Charles Manson Research Paper

Charles Manson had a way of picking up on people’s weaknesses and fears, and used it against them. He preyed on vulnerability and, as Linda James said, he offered them wealth and perfect relationships (Fennel, 1993). And, although his claims were extraordinary, he was able to attract a good amount of followers.

At the age of twenty-six Charles Manson was sent to the US penitentiary. By 1959 Charles had been committed of rape, drug use, pimping, stealing, and fraud. Manson was emotionally insecure and was lacking attention.

When people hear the name Charles Manson, people automatically think of the string of horrible murders this man was involved in during the summer of 1969. Charles Manson is infamous for creating “the Manson Family” and sought to create a war between races with his followers. The book Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, the main prosecutor in the Manson trial, chronicled the murders carried out by Manson and his followers, the trial following the murders, as well as the psychological diseases that may affect Manson as a person. Manson is responsible for several murders, including that of the pregnant Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. While Manson never took part in the physical murders, he was

Manson was happy with the death of those six people, but was upset with the sloppiness of that night’s murders (“Manson Family Murders”). “Last night was too messy, Manson told the group when they assembled back into their bunkhouse. This time I’m going to show you how to do it” (Bugliosi 355). After driving for hours Manson stopped at a house in the suburbs. He had his ‘Family’ drive around the block while he looked through the window. After a few minutes Manson returned to the car and told them that the house had pictures of children. He continued on to

The schools of thought that coincide best in the case of Charles Manson are the behavior theory and the labeling theory. Manson never had a family who was there for him and his mother was unable to love him and show him the affection that was essential throughout his development and early childhood. He observed this lack of affection from a young age and saw how his mother treated other individuals in a manipulative way which led him to treat others the same. This is a strong example of the behavioral theory since the way that Manson was brought up developed his personality, his behaviors and his opinion on other individuals. From a young age Manson was known as a criminal by society and the criminal justice system. Manson began to steal from stores at a young age which resulted in him being labelled as a criminal. Since Manson was labelled this horrendous tittle he lived up to it and felt like there was no other label that he could possess. As the crimes that he committed continued to get darker so did his label. From robber, to a rapist and eventually a manipulator who led to people commit murder by proxy. Charles Manson is a fascinating example of how the labelling theory works and depicts an individual’s fate based on the one word that they are continually called throughout their life. Manson never attempted to become anything bigger then a criminal because he was in a self-fulfilling prophecy of criminal

These are some of the most infamous names in the history of murder, but they hid in plain sight, and Manson did not even commit murder. He was so manipulative he could convince others to do his bidding for him. How is that even possible? Surely one would be able to recognize someone who is such a dangerous threat or would they? One of the reasons these killers can be so successful is their ability to blend into their surroundings and at times even be considered a stand up member of the communities they live in, but what is going on inside their brains?

Born November 12th, 1934 Charles Manson would become one of the most notorious killers of his time. Before Manson was even born the family he was going to be in was not a good one. Manson’s mother was a runaway named Kathleen Maddox. She got pregnant with Charles at the age

Since his birth, Charles Manson has led a life of rejection, jealousy, and incarceration. Due to his absent parents, he began a life of crime which eventually led him to manipulate a group of people who were responsible for multiple deaths and assaults in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Charles Manson’s hectic childhood led to his life of crime and caused his imprisonment for life.

Richard DeMargeno, a criminologist, believed Manson could control these people by taking the place of their father figures. “It wasn’t a very difficult process. He was dealing with lonely insecure people in need of a father figure, people who didn’t have much ego to begin with. What he did, in effect, was to tear down that ego and substitute himself, thus gaining enormous control over his followers.” To his girls, Charles Manson was the man of their dreams, their knight in shining armor.

As I’ve said previously, the life of Charles Manson revolved around interpersonal violence. From an early age Manson was the victim of child neglect – his mother (Kathleen Maddox) would leave him with neighbors, “for an hour, then disappear for days or weeks,”

Manson started his cult not only on his religious beliefs, but on his belief that society had given him a rough past and Manson wanted payback for the resentment he had gotten in his childhood. Therefore, he created a cult to kill.

Manson illustrated how he believes all the people he killed were justified kills. People treated him bad therefore he had to get equal. His crazy mind began down a dark path when he was born to a 16-year-old single mother. He went from foster home to foster home until he went to a juvenile reformatory. Charles was sent for having repeated encounters with the law.

Charles Manson had a long history of neglect and abandonment since his childhood and this may have played a role in the development of his personality. The psychoanalytic analysis could argue that since he spent his childhood and feeling he had no control of his life due to the instability, this could have led to his personality traits.

Charles Manson was the leader and founder of the cult the Manson Family or The Family, a group of people well known for being serial killers in the late 1960’s. It was believed that they were associated with cult-quasi-religious groups, that came about in the 1960’s and they are still here today. They believe they know what the future of the planet is, when it will end, and how. In a biography of Charles Manson and the Manson Family it said this, “In August 1969 a series of Hollywood murders were to shock the world and tarnish the 60’s free love and peace legacy.”(Biography Channel 2013.) Charles Manson himself never committed any murders with his own hands, but the murders were committed under his order by several of his most obedient

The two perspectives that seem to best explain the life of Charles Manson are sociocultural and behavioral. The behavioral perspective represents learned behaviors. At an early age Manson was around drugs, drinking, and prostitution. Naturally Manson learned that these things were ok. His mother was a prostitute that wanted nothing to do with her son; she also had a drug problem. Manson grew up in and out of prison and developed a drug and alcohol problem. Manson could not have a functioning relationship, his first wife left him due to him being in and out of jail. Manson second wife was a prostitute and divorced Manson after he was arrested for pimping, stealing, and conning. After being released from prison Manson headed to San Francisco where he played guitar. Manson began to develop followers. Manson developed a need for followers, he and his followers moved to a ranch and soon it became a cult compound for “the family.” The consequences of Manson’s actions were reinforced each time he was thrown into prison but let right back out, or each time he was allowed probation. He was able to commit the crimes knowing he would just be back in jail and shortly