Writers Muse

Description: An analysis of the serial killer that shot terror back in the sixties and seventies, Ted Bundy. Written as final exam paper for the class Abnormal Psychology.

For many years back in the late sixties and seventies there was one man deeper feared and hated across the United States. That man was Ted Bundy, a serial killer with over a hundred victims – all of which were young women in universities. What led this average man to commit murders? On a blind eye opinion basis, Ted was concerned to be a fairly successful and attractive individual who seemingly had a lot going for him. Yet deep down was the heart of a serial killer – some people going as far as to say that he was born to be a killer. It is not far fetched to say that a person becomes what their surroundings conspire them to be. Then what about Ted, is he too a victim of his environment or was it the passion he felt for killing that fueled him. Was it psychological tribulations or deluded personal satisfaction – conscious choice – that drove him to be what is now known as the most frightening of serial killers? More importantly were his killings of these young women at random or was there an inner complexity behind his targets? The line between sanity and insanity is a thin but in the case of Ted Bundy it was almost nonexistent.

Ted Bundy’s initial identity was a scrambled one from even before he was born. His mother, Eleanor Louise Cowell, was unwed and never revealed who Ted’s father was. While on the birth certificate she stated one man as the father she later mentioned being seduced by another older man. In order to avoid social scandal Eleanor’s parents claimed him as their own son and he grew up believing Eleanor was his older sister. Around the time he was five years old, Eleanor and him moved away to live with some other relatives. It was around that time when Eleanor decided for an unknown reason to change her sons’ last name. Obviously there were a lot of changes going on about this time, which probably confused him and alienated him. Especially when considering the fact that within a year of moving Eleanor decided to get married and start a large family. It was from this new man in his life that Ted acquired the new last name of Bundy.

There is no doubt that Ted Bundy displayed abnormal behavior as a child. From the books and journals written about Ted it is learned that he was an introverted child. There was an incident with Eleanor’s younger sister Julia told from Ted’s childhood that single handedly supports the great influence his grandfather’s behavior had over him. After lying down for a nap Julia awoke surrounded by kitchen knives and a smiling three year old Ted next to her. These behaviors that Ted displayed as a young child could lead one to believe he suffered from childhood depression. His grandfather was known as a violent and abusive man – who surely didn’t hesitate in showing his lack of tolerance while Ted was growing up. In a child’s thinking if it is okay for him to hit women or belittle women than it is okay for me to do. If that mind set is all a child knows then that is all a child will believe. On many interviews with specialists, Ted had repeatedly mentioned his lack of being sociable:

“He maintained a facade of social activity, but he had no natural sense of how to get along with other people: I didn’t know what made things tick. I didn’t know what made people want to be friends. I didn’t know what made people attractive to one another. I didn’t know what underlay social interactions” (“Ted Bundy”).

While a period of feeling sociable awkward is considered normal and something that every child goes through, what Ted was feeling was something much deeper. This social awkwardness lasted him throughout his life and was not a mere phrase, but instead a personality disorder that with time further escalated.

As his mother began having other children it likely alienated him further since at that point in his life he believed her to be his sister. What were actually his half siblings he thought were his nephews and in that sense he was further awkward. Even as a child he must have realized something was off and different about his living arrangements. He probably often wondered why he didn’t live with his parents like other boys and girls. And he was living in a home with his “sister” and watching her tend to her children while he had no mother figure just a sister taking care of him. After all children naturally want what they see around them – if that little boy has chocolate why can’t I have it too? The constant questioning in his mind likely arose further self examination about his existence and possible burden on family members, which in turn bought the issue of abandonment. Studies have shown that, “…childhood depression increases the chances that a child will develop another psychological disorder by at least 20-fold” (Nevid). Having this depression is what most likely contributed to his other mental instabilities throughout the risk of his lifetime.

The fact of the matter is that family is without a doubt an important aspect in any young child’s life. The way that Ted’s childhood was developed and the disturbances in his household contribute to his later psychodynamic formulation. Various researchers have found that and “…link childhood physical or sexual or neglect to the development of personality disorders” (Nevid). Growing up with his silent depression, it seems likely that it also aided Ted in developing multiple personality disorders. Like mentioned earlier, issues of abandonment were probably a constant feeling to Ted due to “…failure to develop secure bonds with paternal attachment figures in childhood due to paternal neglect [and] rejection” (Nevid). Years and years of constant downsizing by his family members resulted in Ted growing with lack of attachment to others or consideration for warm feelings. Not experiencing compassion as a child resulted in him not showing empathy and naturally showing indifference to those around him – in other words showing no care to his victims.

