Ted Kaczynski aka “The Unabomber” The biggest manhunt against a criminal in U.S. history has been to catch serial killer Theodore John Kaczynski. Ted Kaczynski, sowed terror throughout the country for almost two decades. From 1978 to 1996, Kaczynski sent homemade explosive devices to various Universities, airlines facilities, and people related to those, as part of his anti-technological campaign. That's where he gets the nickname of "The Unabomber"; “un”-derivative from universities, and letter “a”- from airlines. The "Unabomber" killed three people and seriously injured other twenty-three victims, (Esoteric Nation, 2013; Winton & Scott, 2007). Something that had always been a mystery is why Kaczynski chose those particular places and people. Psychological analyzes suggest that the reasons for such actions can be traced to early life events, (Cooijmans, 2013; Winton & Scott, 2007). Ted Kaczynski was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. His parents were Polish descents; they were hard workers who came to this country in search of the American dream and start a family with good values, (Esoteric Nation, 2013). Wanda Kaczynski, mother of Ted, described her son as a normal, loving, and playful child until the age of nine months. At this age Ted was hospitalized for having hives; during this time parents were not allowed to stay in the hospital with their children. Ted was in the hospital for ten days; upon returning home her mother noticed a radical change in him. The boy was no longer a joyful baby, did not establish eye contact with his mother, and showed retracted, (Winton & Scott, 2007). David, Ted’s brother, in many occasions asked his parents why his brother was so different. David reports that his brother used to isolate mu... ... middle of paper ... ...od Press. Cooijmans, P. (2013, May, 27). Psychological evaluation of theodore kaczynski. Retrieved January 19, 2014 from http://www.paulcooijmans.com/psychology/unabombreport.html Esoteric Nation, (2013, July 1st). Ted Kaczynski AKA the Unabomber [Video file]. Retrieve January 20, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkJ506wmyvI Gall, S. B., Beins, B., & Feldman, A. (2001). The gale encyclopedia of psychology. (2nd ed.). Detroit, MI: Gale Group. Huss, M. T. (2009). Forensic psychology: Research, clinical practice, and applications. Malten, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. The Lip TV, (2013, June, 12). Crime Time: FBI Linguistics Manhunt for the Unabomber, Christopher Dorner & DC Sniper [Video file]. Retrieve January 20, 2014 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9it0qezCWBo Winton, D. (Writer/ Producer), & Scott, L. (Writer/ Producer) (2007). The hunt of the unabomber [DVD].
Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D. M. (2010). Psychology. (2nd ed., p. 600). New York: Worth Pub.
terrorist acts of a more homegrown variety. Stern interviews American terrorists here in the United
When we think of terrorist, we might think of radical Islamic individuals or groups who would take pride in killing anyone who is not Muslim. Even more, there are antagonistically people who want nothing more but to destroy the lives of innocence people because of their belief system. Take an individual like Theodore Kaczynski for instance; he was a former University of California at Berkeley math professor. Otherwise known as the “Unabomber,” he was indeed a terrorist because he used explosives that killed three people and wounded eighteen others in a span of almost two decades. Even more, his brother David Kaczynski was responsible for his capture.
What internally drives a terrorist’s motivation varies from subject to subject. While the average American citizen would likely be quick to point terrorists hate the western way of life and what it represents, the issue is far more complex. Simon Cottee’s article “What Motivates Terrorists?” (2015), looks at various levels of motivation. Prior definitions of terrorism looked at the defining cause as possibly psychological abnormalities within in the individual (Cottee, 2015). As studies have evolved, the focus has shifted to the environment in which the terrorist is surrounded. While certainly there is cases in which a person who is mentally unstable could be an ideal target for terrorist propaganda, the number of cases involving mental
Poitras, L, Bonnefoy, M., & Wilutzky, D. (Producers), & Poitras, L. (Director). (2014, October 24). Citizenfour [Motion Picture]. United States: The Weinstein Company.
In 1978, the Unabomber started sending his bombs. Only after 17 years of searching, was the Unabomber caught and charged for his crimes. Theodore (Ted) Kaczynski was arrested in April of 1996 after the investigators searched his tiny 10x12 foot cabin in the woods of Lincoln, Montana. Ted built the cabin in 1971 and lived there by himself, with his closest neighbor being 1/4 of a mile away. The cabin had no running water, no electricity, and no plumbing.
The first theory to explain some of Ted's behavior is that of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs which focuses on describing the stages of growth in humans using the terms physiological, safety, belongingness, self esteem, self actualization and self transcendence. Ted had the necessities of life and shelter, and was therefore satisfied in his physiologi...
It is unknown when Kaczynski started to make his bombs for the purpose of killing but his motives, the FBI believe are his beliefs about today’s society being dest...
Bibliography 3rd edition Psychology (Bernstein-Stewart, Roy, Srull, & Wickens) Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, Massachusetts 1994
Ted Kaczynski, The Unabomber, was one of the most prolific cases the FBI has ever worked. His bombing campaign and reign of terror lasted multiple decades until he was finally caught in arrested in 1996. His capture ended one of the more high profile reigns of terror ever perpetrated by an individual man.
“Trayvon Martin 911 Call.” The Young Turks. YouTube. 19 Mar. 2012. Web. Nov 16. 2013.
The nature of terrorism is to project fear and chaos throughout civilian populations. Terrorist groups are typically more mentally stable than most violent criminals and their actions are inspired through their beliefs in justification and necessity (Bartol & Bartol, 2014). Current efforts by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) focus on technological methods to predict and prevent terrorist threats. Since the attack of 9/11 the FBI has switch from a reactive approach to a proactive intelligence motivated strategy approach (Comey, 2016). This paper aims to provide an understanding of why people join terrorist organizations, what the typical personalities of terrorist groups
The theories of political terrorism in psychology have been frequently observed and analyzed over the years. Media spectacle and observance of the political ideology of Muslims have been the focal point of much research, yet what has not received much insight is the psychological understanding and motivations of a terrorist as an individual. In understanding this concept, we may be...
Edited by Raymond J. Corsini. Encyclopedia of Psychology, Second Edition, Volume 3. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.