to their homicidal activity . Almost all of the serial killers in the study had experienced some sort of environmental problems during their childhood, such as a broken home caused by divorce, or a lack of discipline in the home . It was common for the serial killers to come from a family that had experienced divorce, separation, or the lack of a parent . Furthermore, nearly half of the serial killers had experienced some type of physical or sexual abuse, and even more had experienced emotional neglect . When a parent has a drug or alcohol problem, the attention in the household is on the parents rather than the child . This neglect of the child leads to the lowering of their self - esteem and helps develop a fantasy world in which they are in control . Hickey's Trauma Control Model supports how the neglect from parents can facilitate deviant behavior, especially if the child sees substance abuse in action . This then leads to disposition (the inability to attach), which can further lead to homicidal behavior, unless the child finds a way to develop substantial relationships and fight the label they receive . If a child receives no support from those around him or her, then he or she is unlikely to recover from the traumatic event in a positive way . As stated by E.E. Maccoby, "the family has continued to be seen as a major--perhaps the major--arena for socialization". </P> <P> There have been recent studies looking into the possibility that an abnormality with one's chromosomes could be the trigger for serial killers . Two serial killers, Bobby Joe Long and Richard Speck, came to attention for reported chromosomal abnormalities . Long had an extra X chromosome . Speck was erroneously reported to have an extra Y chromosome; in fact, his karyotype was performed twice and was normal each time . Hellen Morrison, an American forensic psychiatrist, said in an interview that while researchers do not have an exact gene identity, the fact that the majority of serial killers are men leads researchers to believe there is "a change associated with the male chromosome make up ." </P> <P> Children who do not have the power to control the mistreatment they suffer sometimes create a new reality to which they can escape . This new reality becomes their fantasy that they have total control of and becomes part of their daily existence . In this fantasy world, their emotional development is guided and maintained . According to Garrison (1996), "the child becomes sociopathic because the normal development of the concepts of right and wrong and empathy towards others is retarded because the child's emotional and social development occurs within his self - centered fantasies . A person can do no wrong in his own world and the pain of others is of no consequence when the purpose of the fantasy world is to satisfy the needs of one person" (Garrison, 1996). Boundaries between fantasy and reality are lost and fantasies turn to dominance, control, sexual conquest, and violence, eventually leading to murder . Fantasy can lead to the first step in the process of a dissociative state, which, in the words of Stephen Giannangelo, "allows the serial killer to leave the stream of consciousness for what is, to him, a better place". </P> <P> Criminologist Jose Sanchez reports, "the young criminal you see today is more detached from his victim, more ready to hurt or kill...The lack of empathy for their victims among young criminals is just one symptom of a problem that afflicts the whole society ." Lorenzo Carcaterra, author of Gangster (2001), explains how potential criminals are labeled by society, which can then lead to their offspring also developing in the same way through the cycle of violence . The ability for serial killers to appreciate the mental life of others is severely compromised, presumably leading to their dehumanization of others . This process may be considered an expression of the intersubjectivity associated with a cognitive deficit regarding the capability to make sharp distinctions between other people and inanimate objects . For these individuals, objects can appear to possess animistic or humanistic power while people are perceived as objects . Before he was executed, serial killer Ted Bundy stated media violence and pornography had stimulated and increased his need to commit homicide, although this statement was made during last - ditch efforts to appeal his death sentence . However, correlation is not causation (a disturbed physiological disposition, psychosis, lack of socialization, or aggressiveness may contribute to both fantasy creation and serial killing without fantasy creation generally contributing to serial killing for instance). There are exceptions to the typical fantasy patterns of serial killers, as in the case of Dennis Rader, who was a loving family man and the leader of his church . </P>

Where does the word serial killer come from