It was Sunday night and we headed over to Texture in the Northern Quarter to hear a talk on The Forensics of Serial Killers – not something one would usually associate with a relaxing Sunday evening but I suppose as normal, functioning humans (to a certain extent) we’ve always had a macabre fascination with people willing to go to extremes in society and what motivates them.
As the talk began we were taken on a journey through the mind and possible motive of some of the most famous serial killers and their cases. The psychology of these people was explained in a clear, succinct and entertaining manner and we were hooked straight away.
We learnt about the Macdonald triad – three factors that can be used to determine if a child has the potential to become a danger to people when you get older. These are kids who 1) start fires, 2) kill animals and 3) wet the bed when young. I managed to pass the test with 1 out of 3 – not bad I think.
The discussion then turned to the UK and more specifically Manchester as a potential location of a serial killer. As the factors were discussed, we were surprised to learn that at any one time there will be 2 serial killers living somewhere in the UK.
The second half of the talk moved on to ‘couple killers’ as well as our own personal thoughts on killing. I was pleased to discover that it is perfectly normal to think about killing people and that most people do have occasional thoughts about causing death but most people snap out of it and don’t do it.
We were truly enraptured with the talk and the subject matter, although clearly quite serious and often disturbing – it was by no means difficult or a chore to understand. Everything was presented in a very entertaining and thought provoking way, and I can truly say that I managed to learn more things in the course of the talk than I have altogether since leaving University. It was much more interesting than uni too. And didn’t cost 9 grand.
We’re already looking forward to attending our next MCR Talk, with one about Pablo Escobar that looks great (especially with me being a bit obsessed with Narcos) and another one about a geezer who loves getting upgrades on planes. He seems like my kind of guy!
Here’s a list of some of the upcoming MCR Talks as well as links to Buy Tickets:
- Neuroscience of Relationship Success
Monday 30th October - The Psychology of Raving
Monday 6th November - Girl With a Gun – Revolution in Iran
Tuesday 7th November - Life of a UN War Crimes Investigator
Wednesday 8th November - Ayahuasca, a Trip To Hell To Cure Depression
Tuesday 14th November - Mastering Genuine Confidence
Wednesday 15th November - The Science of Psychedelics
Wednesday 15th November - The Secret Life of Police Informants
Wednesday 22nd November - Fly First Class For Free
Sunday 26th November - Build Confidence & Gain Clarity
Tuesday 28th November - Has Spice Taken Over Our Streets?
Tuesday 28th November - Inside North Korea
Sunday 3th December - David Nutt on Decriminalising All Drugs
Wednesday 6th December - Pablo Escobar: The Real Narcos
Sunday 10th December
Tickets for all these events and more can be purchased here: https://uk.funzing.com/lectures