Abstract This paper explains that Aileen Wuornos, murder of seven men, is the only serial female killer in U.S. criminal history to be classified as a sexual predator. The paper goes on to relate Wuornos' life, which was devastated by abandonment, childhood sexual abuse and a sense of worthlessness and evil from which she lost all ability to feel empathy for others. The paper uses attachment theory to analyze these factors that led to Wuornos' unique life as a serial killer.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Serial killers
Wournos as Serial Killer
Attachment Theory
The Life of Aileen Wournos
Early Life and Childhood
Relationship with Grandfather
Later Childhood and Teenage Years
Young Adulthood
Relationship with Tyria Moore
Wournos' Criminal Career
The Murder of Richard Mallory
Modus Operandi
Arrest, Trial and Conviction
Conflicting Testimony
Verdict and Sentence
Arlene Pralle
Execution
Analysis and Conclusion
Attachment Theory Applied to Aileen Wuornos' Case
Conclusion
From the Paper "According to Bruce Arrigo, the most damage to Wournos was at the hands of her grandfather, Lauri. What Aileen learned from him was that she was wicked, worthless and hated by those who should have loved her; those who should love her inflict pain; life is about terror, rejection and pain; and that others cannot be trusted. By developing such an "internal working model" of herself, Wournos lost all ability to feel empathy for others; she was in essence, emotionally "dead," the detachment from others being the only way to protect herself from others."
Abstract This paper analyzes the background and early life of serial killer, Aileen Wuornos. The paper shows how her early life became a major reason for her criminal career and later actions. It analyzes the social, as well as psychological aspects that may have been factors resulting in her horrendous actions. Finally, the paper aims to establish the causative factor that turned Aileen Wuornos into one of the worst serial killers in history.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Early Childhood
A Life of Crime
Analysis and Conclusion
From the Paper "While the murders can never be excused, the background to Aileen Wournos' life must also be taken into account. In the final analysis the story of the life of Aileen Wournos is in essence a sad and tragic story that is based in the need for love and affection. While this view can never be completely substantiated and there is every possibly that Aileen Wournos was a demented psychopathic killer, yet one also cannot help but wonder that if she had had a caring and compassionate childhood then possibly these murder might never have occurred. From this point of view the story of the life of Aileen Wournos is a story about more than a single individual but rather a tale that reflects the human condition, the need for love and affection and the tragic result that a lack of these basic requirements can have on human development."
Abstract This paper discusses Aileen Wuornos, an admitted prostitute and thief who for a year and a half killed seven of the men she met in her world of survival in Florida during 1989 and 1990. The paper describes the horrendous amount of abuse and heartbreak that befell Aileen and that lead her up to that point in which she went from a woman intent on survival to a woman begging for execution on Florida's Death Row.
From the Paper "Even with society against her success, she had one bright moment when Lewis Fell, a well to do Florida man, gave her a ride and over time fell in love and married her (Wikipedia). But for the emotionally scarred Aileen, even a promise of a happy future could not keep her demons at bay, and Fell soon filed for annulment. From there, Aileen traveled all over the state, working the interstates for tricks and making what she could to get by. In 1986, Aileen met Tyria Moore, a hotel maid, with whom she developed a sexual relationship. Aileen, perhaps in some way to present a normal front and establish a true relationship, asked Moore to quit her job and let Aileen support the two of them on what she earned prostituting as well as odd jobs and theft (Vary 62)."
A critical evaluation of the media and gender roles in Michael Reynolds' book "Dead Ends: The Pursuit, Conviction and Execution of Female Serial Killer Aileen Wuornos, the Damsel of Death".
