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Emory Johnson
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
28 September, 2016
Topic Proposal: The Elimination of Child Abuse Has the Potential to Eliminate the
Creation of Serial Killers
Introduction/Overview
I will examine the correlation between convicted serial killers and their documented
abuse as a child, their genetics, and brain damage. I began with types of serial killers from there I
became interested in the possible link between child abuse and future serial killers. I thought

Comment [MM1]: Hi Emory! I just wanted to forewarn you

that I made a lot of comments, but not all of them are
corrections, just comments like Thats interesting! So
dont get discouraged or overwhelmed. Most of the
comments I made could be fixed multiple ways, but I tried
to include at least one option for you to consider. I enjoyed
reading your proposal! If you have any questions about my
comments, please let me know! Also, dont forget to save
your topic proposal as your name when you turn it in!
Comment [MM2]: Add a conjunction and verb for clarity: I
began STUDYING different types of serial killers THEN
that or divide this into two sentences!

about the social ramifications and motivation to eliminate child abuse; however, I determined to

Comment [MM3]: Great word choice!

focus on the psychological connection between the abuse and the killer. Then, because my

Comment [MM4]: decided would work better here than

determined unless you changed the sentence to read I
determined focusing on

brother has a degree in psychology and a minor in criminal justice, I spoke with him about

Comment [MM5]: Take out extra space here!

research methods and psychology terminology. My mother works with students with emotional

Comment [MM6]: Why? To gain better understanding of

terms used in psychology?

and behavior disorders. I asked her about trauma in the students lives and how it affects them.
After some research, I found that recent discoveries in neuroscience, genetics, and the
effects of child abuse have enabled researchers to collect data which supports the
interconnectedness of brain damage, genetic abnormalities, and child abuse to predispose a
person into becoming a serial killer. Many people believe that serial killers kill just because they
are weird, however, this pattern of behavior links to their childhood and or genetics. Studies from
psychologist at Radford University, Dr. Michael Aamodt, on a type of serial killers classified as
lust killers shows the prevalence of child abuse done to a serial killer compared to the general
public. Psychological abuse is relevant in 2% of the general population while it is relevant in

Comment [MM7]: to should be used instead of into

Comment [MM8]: This is a run-on sentence. To fix it, you
could add a semicolon after weird. Also, Ive never heard
this belief. Is there any evidence? Is it weirdness or sadism?
Comment [MM9]: Add the word a before this!
Comment [MM10]: This sentence is structured in a
confusing way. One way to make it clearer would be Dr.
Michael Aamodt, psychologist at Radford university,
conducted studies on a type of serial killer classified as lust
killers. They showed the prevalence
Comment [MM11]: What exactly do you mean by
relevant? They actually experience it? A family member of
theres experiences it?

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50% of the lust killer population. This amount is significant and leads us to believe there is a

Comment [MM12]: Is it statistically significant? This would

give your paper more credibility!

relationship between the two. Brain damage is also a result of neglect and child abuse.

Comment [MM13]: Elaborate?

Another factor into why a serial killer may be that way could trace back to genetics. Jim

Comment [MM14]: This reads a little strangely

Fallon is a neuroscientist who looked into the brains of serial killers. He shared in his TED talk
titled Exploring the Mind of a Serial Killer his findings including that every single one of the

Comment [MM15]: entitled

serial killers he scanned had damage to their orbital cortex, which is responsible for emotion.

Comment [MM16]: Super interesting, yet scary

They did have slight differences however such as some may have a gene called MAO-A.

Comment [MM17]: I would consider changing/removing

one of these to avoid redundancy!

However, this gene is only expressed when violence occurs in a certain stage of their life.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

Do children who are abused run a heightened risk of growing up to be serial killers?

Can serial killers be reduced by decreasing the prevalence of child abuse?

Is child abuse a factor in creating a serial killer?

If it can be proven that child abuse is one indicator for a future murderer, will society do

Comment [MM18]: These are incredible, and important,

questions to ask. Which one are you going to focus on
though? I would discuss the question you choose and why.

more to prevent/stop child abuse?

My Interest in this Topic
I am interested in learning about what makes a serial killer a serial killer because there
are many factors that play a role. I have a keen interest in the psychological portion pertained

Comment [MM19]: This word doesnt make sense here; try

pertaining to instead of pertained from

from a serial killers childhood and how genes can be passed down throughout the family that
may harbor someone into becoming a serial killer. I know that this gene is called MAO-A and is
sex-linked which is why mostly males are serial killers. If someone were to have this gene, their
brain would produce too much serotonin essentially bathing it. Ironically, being that serotonin

Comment [MM20]: It would make more sense to say:

Ironically, because

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is the hormone to relax you, this {} ultimately cancels out serotonin completely. I would like to

Comment [MM21]: I would reiterate the concept here by

saying this bathing ultimately cancels

know if there is a way post-birth that doctors could detect this and possibly prevent it from
happening. I plan to become a physician assistant (PA) and I hope to be working in primary care
and mental health care. There is a great demand for PAs in both areas. As a PA, I plan to work in
one of these area. I will come in contact with many children for whom it will be my
responsibility to determine if they are well-cared-for. As a PA in mental health care, I will need
to know the patients history to assist in treatment. My research on the link between child abuse
and serial killers will be useful as one indicator for the cause of the patients psychological
disorder.
Next Steps
I will be viewing TED talks, reading articles from professionals such as psychologists,
neuroscientists, and criminologists, examining research studies done on this topic, and visiting
the librarys database.

Final Feedback:
Hi again Emory!!! This is a very interesting topic (I am a psychology major!) and I cant wait to
see how your project progresses! This is very well done. Most of my comments, as you saw,
were based on grammar issues or addressing the flow of the writing. One thing I am intrigued by
that you didnt discuss much in your introduction is that brain damage actually affects whether or
not a person becomes a serial killer. It may be beneficial to expand upon this, especially if it is
going to be a focus of your paper. I enjoyed reading your proposal, and if you have any questions

Comment [MM22]: Make this word plural

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for me, let me know! I think you are on a great track with a lot of valuable sources available to
you (especially through interviews with your mother and brother!) Good luck on the rest of your
extended inquiry project!

Melissa Martin