Friends With The Devil : Madman Manson : Friends With The Devil

The word “Cult” has not always had such a negative connotation attached to it. Many religions would’ve been considered cults when they first began. By the end of the 19th century many visionaries had revealed radically new religious systems, claiming immunity to the impurities of the old ones (Powers, 1997). These were no more than a group of people organizing themselves in worship and devotion for a person, object, or movement. They practiced rituals different to other “mainstream” religions, and were therefore considered cults.

     Charles Manson has been named "the most dangerous man alive." Society referred to him as the devil. They believed he was the reason society was so bad in the 1960's. The 1950's to the 1960's was uncontrollably filled with violence. Our culture was shattered by the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. At the same time, body bags from Vietnam were building up from a war that was tearing our nation apart. Riots and antiwar protesters marched across America. Many people worried that the US was getting out of control. "The Sixties ended abruptly on August 9, 1969..." wrote Didon in The White Album. On August 8,1969, director Roman Polaski's housekeeper found

He believed that waging a war between races was the right thing to do. Any sane person would be able to tell that waging war is wrong in this aspect. However, due to the Anti-social Personality Disorder, Charles Manson was unable to see the error in his ways. Also, those with Anti-social Personality Disorder then to exploit those around them. In the case of Manson, he manipulated his followers into committing murder for him by using religion. This trait could also be connected to the superiority complex that is often found in those with Anti-social Personality Disorder. Those with this disorder may consider themselves superior to those around them. This was evident in Manson as he claimed to be both the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Satan. This sense of superiority over his followers allowed Manson to manipulate them as he saw fit and continuously fueled his delusions of grandeur. Manson fit other symptoms that fit this disease as well. Manson undoubtedly has Anti-social Personality Disorder.

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

Charles Manson was a man behind the deaths of nine people in the late 1960s. He was a cult leader manipulated many of his followers to kill innocent people for many absurd reasons: that he was the second coming, that he was both Christ and the Devil, and that Armageddon was coming. Most people saw Manson as a madman. A select few, however, admired Manson for his cunning; to his own followers and in his own eyes, Manson was extremely clever, rather than being insane. In Rog Phillips’ “The Yellow Pill,” two men, by the names of Dr. Elton and Jerry Bocek, are either in a psychiatrist's office or in the vacuum of space. Jerry continuously tries to convince Dr. Elton that they are in a spaceship, yet Elton thinks that Jerry is insane. Evidence throughout “The Yellow Pill” shows that the two men are clearly on Earth, but that does not necessarily mean that Jerry is insane. Like Charles Manson, Jerry is simply well versed in manipulation; he did not have a skewed sense of reality at all.

Manson started in a world where the chances that his basic physiological needs where most likely not being consistently met in the area of food and shelter. The area of safety is also questionable as he spent the majority of his youth being shuffled from home to home and then in detention. He attempted to meet belongingness and love through a family made up strangers. The upper levels would be difficult to achieve without first fulfilling the lower levels. Rogerian theory focuses on coming to terms with our own reality and not trying to be someone whom we are not and in some ways, it seems like Manson has come to terms with who he is, and yet, he is also living up to the expectation of being nothing set for him by others.

To this day, Manson receives mail in prison from young people wanting to join the family, and gets more mail than any other convict in the american prison system. Manson still remains relevant in our culture, with movies, documentaries, plays, and operas written about him. The popular rock band Guns ‘n’ Roses has also performed many of his songs. The reason Manson remains so relevant is because of the high profile victims he planned, including many celebrities and even President Ford. In the minds of the average american alive at the time, Manson has become a metaphor for pure evil, equivocal to the devil himself.

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.

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.

Manson talked about hate, sadness, God, and suicide/self loathing. Parents were not ready to deal with the reality that their teenagers felt this way. This brings us to the second meaning of the phrase which is how it alludes to how the times were changing. Manson ushered in entertainers who adopted outrageous looks and scandalous lyrics to stand out and gain fame. Parents were not ready for new pop music which emphasized parting and sex.

Each killer uses their own different killing methods. Charles Manson believed in an impending apocalyptic race war, which he called “Helter Skelter” after the song written by the Beatles. Manson had a group of 100 followers,

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

Manson, along with many other artists, fully embraces their first amendment right to free speech to get their message across. This message mainly appeals to younger generations who can relate to Manson's songs. Younger

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