Murder And Psycology Essay, Research Paper

We are born with certain patterns called instincts, inherited desires or behavior patterns, which are passed along to us by our parents. Our childhood environments, particularly our interactions with our parents, shape or mold these instinctual thoughts and behaviors into what we call pure minds. As we mature, our minds become more capable of acting on their own, and we become more and more capable of achieving our own personal, subjective goals within the limits set by our bodies and our cultures.

Intrapsychic theorists say, everyone is born with an aggressive instinct that we often do not learn how to control. Some people have such an aggressive instinct that they commit violent crimes, such as rape, robberies, battery, or even murder. Proof of this theory was found in the studies of Konrad Lorenz, scientist who studied behavior patterns of wild animals, who found that animals will attack and kill members of another species for food or if threatened. With his studies he concluded that man reaches the senseless violent peak among all animals. Certain mental disorders or illnesses sometimes contribute such bad behaviors like murder, battery, or rape. Some of these either being mild, meaning temporary, and others being extremely severe.

Violent acts, from a biological viewpoint, are caused by electrical activity in the limbic system and other parts of the brain. Emotional behavior is highly correlated with electrical activity in the limbic system, which includes the medula in the temporal lobe. If damaged or stimulated violent aggressive attacks will occur for no reason at all. One case of this illness was clearly shown in the case of young girl named Julia, who had a history of violent acts. At the age of two Julia had a rare brain infection causing some damage. The damage caused weird spells to occur. Finally one day while she was at the movies she decided to use the rest room. In the rest room she became very uneasy and nervous. After awhile-another girl walk in and was attacked and stabbed by Julia with the pocketknife Julia carried around for protection. Shortly after this incident she was committed and tested. Scientists implanted electrodes, which connected to a stimoceiver , to various parts of Julia s amygdala. They then sent impulses to the amygdala and discovered that every time an impulse was sent Julia would go into a violent rage. They researched it even more and found that Julia had scar tissue on her amygdala from her early childhood infection that was causing these reactions.

Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder of psychochogenic origin, characterized by a lack of correlation between the thinking and feeling, and doing of the individual, a severe disturbance in his/her ability to distinguish between reality and his own subjective experiences, a serious disruption in his relationships with other people and his environment. Schizophrenics tend to have hallucinations and delusions. Schizophrenia can occur at any time in life from childhood to later life, according to reactions to physical or psychological stress one experiences in life. There are many types of schizophrenia such as hebephrenic, where your extremely silly accompanied by hostility, catatonic, where your extremely withdrawn, sometimes wild, and more resistive, undifferentiated, where you see a combination of withdrawn, regressed, suspicious behavior, and paranoid schizophrenia, the most hostile and dangerous of them.

The paranoid pattern of a schizophrenic is characterized by the delusions of grandeur and persecution. (Weber, 1991) This type of person thinks that everyone is out to get him, there is an international conspiracy going against him/her. This person lives in a fantasy and is always on guard, ready to strike any that seems a threat. They make up delusions and grandeur so they can be someone special. They are incapable of holding a relationship because of their paranoia. For Example, if the patient believe his/her wife or husband wants to kill him/her, they may take to sleeping outdoors no matter the weather. Paranoid schizophrenics can become very hostile, even to a point of murder, if they are questioned or challenged on there delusions.

One of the most dangerous mental disorders, but in actuality a personality order, is the antisocial personality disorder. Also given the names sociopath, Psychopath, and as a moral disorder. The antisocial personality disorder is found in about three percent of American males and less than one percent of American females. (Sdorow, 1995) Signs of this illness are shown as early a childhood, by the child s activity. If the child has tendencies of lying, stealing, fighting, drug abuse, failure in academics, early sexual activity, and cruelty, they will, in some cases, most likely become a sociopath. Researchers have concluded that the antisocial personality has a genetic basis, by the studies of Thomas Bouchard. Bouchard studied twins, which were separated from birth, with genetic background of the sociopathic tendencies and discovered that once the twins were reunited they show the same violent traits associated with antisocial behavior. Sociopaths usually pass superficial charm and good intelligence. They can act as if they re extremely interesting people. The sociopath is capable of discussing numerous subjects, nearly always saying the right thing, and saying it well. Met only on a verbal level, they seem to be thoroughly competent, but in actuality they are very unstable people. Even if they show evidence of having potential to succeed, they are unable to hold jobs. Sociopaths tend to show insincerity and untruthfulness, but they sound as if they mean every word they say.

Two hallmarks of the antisocial personality are impulsive behavior,

such as reckless driving or a promiscuous sexual relations, and a

remarkable lack of guilt for pain and suffering they inflict on others.

(Sdorow, 1995)

Egocentricity is a characteristic in sociopaths. His/her emotional capacity centered onto his/ herself. He feels no deep or lasting affection for another. The sociopath lacks enduring emotional responses. Remorse and shame are beyond him; even if he convincingly apologizes, he repeats whatever wrong he committed again at any opportunity. He or she never thinks of the consequences of his/her behavior. These traits are what make these people so dangerous. Three prime examples of this type of sociopaths are Ted Bundy, whose murder spree on a certain type of woman swept across the nation, John Wayne Gacy, who lured and killed 33 boys then burying them in his basement, and Charles Manson, who corrupted the minds of hundreds and even convinced some to kill for him. All three men showed antisocial tendencies. They used their skills to manipulate people into thinking they were great men and to coerced them into meeting their own self-centered needs or desire.

Another form of a sociopathic beaver is that of a sexual deviant. Sexual deviations include sexual arousal toward objects or people other than the opposite sex, sexual acts other than coitus, and coitus performed under weird circumstances. The basic sexual deviations include homosexuality, pedophilia, exhibitionism, sadism, and masochism. Sexual deviants can be very dangerous. They tend to show traits of a sociopath. Because of their lack of ability to reach the rue form of heterosexual relationships, they tend to escape to a form of homosexuality or other deviant act in order to satisfy his/her needs. They find this satisfaction mainly by doing sexual harm to others. For example Pedophiles get their sexual gratification by sexual abusing young children. A prime example of a sociopath sexual deviant is Jeffrey Dahmer, who for years tricked young men, preferable young blacks, into trusting them, then he murders them and commits sexual acts upon his victims dead and alive in order to get sexual or inner gratification.

The mind is a very miraculous tool, and we must remember the power it holds. It s almost as if it s a living creature on its own. It is capable of laughter to murder. The mind by itself controls all that we do or say, sometimes with out us even knowing it. Anything can effect it, either causing disturbance or satisfaction, whether it be bad or good. Theories have shown that traits to life experience are a factor in some disturbances of the mind. Even though the mind itself is not fully understood it ids possible that we can eliminate at least some of these abnormalities, this is difficult in today s society sense there is a vast amount of violence.

In 1966, when Charles Whitman took his hunting rifle up into the

tower at the University of Texas and sniper killed 16 people at

random, the nation was mesmerized. Today, we think violence

is normal . We are numb, desensitized, insured to the steady

bombardment of cases and imagery. Office shootings, carjackers,

stalkers, drive by shootings, children who kill, courtroom murders,

child abuse, Jeffrey Dahmer, Joel Rifken…ho-hum, that s life in the

90 s. (Bender & Leone, 1996)