Abstract Jeffrey Dahmer was one of America's most notorious serial killers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His victims were sexually abused and massacred in the most appalling manner. Dahmer was finally arrested after one of his would be victim escaped from Dahmer's custody. Dahmer was later charged with fifteen counts of murder and plead not guilty by reason of insanity. However, a court rejected his plea and his was sentenced for the murders. This paper explains, that to fully understand the life of a serial killer such as Dahmer, it is helpful to look at his family background, criminal history, personality profile and his sentencing. This paper examines all of these elements to better understand how one could commit such heinous crimes.
From the Paper "Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was born to Lionel and Joyce Dahmer on May 21, 1960 in Milwaukee. This was the young couple's first child and both were extremely happy. Lionel was an electrical engineer with both a master's and a bachelor's degree but set his eyes on a Ph.D. According to Davis (1991) in his biography of Jeffrey Dahmer, in November of 1966 Lionel earned his doctorate in analytical chemistry from Iowa State University while at the same time supporting his little family (page 20). They then moved to Doylestown, Ohio were Lionel found work as a chemist. Soon thereafter Joyce gave birth to Jeffrey's younger brother David. It was then that they moved once again to Bath Township to start a life."
Tags: crime, dahmer, jeffrey, killer, personality, sentencing, serial
Abstract This paper takes the example of the notorious and fairly recent serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, and approaches the case from a number of different psychological and psychoanalytical perspectives. Sigmund Freud, through disciples like Donald Winnicott and P. Wachtel, and W.R.D. Fairbairn are among the sources used to look at and analyze the Dahmer case, along with H. Kohut, who might also be considered a Freudian with basic theoretical modifications. The report first establishes the basics of the Dahmer case and then analyzes these through the perspectives of the four abovementioned sources.
From the Paper "From the theoretical perspective of Winnicott, the case of Dahmer can be seen as showing some signs of antisocial personality disorder or antisocial tendency. This also focuses on the childhood stage of development and has a Freudian backing in terms of theory. The connections in this regard are less secure, however, because Winnicott
focuses almost exclusively on infancy and toddler stages. "There is a direct relationship between the antisocial tendency and deprivation" it is largely due to John Bowlby that there is now a widespread recognition of the relationship that exists between the antisocial tendency in individuals and emotional deprivation, typically in the period of late infancy and the early toddler stage? (Winnicott, 1956, p. 308). This cancels out a lot of relation to the case, since by all accounts Dahmer was a happy infant and toddler, and only changed significantly after his hernia operation, when he became more withdrawn and rigid in affect."
Abstract This paper covers Jeffrey Dahmer's life before he became a well-known serial killer. The paper tracks him through childhood, young adulthood and finally into his killing spree. The paper takes a look at the why, how and aftermath of his crimes and includes Dahmer's own thoughts regarding his crimes.
From the Paper "He was discharged from the Army due to increased alcohol abuse. There are no indications that he killed anyone while in the Army. This could be due to the Army's zero tolerance policy of homosexuals and Dahmer's preference for homosexual male victims."
"After his discharge from the Army, Dahmer moved in with his father and stepmother in Ohio. He began drinking to excess and was arrested several times for drunk and disorderly. He also showed up at his home after he had been fighting and was in fact hurt badly on several occasions. It was at this point that his father decided that moving Jeffrey to his grandmothers house in West Allis, Wisconsin would be the best thing for him."
Abstract This work is a short examination of the primary habits and characteristics of serial killers. Some of the serial killers profiled include famous names like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and David Berkowitz (Son of Sam). Subjects explored concerning the killers include method, family background, and religious background.
From the Paper Murders are committed everyday in this world. Many people constantly walk in fear that some person lurking in the shadows will jump out with a weapon and kill them. Even though people fear all types of killers, perhaps the most feared types of killers are serial in nature. These people kill repeatedly and often torture their victims before their murderous outburst. Athough most serial killers share a few characteristics in common, they are all quite unique in one way or another.
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and analyzes the topic of serial killers. Specifically it discusses Jeffrey Dahmer and his crimes, his apprehension, and his background.
From the Paper "Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer who killed seventeen young men and boys, and engaged in cannibalism and necrophilia with many of the bodies. Most of the victims were African-American or other minorities, and many were gay. Dahmer, a 31-year-old chocolate factory worker from Milwaukee, would cruise gay bars and choose his victims by their skin color (dark) and their small body size. Writers Fox and Levin note, "Dahmer liked them young or small, especially with dark skin, and he surely liked Tracy Edwards" (Fox & Levin, 1994, p. 53). Edwards was the only known Dahmer victim to survive."
Abstract This paper examines the causes of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's murderous depravity. The paper discusses the defense attorney's insanity defense and details the biological causes, genetic disposition, mental disorders, sociological and economic causes.
From the Paper "The Causes of Crime. Summing up the case for his client's insanity, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's defense lawyer, Gerald Boyle, painted a chilling picture with his words. Skulls in a locker, cannibalism, sexual urges, drilling, making zombies, necrophilia, drinking alcohol all the time, trying to create a shrine, lobotomies de fleshing, calling taxidermists going to grave yards and masturbating. This is Jeffrey Dahmer; a runaway train on a track of madness."
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. "
Abstract This paper describes the eating of human flesh by several killers including the infamous Albert Fish, Joachim Kroll and Jeffrey Dahmer. The paper conjures that the answer to this detestable and violent act lies somewhere in the depraved and sick minds of these individuals that themselves were brutalized by child rape, physical battery and outright torture by relatives or even their own parents.
