Ted Bundy Research Paper

Since the beginning of time, psychologists have debated the topic of nature vs. nurture to find out why people act the way they do. The nature argument states that an individual is genetically shaped into the person he will be for his entire life. The nurture argument states that an individual is raised to be the person they will be by their close friends and family. David Berkowitz, Ted Bundy and Paul Bernardo are all serial killers who were nurtured into the killer they are today. David Berkowitz born Richard David Falco, was a serial killer who killed 6 people and severely wounded 7 others from July 29, 1976 to July 31, 1977 in the state of New York. Berkowitz’s mother, Betty Broder gave him up for adoption due to threats from her partner

Bundy’s murders are believed to have taken place in multiple states, including, Vermont, Idaho, Florida, Oregon, Utah, Colorado and Washington (Blanco, n.d.). Bundy was born an illegitimate child, meaning that his mother was single at the time of his birth. His mother, Eleanor Cowell’s parents were deeply religious and could not deal with the embarrassment that would come with an illegitimate child, so they raised Bundy as their adoptive child and Eleanor, Bundy’s mother, pretended to be Bundy’s sister. Bundy’s grandfather, who he thought of as his father, was believed to be a very abusive husband and father. Bundy’s grandmother, who he thought of as his mother, suffered from depression (Biography.com Editors, n.d.). During his childhood, Bundy was seen as a shy individual. Bundy once said that he was unable to “understand social behaviour” beginning in high school. This would prove that Bundy had a introverted personality because he was a shy person who was unable to understand social behaviour.Bundy was also seen as a compulsive thief during his high school years. He often stole skis because of his love for skiing. He was arrested twice in high school but later has the records expunged because he was a minor. Bundy’s obsession with stealing proves that he suffers from the Impulse Control Disorder of Kleptomania.

Wuornos was born into a family where she suffered traumatic experiences frequently. Wuornos’s father committed suicide while serving a prison sentence for child molestation, while her mother abandoned her and her brother at a young age (Biography.com Editors, n.d.). Wuornos admitted to police that she had sex with her older brother Keith although he was unable to confirm or deny because he died from throat cancer. Wuornos had a baby at the age of 14. The father was believed to be one of Wuornos’s grandfathers friends. Wuornos began trading sexual favors for beer and cigarettes at the age of 11 (Capital Punishment in Context, n.d.). She would later go on to admit that her grandfather physically and sexually abused her. Wuornos was kicked out of her house at the age of 14 and later moved to Florida. For all of the murders that she committed, Wuornos said that she was being raped and that it was just self defense. This would be considered Freudian Rationalization because she is trying to find something to blame for her mistakes. Due to the fact that her grandfather viewed her as a sex object, Wuornos went on to become a highway prostitute. The only thing that Wuornos was known for was sex. Charles Cooley’s looking glass self theory is the reason Wuornos became a prostitute. The theory states that a person acts in the way that they think they are viewed