In psychology, there are different psychological theories that have been proposed, researched and augmented by solid research. They provide the theoretical foundation of psychological phenomena. Psychology is anchored on five paradigms namely biogenic, psychoanalytic, behaviorist, humanist and cognitive. In this paper, the psychoanalytic paradigm is the center of focus. In essence, the paper highlights the life of the offender, Dennis Rader through the lenses of psychoanalytic paradigm. Dennis’s criminal behavior is accounted for by psychoanalytic paradigm. Psychology’s principal goal is to have a clear comprehension of individuals and groups, and the explanation of different phenomena.
Psychological principles have been used in criminology to assess the basis of criminal behavior. Psychology scholars who study criminology endeavor explain the basis of criminal behavior of offenders through the lenses of psychological principles and theories (Green & Groff, 2003). Criminal psychoanalysts hold the opinion that individual factors, especially nasty early childhood experiences and inadequate socialization contribute to criminal behavior of offenders (Carver & Scheier, 2004). Psychologists have tried to account for the motifs behind serial killings. In most instances, mental instability and substance abuse have been documented as the chief motifs. In this paper, the serial killing behavior of Dennis is evaluated
Criminal psychologists have explored criminal behavior through the conduction different studies that have led to the formulation of yielded evidence-based theories (Byrne, 2010). Besides, these studies have necessitated not only the evaluation of offender’s needs and risks, but also the establishment of offender supervision, as well as management protocols (Byrne, 2010). Furthermore, psychological research on criminology has equipped criminologists with latest and effective offender interrogation strategies, and community supervision guidelines that are evidence-based (Byrne, 2010; Vito & Maahs, 2011).
Dennis Ryder is an American serial killer whose better known by the slang Bind, Torture and Kill (BTK) killer or strangler (Wenzyl et al., 2008). In a span of 17 years, he is said to have committed ten murders in Sedgwick County. Dennis was born in 1945 in Pittsburg, Kansas. What is surprising is that is that Dennis would send letters to the local police outlining the details of the murder that he had committed. In fact, his capture was after the police had analyzed the letters that he sent. This serial killer is serving ten consecutive life imprisonments. In his upbringing, Dennis had a troubled behavior. First, he would torture animals (Wenzyl et al., 2008). Secondly, he was found harboring a sexual fetish (Wenzyl et al., 2008). Dennis earned an associate degree in electronics in 1973 from the university of Butler community college. He later advanced his studies by joining Wichita State University. He graduated with a degree in administration of justice in 1979.
Dennis started a family in 1971 and had two children. He had a number of jobs after graduating from the university. First, he worked for an outdoor supply company as an assembler (King & Allen, 2012). In the second job, he worked for ADT security services. Installing home security systems was part of his job. Later, he worked as a compliance officer and dog catcher in Park City. While working at Park City, residents would complain that Dennis was unnecessarily strict. At times, he would euthanize dogs. Dennis has been elected as president of the church council in his local church (King & Allen, 2012). Dennis was also a Cub Scout leader before commencing the serial kills. Dennis’s wife filed for a divorce in 2005 following his husband’s involvement in serial killings. The motifs behind the killings were not clear (King & Allen, 2012). Most of the victims were strangled. Dennis is one of the most astonishing and feared serial killers in the USA.
Dennis’s behavior can be accounted for using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-V). Dennis could be having the Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) which is defined in the DSM-V manual. This manual describes it as a disorder that begins before the age of five years, and mental and developmental disturbances exhibit it. In addition, he has a neurosis. Neurosis denotes mental conditions that are characterized by distress. It has different symptoms such as hysteria, anxiety, impulsive control disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Other symptoms include irritability and anger. In simpler terms, this disorder can be regarded as the inability to adapt to the circumstances at hand or environment. The DSM-V does not categorize neurosis as a mental illness.
Dennis’s behavior can be seen to be like an emotional distress. His behavior can also be accounted by the tripartite theory proposed by Freud. In this case, Dennis’s id agency dominated his mental processes, and he acted impulsively. In addition, his upbringing could have contributed to this phenomenon. According to the tents of the psychoanalytic theory, the environment in which the child grows affects their personality later in life. Dennis’s up-bringing seems to have been troubled, and the parents did not realize it.
