Rachel Toles takes us into the minds of serial killers
Feb. 23—Clinical psychologist Rachel Toles tours behind the least likely subject to fill arenas: The Psychology of Serial Killers. Toles, born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, was educated at the University of Winnipeg, the University of Southern California, and the California School of Professional Psychologists, and she's worked in private practice and in the forensic world. Her book, The Psychology of Serial Killers, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Toles will speak at the Lensic Performing Arts Center on March 2, and she recently talked with Pasatiempo about the subject and why it fascinates so many people .
Do you think we've always had serial killers or did they appear at some point in human history?
I think we've probably had serial killers as far back as I've researched. But the difference is that post 1965, serial killers have gotten a lot more gruesome in the ways they treat the body. We didn't see a lot of that before; people would get gunned down or maybe a bit of poison. But we wouldn't see the level of grotesque types of murder we do nowadays.
Why do you think that is? Do modern- day serial killers try to outdo each other?
I think it has to do with the deconstruction of the family system. We really started seeing a lot of parents not being home as much and not being involved as much. There was [the war in] Vietnam. A lot of divorce. And we know so many serial killers come from chaotic childhoods. ... Most serial killers who are famous or well known, I believe from my research they all suffered from brain damage. Most of them were born prior to 1960, and at that time, women weren't told you can't drink or take pills [during pregnancy].
details
The Psychology of Serial Killers
* 7:30 p.m. Saturday,March 2
* Lensic Performing Arts Center
* 211 W. San Francisco Street
* $35-$55
* 505-988-1234; lensic.org
Does our understanding of serial killers begin with Jack the Ripper?
Jack the Ripper is usually as far back as I go. But what's interesting is that serial killers prior to the 1900s were about 50-50 male-female. Now it's maybe 7 percent female. A huge part of that was there was no birth control, so a lot of the murders by females were taking out their children, one after the other. Maybe it was because of rape or they didn't want them, but a lot of the murders were infanticide. Earlier than Jack the Ripper, there was Elizabeth Báthory in the 1590s and early 1600s. I think she was the most prolific female serial killer. It is said that she killed around 600 virgins and bathed in their blood.
Do you think our fascination — if that's the right word — with serial killers starts with fear? We're afraid to be the next victim and that's why we're fascinated by true crime?
I think that's why the majority of women love true crime. When I started my online presence and doing true crime stuff, 90 percent of my followers were women. This is something I say in the show, but men want to talk about sex and women want to talk about murder because most men spend their lives scanning the environment for sexual conquests, and most women spend their lives scanning the environment so they won't get murdered. A big question on a lot of their minds is, "Why would Ted Bundy want to kill someone like me?" And that comes from, "I could be married to someone like this. He seems normal."
Where is the line between a healthy interest in true crime and the point where we say someone has gone too far with this fascination?
Like any addiction, if it's impairing your ability to socialize or take care of yourself or go to work, that's a problem. But maybe you have a fascination with the dark side of people because somebody in your family was in jail. Or maybe somebody in your family was a psychopath. Maybe you know you're not a psychopath, but you are drawn to them because you were raised by a narcissist. ... I feel like as long as you're not hurting someone, do what you want to do.
How do we avoid becoming a victim of a serial killer?
Don't go into places that make you vulnerable to getting mugged. You have to look at it like that. The numbers of serial killers today are on the decline because of DNA evidence, surveillance, and cell phones. It's really hard to get away with it now. But one of the reasons so many serial killers happened in the '60s, '70s, and '80s was because there was opportunity. People were hitchhiking. There were so many things that people don't do nowadays, and because we're hyper-vigilant, we're less likely to fall victim to a serial killer.
