Alvanti Smith PSY303: Abnormal Psychology Instructor: Katherine Malish
March 2, 2012
A look into Jeffrey Dahmer’s Personality Disorder
This paper will outline Jeffery Dahmer demonstrated behaviors conducive to a personality disorder. It will give a full description of his behavior and personality. His disorder will be analyzed with clinical features using DSM IV classifications. It will also give an analysis of his behavior and disorders using a theoretical perspective. The theoretical perspective will giving a clear viewpoint of the disorders.
Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer. He killed more than 17 young men and teenage boys during the late 1970s to the early 1990s. The nature of hid killing was unseen in American during that time. After killing his victims he stored their body part in his home. Dahmer ate these human remains. This is known as cannibalism. By 1991 authorities caught up with Dahmer. One of his victims was able to escape and inform authorities. The police found the remains of 11 bodies at Dahmer home. Dahmer started long before he became a serial killer. He was molested a child by a neighbor. Then he was face with the divorce of his parents; in which he was later abandoned by his mother. This caused him to have the feelings of loss and rejection. His stepmom stated as a child Dahmer would impaled the heads of animals. He would use acid to graze the meat off the dead animals. This was the start of his usual behavior. It has been stated as a child he fantasized about mutilating and killing men. Many believe his issue with abandonment and mental illness allow him to commit these horrible crimes. His first murder was at the age of 18. He killed Stephen Hicks with a barbell; then smashed his bones with a hammer. It has been stated he did so because he did not want him to leave. It took another nine years before Dahmer would kill again. He started going to gay bars to pick up men and