Influences on Criminal Behaviour and Victim Blaming

INFLUENCES ON CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND VICTIM BLAMING
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Influences on Criminal Behaviour and Victim Blaming
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INFLUENCES ON CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND VICTIM BLAMING
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Influences on Criminal Behaviour and Victim Blaming
Introduction
Cases and instances of serial murder are rampant and continue to raise a lot of concern
among the security personnel. Serial murder is criminal behaviour that invites serious
consequences to the serial killer. A serial murderer is defined as an individual who intentionally
kills two or more people over a period of time. The period of time referred, in this case, could
range between days and years. Therefore, serial murder can be defined in terms of the murderer's
intention. Hence, serial murder is the kind of murder fuelled by the killer's motive and desire for
gratification or pleasure which is often sexual in nature. Primarily, biological approaches,
psychological approaches, and victim blaming are used to explain criminal behaviour such as
serial murder. When dealing with the report on influences on criminal behaviour and victim
blaming, the figure on focus will be Ted Bundy (also known as Theodore Robert Bundy). It is
also important to note that the concepts, murder/kill and murderer/killer, will be used
interchangeably.
A Critical Evaluation of Literature Regarding Serial Killers
Criminologists and psychologists classify murders differently. According to Knight
(2006:1190), homicide is chiefly categorized into three. That is mass murder, spree murder, and
serial murder. Knight thus sees mass murder as the killing of three or more in one place and time
without the duration of cooling off. Spree murder, on the other hand, is killing three or more
people in duration not exceeding thirty days and is often associated with other crimes (Knight,
2006:1190). Serial murder, a criminal act, and abnormal behaviour are described as the type of
killing involving three or more victims and spans for a period exceeding thirty days (one month)
with a considerable cooling-off duration. Further, Silkes (2010) connotes that since a serial killer

INFLUENCES ON CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND VICTIM BLAMING
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takes cooling-off of about 24 hrs or more, it is evident that each killing committed tends to
temporarily satisfy the killer’s motivating factors while each subsequent murder elicits distinct
behaviours.
Notably, psychologists, criminologists, and other experts attempt to understand the mind
of a serial killer. Knight contends that serial killers are different and thus kill for different
reasons from sexual purposes (Knight, 2006: 1191). The early development experiences are
likely to influence criminal acts such as serial killing. Mostly, children/teenagers/young adults
who are abandoned in the infancy are likely to exhibit defensive personality of a defective self.
According to Knight, the parents or guardians “self objects” of the majority of people who turn
out as serial killers were faulty and destructive to their children. Knight’s argument is evident
because the failure of the self objects renders children to have extreme needs which in their
fulfilment may be met with monstrous and undesirable traits.
Other than the negative influence of self objects, neurologists argue that serial killers
suffer from brain abnormality. Kiehl and Joshua (2010: 24) see serial killers as psychopaths.
Psychopaths process their information different from other people and appear as if they have a
learning problem that impedes their emotional development (Kiehl and Buckholtz, 2010:24).
Consequently, Kiehl and Buckholtz establish that serial killers/psychopaths lack empathy, are
manipulative, lie, do not regret, may be violent, do not form stable relationships, do not
hallucinate or become anxious or confused, and have more than average intelligence. Ted Bundy
was such a serial killer.
Ted Buddy (Theodore Robert Cowell) was born on 24th September 1946 by his teenage
mother, Louise. He was brought up by his grandparents, the Cowells in Philadelphia. During his
childhood, Ted was not very social because he always babysits his little half-brother (Rule,