Criminology theory and Social Strain Theory
A major worldview concerning serial killers as Sharma, (2018) indicates is that depict that, a serial killer is thought of as a monster with a strange appearance, dysfunctional relationships, involving in animal torture or being sexually or physical battered during childhood, and thus, brutally murdering for sexual fulfillment. It is noted that, when studying the life of a serial killer, researchers need to make an open approach in the sense that, every murderer’s motive or push to kill is distinctly based on his/her past and experiences, and is therefore hard to quantify. This study set out to identify the serial killer (Ted Bundy), his background, analyze a criminology theory, and apply the theory to elucidate the killer’s behaviors.
Introduction
Throughout history, investigators of crime have experienced various types of serial killers. One famous serial killer identified for this study is Theodore Robert Bundy also known as (Ted Bundy). Ted” Bundy was born on November 24th, 1946, and was an active American serial killer during the twentieth century between the years 1973 and 1978. Ted Bundy is thought to have snaked from county jails before his final arrest in February 1978. He confessed to kidnapping, raping, as well as killing more than 30 people. Nevertheless, the accurate number of people he murdered could be more. Most researchers have linked Bundy’s crimes to his life especially his childhood. Ted Bundy faced neglect, abuse, as well as the absence of parental care during his childhood years. In his university years, he was neglected by his girlfriend and became a social outcast. Many people who interacted with Ted Bundy as a section of legal and court events documented him as a cold-hearted or unsympathetic, vicious, sociopath as well as a necrophile person. He was sentenced to death in 1989, and executed on an electric chair at Florida State Prison. Biological trait theory has been incorporated in this paper to provide more insights into Ted Bundy’s behavior.
Criminology theory
Social Strain Theory
Social strain theory was formed by an American sociologist known as Robert K. Merton. This theory asserts that social structures might pressure people toward criminal behaviors. The strain might be structural which depicts the procedures at the society that promote and impact how people perceive their needs. For example, if specific social structures are inherently insufficient or there are scarce rules, this might change the person’s perceptions as to means and opportunities (Eriksson, & Broidy, 2017). From this theory, the strain could also be individual; this depicts the frictions as well as the pains that a person experiences as he tries to find ways to gratify his or her needs, for example, if the objectives of the society are considerable to a person, actually accomplishing them might be more important compared to the adopted means (Agnew, & Brezina, 2019). Moreover, this theory asserts that most individuals have the same aspirations; however, they lack the same opportunities or abilities. Moreover, the theory indicates that when individuals fail to accomplish society’s expectations such as power, finance, or some other desirable goal by standard means like delayed gratification and hard work; they might try to accomplish success via criminal behaviors.
There are various aspects that the founder of this theory, Robert K. Merton presents to influence the effect of strain on delinquency. Notably, strainful conditions make individuals develop bad feelings. The bad feelings in turn establish anxiety for counteractive actions. This is particularly correct of anger as well as frustration which motivates one for actions, develops a want for vengeance and reduced inhibitions. Other theorists have also asserted that strain is likely to encourage poor coping capabilities and resources to commit the crime (Eriksson, & Broidy, 2017). Since strain can also be structural it maintains that pressures to acquire financial success motivate individuals to participate in the crime. It also upholds that less-affluent persons commit crime more often compared to wealthy persons (Drawbridge, 2016). This is because people of lower economic categories in general have lesser opportunities to make money by legitimate means. Furthermore, the strain is likely to motivate delinquency between persons who have less conventional social support.
Families, as well as friends always assist such people to cope with the strains; however, when the families and friends fail to help them such people get involved with criminal actions. Numerous theories have been derived from the social strain theory to explain how it links to criminology. These theories were considered to make adjustments to the strain theory by providing more insights on how it links to criminology as well as behavior. One of these theories is the general strain theory (GST). This theory was coined by Robert Agnew in 1992. Agnew wanted to provide shade more light on how strains affect behavior which in turn leads to criminal actions (Agnew, & Brezina, 2019). She believed that Merton’s theory was vague and did not depict criminal activity involving financial gain. The key notion of the general strain theory is that persons who face strain or stress are distressed or upset which might lead them to do criminal actions for them to cope. This theory having been derived from the social strain theory has a key principle which indicates that emotion is the motivator for criminal actions.
