The limbic system is a set of structures that is responsible for supporting a variety of functions that are related to emotions. The amygdala is a structure inside the limbic system responsible for determining a person’s emotional behavior and motivation. An ideal example is Charles Whitman, an American based mass murderer. According to Scott (2017), Whitman committed 16 murders, two of which involved his wife and his mother. He killed his wife and mother using a knife while the rest he used a gun. Additionally, Scott (2017) informs that he injured 31 people. He had a tumor in his brain that was pressing on his amygdala. He had been visiting his psychiatrist, who had prescribed some drugs, which he was still taking even at the time of the murder incident. Whitman’s actions could be attributed to the brain tumor pressing the amygdala. However, he had written notes before performing his actions showing that his condition was not necessarily to blame rather than personal decision to perform such actions.
Recently, there have been many murder occurrences. In my case study, I looked at the murders that are related to brain damage. Some criminals involved with murder occasions suffer different brain conditions. According to Hafner (2019), damage to the Limbic structure, or any of its structures, leads to loss of ability to make moral decisions. As was the case with Whitman, there have been different cases where the criminals are recorded to have similar conditions. Although it is not a motivator to crime commitment, damage to the amygdala is a significant determiner of the criminal mindset due to its impact on moral decision-making.
There are many reasons why criminals commit a crime. Damage on the brain is among the reasons. A damaged amygdala affects the emotional constitution of a person leading to a higher probability of making decisions that are not morally acceptable.
References
Hafner, M., (2019). Judging homicide defendants by their brains: an empirical study on the use of neuroscience in homicide trials in Slovenia. Journal of Law and Biosciences, 62(5). https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsz006
Scott, J. (2017). Invisible Women, Fairy Tale Death: How Stories of Public Murder Minimize Terror at Home. American Studies Journal, 6(1), 226-254. https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsz006
