Ted Bundy As A Case Study In Abnormal Psychology

Despite the incomprehensibility of their actions, serial killers make for fascinating case studies in abnormal psychology. There is something profoundly inhuman about an individual who displays a total disregard for another person’s life or safety. In addition, there is an underlying curiosity about how they develop, what influences their thought patterns, and why they are motivated to commit certain unspeakable acts. Ted Bundy, for example, is a perfect specimen of a serial killer with psychopathy. Not only is Bundy renowned for the number of murders he committed over roughly four years, but many continue to express disbelief at how nonchalant and unremorseful he was. Thus, Ted Bundy is an interesting case study because of his social history,

According to Berg (2013), psychopathy “is a condition marked by a constellation of traits, including callousness, guiltlessness, dishonesty, superficial charm, egocentricity and poor impulse control.” These traits are reflected in Bundy’s personality. He did not express any remorse over the number of women he killed or how he killed them in a gruesome manner. He also remained charismatic and thrived on the media attention caused by his actions. In addition, in a survey of seventy-three psychologists, over ninety percent of them diagnosed him with antisocial personality disorder and agreed there was sufficient evidence to diagnose him with narcissistic personality disorder (Samuel; Widiger, 2007). Regardless of his ability to act completely normal, Bundy’s behaviors and thought patterns belied his abnormal

As someone who always considers other’s feelings and would never intentionally set out to harm someone, I personally don’t understand how someone could be so indifferent to human life. Even more unfathomable, I fail to grasp how he could feel absolutely no regret for what he did. Maybe it is because I have a guilty conscience, but I would not be able to live with myself if I hurt another human being, let alone murdered one. What is even more baffling to me is how many women he killed, officially recorded at 36, but there are rumors the true count is much higher. That is such a waste of at least 36 lives, which is the true tragedy of this case. Lastly, as a woman myself, I cannot imagine being targeted, raped, and then murdered. It sickens me to think of this man stalking and marking innocent women, some as young as twelve years old, with the intent to harm them in such an evil