Do serial killers wet their beds? (3 insights)

This blog post aims to answer the question, “Do serial killers wet their beds?” and study who serial killers are, how their brains work and their traits, functionalities and behaviours in order to help understand the answer. 

Do serial killers wet their beds?

Yes, serial killers have the tendency to wet their beds. The following are 3 insights into why serial killers wet their beds –

• Shame, stress and worry.
• Tumultuous upbringings.
• The Macdonald Triad.

These 3 insights into why serial killers wet their beds will be discussed in further detail below after taking a deeper look at who a serial killer is.

Who is a serial killer? 

A serial murderer is someone who murders three or more people, generally for abnormal psychological enjoyment, over a period of more than a month and with a large gap between them. While the majority of authorities establish a three-murder threshold, others raise it to four or lower it to two.

The most common reason for serial killing is psychological fulfilment, and many serial killings involve sexual interaction with the victim, but serial murderers’ motives can also include rage, thrill-seeking, financial gain, and attention-seeking, according to the FBI.

In a similar way, the murders may be attempted or completed. The victims may share characteristics such as demographic profile, appearance, gender, or ethnicity.

The FBI frequently focuses on a certain pattern that serial killers follow. Based on this pattern, vital clues about the killer’s identity and intentions will be revealed.

Despite the fact that a serial killer is a different categorization from a mass murderer, spree killer, or contract killer, there are conceptual parallels between the three. 

There is some disagreement over the precise requirements for each group, particularly when it comes to the distinction between spree and serial killers.

Types Of Serial Killers.

Although it is hard to fully categorise and comprehend each serial murderer, it is possible to examine their tactics and habits in order to better characterise the sort of criminal they are. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has classified serial murderers into three categories based on how they commit their crimes. Knowing which group a serial killer belongs to can help investigators better understand their crimes and how to bring them to justice.

The Medical Killer.

Despite the fact that this sort of killer is extremely rare, certain people have used the medical field to carry out their evil crimes. Because it is not commonplace for individuals to pass away at a hospital, this sort of murderer believes they are shrouded. 

They are typically knowledgeable people who know how to cover their crimes with care and deception. If a person looks to have died of natural causes, there will be no reason to assume foul play and seek for the perpetrator. 

Only a few physicians in history have been able to kill scores of individuals before others notice.

The Organized Killer.

This is the most difficult sort of serial murderer to track down and apprehend. They are typically clever and extremely well organised, almost to the point of being fastidious. 

Every element of the crime is meticulously planned, and the assailant takes every measure to ensure that no damning evidence is left behind. This sort of psychopath is known to observe potential victims for several days in order to select someone they perceive to be a good target. 

Once the victim has been picked, the murderer would abduct them, frequently using a ruse to win sympathy, and transport them to a new place where the murder will be carried out. When someone is killed, the offender will generally take steps to ensure that the body is not discovered until they want it to be.

A criminal like this is generally quite proud of what they regard to be their “job” and pays close attention to news headlines about their crimes. One of their motivational motivations may be to elude the cops who are attempting to solve their crime.

The Disorganized Killer.

These people almost never plot their victims’ deaths in any way. The victims they kill are almost always in the wrong place at the wrong time. When the chance arises, this sort of serial murderer appears to strike at random. They make no attempt to hide their crime and move around often to avoid getting apprehended. 

Killers who are disorganised frequently have low IQs and are antisocial. They don’t have many close friends or family members, and they don’t like to stay in one area for lengthy periods of time. 

These assassins are more likely to have no remembrance of their crimes or to admit that they were driven by voices in their brains or some other fictitious source.

What are these 3 insights into why serial killers wet their beds?

Shame, stress and worry.

Macdonald believed that bedwetting that lasts more than a few months when a child is five years old is connected to the same sentiments of shame that can lead to the other triad behaviours of animal cruelty and fire-setting.

Bedwetting is part of a cycle that can intensify emotions of embarrassment in children who believe they are in trouble or humiliated because they wet the bed.

As the behaviour continues, the youngster may become increasingly nervous and powerless. This may cause them to pee on the bed more often. Stress and worry are frequently associated with bedwetting.

Tumultuous upbringings.

