Ted Bundy Essay

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Personality Analysis of Ted Bundy Abstract In this paper, an infamous serial killer by the name of Ted Bundy, will be examined and analyzed by two different personality theories. A complete developmental history will be evaluated and explained. We will discuss personality characteristics that could be related to his behavior. A brief description of his crimes will be discussed in order to give you a view of his pathological mind. The first personality theory that will be applied to Ted Bundy is Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory of how he believes that environmental stimuli influence our behavior. The other personality theory discussed will be Sigmund Freud’s theory of the Id, Ego, and Superego. Both theories will attempt to explain why Ted Bundy became a serial killer. Childhood Development Theodore Robert Cowell, also known as Ted Bundy, was born on November 24, 1946, illegitimately, to a girl named, Louise Cowell. Louise became pregnant out of wedlock, and because of her religious beliefs, her parents sent her away to a home for unwed mothers, to give birth to Ted. Once Ted was born, he and his mother returned back to Louise’s parents’ home in Philadelphia to live. In order to protect Louise’s reputation, Louise’s parents thought it was best if they claimed to be Ted’s parents and Louise claim to be his older sister. So the first few years of Ted’s life, he called his grandparents mother and father and his mother, Louise. When Ted was four years old, Louise moved Ted to the state of Washington, where eventually she met and married, Johnnie Culpepper Bundy. It was then that Ted took on Johnnie’s last name, Bundy. Through the years, Johnnie and Louise would have four more children (Bell, 2011). Growing up, Ted was raised in a Christian home, where Johnnie and Louise took him to church faithfully. They did not drink or smoke. Ted explained
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