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 0 sources, 2006, $ 53.95
Abstract This paper presents a sociological review of the book, "Dead Ends: The Pursuit, Conviction and Execution of Female Serial Killer Aileen Wuornos, the Damsel of Death" by Michael Reynolds, which analyzes the various gender issues that surrounded Aileen Wournos. The paper then goes on to make the contention that Reynolds' book describes the often-masculine gender roles that Wuornos enacted during her trial, as well as in the details of her murders and that by understanding the media's perspective of the trial through Reynolds' perspective, we can see that there is often a biased negativity about Wuornos and her gender behaviors. While the paper asserts that Reynolds presents an accurate description of how Wuornos murdered her victims, and how the court proceeded with factual evidence in regards to the trial, the paper also suggests that that symbolic interaction theory plays a large role in how Reynolds, as an author and media proponent, offers a dismal view of women who do not act in accordance with socially acceptable gender behaviors.
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of serial killers. Specifically, it looks at Jeffrey Dahmer, Arthur Shawcross, Randy Craft, Aileen Wuornos, Bobbie Sue Terrell and Jane Toppan and explains their behavior from a psychological standpoint. It examines how they all meet specific psychiatric profiles and how serial killers have several commonalities that set them apart from the rest of the population.
From the Paper "Aileen Wuornos also fits the pattern of a serial killer, as she believed her victims all deserved to die. So did Jeffrey Dahmer and Arthur Shawcross. Wuornos was a prostitute in Florida who killed seven victims after having sex with them. Unlike most of the other killers, she did kill for a motive; she wanted the victims' money. She, like the other killers, preyed on some of the most vulnerable people in society - men who wanted prostitutes, and, like many others, she was a sexual predator, killing after having sex. Dahmer and Kraft preyed on young men or homosexuals, Shawcross preyed on prostitutes, and Terrell and Toppan preyed on the elderly. All of these people had little or no defense, and so, they chose victims they knew they could dominate. "
From the Paper " Aileen S. Kraditor discusses the history of the Woman Suffrage Movement form 1890 to 1920, the movement by which women agitated for and finally received the vote, something they had been denied in the original U.S. Constitution. The fact that women were omitted shows the nature of power relations between the sexes at that time in our history, and the resistance encountered to suffrage at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth centuries shows that little seemed to have changed. However, the women were able to make their point and bring about change. Kraditor specifically considers the role of the leadership of the movement and the ideas that motivated them and by which they motivated others. She begins from the view that the movement did not have a central ideology and instead involved a number of different ideas, approaches, and.."
Abstract This paper discusses and reviews the 1982 musical , "Annie", based on the successful Broadway production. It examines the choice of John Huston as director and discusses the characterization in the film. The paper examines several of the more successful characters such as Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan. Finally, the paper looks as the songs and music in the film.
From the Paper "Characterization may be one of the film's most successful qualities. Carol Burnett is brilliant as the drunken Miss Hannigan, who runs the orphan's home with an iron hand, usually grasping a bottle of booze. She may not be politically correct today, but she is certain hilarious in the film, which is probably why writers gave her some of the film's best lines, including: "Why anyone would want to be an orphan is beyond me" ("Annie"). Albert Finney as Daddy Warbucks is perfect as the millionaire with a heart of gold, who at first doesn't want anything to do with the little orphan who eventually charms him. By the end of the film, he truly becomes her "father," when he tells her, "You are special. Never stop believing that" ("Annie"). Rooster, played by veteran actor Tim Curry is one of the strangest characters in the play. Curry is excellent as the demented villain who only wants Annie for the reward money offered to locate her "real" parents. His continual crowing is an amusing touch to a character that could become a little too scary for younger children."
Abstract This paper explains that, while men were certainly the majority of the perpetrators of serial killings, the women who were documented performing such crimes were just as violent and ingenious. It provides examples of the cases of Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory, the Black Widows of Liverpool, Aileen Wuornos, and Karla Homolka.
From the Paper "The notion of female serial killers often appears as the minority of cases in the history of serial murder and serial killers. It's as if there is a part of society that refuses to believe that women are just as capable of mass murder as some of the more horrific murderers of our time. Still, while we may not, off the top of our head, be able to list as many female serial killers as we can male ones, it is but a myth that female serial killers are far and few between."