The most notorious killers had tumultuous upbringings. According to ThoughtCo, Jeffrey Dahmer was a happy and lively youngster until undergoing a hernia procedure at the age of six. 

He withdrew after that. Dahmer looked emotionally distant, and during his adolescence and early adulthood, he discreetly gathered the dead carcasses of animals he discovered on the side of the road in order to save the bones that attracted him so much. 

While gathering roadkill may be an unusual occurrence, many serial killers appear to have had one childhood habit in common: peeing the bed. According to the Child Psychology Service, bedwetting (or enuresis) in children does not always indicate a problem. 

There are other aspects to examine, including the frequency of wetness, the kid’s age, and whether the occurrences are primary (occur before a child is fully toilet-trained) or secondary (occur after a child is fully toilet-trained). 

The potential underlying factors, on the other hand, are what led to the serial murderer relationship. According to the Child Psychology Service, there may be a relationship between urinating in bed and childhood trauma. 

For example, children who have been cruelly neglected may have been left in dirty diapers. Others may have been penalised for having an accident or may not have received the care, attention, or encouragement needed to master the restroom.

The Macdonald Triad.

The Macdonald Triad, a list of three attributes that reportedly indicate a person’s likelihood of becoming a serial murderer, includes insecurity, anxiety, and trauma.

According to Healthline, this “triad” is named after J.M. Macdonald, a psychiatrist who published a 1963 review of earlier studies into the links between childhood behaviour and later violent crimes, such as serial killings. 

Animal abuse, lighting fires, and bed-wetting were identified as three possible contributing behaviours. 

According to Healthline, the first two were related by Macdonald to a sense of powerlessness (about their condition or mistreatment by an adult) – a desire to act forcefully against something they could overpower or control. 

In the meanwhile, bedwetting is linked in the paper to an overwhelming sense of humiliation, which also drives the other two behaviours.

Conclusion – 

This blog post ventured into answering the question, “Do serial killers wet their beds?” and reviewed who serial killers are, how their brains work and their traits, functionalities and behaviours to help determine if serial killers wet their beds. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments you may have.

References –

Littlechild, C. WHY DO SERIAL KILLERS OFTEN WET THE BED AS KIDS? (2021, November 10). Retrieved from  https://www.grunge.com/657372/why-do-serial-killers-often-wet-the-bed-as-kids/#:~:text=Gathering%20roadkill%20may%20be%20something,problem%20in%20and%20of%20itself.

Steber, C. 7 Fascinating Habits Serial Killers Often Display When They’re Young. (2018, July 18). Retrieved from  https://www.bustle.com/p/7-fascinating-habits-serial-killers-often-display-when-theyre-young-9637771

Apparently bedwetting (past age 12) is one of the most common traits shared by serial killers. Is there is a psychological reason behind this? Reddit. (n.d.). Retrieved from  https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2zpf28/apparently_bedwetting_past_age_12_is_one_of_the/

Jewell, T. Can the Macdonald Triad Predict Serial Killers? (2020, March 24). Retrieved from  https://www.healthline.com/health/macdonald-triad

Is it more common for serial killers to wet their beds as children or to be cruel to animals? Quora. (n.d.). Retrieved from  https://www.quora.com/Is-it-more-common-for-serial-killers-to-wet-their-beds-as-children-or-to-be-cruel-to-animals

Macdonald triad. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2022, January 11). Retrieved from  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macdonald_triad

Adam, C. Are Serial Killers Also Bed-Wetters? (2013, November 8). Retrieved from  https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/206874/are-serial-killers-also-bed-wetters/

Why is bedwetting associated with serial killers? MovieCultists.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from  https://moviecultists.com/why-is-bedwetting-associated-with-serial-killers

Pomeroy, R. The Surprising Link Between Bedwetting and Committing Homicide. (2020, May 16). Retrieved from  https://www.realclearscience.com/quick_and_clear_science/2020/05/16/the_surprising_link_between_bedwetting_and_committing_homicide.html

Jenkins, A. Quick Answer: Why Do Serial Killers Wet Their Beds? (2022, February 1). Retrieved from  https://moviebox-apkp.com/qa/quick-answer-why-do-serial-killers-wet-their-beds.html