Aileen Wuornos

Serial murder is one of the most baffling crimes that occur in the U.S. and all over the world. Knight (2006) defines serial murder as the killing of three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period. The cooling off period may be weeks, months or even years long. Researchers have proposed various psychological, biological and sociological theories that offer a partial understanding of the nature of serial murder. Some propose that the basis for criminal behavior is a predisposition to violence as well as a mix between environment, personality traits and biological factors. Serial killers are predominantly male. Only 3 percent of serial murders are committed by women (U.S. News and World Report,

Over the course of one year, from 1989 to 1990, Aileen Wuornos murdered seven men. As one of the first female serial killers, Ms. Wuornos prompted psychologists and criminologists to investigate the reason why women kill serially, as their motives differ from men. Historically, female serial killers murder by poison, which is considered less messy, therefore preferred by women, and their motives are typically financial. Aileen Wuornos murdered her victims with a gun and her motives differ from the norm. Through the application of the ideas of the attachment theory and the life course theory, further exploration into the causes of Aileen Wuornos’ crimes is achieved.

What causes an individual to become a serial killer? Bio-psychologists believe that starting from birth the human mind is a “tabula rasa” or blank slate, and the individual learns behaviors and socio-cultural norms from individuals around them. This concept of nature versus nurture was based upon the idea that it is how you are brought up (nurture) that governs the psychologically significant aspects of child development and the concept of maturation applies only to the biological. The theory that explains the nature aspect of the nature versus nurture principle is called the attachment theory, which views the bond between mother and child as being an innate process that ensures survival. It is a biological need that has ensured the survival of many species including the human race; because of the need to protect and be protected humans as a species has been able to endure. It is also a psychological need to want to be cared for as well as care for others a study done by Harry Harlow (1950s). The concept of nurture focuses mainly on the effect that the environment has on the development of human beings and whether it is more important than nature. Several studies have been generated to try and settle the ongoing debate of nature versus nurture.

The American public's fascination with serial murders has not only continuously kept these violent men and women in the public eye, but has also inspired the creation of films that demonstrate and dramatize the heinous crimes committed by these people. One such film program that adapts crimes committed by serial murderers, and the murderers themselves, is The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Through a combination of criminology, psychology, and sociology, The Silence of the Lambs is able to not only inform audiences of the dangerous types of people that currently inhabit society, but also of the individuals who study serial murderers with the intent of apprehending them before they commit any more crimes and to help identify these murderers victims.

There are many theories as to why people become serial killers. Almost all of these concepts are associated with the Nature vs. Nurture theory. Are serial killers born with the need to kill, or is it something that they learn to long for as they grew up? Many believe that the nurture theory is the likely concept to believe; that serial killers are created from bad childhood experiences including being abused by their parents, or molested at an early age. Psychologist and sociologist have interviewed serial killers and picked apart their minds, to find out what it is that makes them feel the need to perform these heinous crimes. It is the nature theory that they are looking for when

Serial killers are the byproduct of many different things: trauma, death of loved ones, abuse, neglect, adoption, and even witnessing abuse (Are Serial). Serial killers have had to endure a massive amount of something such as trauma or abuse to an unimaginable extent to become what they are; the extent of the abuse, the trauma, the psychological damage they endure is incomprehensible to many. The destruction of one’s innocence can occur at any given time in his or her life, but he or she is more impressionable in his or her youth by the negativism of someone else’s actions (Scott, Shirley L. What Makes Serial Killers Tick ~ Childhood Event). People are susceptible to what they endure in their adolescence, and cruel upbringings, such as

Theodore “Ted” Bundy was born in Burlington, Vermont on November 24, 1946, and later executed by the electric chair on January 24, 1989, after being convicted of a serial murder, rapist, and necrophiliac. Bundy brutally murdered and sexually assaulted 30 women but many believe that number to be higher. He would use his charm to lure these women, before engaging in sexual assault and murdering them. Bundy would also revisit some of his victims to again engage in sexual actions until their bodies would decompose. This essay will look at how the impact of Bundy’s disturbed childhood has one of the key factors of his psychotic behavior using attachment theory.

