Ted Bundy And Antisocial Personality Disorder

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Introduction: Ted Bundy, born in November 1946 in Burlington, Vermont, was a serial killer notorious for numerous accounts of abduction, murder and sexual assault across multiple states. In his late teens, Bundy seemed to live a double life. By day, he was a college student in a committed relationship and, eventually, was admitted to law school. However, by night, Bundy’s rampant, aggressive alter ego emerged. A seemingly handsome and charismatic man, Bundy was able to quickly gain the trust of his young female victims. He typically approached the young women in public spaces while feigning injury or impersonating an authority figure. His common tactics included plastering his arm in a cast and asking for help. Eventually, Bundy would overpower …show more content…

Deceit and manipulation are often associated with this disorder. Those with antisocial personality disorder are impulsive and often feel as though societal regulations do not apply to them. As a result, a wide variety of negative outcomes can be associated with this disorder such as addiction, violent behaviour, murder and imprisonment (Davey, 2008). Seventy-three psychologists from APA Division 42 participated in a study aiming to analyze the personality structure of Ted Bundy (Samuel & Widiger, 2006). The psychologists were provided with information of Bundy’s family life, schooling and crimes. The sample of psychologists was told to classify Bundy’s personality in terms of the American Psychiatric Association’s personality disorder nomenclature. Nearly 96% of the psychologists diagnosed Bundy with antisocial personality …show more content…

Typically, the ego understands that submitting to the urges of the id can often result in self-destructive behaviour (McLeod, 2008). However, as a result of Bundy’s overactive and powerful id, his ego may have been compromised. Additionally, in order to handle hardships and anxieties faced in daily life, the ego employs defense mechanisms to protect the person’s psyche (Funder, 2015). Bundy’s initial killing spree began shortly after his college girlfriend Stephanie Brooks broke up with him. He was distraught and, rather than attack Brooks, Bundy targeted women with similar physical features as his ex girlfriend. This defense mechanism, known as displacement, allowed Bundy to harvest a threatening impulse, such as his pain from the break up, and direct this pain on less threatening targets. (Funder,

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