Ted Bundy – the Making of a Murderer

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Between 1974 and 1978 the United States was in a state of terror as the country’s most prolific serial killer, Ted Bundy, was on the loose wreaking havoc. Bundy raped and killed women in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, and Florida. Bundy eventually confessed to 40 murders [ (Lohr, 2002) ], but others estimate that he was responsible for many more deaths, starting as early as 1961 [ (Shadow, 2008) ]. The biggest question that many people pondered was how someone as intelligent, as highly accomplished, and as praised as Bundy could commit such atrocities. Although some people believed that Ted Bundy was born evil, he became a sociopathic murderer of women due in part to his antisocial personality disorder, his failure to form bonds that would encourage conformity to societal norms and his viewing of violent pornography which stimulated his aggression against women. The clinical definition of a sociopath is a person suffering from antisocial personality disorder. According to the 2007 edition of Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary antisocial personality disorder is “characterized by antisocial behaviour (sic) exhibiting pervasive disregard for and violation of the rights, feelings, and safety of others” [ (Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary) ]. It is stated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV, [ (Psychiatric News, 2004) ], that people with antisocial personality disorder have met three or more of the seven criteria listed after they reach the age of 18. Bundy can be diagnosed as having antisocial personality disorder using the following three criteria from the DSM IV-TR (Psychiatric News, 2004). One criterion used to determine this is a “lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another.” Bundy most clearly showed this when he was quoted as saying, “What’s
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