logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2025
1h 59m

The Psychology of Serial Killers

MICHAEL SHERMER
About this episode

Dr. Rachel Toles, a licensed forensic psychologist, delves into the psychology of criminals, addressing the motivations behind some of the world's most notorious killers. Her expertise spans trauma, addiction, and impulse control, culminating in her upcoming U.S. theater tour, The Psychology of a Murderer. Through captivating case studies, Toles sheds light on the dark corners of human behavior.

In her show and forthcoming book, Toles examines the pathways leading ordinary people to commit extraordinary violence. She explores infamous cases, including Jeffrey Dahmer and Charles Manson, while revealing a proprietary formula for understanding evil. Her work intertwines cutting-edge psychology with gripping storytelling, leaving audiences both disturbed and enlightened.

Shermer and Toles discuss the psychology of mass murderers, causes of evil, and the fascination with true crime. They analyze infamous killers like Dahmer, the Menendez Brothers, and Manson, exploring traits like narcissism and psychopathy. Topics include experiments like Milgram's and the Stanford Prison Study, factors driving violence, and why ordinary individuals can commit atrocities.

Up next
Jul 6
America at 250: What Did the Founders Get Right?
Michael Shermer makes the case that the U.S. Founding Fathers were not only steeped in Enlightenment values on which the Declaration of Independence was based, but they were also scientists searching to discover moral truths and values on which to base a rational society, which t ... Show More
17m 17s
Jun 27
When History Goes on Trial: Demjanjuk, Eichmann, and Justice After Atrocity
John Demjanjuk lived for decades as a retired autoworker in suburban Cleveland. Then investigators accused him of being "Ivan the Terrible," one of the most notorious guards at Treblinka. What followed was one of the strangest and most troubling Nazi war-crimes cases of the postw ... Show More
1h 32m
Jun 23
Why I Joined the Government UAP Science Advisory Council
Michael Shermer has been appointed to the newly formed UAP Science Advisory Council, formed at the request of the White House and in coordination with the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the FBI, and other a ... Show More
29m 8s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
Understanding the mind of a serial killer, with Louis Schlesinger, PhD
From Jack the Ripper to Jeffrey Dahmer to the Gilgo Beach killer, serial killers have long inspired public fear – and public fascination. Louis Schlesinger, PhD, a professor of psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York and co-investigator of a research pr ... Show More
47m 49s
Nov 2023
“Inside The Minds Of Serial Killers BTK & Ed Kemper.” - With Forensic Psychologist Dr. Katherine Ramsland
Sometimes, the best way to understand the mind of a serial killer is to play chess with them. Dr. Ramsland’s job as a forensic psychologist is to develop relationships with serial killers to study how they think. She believes understanding the minds of the most dangerous predator ... Show More
1h 25m