I have always been fascinated by serial killer psychology, namely Jeffrey Dahmer. During interviews, he always seemed full of remorse, a trait almost all serial killers lack. This leads me to the question: do you think Dahmer was just evil, or psychologically ill?

I think Jeffrey Dahmer was what psychiatrists refer to as a borderpath. He was somewhere on that fine line that separates people with borderline personality disorders from sociopaths. Although he committed several horrific acts, like you, I believe he was still capable of experiencing remorse for his actions.

He came from a well-to-do, yet dysfunctional family, and really hade no clue as to what being a normal person was like. If you read his father's autobiography, he was almost as disturbed psychologically as his son was..

I think he was ill. Albeit extremely ill.

The most frightening part of his story, to me anyways, is that his parents saw his odd behavior as a child (namely the torturing of animals) and sent him to a therapist.

That scares the snot out of me. So many times I have looked to the parents and childhood environment when trying to figure out serial killers, but in this case the parents, especially the father if I remember correctly, tried to help him, fix him, cure him. From what I read, Jeffery tried not to be this way, too.

And look how all of their efforts turned out. So when parents notice psychotic and sociopathic tendencies in their children, what hope do they have?

Originally posted by Klemperer
I have always been fascinated by serial killer psychology, namely Jeffrey Dahmer. During interviews, he always seemed full of remorse, a trait almost all serial killers lack. This leads me to the question: do you think Dahmer was just evil, or psychologically ill?

Seemed is the operative word in this sentance.

How do we know he was full of remorse? Because he said he was?

Jeffery Dahmer was what I would call the "gay quarterback" of the serial killer world. I'm sure everybody has seen the stereotype on tv before. Some all-star jock is a closet homosexual. He goes out and has sex. Then gets angry and conflicted, leading to violence.

In Dahmer's case, it was the same deal. He was gay. But he was also ashamed of himself. Couple that with mental instability, and you see the root of what made him a cannibalistic serial killer.