Table of Contents:
Overview
Albert Fish--Cannibal of Brooklyn
Joachim Kroll--German Cannibal
Jeffrey Dahmer--Cannibal Extraordinaire
Final Thoughts
From the Paper "In the early 1930s, when President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal was helping to stabilize the American economy as a result of the Great Depression, Albert Hamilton Fish, a serial killer and cannibal known as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria and the Brooklyn Vampire, was under arrest in New York City for the kidnapping and brutal murder of twelve-year-old Grace Budd. In 1928, Mr. Fish, who had assumed the name of Mr. Howard, became a close friend of the Budd family and was allowed to take Grace to a birthday party."
An analysis of major cases from the "M'Naghten" case of 1843 through to the Jeffrey Dahmer case, including a definition, types, legal and psychological issues, due process and postpartum psychosis.
2,250 words (approx. 9 pages), 10 sources, 1993, $ 79.95
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to discuss the insanity defense, starting from the M'Naghten rule to the present. Important cases will be highlighted.
Just as constitutional law tends to define itself through reaction to great cases, insanity defense jurisprudence tends to define itself through reaction to scandalous, sensational, hysteria-creating, or outrageous cases. According to some, the development of the insanity defense in the past 150 years has been marked by the idiosyncratic, episodic, and distorted response of an angry public, as well as a distorted media and reactive legislatures (Perlin, 1989-90, p. 609). The history of the not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI) defense has been characterized by an extended search for a satisfactory standard (Schopp, 1988, p. 135). For many years, the M'Naghten test was..."
Abstract Serial killers have long fascinated the general public, not only because their crimes are so heinous, but also because they embody the extremes to which psychological disorders can take a person. In the name of psychological insight, the lives of serial killers are dissected down to the most minute detail in the hope of understanding what factors contribute to making a 'monster'. This paper shows that what motivates the serial killer is an area of much research. Whether we are any further ahead in our understanding of the psychotic personality is debatable, however. The question of environment versus genetics is a matter of contention in the study of serial killers, as is the question of power versus pleasure in the motive. By looking at such serial killers as John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, and Jeffrey Dahmer, this paper provides a clearer understanding of the many influences in developing the antisocial or psychotic personality.
From the Paper "The serial killer who seeks sexual pleasure may be of several different types. "Lust murders can be disorganized or organized, and the sexual orientation can be either heterosexual or homosexual. The primary difference is that an organized lust killer can usually escape police detection." (Connor, 2004). Ted Bundy fits the profile of an organized lust killer, who seemed quite personable, and was able to seduce at least twenty-two women to their deaths. A variety of deviant practices often accompany the lust murder. These may include pedophilia, bestiality, pyromania, necrophilia, torture and cannibalism, although the latter three are usually found in the disorganized serial killer. (Connor, 2004)."
Abstract The paper discusses current views about serial killings, concluding that psychological theories are most pertinent. The paper defines serial killers, explains myths about them and offers examples of some serial killers (Jack the Ripper, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer & others). The paper also discusses the deviant or pathological processes found in serial killers.
From the Paper "Since ? the media accounts of savage and lurid serial killings and their perpetrators have generated exaggerated and distorted accounts of the extent of the threat posed by serial killers and the etiology of their crimes. Serial killers have diverse backgrounds and personal histories, however, most of them are extremely maladjusted to society and are the product of severe psychological trauma dating back to their troubled childhoods which largely account for their bizarre conduct."
Tags: serial, killers, a, sociological, and, pyschological, view
This paper discusses serial killers, which the FBI generally defines as someone who kills three or more tomes with a cooling-off period between the crimes.
Abstract This paper explains that, to the public, serial killers appear to be so skilled and clever that they are a particular worry for society and a hidden danger for which there seems to be no shield or protection. The author points out that, in addition to disrupted childhoods, there seems to be some genetic link to criminal behavior as demonstrated by twin studies, which have shown that patterns of significant antisocial behavior are more common between identical twins than non-identical siblings. The paper stresses that serial killers are caught because, regardless of how clever they are, eventually, they leave some kind of evidence behind that forensic science, which has made tremendous advances in recent years, can use to identify the killer. The paper includes many examples of serial killers.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Traits of Serial Killers
Causes
Examples of Serial Killers
Example
Catching Serial Killers
How Many Serial Killers are There?
From the Paper "While most serial killers are white, some belong to other races. Most are male, but about 15% are female. Female serial killers are often harder to detect because they work so quietly, often using poison, kill with longer gaps between victims, and typically murder for financial gain, although a few, such as Aileen Wuornos, use more violent methods and target strangers much as men tend to do. The average male serial killer will have 10 - 13 victims before being stopped."
Abstract This research examines the role and work of forensic psychology in solving serial murder cases. The serial murders who are studied for this report are Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Stephanie Wernick, Jeffrey Dahmer, and David Berkowitz; all convicted of brutal serial murders.
Outline:
Abstract
The Art and Science of Forensic Psychology
Fame and Stardom
Forensic Psychology and the Psychopath
From the Paper "Bundy had the appearance of a college student, which must have made it easy for him to move around the campuses where he stalked young murder as potential victims. Also, Bundy's appearance as a young, handsome looking college student explains why he was able to lure more than 30 victims, because he had the appearance of being a trustworthy person. He was visually - and this was not lost on him - good television, because he was a handsome young man."