Psychoanalytic Theory and criminality: Dennis Rader
Psychoanalysis consists of a set of not only psychological, but also psychotherapeutic theories and techniques that were engineered by Sigmund Freud. As a field, psychoanalysis have undergone numerous transformations. For instance, Freud’s students such as Carl Gustav Jun and Alfred Adler brought new insights into the theory, and they took different directions. Other psychoanalysts that have contributed to the expansion and transformation of the psychoanalysis paradigm include Karen Horney, Erich Fromm, Jacques Lacan and Harry S. Sullivan. Psychoanalysis has outstanding tenets. First, it denotes that apart from the inherited, pre-assembled personality, the development of a person is significantly shaped by their childhood experiences. Secondly, mannerism, human attitude, thought and experience are shaped by irrational drives; these drives are unconscious in nature. Efforts that are geared towards making those drives become conscious defense mechanisms often stage psychological resistance. Consequently, there are conflicts between the conscious and unconscious components, and they result in emotional and mental disturbances. These disturbances can be characterized by depression, anxiety, neurosis and neurotic traits. Therapeutic intervention or skilled guidance is needed to shape the unconscious material to conform to the conscious requirements. In essence, psychoanalysis helps in managing mental disturbances.
Sigmund Freud, the father of the psychoanalytic theory opines that an individual’s actions in adulthood are molded in their childhood. This notion has been studied by different scholars interested in psychoanalysis. These studies have provided evidences that support the thesis that there is a solid link between unconscious motives and behavior. Karen Horney is one of the notable psychoanalysts that have advanced the original psychoanalysis paradigm engineered by Freud. In her proposition, Horney (1952) opines that both social and cultural connotations of early childhood have an effect on a person’s personality in adulthood.
Horney (1952) highlights a significant aspect of affection. Horney opines that the roots of both basic anxiety and hostility stem from early childhood development, especially in the cases where young ones were deprived affection.
Affection deprivations cause the young ones to develop bitterness, as well as hostility towards those in raising them; either their guardians or parents. Upon the onset of such bitterness or hostility, person in question tends to either stay away from or mingle the rest. On the other hand, such a person may show opposition to others. A second important aspect that Horney highlights is neurotics. Horney (1952), documents that mental disturbances exhibit neurotics. Consequently, neurotics can only allow one response at a time towards basic anxiety or hostility that is generated. In addition, the compulsive behavior whose roots are anchored in basic neurotics brings forth intrapsychic conflict that that is often exhibited either as self-hatred or self-idealized image (Dasen, 1994).
With respect to idealized self-image, neurotics fuel the development of pride and glory. Conversely, in hatred, depersonalization or self-contempt take cater stage. Horney emphasizes the need to expose children to sincere love and affection if they have to undergo normal development. This practice instills a sense of security and satisfaction in those kids, and they grow with maximum realization of their self. Horney warns that the deprivation of love and affection will fuel the generation of basic anxiety and hostility. Such hostility has undesirable effects; it feels the fills the kids with self-contempt, self-apprehension, and frustration.
Dennis’s behavior can be accounted for by Horney’s explanations. In the biography of Dennis, it has not been shown whether his parents denied him love and affection. However, Dennis’s actions prove that he had a troubled up-bringing. It can be inferred that his parents were involved in too much church work and had little time for their son. Dennis seems to have lacked affection or sincere and sufficient parental, and this contributed to his feeling of insecure and unsatisfied. The results of this deprivation could have contributed to weird behavior in his childhood. Unknowingly, Dennis developed basic anxiety and hostility. The effects of such anxiety were later revealed in his adulthood (Dasen, 1994).
Sigmund Freud emphasized that psychologists can only understand the criminal basis of the offender; they must evaluate the offender’s early childhood up-bringing. When a child’s needs are not met or satisfied, basic hostility or basic anxiety crops up. Moreover, Freud (1961) contended that naturally, humans tend to be anti-social. Psychoanalysis evaluates mental process, and Freud proposed the tripartite theory of personality.
This theory belongs to classical theories that suggest that personality is molded in early childhood but stabilizes in adulthood beginning in the adolescent stage (Donnellan & Robin, 2009). In his view, Freud emphasized that the manner and environment in which kids are raised shape their future personality. Kids’ current and future personality is thus dependent on the culture and environment in which the kids are raised. Parents or guardians have a pivotal role in the molding of personality.
According to this theory, in early childhood, personality begins as id. Personality later undergoes an evolution to the ego and superego stages. Freud’s theory groups the mind into id, ego and superego (agencies) (Rothbart, Ahadi & Evans, 2000). Id is primarily unconscious; it takes charge of a person’s primitive desires that aim at satisfying biological needs. Id is anchored on the primary process of thinking (Rothbart, Ahadi & Evans, 2000). Just like id, superego is also dominantly unconscious in nature. However, it is chiefly made up of socially induced conscience. Superego counters the actions of id. Superego agency governs moral and ethical prohibitions. Conversely, ego is dominantly conscious, it acts as the go-between of the id and superego agencies.
Id is marked by its primitiveness, as well as reliance on instincts. All the inherited biological traits are accounted for by this theory including those of sex and death (Caspi & Woods, 2001). In addition, id is largely impulsive in nature. Id functions seek to satisfy a person’s pleasure irrespective of the consequences. On the contrary, ego is largely conscious, and it mediates logical reasoning and rational decision making develops with the aim of mediating the two unconscious agencies. Ego takes into consideration realities, social norms and etiquette rules. The concept of right or wrong is housed here. Unlike id, ego deploys secondary process in thinking (Caspi & Woods, 2001).
