Background Information
As it is known, appearances can be deceiving, and the example of serial killer Theodore (Ted) Bundy, often described by the public press as a man of Hollywood looks, is a prime example of this. Ted Bundy was, at first glance, an ordinary law student who, as a jury eventually confirmed, was guilty of murdering several dozen young women in the United States (Terranova, 2020). After all the details of his biography were no longer a mystery, Bundy was classified not only as a serial maniac but also as a cannibal and necrophiliac. Bundy’s key murders took place in 1970s America, with the man confessing to 36 crimes committed between 1974 and 1976; however, the exact number of victims is still unknown.
In exploring the motives for the crimes committed and the reasons for Bundy’s decision to become a serial killer, authors often turn to the psychological side of criminal activity. Psychoanalysis traditionally allows us to trace causal patterns, identify driving forces, and then promptly respond to them at the level of laws. In the case of Bundy, the use of psychoanalysis becomes particularly interesting because unlike other serial killers — whether Chikatilo, Manson, Ramirez or Gacy — Ted Bundy did not look like a “typical killer” and did not exhibit psychopath behavior even during court hearings. Nevertheless, it is his personality that has traditionally been associated, especially in American society, with a shared history of the most inhumane serial murders.
Murder Scenarios
It is believed that Bundy has traditionally used only young women as victims of his crimes, but until his list of victims is complete, it is not reasonable to generalize with complete certainty. Ted Bundy introduced himself to young girls on the streets and in public places by pretending to be ill or physically incapable — the man asked women for domestic help and took advantage of the moment to brutally murder them (Terranova, 2020). Authors who have studied the killer’s life report that Bundy was known to his victims as a sadist because he was guided by inhumane morals in his murder scenarios. In particular, he not only killed and raped women but also dismembered them, cut off their heads, and used their body parts as mementos for himself.
From the outside, Bundy often looked like a socially responsible, peace-loving individual with good intentions, which is what attracted young girls. Bundy was well educated and well-read, and trustworthy, so among his characteristics was often called a “nice person,” a “mild mannered law student,” and a “perfect son” (James, 2019, p. 51). When all of his offenses became known to the general public, Bundy was still trying to maintain the image of a nice person from the outside but was internally opposed to the law and society. This is confirmed by his two attempts to escape from custody when the murderer showed ingenuity: the man’s real motives differed from his external self-presentation (Terranova, 2020). To put it another way, in committing his crimes, Bundy constantly took advantage of two sides of his personality, the outwardly pleasing to others and the inwardly desirous of bloodshed.
Psychological Motives
Against the background of the atrocities committed against female victims, researchers have naturally raised the question of what exactly motivated the man at the time of the crime. It must be understood that the choice of only women — which is known at this point — as victims and the scenarios for their murders must necessarily have had psychological reasons behind them. When Bundy was asked how exactly he chose his victims, the murders replied that “you can tell a victim by the tilt of her head as she walks” (Brooks et al., 2020, p. 538). As a consequence, some of the patterns by which he chose his victims were deposited in the killer’s mind; probably, for this reason, the man was selective in his choice of them, not killing them all in a row. It is noteworthy that Bundy was known as a man with a high IQ, which may lead one to believe that he carefully thought through his murder scenarios and nurtured these ideas for some time (Babu, 2020). This does not mean that Bundy followed the victim for long periods of time, as any of the women who satisfied the man’s inner constructs by their behavior could have been suitable for his criminal acts.
Moreover, turning to Bundy’s childhood clearly demonstrates several key events that may have influenced the killer’s psychology. Sources report that Bundy had no parents but was raised by his grandparents, unaware that they were not his direct parents (Babu, 2020). Therefore, as a teenager, when Bundy found out about his mother, he was enraged at her-perhaps an inner hatred of the woman who was supposed to be the closest thing he had to a child developed in Bundy’s misogyny. Meanwhile, it is known with certainty that as a child, Bundy found hidden pornographic magazines at his grandfather’s house, which he secretly studied for a long time (Babu, 2020). Although pornography is not a predictor of manic tendencies, inadequate exposure to it at an early age without proper sex education may indeed have excited sexual preference disorders in Bundy.
