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Chapter 12 - Can It Become Addictive?

from Part I - The Factors That Underlie Lust Killing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2022

Frederick Toates  and
Olga Coschug-Toates
Frederick Toates
Affiliation:
The Open University, Milton Keynes
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Summary

Serial lust killing shows features of addiction, and some killers describe themselves as addicted. Comparisons of lust killing with such addictions as gambling, drugs and consensual sex reveal similarities. Following Robinson and Berridge, it is suggested that the motivational process involves dopamine and exhibits sensitization of incentive salience with experience of killing. Lust killing shows several common properties with other addictions: seeking to repeat the first ‘high’, escalation, increased wanting over time, gateway activities (soft drugs → hard drugs;rape → killing), ambivalence in engaging, stress increases the tendency to engage in the addictive activity, a sudden high often followed by an aversive condition, craving and a temporary correction of such feelings as hopelessness, lacking control and powerlessness. The urge to kill can suddenly occupy the conscious mind. Lust killers commonly consume alcohol in association with killing. Comparisons reveal some common properties between lust killing and war-time killing.

Keywords

Drugsescalationwithdrawaldeprivationsensitizationincentive saliencecombatdopaminewantingliking
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Chapter
Information
Understanding Sexual Serial Killing , pp. 166 - 180
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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