Even after his capture, Ted never shows a moment of regret or remorse for his actions. As he speaks about the murders he committed in detail he perceives his way of thinking as normal, in other words as ego syntonic. It is evident that Ted can be classified as a sociopath judging on his behavior, which can be defined, as “…amoral and asocial, impulsive, and lacking in remorse and shame” (Nevid). Findings imply that “the pattern of behavior that characterizes antisocial personality disorder in childhood or adolescence and extends into adulthood” (Nevid). It is known that even before he entered high school Ted “…was a compulsive thief, a shoplifter, and on his way to becoming an amateur criminal” (“Ted Bundy”). Taken into consideration all the things that tie antisocialism with criminality such as unstable relationships, lack of commitment and empathy further aids the theory of Ted having this disorder.

During his days and the days awaiting his execution Ted confided in * and revealed more insight into his criminal thinking. Pornography was a major contributor to his mind set when murdering his victims. Ted himself repeated on several occasions “…while pornography didn’t cause him to commit murder, the consumption of violent pornography helped shape and mold his violence into behavior too terrible to describe” (“Ted Bundy”). As Ted spoke about his murders in gruesome details he always seemed to be happy, that is in the way someone is telling a wonderful story or fairytale. There is no doubt that he took pride in what he did. In a way it can be seen, as he feels happy because he affected so many people – because he is being the center of attention. This speculation again reveals some backup in his personality disorders. But again a question remains and that is where did this man who was once an innocent child learns this type of normality mind set when it comes to violence?

Samuel Crowell, his grandfather, was a strong religious man and deacon in his church but underneath his pacifist appearance had a conflicting personality. While he would preach good faith, he himself kept a large collection of pornography at his house to which Ted and cousin would sneak to look at. But the pornography was not the only message that Samuel was sending the Ted. It was known that Samuel was an angry violent man and Ted once “…described him as a bigot who hated blacks, Italians, Catholics, and Jews” (“Ted Bundy”). Worse were the acts of brutality he would often showcase in front of a young Ted: “…his grandfather tortured animals, beating the family dog and swinging neighborhood cats by their tails” (“Ted Bundy”).  All this childhood pain and conflicting emotions towards women harvested within him until the time the trigger was pulled. This mind trigger came shortly after the revelation about his mother and grandparents during the time after his college graduation.

Around the time of his college graduation a lot of things started falling apart for Ted. His then two-year girlfriend Stephanie Brooks had finally had enough with what she called immaturity and lack of ambition and decided to break things off with Ted. Days after his break up, Ted traveled back to his hometown where he found out about his parentage. It appears that both the desertion by his girlfriend and the truth about his parentage were too much and overwhelmed his psyche. It broke the final wall he had keeping in the beasts that were created throughout his childhood. The feeling of rejection triggered his sort of revenge and also a new part of himself. Many people claim that after finding out about his family secret he sort of became another person. Introverted and refrained Ted Bundy now became a dominant, confident, and determined man. This new man wanted women – women who evidently had similar features of his former girlfriend Stephanie Brooks. It was as if he was taking his emotional pain and physically bestowing it on “Stephanie” look a likes. Whether it was a conscious or unconscious act cannot be determined but there is no denying the fact that he was permanently hurt by his breakup with Stephanie. The internal hurt and sadness he felt over losing her probably ten-folding due to his mental instabilities.

Depression is something that can turn a person into something they can no longer control or in some cases recognize. Tie in depression with a violent and/or neglectful growing environment and it can literally drive a child to internal madness. In the case of Ted Bundy, depression only fueled his personality disorders and rejection aided his resented towards people. During an interview he described and recognized himself as a murder and furthermore admitted that he  “…was fascinated by images of sex and violence, calling it the entity” (“Ted Bundy”). So what was it that drove Ted Bundy to murder these women? The answer is not black and white; there is no simple explanation but rather many contributors. Ted Bundy was a twisted individual but in the end everything he was, was just a manifestation of his environment.

Works Citied

• Nevid, Jeffrey S., Spencer A. Rathus, and Beverly Greene. Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
• “Ted Bundy.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 8 Mar 2008, 21:17 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 8 Mar 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ted_Bundy&oldid=196853541>.