Serial killers is a person that kill three or more people in a short amount of time. He or she murder one after another in a similar way with an inactive period between each murder. The motivation for murdering an adult or child is based on psychological gratification. The serial killer is normally an adult white male in his late twenties, who has killed four or more individuals in separate incident with an inactive period between. It is impossible to tell just by looking at a person who will become a serial killer, the traits of some criminals or serial killers appear to be similar most of the time. The types of behaviors

The question of whether or not man is predetermined at birth to lead a life of crime is a question that has been debated for decades. Are serial killers born with the lust for murder, or are their desires developed through years of abuse and torment? Many believe it is impossible for an innocent child to be born with the capability to commit a horrible act such as murder. But at the same time, how could we have corrupted society so much as to turn an innocent child into a homicidal maniac? Forensic psychologists have picked apart the minds of serial killers to find an answer as to what forces them to commit such perverse acts. Their ultimate goal is to learn how to catch a serial killer before

Serial killers are usually made because of a significant event/events that may have happened during their childhood. Albert DeSalvo may be one of those serial killers. He grew up in an abusive household. He was taught at an early age about sex and physical abuse. This behavior demonstrates the characteristics of the social learning theory. This paper will go into great detail on Albert DeSalvo’s family background and the crimes that he committed in his lifetime, give a brief description of social learning theory, discuss differential association, and show how Albert DeSalvo and the social learning theory are related.

Introduction: This investigation examines the biological causes for serial killers’ psychopathic tendencies and examines those same biological factors in both men and women to find the correlation between a higher rate of male serial killers and the biology behind their actions. It is imperitave to first know what a serial killer is, and what makes them such a cold fish. There are sections of the brain that do have control over a human being’s personality, where that individual can either develop into an average person or join the other one percent of psychopaths living in the world today (due to physical damage or chemical imbalance in the brain). These specific sections of the brain are different in males then in females, some components of the brain vary in size etc. between sexes. It is crucial to have all these pieces, with this information its then possible to form a conlusion to the surfaced question.

Aileen Wuornos is believed to be Americas first female serial killer. She was sentenced to death for killing seven men (Thefamouspeople). Wuornos was born on February 9th, 1956 and was executed on October 9th 2002 (Thefamouspeople). Although Wuornos was her real name, she was also known as “Sandra Ketsch, Susan Lynn Blahovec, Lee Blahovec, Cammie Marsh Greene, and Lori Kristine Grody” (Thefamouspeople, p. 1). Wuornos life had been affected by criminal behavior from birth. Her father, Leo Dale, was a psychopath and a child molester who was incarcerated at her birth (Thefamouspeople). In addition to her father's lifestyle, Wuornos had been molested by her father, grandfather, and had sexual relations with her brother (Thefamouspeople). Wuornos was not able to rely on the females in her life either. After her father died, her mother, Diana Wuornos, abandoned

Wuornos never received the lasting psychological connectedness required to function as a contributing member of society and this was particularly prevalent in those most important teenage years. Wuornos’s aggressive narcissism, antisocial lifestyle and her inability to comprehend her emotional states that predisposed, triggered and consequently perpetuated the seven predatory and serial homicides. The available evidence further suggests that her inability to form attachments, her learned violent behaviours and biologically inherited aggressive nature were all contributing causes to her socioeconomic issues. Further evidence supports Wuornos’s inherited predisposition for antisocial behavioural disorder and a number of other mental disorders. Thus, Aileen Wuornos is a useful case study for the application of psychological theories which explain the behaviour of female serial killers, given the accumulation of factors which led to her actions as a serial killer in the early

The life circumstances of Aileen Wuornos were tragic, with respects to the abuse and neglect she incurred at a young age, as well as the choices she made as an adult (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). The circumstances surrounding her childhood were not a product of her free will, rather the abuse was the free will of her abusers. Aileen Wuornos was not supported emotionally as a child and did not receive an education, which could have caused her to make those poor choices in her life. An insufficient education along with an undeveloped sense of moral responsibility lead Aileen Wuornos down an inevitable road to criminal activity. Aileen Wuornos’ crimes were a result of her poor judgment and free will, meaning she could have chosen an alternative action.

To the average person, the lives of certain people in this world can be ridiculously strange. Those who grow up with the extreme strains and pressure of society, sometimes end up following a criminal life. Certain frustrations, negative emotions and anger can build up over time from the societal pressure to live up to certain expectations. This is known as the strain theory. A prime example of the life of someone who grew up with such pressure is a felon named Aileen Wuornos. In her case, she wasn’t pressured to live up to a certain expectation, but her family mentally and physically abused her. She was a serial killer who earlier grew up in a life that consisted of child abuse, abandonment, neglect and teen pregnancy. These strains caused a mental breakdown and she turned to the life of a sex worker while using her murderous aggression towards her customers.