Annotated Bibliography

Topic: Are people born psychologically evil? Or do outside circumstances make people evil?
McLeod, S. (2009). Unconscious Mind | Simply Psychology. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
McLeods article gives the thoughts of Sigmund Freud in the area of the human
subconscious. The article goes into detail about the three areas of the subconscious the Id,
the Ego, and the Superego. McLeod describes the Id as the animalistic instincts or the
wants and needs that all humans have. The Ego was described as the area that deals with
reality. The Superego was described as the area which knows right and wrong, and fears
judgement. The article also says that Freud believes that the unconscious mind is the
storage place for all human wants and sexual desires.
This article is very well related to my topic because it answers one of the related
questions, simply by discussing the areas of the unconscious mind and how it affects
behavior or people in their everyday lives. There is some question to this articles
credibility, because it was found on the public domain of the World Wide Web and not a
database. But due to the fact that the article was discovered on a website that discusses
the area of psychology, states the resources used to make the article relevant it could help
to make the article more credible in its entirety.
Cassidy, T. (1997). Environmental psychology: Behaviour and experience in context. New York,
New York: Psychology Press
Cassidys book explains the complicated area of environmental psychology. This how the
environment around an individual affects how their brain develops. In Cassidys book

these environmental triggers could include friends, family, neighborhood surroundings,

and even the development of the brain itself. Cassidy also discusses the development of
defense mechanisms because of these environmental changes and differences in their
psychological development.
Cassidys book relates to the topic because it deals with the topic of environmental
psychology which could deal with answering the second part of the question. If people
are proven not to be born evil then it would have to be the environment which made
people the way they are, making Cassidys book a crucial source. Cassidys book is a
credible source because it is a published, peer reviewed piece of literature about
psychological changes.
Stephenson, F. (n.d.). The Evil Gene. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
Stephensons article discusses the idea of people being born with a psychological
disposition to be evil. The idea is backed up with the sayings and actions of violent
murders in the area. He also brings up the discovery of a rare condition found in the Ychromosome that has only been found in extremely violent individuals.
Stephensons article is relevant to the topic because it deals with the ideas and answers
the bibliographic question in descriptive detail. The article is also a vital source because it
is found on a university website it has been peer reviewed and all facts have been
checked.
Wilson, Colin, and Donald Seaman. The Serial Killers: A Study in the Psychology of Violence.
London: Virgin, 2007. Print.

Wilsons book discusses the psychology of the minds of violent serial killers and how
they became the monsters that they eventual became. He also discusses in the book the
outside forces that affected the lives of some of the more famous serial killers in the UK.
Wilsons book is an okay source because it wasnt peer reviewed there may be some
fabricated information that was put in to make the book sound better to the intended
audience. But it is very unlikely that there is fabricated information in the book since it is
meant to give the reader insightful psychology facts about certain people.
Goldhill, Olivia. "Are Some Humans Born Evil?" The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 29
Oct. 2014. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Goldhills article is relevant to the topic because essentially the title of the article is the
second part of the bibliographical question almost word for word. The article gives the
views of Goldhills question stating some facts and some stories that support her claims.
This article is not a good source to use because it is essentially a womans blog where she
gives her opinion about the situation being discussed. There are some facts in the article
but there is nothing in the entire article that gives you the impression that these facts are
true. There is no references page that says where these facts came from.
Griffith, Michelle. "Bad to the Bone - Some Children Are Just Born Evil -- Sott.net." SOTT.net.
Sott, 19 Sept. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Griffiths article is relevant to the topic because it goes into great detail about the actions
inside and outside of the home that can influence whether a child turns out to be evil or

not. But the article in its entirety gives the opinion that most kids are born evil without a
reasonable doubt.
This article is more opinion than actual fact. There are some facts in the article but there
arent enough to make someone believe that the entire article is true. There were some
comments after the article that questioned the authors credibility to give an educated
statement on the subject instead of an opinion which is what most of the article consisted
of.
Gabbard, Glen O. "Reproduced with Permission of the Copyright Owner. Further Reproduction
Prohibited without Permission. Images in Psychiatry: Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939."
ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source. ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source,
Feb. 2004. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Gabbards book is one of the best sources to use. This is because the author discussed a
vital person and his research in the book. Gabbard discusses Sigmund Freud, the father of
psychology and the first person to study the idea of the unconscious mind. This is a vital
portion of the bibliographic essay. Also more of the research of Freud could be used to
answer the bibliographic question.
This source is more significant than most because it is a vital point in the question and
provides scientific research to back up any claim made. This portion of the book was
discovered on the academic database ProQuest Nursing and Allied Health, which
provides articles about thing like mental health and other items in this area.

Windom, Cathy Spatz. "Alcohol Abuse as Risk Factor for and Consequence of Child Abuse."
Alcohol Research and Health. ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source, 2001. Web. 12
Oct. 2015.
Windoms article about alcohol and child abuses effect on children is also relevant to the
essay because it brings in one of the environmental forces that could lead to the psychotic
break in the mind of a person leading them down the path they cannot escape. It is not as
important as some other articles could be but it is still relevant in more ways than it is
not.
This article was published in the Alcohol Research and Health website and from there
was added to the ProQuest database, which make this article not only useful to the essay
but it is also an article that has been peer reviewed and facts that have been checked
before the release of this article.
Seltzer, M. (1998). Serial Killers: Death and Life in America's Wound Culture. New York, New
York: Routledge.
Seltzers book goes over the serial killer culture in the United States and how the men
who committed these crimes came to be the men that they are. The book is relevant
because the book was written in the 1990s which was an era when there was more of a
serial killer culture that wasnt too far away as far as time is concerned. In that time frame
there was the Manson family, the zodiac killer, Jeffery Dahmer, and others with a
questionable psyche.
Seltzers book is a great source because it goes into not only the details of the psychology
of serial killers it also discussed how psychologically it effects America. Sections of this

book were found on an academic database that discusses the area of psychology, so this
book has been peer reviewed at least once.
Kocsis, R. (2008). Serial Murder and the Psychology of Violent Crimes. Totowa, NJ, New
Jersey: Humana Press.
Kocsiss book discusses the murders that have been committed over the years abnd then
proceeds to break down the psychology of the person or persons that committed that
crime. It also goes back into time and breaks down the psychological state of some of the
serial killers that most of the world knows both real and fictitious.
This book was found on an academic database and is exactly what is needed to answer
the bibliographic question. This source is also peer reviewed and edited since it is a book
that was then put on a database.