The theory was coined from the social strain theory to conceptualize the whole choice of sources in the community where strain probably originates from. The theory as well as emphasizes the standpoint of goals for the position, a prospect as well as class rather than emphasizing on the money. According to general strain theory, responses to strain might be behavioral, emotional, or cognitive, and not every response becomes delinquent. However, the General strain theory shades more light on the social strain as its focus is directed to the delinquent adaptations. It identifies several forms of delinquent adaptations, such as escapist, instrumental, and retaliatory; brutal offenses outcomes (Agnew, & Brezina, 2019). The social strain theory also asserts that people tend to commit crime as a way of trying to escape an environment that to them seems unhealthy. This means that, criminals associated with this theory act through learning from the environment. The brutality and harsh way of life that they learn from the environment makes them who they are.
Another significant theory of social strain is anomie theory. This theory is coined from the social strain theory. This theory adds more value to the social strain theory as it depicts that, the behavior of an individual is learned from his or her contacts within the family members as well as other intimate groups (Keatley et al. 2018). This can occur from the social connections outside the individual’s family as well as from the contacts with models of personality in the media. The founder of social strain theory, Robert K. Merton uses cultural norms to offer more ideas about this theory by stating that, a weakening the cultural norms within societies act as barriers or blockades that prevent people from achieving their desires thus they become strains that accelerate the criminal behavior that some people develop. He gives an example, with the value of economic success. This means that as economic success is highly valued by American society, people who are unable to achieve it might find crime as the only way to adapt to such conditions.
Application of Social Strain theory to behaviors of Ted Bundy
The strain theory can be used to explain the behaviors of Ted Bundy since numerous aspects and principles of the theory relate to the personality and behaviors of Bundy. Even though the social strain theory was originally formed by Robert Merton, it was Robert Agnew who expanded the theory to give more meaning (Agnew, & Brezina, 2019). While Agnew provides reasons as to why crime occurs, he provides a much wider view of strain sources including, lack of ability to accomplish positively valued stimuli, the existence of negative stimuli, as well as the loss of positively valued stimuli (Smith, 2018). Based on the strain theory, it is noted that strain can happen in every person’s life, including both rich and poor persons. Agnew uses the general strain theory to offer more meanings on how crimes or behaviors of an individual are affected by strains. He specifically claims that strain leads to negative emotional states, in the case of Ted Bundy that would be anger (violence), which facilitates and promote numerous types of crimes, like rape and murder.
As Robert Agnew depicts in the general strain theory, there are two strategies by which strain in an individual’s life can be measured. These tactics are subjective and objective approaches. The subjective approach involves openly asking an individual if he or she is being handled or treated in a manner that pleases them. While the objective approach is classically applied in researches and consists of determining whether an individual is treated in a manner that pleases him or her through evaluating the relations with the family, friends, as well as the community (Vincent, 2018). Factors or elements an individual would detest concerning how they are treated would be expressed as the strain causes. Notably, the causes of strain in Bundy’s life that made him become a rapist and serial killer can be provided based on the principles of this theory such as social impact and childhood experiences (Navarrete-Galvan, & Guglielmo, 2019). According to this theory, strains that existed in Bundy’s life are the major reasons as to why he turned to be a rapist and serial killer. Notably, there are three types of strains namely incapacity to obtain positively valued stimuli, the existence of negative stimuli, as well as the loss of positive goals also referred to as the stimuli. Astonishingly, all these three forms of strains existed in Bundy’s life at various points until he started his rape and murder spree.
Incapacity to acquire optimistically valued stimuli: Strain might occur in an individual’s life if he or she is unable to acquire positively valued goals/stimuli. Robert Agnew through the general strain theory asserts that members of a community seem to endeavor for numerous goals, like money, and this could lead to a strain if such people are unable to accomplish these goals through legitimate ways (Sharma, 2018). Notably, Bundy came from a lower-middle-class family, and this might elucidate why he changed to stealing and theft in his teenage years as well as provide a better insight as to his perceptions of human life. Another significant stimulus that people in society appear to value consists of respect and status. It is highly possible that Ted Bundy also valued respect and status, and could not achieve either because, he was born from a lower-middle-class family and being an unlawful child (Agnew, & Brezina, 2019). The realization that his sister was in reality his mother and that he was an illegitimate child is seen to have traumatized him, and he was truly ashamed of being viewed as a bastard child.