On the other hand, superego champions the inculcation of moral values learned from others including parents. Superego takes take between three and five years (Caspi & Woods, 2001). Superego acts as the referee of the impulses triggered by id. Furthermore, it exerts pressure on the ego emphasize the execution of realistic and moralistic goals. In this case, guilt is balanced by superego. On this note, ego must not fall into the trap of id’s demands otherwise the superego will inflict a sense of guilt on the ego (Caspi & Woods, 2001). On the other side of the coin, should the ego stand firm and champion logical, moralistic goals, the superego regards it with a sense of fulfillment or happiness. An individual’s ideal self depends on the dynamics of the superego. The manner in which people behave in the society, their career aspirations or the manner in which they treat others depends on the regulation of the superego. On this note, Freud contends that the ideal self-tends is subject to the manner in which kids are brought up in the early childhood.
According to Donnellan and Robin (2009), personality is an indication of differences in behavior patterns among individuals. What is interesting is that those differences have consequences. In other words, emotional intelligence of an individual is dictated by their personality. Those with low emotional intelligence cannot control their emotions and this may negative consequences. In addition, some aspects of personality can be inherited (Donnellan & Robin, 2009). The mind shapes the actions of a person. The mind is also unique as it tends to keep history of what was learned from the environment: metal conditioning. It, therefore, paramount to note that the environment has an effect on the mind and together they shape one’s personality.
Modern personality theorists opine when people reach the age of thirty, their personality is often set like plaster (Roberts, Wood & Caspi, 2010). Different scholars have seconded the hypothesis that personality systems are flexible; they can change. The environment has been found as some of the factors that can trigger can change. Different longitudinal studies have revealed that personality development can occur as from the age of twenty to forty years (Roberts, Wood & Caspi, 2010).
Treatment
RAD
Kids with this disorder have difficulties forming social attachments (Zeanah & Fox, 2004). The most effective way of treating this disorder is by providing a stable and safe environment that nurtures kids’ socialization skills. This disorder has no known standard treatment plan; the approach taken must involve the parent or the caregiver (Zeanah & Fox, 2004). These parties have a big influence on the kids’ development. Dennis has passed this stage; therefore, this treatment plan is not suitable. Psychotherapy is recommended to address psychoanalysis.
Neurosis
The treatment of neurotic disorders has varied levels of success (Stig et al. 2012). If the symptoms are noticed early, they success rate is high. The main goal is to restore normalcy in the patients’ life (Stig et al. 2012). In this case, the treatment of this disorder is multifaceted. It may involve medications, as well as psychotherapy. Psychoanalytic therapy can be employed. This therapy influences thoughts and behaviors. In this case, early childhood experiences of Dennis will be examined by the psychoanalyst to assess factors that might have contributed to his current situation.
It would be better for Dennis to undergo this therapy for several weeks or months. The therapist in such a therapy meets the patient once per week. In the therapy session, the therapist seeks to indulge the patient in changing their thinking for the better (Shelder, 2010). Patients thinking that may have been negatively affected by early childhood experiences is molded into objective thinking (Shelder, 2010). On the other hand, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy can also be used can be used as an alternative. In terms of medications, antidepressants can be used. Again, this therapy addresses the challenges associated with maladaptive emotions, cognitive process, and behaviors (Spence et al., 2011; Langmore & Worrell, 2007). The main goal is also to restore normal cognitive functioning.
Prognosis
The prognosis of patients with a neurotic disorder is essential. The therapist should conduct follow-up examinations on the patient in the first six months after the therapy to assess their progress. Since the disorder involves emotional and mental instability, prognosis is vital to check for relapse (Shelder, 2010). In this case, the therapist ought to make follow-up exams on Dennis in six subsequent after the completion of therapy.
In summary, this paper has evaluated the criminal behavior of Dennis through the lenses of the psychoanalytic paradigm. Sigmund engineered this paradigm Freud but it has been advanced by other psychoanalysts. Psychoanalysts hold the opinion that individual factors, especially nasty early childhood experiences and inadequate socialization contribute to criminal behavior of offenders. Dennis was a serial killer, and his behavior has been accounted for by this theory. Dennis is suffering from the long-term effects of RAD. In addition, he has neurotic disorder. His case can be managed through the use of antidepressants and psychoanalysis. Besides, psychotherapy will be needed six months after the end of the therapy to evaluate the progress of the therapy. Psychoanalysis paradigm is an important concept in psychology, and it has been used to account for many phenomena. Credit should be given to its founders and those who have advanced it. Current psychoanalysts should conduct more studies in order to evaluate how childhood experiences contribute to a person’s personality in their adulthood.
References
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