Introduction People assume that a serial killers and a mass murderers are the same thing. This is not true; there are distinct differences. A serial killer kills an individual at a time, seeking revenge or a pleasure that s/he can only get by seeing other people suffer. These victims are chosen by a specific characteristic, mostly one that triggers rage. A mass murderer does not have a specific "type , but seeks to clean society of something or send a message. Mass murderers are triggered by an event in their life, mental illness or drug/alcohol abuse. Each has clear characteristics. I will explain the differences between the two by example of the American serial killer Ted Bundy and the Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik. Serial Killers Serial killers are usually white males between the ages 20-30, 80% located in the US. Motives are commonly: sex, power, control, domination and/or manipulation. A serial killer kills at least three or more people in a specific period of time. Victims are usually easy targets such as hookers or homeless. Serial killers rarely change their modus operandi (M.O.), a distinct pattern or method of operation that indicates or suggest the work of a single criminal in more than one crime. Serial killers have a down time before their next kill, ranging from two days up to many years at a time. The behaviour of a serial killer is very different in everyday life as opposed to when the murderer actually kills. They seem normal, have a social life, go to work. Interact well with other people. When the killer is murdering, s/he has a totally different behaviour. They are capable of producing fear and love to see their victims suffer. This kind of behaviour mostly comes from a traumatic event in early childhood, being abused as a child, dysfunctional families, mostly missing a father-figure or an obsession with killing and torturing animals. They wet the bed past the age of 12, have a really high IQ, a history of attempted suicide and are obsessed with setting fires. Serial killers are driven by fantasies and appear to derive pleasure from dehumanizing their victims. Most killers can be described as obsessive compulsive; they often kill to a particular style or pattern. There are four main types of serial killers. - The Visionary-Type: The killer responds to voices or vision inside his/her head, this being a form of psychosis - The Mission-Oriented - Type: The killer believes it is his/her life's mission to rid the community of certain of people (elderly, children, prostitute, racial/ethnic groups, etc) - The Hedonistic- Type: stereotyped as thrill-seekers, also known as "lust murderers  - The Power/Control Oriented- Type: the killers primary source of pleasure is the ability to control and exert power over a helpless victim, enjoying watching the victim suffer and beg for mercy Example: Ted Bundy Theodore Robert "Ted  Bundy (born Cowell) was born on November 24th, 1946, in Burlington, Vermont. His family background is symptomatic for his violent acts and a very strong indicator of why he became a serial killer. His father was unknown, but suspicions were that his mother's abusive father, Samuel Cowell, may have been the father. Ted lived with his grandparents to cover that he was an illegitimate child and he, family and friends were told he was their child and his mother was his sister. By finding his birth certificate, he found out and expressed a life-long resentment towards his mother. It was said he "identified with, respected, clung to (Wikipedia) his grandfather, Samuel Cowell, although he was a tyrannical bully, who hated African-Americans, Italians, Catholics and Jews, who beat his wife and dog, swung cats around by their tails, who threw his wife's pregnant sister down the stairs and talked aloud to unseen presences. His grandmother, Julie, was a timid, obedient woman, who underwent a therapy for depression and feared leaving the house. Ted showed disturbing behaviour from an early age on. In his early teens, Ted roamed his neighbourhood, searching for pictures of naked women and detective magazines of sexual crimes. He was arrested at least twice during high-school for auto-theft and burglary. At the University of Washington, Ted pursued a relationship with Stephanie Brooks. She broke up not long after, saying he was immature and had a lack of ambition. Psychiatrist Dorothy Lewis later explained this to be