The Countess Elizabeth Bathory is known in history for being
the ruthless noblewoman who had hundreds of slave girls sadistically poked,
cut, and bled. She did this out of the belief that their blood would sustain her
youth indefinitely. While the modern analysis can only begin to scratch the complex
psyche of one of history's most prolific and cruel serial killers, Elizabeth
Bathory is suspected by some to have had a rather bad case of social anxiety.
This, some theorize, combined with her malignant narcissism and her high social
status had combined to form the figure that many would know as the “Blood
Countess.”
Serial killers, according to most recent profiling
techniques and psychological developments, tend to suffer from social anxiety.
While by no means the only mental condition that marks the mind of a serial
killer, social anxiety is nonetheless considered to be one of the more common
problems of such people. Other factors, such as signs of sadism, particularly towards
animals, are also cited as factors. However, there are elements in the
community that believe societal pressures also exert a large effect.
Of course, social anxiety is not entirely uncommon in modern
times. In fact, to some degree, most experts believe that everyone has
experienced a moment of social anxiety. However, that does not make everyone in
the world a potential serial killer. Social anxiety helps make a serial killer,
but it is by no means the definitive sign of one. Indeed, there are several
psychologists contended that while modern serial killers tend to suffer from
this condition, it is arguable whether or not historical killers such as
Bathory and Jack the Ripper suffered from it. After all, the fear of society in
general, in theory, is a fairly recent phenomenon.
Another point here is that social anxiety may manifest
differently in serial killers than from others, especially if combined with a
number of other psychological disorders. For example, it was possible that
Elizabeth Bathory suffered from a twisted sense of social anxiety as she was
frequently obsessing over her appearance. Some recent analysts have theorized
that it was not so much her actual appearance that concerned her, and more her
standing amongst her fellow aristocrats at the time.
In addition, while there are hardly any pieces of evidence
to support this assumption, a small group of people are starting to theorize
that Jack the Ripper suffered from a form of social anxiety. There is hardly
enough evidence on the Ripper's psychology to even ascertain whether Jack
really was male, much less ascribe his actions to some sort of psychological
disorder. Proponents of this assumption put forth that it was possible the
Ripper suffered from social anxiety and had difficulty approaching more
respectable women. While this is entirely plausible, it is arguable whether
someone who could not approach a woman of good social standing would be able to
lure a prostitute to her demise without alarming said, individual.
In the end, serial killers with social anxiety are claimed
to feel powerless amidst modern society's power structures and individual
networks. Perhaps, in the act of capturing, killing, and mutilating their
victims, the killers gain some sense of control over their lives and their
place in the world. In the end, isn't knowing where one belongs in the grand
hierarchy of things something that everyone seeks? Perhaps, in the end, serial
killers are only seeking what everyone else is seeking, albeit in a way that
the average person is unable to truly comprehend.
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