Even though Ted Bundy was a good-looking child during his teenage years and also performed well in his academics, he was always feeling uncomfortable near his peers, most of whom were wealthier compared to his family. He lost his confidence and became even more estranged. Just like any other murderer, Bundy was always insecure particularly about his social status, shy, in addition to him wishing to be wealthy just like the other teenagers. Ted Bundy’s failure to acquire social status, respect as well as riches might have not stimulated his brutal murder and rape behavior, however, his criminality is rooted in it. This also included his wish to be powerful; most societies value power (Agnew, & Brezina, 2019). This became a major issue for Bundy as he needed to be powerful (Vincent, 2018). This theory asserts that taking control of his victims was a clear indication to Bundy that he was in control of his victims’ destination.
The existence of negative stimuli: this form of strain is ignored in the field of criminology. Nevertheless, in regards to some studies like that of Drawbridge, (2016), juveniles are regularly unable to evade negative stimuli. Various examples of negative stimuli can be provided, some of which like adverse relationships with parents and friends, negative school and society, or neighborhood experiences, were seen in Ted Bundy’s life. Furthermore, negative life actions, in Bundy’s case the finding that he was a bastard child as well as the neglect by his girlfriend up-surged criminal and deviant character through inflicting a sturdy effect (Brennan, 2019). Even though such negative stimuli existed in Bundy’s life, the biggest negative stimulus that shaped Bundy into becoming a rapist and murderer was pornography. This assertion was made by Bundy himself during an interview with a psychologist by the name James Dobson. He revealed that he became obsessed with hardcore pornography and that it became stimulation for his compulsive character.
Bundy also divulged that it was when he was wandering outside his home, that he noticed”softcore pornography”. He also stated that he found more graphic and hardcore pornographic articles discarded in the trash. He further states that the articles were the major aspects that made him interested in a more aggressive form of pornography that led to the brutal character that he shies away from reciting (Agnew, & Brezina, 2019). This appears to imply that Ted Bundy was staying in a neighborhood filled with immorality that presented him with the negative stimuli (Smith, 2018). And as a result, it led to the development of his irrational character. Furthermore, this made Bundy form the routine of peeping through bedroom windows during the night to stare at women undress. He also became obsessed with pornography to an extent that reading and watching it was not enough, and his wish to practice that type of excitement which he could not legitimately possess, might have also promoted his criminal behavior of rape and murder.
Another stimulus that found within the strain theory and can be linked to Bundy’s behaviors is the loss of positively valued stimuli: Agnew having expanded the social strain theory asserted that when he was going through some literature linked with stress for he realized that if a positive stimulus that individuals tend to consider important is taken away from their lives, it could as well as lead to a strain (White, Haines, & Asquith, 2017). Such positively valued stimuli can be anything, including a family member, a partner, friend, or even an important object, and the loss can lead to death, a breakup, or even theft. According to Keatley et al. (2018), the strain that an individual feels due to the loss of a positively valued stimulus can motivate them to delinquency. In the case of Ted Bundy, loss of the valued stimulus is represented in the loss of his longtime college partner or girlfriend; she was his first love, a pretty, sophisticated, and wealthy individual; she represented everything that, Ted Bundy had always desired to have.
Upon falling in love with her, he frantically performed everything within his capability to astonish her. Nevertheless, she later discovered that Bundy was not the right person for her as she thought of him having no good future. She then departed ways with Bundy which devastated his heart, making him become preoccupied with her, enduringly to preoccupy him for many years. It can, therefore, be noted that, though the aforementioned information shaped the criminal as well as the deviant characters of Ted Bundy, the strain of being rejected by his college girlfriend stimulated his spree of killings and rapes. Most of the victims had similar features to those of his girlfriend (White, Haines, & Asquith, 2017). Bundy’s ability to rape and kill his victims was a symbol of revenge for him just like Robert depicts in this theory. Bundy’s antecedent characters can as well as be applied to recognize the signature of his crimes. For example, his hatred towards women was triggered because of a lack of the maternal connection between him and his mother.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the worldview concerning serial killers indicating that a serial killer is thought of as a monster with a strange appearance, dysfunctional relationships, involving in animal torture or being sexually or physically battered during childhood, and thus, brutally murdering for sexual fulfillment is accurately presented in the case of Ted Bundy. He is a typical representation of a serial killer stimulated by social strains of life that he experienced. Among the strains included his incapacity to acquire optimistically valued stimuli whereby, as a result of his family background, he was unable to obtain the wealth he needed. Another strain is that he was rejected by his girlfriend, an individual who represented everything he had always wanted. Therefore social strain theory can be applied to offer more insights into the actions of Ted Bundy as it covers every aspect of life including the society where Ted Bundy lived and the different stages of his life.