March 26, 2025

Noshin Karim

10th Grade

Thomas A. Edison Career and Technological Education High School

Introduction

Have you ever wondered why serial killers do what they do? Humans are the same species, but why do we behave differently in extreme situations? Whether it's you, a child, or an older person, we all act variously in events where we act differently. The most common answer would be hormones and stress, causing us to act this way. Yes, hormones, anxiety, and the amygdala. Amygdala is a term you have no idea about, but it plays a significant role. Now, it's essential to understand that although hormones, stress, and genetics play an important role, violent behaviors and regulations need to be understood. This is so we know what's normal and what's not.

The Amygdala: Your Emotions' Headquarters

Biological Stress Factors: Genetic Variations and Environment

Your genetics play a significant role in all this since your stress levels, hormone levels, and behavior can be genetically passed on. Genetically based on your bloodline, you can react to stress on different levels, and your hormones may vary. Plus, adding on toxic environments may add even more stress. During this age range, when it continues developing, it affects the way you handle situations as an adult. Based on how extreme your genetics and environment are, it can primarily damage the amygdala and lead to major mental issues. 

Aggression: Violent Behavior and Emotional Detachment 

When the biological factors mentioned previously are abused, and not typical, aggressiveness starts. Constant stress, constantly high hormones, abusive, toxic environments, and/or genetically passed down issues can lead to aggressive behavior, whether it is a combination of some of these factors or one singular factor. When the amygdala's role in processing emotions is impaired, it creates a boundary between a person feeling normal emotions. Instead, they resort to violence and don't understand its effect on others. As time goes on, the violence will increase because it will become their norm if they don't seek treatment. Not only does violence rise, but also a lack of empathy leads to emotional detachment. Making social connections will become more challenging, and social withdrawal will start once they no longer need social interactions and start isolating themselves. In fact, it is a typical standard behavior among serial killers where they begin in toxic environments with mental issues and violence increasing as they grow, along with social isolation. 

The Truth

The honest answer is that we have the same brain structure as serial killers, sociopaths, and psychopaths. The only difference is that these parts of the brain function differently depending on their genetics and environment. We are no different in body parts compared to anyone else. It all depends on our genetics and environment for our features to act differently. This is what makes every single human different from one another. So the next time you're stressed about your chemistry test, get annoyed at your siblings, or jump scared when watching a horror movie, remember how much the amygdala controls your emotions every day without your self-awareness.