The theory of Catathymic Crisis was presented in 1937 by Dr. Frederic Wertham as an explanation for some types of violent crimes that are apparently without motive. Dr. Wertham's theory describes a five-stage process in which a thinking disorder occurs within the mind of the criminal, a plan is created to commit a violent criminal act, internal emotional tension forces the commission of the criminal act, and this leads to a superficial calmness in which the need to commit the violent act is eliminated and normal activity can be conducted. In the final stage, the mind adjusts itself and recognizes that the thinking process that caused the commission of the criminal act was flawed, and the offender intends not to repeat the crime. The serial killer, however, never reaches the fifth stage, but rather returns to the second stage and operates in a cycle between stage two and four. The serial killer's ideation of killing other human beings stems from a need to exercise total power over someone in the real world, an ideation that stems from a fantasy world in which he has absolute power. The serial killer expends his need for power after the killing, which allows him to function normally. Since the killer never reaches stage five, the cycle of tension and release continues over time. 29 references