Psychology of Crime: A Study of Ted Bundy's Behavioral Theories

Psychology of crime

Criminology or criminal psychology is the study of why crimes take place and why people are
drawn towards committing an action that deviates from the societal norms. Hence these actions
could be best justified with the help of sociological and psychological theories of crime since an
in depth study into social and psychological factors help in understanding the underlying factors
that lead to criminal behavior. Here in this essay we would identify the case of a notorious
criminal and would also study major behavioral theories in order to understand the underlying
psychological and social factors that had led to their criminal actions. Psychological theories of
crime are helpful in shaping thoughts about crime and delinquencies and are also instrumental in
the making of policies which are related to such issues in the society. The essay would focus on
behavioral theories and would study some of the behavioral theories like Bandura’s behavioral
theory and Sigmund Freud’s behavioral theories in order to explain criminal behavior and the
underlying causes of such behavior (Bartol & Bartol, 2011).
Behavioral theories suggest that behavior is learned and hence life experiences play a significant
role in determining individual actions, which means that criminal behavior can often be linked
with one’s life experience. The core concept of behavioral theory is conditioning from learning
based on stimuli and rewards. Psychological models of criminal behavior range from Freud’s
notions to cognitive and social psychological models and hence these theories help in analysing
individuals as primary units and identify personality as the most important element that helps in
driving behavior of an individual (Andrews & Bonta, 2014). Psychological models developed
over the years also suggest that criminal behavior often result from abnormal and inappropriate
mental state of an individual that shapes his/her personality over the years (Baglivio & Wolff,
2017, 81-92). Here we would discuss the case of such a notorious criminal and in the process the
life events that shaped his experiences and thought process would also be discussed in details
(Freud, 2018). The essay would hence focus on Ted Bundy also known as Theodore Robert
Cowell, who is one of the most notorious criminals of all time. He was referred to as a
“manipulative and charming” serial killer who lured his victims before attacking them brutally.
He had killed more than 30 young women and girls in his lifetime. He was one of the most
notorious criminals in the history of America. Although he was a serial killer who engaged in
several horrific killings of young women his mask of sanity was impenetrable and no one could
ever say that he was a killer (Walters, 2016, 237-252). His charming personality and education
passed him off to be any normal person trying to be friends with people of the opposite sex.

However no one could believe that a notorious criminal was hiding behind these charms. He was
born in Vermont and spent his early years with his mother and grandparents in Philadelphia.
However his criminal actions in the later years of his lives could be traced back to his early years
which could be studied as factors that conditioned his thought process over the years and helped
him learn certain behavior that was witnessed with his gruesome crimes he committed in the
later years (Bartol & Bartol, 2011).
His early years were marked with rejection when his father left him and his mother even before
he was born which highlights that the attachment that a child develops during the growing years
was missing in the case of Ted Bundy. More over till a time he was not even sure about the
identity of his mother as his grand parents raised him as their own child because of fear of
controversy. Despite being present besides Ted his mother could not give him the love and
protection that a child desires from his parents. Attachment theory developed by John Bowlby
studies that the development stage of a child is crucial and during this stage a child is dependent
on his/her attachment with the caregiver. When a child feel protected and nurtured during these
years they are able to cope with worldly matters in the later stage of their lives in a much better
way. The process of bonding takes place when children experience a safe and protective
environment. Bowlby also studies that children growing up in an environment with least security
and feeling or protection are unable to develop bonds with others during the later years and are
also likely to become delinquents (Baglivio & Wolff, 2017). Bowlby also explains the
relationship between “affection less psychopathy and the absence of a mother figure during the
growing years which could be seen in the case of Ted Bundy. Other researchers have also stated
that people who are brought up in their childhood away from affection of their primary
caregivers such people are aggressive towards objects and eventually this aggression could take
the form of acts of violence towards individuals (Freud, 2018).
Ted Bundy had exhibited delinquent behavior from his very childhood but these actions were not
taken seriously. However had these been taken seriously some of the gruesome murders in the
future could have been averted. He was reported to have pointed a knife at his aunt when he was
a child, which is quite unlikely for a child to do (Baglivio & Wolff, 2017, 81-92). In his later
years he was reported of being immersed in sadistic fantasy world with the help of fictional