Title

Your name

PSYCH 1101

Georgia Highlands College

Date

Bridget Tweedy, M.S.

Title <do not bold>

Write your introduction here. The major headings for the paper follow. Be sure to address each area you will discuss thoroughly: your killer’s dysfunctional childhood, how he/she killed, and the psychological diagnosis. Keep the headings in place. All other instructional text (such as what you are currently reading) should be deleted before you submit your paper.

A Killer in the Making

Parental Relationships

Discuss the dynamics of the relationships between your killer and his/her parents. Establish what aspect you believe caused this person to become a killer. Example: Charles Manson’s mother sold him for a pitcher of beer when he was five years old. He spent the majority of his childhood in and out of institutions. This abandonment by his mother led him to…. Be sure to take opportunities to quote your references: “His father was a savage disciplinarian – the kind of man who dealt with his son’s bed-wetting problem by hanging the stained bedsheets out the front window for the whole world to see. His mother was a drunkard who left the family when Gary was two… [and] ultimately committed suicide” (Schechter, 2003, p. 199).

Psychological Development

Apply what you have learned about psychological development through childhood and adolescence. Look at each developmental stage according to the developmental theories you discussed in class, such as those of Erikson, Piaget, and Kohlberg. Include those that you think apply based on your understanding of the stages of psychosocial and cognitive development in early childhood and adolescence. If the serial killer triad is present for your killer you should also discuss it here – that is related to psychological development.

A Killer at Work

Provide a brief introduction of the murders. This area is not meant to focus on detailing each crime, but rather a general overview of how your killer killed. Discuss premeditation, how he/she gained access to victims, rituals, etc. 

The Victims

Discuss the victim type – females, prostitutes, young boys… which ever applies to your killer. You do not need to list names of each victim; this section should primarily contain general details. Example: “Richard Ramirez selected victims based on his ability to gain access to particular homes. He did not have any gender or race preference; however, he would shoot the men but take time sexually assaulting the women. His victims were selected by chance rather than their personal characteristics.”

The Murders

Discuss how he/she gained access to the victims, how he/she killed, how he/she disposed of bodies. This can be a broad discussion, such as: “Richard Ramirez gained access to his victims through open doors and windows. He typically selected homes that were either brown or white stucco, which resembled his childhood home. Upon entering the house, if a couple lived there he would typically shoot the man and rape and stab the woman. He did nothing to clean up or dispose of his victims, but left them where they died, in a violent, bloody mess.” If there are specific details of one or two of the murders that stand out, please make sure you point those out. Those differences typically point to the mental state of the killer.

A Killer’s Broken Mind

This section is for your psychological evaluation. If you properly discussed your killer’s psychological development in the section above, this section should just be about your diagnosis. Feel free to reference the above paragraphs, but this should consist of the psychological disorder (or disorders) that you believe best fits your killer. Please be sure to provide a detailed explanation for why you chose these particular disorders. This is not meant to be a clinical diagnosis that would stand up in court… do not stress, do your best.

Conclusion

You know what to do here… wrap it all up and close it out. ☺

References

OpenStax College. (2014). Psychology. Houston: Rice University.

Philbin, T. (2011). I, monster. New York: Prometheus Books.

Schechter, H. (2003). The serial killer files: The who, what, where, how, and why of the world’s most terrifying murderers. New York: Balantine Books.

Vronsky, P. (2004). Serial killers: The method and madness of monsters. New York: Berkley Books.

I have included the reference listing for our textbook and some of my books that I have available for reference above. Remember to remove them, however, if you do not actually cite information from these books in your project. You should use at least four sources (don’t forget your text counts if you use it for your psychological development). I highly recommend using the Purdue Owl for how to format your references or anything else in this paper: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.

Remember, again, to delete what you are currently reading before submitting your paper.