Ted Bundy Social Control Theory

I believe that the Social Control Theory best explains Ted Bundy’s criminal behavior. In the Social Control Theory the deviants care about what others think about them and then conform to social expectations because they accept what other expect. Bundy’s true and first love broke up with him after she felt that he didn’t “have a successful future”. Bundy accepted this expectation of himself so he dropped out of school. It was during this time that he began his killing spree to gain confidence.

The Social Control Theory also states that when attachments to social bonds are weakened that deviance can occur. Bundy had a very unusual family situation. For most of his young life he grew up believing that his grandparents were his parents and that his mother was his older sister. Finding out that almost everything he thought to be true was a lie, caused almost all of his family bonds to be completely destroyed. The breakup with his girlfriend also broke a major social bond. The breaking of these bonds, which represented truth and love, is most likely the reason that pushed Bundy to not value Ted Bundy’s childhood was controversial and strained due to his illegitimate birth. Bundy was

made to believe his mother was his sister and his grandparents were his parents. Bundy was fraught with confusion throughout his childhood due to his relationship with his ‘sister’ who treated him like a son.
His suspicions were confirmed that he was in fact the illegitimate son of his sister.

Bundy recognised the

strain society would place upon him;the ‘bastard boy’and his mum who bore a child out of wedlock(

Michaud & Aynesworth 2000, p.18). Being excluded from this ‘normal’ society could have led to his

criminality. The strain Bundy felt to fit into the social norms, which Robert Merton defines as material wealth, could explain Ted Bundy’s stealing as a teenager. Bundy was the prime suspect in a couple of burglaries and became a regular thief. This did not however seem to be adequate for Bundy,

who strived for more. Bundy therefore enrolled into university and although he dropped out many times, he went on to gain a degree in psychology and an impeccable job with the Washington

State
Republican Party. However, despite all this Bundy was still unsatisfied with the goals he had achieved and went on to enrol into the University of Utah to study Law, but later dropped out. Not long after this, Bundy went on to brutally murder over 30 women (The Guardian, 2009), it seems Ted Bundy knew how
to achieve the goals of society however, choose not to. Robert Merton would class Bundy as an innovator as Bundy was intellectually able to achieve the culturally defined goals of society and knew how to, however he turned to criminality instead which consequently led to what Robert Merton would call Rebellion. Despite Bundy being an illegitimate child, up until his first murder he seemed to follow
the norms of society; such as the establishment of a healthy relationship with a female, receiving an
education and acquiring a job. However, traits of rebellion have risen throughout his life. Examples
of such included petty theft and suspected burglary as a child. Bundy was also leading two lives, dating two separate women. In murdering his first victim, Bundy completely disregarded the existing social system. Although Bundy rejected the ‘social norms’ with acts of multiple murder and necrophilia, it seems he did not strive to change the social system and its goals. Whereas terrorists aim to change the
system it seems serial killers such as Ted Bundy just reject it.