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Necrophelic Intrinsic Motivations of the Serial Killer
Abstract
The behavior of the serial killer is one that has been probed for centuries, unfortunately, these relentless efforts have failed to reveal that the propensity to commit serial murder is a disease developed in the earliest stages of infancy. When neglected, physically/mentally abused or abandoned, the infant develops a sense of resentment that persists until adulthood where it is unleashed. However, this attempt at gratification is not consciously known to the serial killer as he has attempted to destroy his persecuting superego while retreating into a fantasy world. The media, for decades has played on this topic and had led people to view the subject as no more than something that should simply be dismissed with the use of capital punishment to eliminate the problem.
We must realize that though environmental factors (parental upbringing,
socioeconomic background, educational level) have a bearing on the actions
of a serial killer. The human psyche, if tampered with in a negative way
can invite the “death” instinct to the surface, leaving the “life” instinct
dormant. Thus was the case for both the schizoid necrophelic Ted Bundy and
the sadistic Albert DeSalvo.
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Subterfuge
Necrophelic Intrinsic Motivations of the Serial Killer
The “serial murderer” has long been a term used to describe those human beings that repeatedly commit heinous crimes. From “The White Chappel Murderer”; Jack the Ripper to the newest celebrated serial killer, Jeffrey Dhamer, we as the innocent bystanders, see the destruction caused by those that we do not understand, yet feel so inclined to judge (www.easynet.co.uk /ray.serial-killers/). It is in all rarity that the average person probes the mind of a serial killer without bias. However, what lies behind the eyes of a serial killer deserves more to be desired than just the cold hard look that society, so often takes. To make any sense of the actions that serial killers commit, we must put aside our media-oriented misconceptions and delve into the realm of the instincts, childhood, the Id, Ego and Superego, compartmentalization, perception of fantasy and disregard for reality. The serial killer is not a person gone mad for no reason. Serial murder is a disease and there are valid explanations in which we must realize that these individuals experienced events so traumatic in their early life, that they became necrophilic, attaining no sense of moral autonomy in their adult life. This paper will look at case studies of Ted Bundy and “the Boston Strangler”; Albert DeSalvo. And it is through Melanie Klein’s theories and Erich Fromm’s studies, that we will see the true reasoning behind the madness of the misunderstood serial killer.
It is necessary to give a very brief background on the nature of the serial killer. The serial killer is not a new phenomenon. For hundreds of years, serial killers have existed. However, it is only in recent years that the serial killer has gained public attention and in some cases even public acclaim. For instance: “The Hillside Strangler”, the still uncaptured “Zodiak Killer, “Son of Sam” (David Berkowitz), cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne “Killer Clown” Gacey to mention a few, have attained a sort of socially intriguing status with the media. These white males are portrayed as status symbols rather than vicious murderers who, following a strict psychological pattern, generally attack innocent women, men or children (Hickey 1991: 7). And it is through the grave ignorance of the media that serial killers are glamorized rather than despised for their infectious persona based on behavioral patterns rather than feelings.
Instincts, as described by Erich Fromm, are something that all humans are born with and utilize in separate ways. Influenced by the atmosphere one’s surrounding environment, human beings develop, what Freud calls, the “life and death instincts”(Moes 1991: 62). These particular instincts tend to organize experiences into values of “good” and “bad” until the ego is fully formed. For centuries, attempts to explain human behavior had concentrated on the feelings of a person to determine their actions, but it was not until the 1920’s that human physical and mental behavior began to be observed as a valid explanation for the occurrence of disorders and/or actions (Fromm 1973: 3). Contrary to Freud’s hypothesis, Fromm postulates that, while two separate instincts of aggression are present within man from birth, it must be acknowledged that these two instincts are separate. The first aspect with the “Death Instinct” which we share with all animals “is a phylongenetically programmed impulse to attack when vital interests are threatened” (Fromm4). This instinct ceases to express itself once the object of danger has been eliminated or taken care of in an alternate fashion. The other side of this instinct is the “malignant” aggression i.e. destruction and cruelty. According to Fromm, differing from Freud, this particular instinct is not innate in mammals and is solely a trait of humans. According to Freud, it’s purpose is far from warranted, but Fromm feels that the instinct is and is in actuality dormant until one feels the desire to activate it to it’s fullest and most destructive potential (Fromm 1973: 4). In other words, as long as the death instinct remains internal, it will stay silent. As for the instincts themselves, it is Klein who gives us a greater understanding of the terms “life and death”.
Elizabeth Moes’ article; Ted Bundy: A Case Of Schizoid Necrophelia, delves deep into the mind of a true serial killer, reiterating the theory of Melanie Klein in relation to the “life and death instincts”. Klein believes that every infant passes through a period of infancy that is characterized by “psychotic” anxiety (Moes 1991: 62). Occurring during the first six months of life, the anxieties and the ego are beckoned and commence for the development of the personality, which allows the infant to establish some sort of mental and physical representation to the people surrounding the him/herself. The type of relationship that develops are influenced profoundly by the infants reactions to his or her own life and death instincts. Both instincts tend to organize any physical and mental experiences into what Klein calls “good and bad”, which in turn is referred to as compartmentalization. Before the ego is formed, the infant can only determine very minute details of reality, like the breast of his/her mother. These small objects of recognition are called “part objects” while the division of good and bad is called “splitting” (Moes 1991: 62). Once the case studies have been presented, we will return to this field of explanation.
Case Study of Ted Bundy Ted Bundy was born out of wedlock to a mother who’s father was tyrannically abusive. At birth, he was given up for adoption, but reclaimed at the age of three months by his biological mother. Ted’s first few years were spent in an abusive household where his mother displayed resentment, scorn and hatred toward her son by belittling him and inflicting physical abuse. At the age of 4, Ted and his mother moved to Washington State, where his mother was remarried. Unfortunately for Ted, he did not like his stepfather and resented John Bundy’s infliction of “corporate punishment” toward him (Moes 1991: 57). As the relationship got worse over time, Ted realizing he was different form others because of his illegitimacy, backed away from high school and retreated into a fantasy world or gory magazines and chronic mastubation. Upon leaving high school, Ted went to Law school, where he met his sweetheart. However, the relationship did not last long and they broke up after a couple of years together.
After the breakup with his fiancee, Bundy began preying on young women, often catching them off guard with his charm, abducting them, then beating, raping, and murdering them. Bundy often posed with a fake sling in order to gain sympathy and trap his victims. Because he had studied to be a lawyer in University, he was quite convincing and very intelligent. In all, Bundy and his convincing posture killed over two dozen women in Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado, and Florida. During his multiple incarcerations, Bundy incredibly escaped from his cell twice. On January 15, 1978, Bundy invaded the Chi Omega sorority house of a Florida university and went on a rampage, bludgeoning two coeds to a pulp, and critically wounding several others. The Chi Omega murders were not the last Bundy’s bloody rampage. He continued to kill until his capture in the Florida suburb of Gainesville in 1979 (www.easynet.co.uk/ray.serial-killers/).
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