Ted Bundy Essay

Criminal psychology is a behavioral/investigative tool that is intended to help investigators to accurately predict/profile the characteristics of unknown criminal offenders (Kocsis, 2009) In the 1970s, the F.B.I. described it as “suspect identification”, which seeks to identify: a person's mental, emotional, and personality characteristics. This was used in the investigation of the serial murders committed by Ted Bundy. When they caught Bundy, the psychologists diagnosed him with psychopathy (Berg, 2008) Today, criminal psychology uses the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is a primary guidebook to diagnose mental illnesses/disorders. Although the notion of psychopathy has been known for centuries, there has been a recent revision in the DSM-5, and it is called Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). I believe that if Ted Bundy were diagnosed today, psychologists would say he had Antisocial Personality Disorder. The definition of APD is a pervasive pattern of disregard for/violation of the rights of others. The diagnostic criteria is: the carelessness to correspond social norms, deceitfulness, impulsivity, irritability, aggression, reckless disregard for safety of themselves/others, consistent irresponsibility,
His mother, Eleanor Louise Cowell, gave birth at the Elizabeth Lund Home For Unwed Mothers. His biological father's identity has never been known, but there are a few theories that Bundy may have been fathered by his abusive grandfather, Samuel Cowell. No evidence has ever been represent to support/refute this (Rule, 2000, p. 8) To avoid the social-dishonor with giving birth outside wedlock at the time, his grandparents told everyone, even Bundy, that they were his parents. It is unclear when/how he discovered the truth; in a result, Bundy expressed a lifelong resentment toward his mother for lying so long (Rule, 2009, p.