Meanwhile, Bundy’s biographical information knows of a problematic first relationship with a university mistress. Specifically, Ted began dating Stephanie Brooks (known by several aliases) during his college years, and their relationship was difficult for Bundy; a year later, Brooks dumped the guy, calling him unpromising and unambitious (Smith, 2018). Some sources tend to associate these events with Bundy’s subsequent manic behavior, specifically toward women who may have, in part, resembled Brooks. Other girls include Elizabeth Kloepfer, but neither was their relationship mutually agreeable or healthy.
It should be noted that Bundy’s high social status and his public perception, even before the details of his criminal activities became known, were constantly used by Bundy as a cover. In particular, during court hearings, Bundy, as his own attorney, often spoke about his murders in the third person, trying to maintain his personal image as a socially responsible citizen (James, 2019). In this sense, James continues, naming oneself in the third person allows one to absolve oneself of guilt in terms of cognitive perception.
Meanwhile, Bundy is often said to have developed severe mental disorders, which include bipolar personality disorder. In this condition, the patient is known to have a constant alternation of two affective phases, manic and depressive. During depressive states, individuals experience a decline in emotional function, and in Bundy’s case, the authors noted that he was devoid of emotion, especially during moments of college life (Babu, 2020). Additionally, Bundy had post-traumatic stress disorder and was addicted to light drugs, which only increased his internal manic urges, which had no negative reinforcement from the outside (UIdaho Law, 2018). During periods of manic phases in which there is heightened arousal, Bundy could commit acts of inhuman violence against women, using sexual forms of murder as leisure time (Williams, 2020). Thus, Bundy was found to have several psychological triggers and mental disorders in combination with an unclosed gestalt, the complex of which could lead (but not necessarily exactly that) to criminal acts.
Lessons Learned
Several important lessons can be drawn from the current case study that will allow us to track similar offenders in the future. The externally worthy individual who ended up being a serial maniac was not found in a timely manner because he did not outwardly exhibit any anti-moral behavior. It is this contradiction that should form the basis of all law enforcement services to recognize that any individual can a priori be a murderer. To be sure, criminals often possess a number of similarities, but focusing on this idea can be detrimental to community policing. In addition, mentally ill individuals are often romanticized in society, which reduces vigilance, especially among women (Jones, 2021). As a consequence, public propaganda must work to abolish romanticization and recognize the potential danger of people who have been seen to violate law and order at least once. These actions must be implemented in synthesis with robust crime prevention. As a general conclusion for this study, it is essential to conclude that criminals cannot always be detected from the outside; hence, it is critical to assess the situation and ensure one’s own safety soberly.
References
Babu, J. (2020). The abominable killer: An introspection of the Bundy murders; the Bundy
Murders: A comprehensive history. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 5(6), 2212-2215. Web.
Brooks, N., Fritzon, K., & Watt, B. (2020). ‘You can tell a victim by the tilt of her head as she walks’: psychopathic personality and social–emotional processing. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 27(4), 538-557. Web.
James, V. (2019). Denying the darkness: Exploring the discourses of neutralization of Bundy, Gacy, and Dahmer. Societies, 9(2), 46-63. Web.
Jones, R. (2021). Romanticizing murder [PDF document]. Web.
Smith, J. (2018). Application of Investigative psychology to psychodynamic and human development theories: Examining traits and typologies of serial killers [PDF document]. Web.
Terranova, N. (2020). Impacts of a serial killer: Looking at the case of Ted Bundy then and now [PDF document]. Web.
UIdaho Law. (2018). Law, U. State v. Bundy appellant’s brief dckt. 45256 [PDF document]. Web.
Williams, D. J. (2020). Is serial sexual homicide a compulsion, deviant leisure, or both? Revisiting the case of Ted Bundy. Leisure Sciences, 42(2), 205-223. Web.