...kinda reminded me of Bundy cross examining that officer and every detail of the murders have to be brought out and described to the whole courtroom, thus giving Bundy some kind of weird high.
Maybe that was the point? Kinda sick tho
That's a very interesting point I hadn't thought about.
Bundy was getting off on doing that on several levels: manipulating the court and the officer, and at the same time reliving his crimes. Very sadistic.
Those in the throng outside were also getting off in a sadistic way, but it wasn't narcissistic or manipulative.
One of the detectives that worked on Bundy's case from the beginning stated quite simply that Bundy "thought of murder 24/7". I think this is a common trait among serial killers that manifests itself from devious fantasies starting in early childhood.
shareSound like a living hell to me. But then since psychopaths don't have or are incapable of feeling remorse, and apparently gain some sort of pleasure out of this, I suppose it's not a living hell to them.
shareYou're right, psychopaths brains do not operate normally..if you do an fMRI on a psychopath you'll see that the area between the pre-frontal cortex(think forehead) and the amygdala(think middle of brain) do not "light up", which means they don't communicate with each other. It is this lack of communication that makes it impossible for a psychopath such as Ted Bundy, BTK, Adolf Hitler, Manson, etc. to feel empathy and thus cannot feel the pain they inflict on others. This, by definition is a psychopath. Also, keep in mind you can be born a psychopath and if you are brought up in a caring, loving environment you probably will not be a crazed serial killer. It takes a combination of brain and family dysfunction to create these monsters.
shareThat's interesting. The function of the amygdala has to do with fight/flight/freeze survival responses. The function of the pre-frontal lobes is high order cognitive abilities (speech, etc), including empathy and social skills.
So if neither of these parts of their brains are activated, it makes sense they feel no fear or empathy (so no inhibitors). It also explains why their behaviour is so often characterised as disorganised.
Yep, a psychopath born into a more normal, nurturing family would still have these problems, but wouldn't turn into a Bundy, Hitler et al.
There also is the Insular cortex, an area in between the frontal lobe and amygdala that Dr. James Fallon says is "spotty". So low activity in the frontal lobe and amygdala with a spotty Insular and you're not going to feel or express any empathy. There's plenty of psychopaths out there, maybe 1-3% of the population. People may think Bundy was way worse than other serial killers but I think it might have been just the right(or wrong) time to be one..Bundy was heavily influenced by those hardcore magazines that showed women being tied up and gagged with rope..they eventually were outlawed so that time is gone..Bundy was abused by his stepfather, he got hooked to the women in peril porn, he was left alone with his devilish thoughts to keep him company. Later on, he found out he was illegitimate and finally what seemed to push him over the edge was his first love broke up with him..once he got his psychology degree(yep) he worked hard at reinventing himself and won back her love..then cruelly broke up with her..Within a month of that breakup he started his killing spree. Being handsome in the the U.S. first ever era of free love made it much easier to reel in his victims. Bundy would also take advantage of dark alleys, black areas between light in parking lots, hiding in bushes, peeping in windows, all this with no cameras like we have nowadays. Bundy also left to other states when the heat was on, cooling off his trail. All these methods made it very tough to catch him(although the police/detectives/Carol Daronch/his girlfriend did a fantastic job of cracking the case). In today's world no way would Bundy get away with a killing spree, he might kill one or two but all the advantages an early/mid 70's Bundy had are long gone.
shareThe insular cortex is new to me. I did a little research, but still don't get exactly what its function is. "Spotty" meaning the connections aren't regular, or well regulated?
Why or how do you think he became addicted to women in peril porn? Can't just be availability; he wasn't the only psychopath out there with access to it who was in an abusive household.
What he did to his ex-girlfriend is classic NPD behaviour, which is no surprise.
I don't think it being an era of "free love" in the US had to do with anything. To my knowledge none of his victims were interested in having sex with him. But young women were freer than they had been, less protected. So they'd have been more confident in helping a guy who appeared to be in distress.
This series was excellent in pointing out Bundy exploited all the weaknesses of the lack of communication of law enforcement at the time. Even so, I was surprised and shocked to find out he'd escaped not just once, but twice.
I listened to a 2 part podcast about him, and (unless I'm confusing serial killers) apparently as a child he witnessed his mom being helpless and calling for help and it excited him.
shareI wish I knew more about how these psychopaths operate but I never buy into the fact that someone is "born evil", it simply isn't the case. Hitler, Manson, Bundy all had extreme dysfunction in their childhoods and they were made into monsters. Here's the writings of a serial killer who explains why he can't control his urge to kill when he's around women, it looks like Bundy had the same mental illness as this guy: A Paraphiliac mental disorder called "sexual sadism".
http://www.wholeearth.com/issue/2098/article/88/it%27s.time.for.me.to.die
Well some had normal upbringings and STILL ended up as psychopathic serial killers. I believe psychopaths are born that way.
shareThere might be a few out there but I can't think of very many. The aforementioned Dr. Fallon learned to recognize brain disorders and when it came to look at MRI's of his family(it was for some project) he was shocked to find that he himself has a psychopathic brain. His mom had warned him that they are descended from Lizzie Borden lol. True story.
shareNot all psychopaths are dangerous. There are more our midst than we think.
shareRight. Ebhaynz mentioned one of them, Dr. James Fallon.
They probably are all dangerous, including Fallon, but it's a matter of degree. Psychopathy is on a continuum, like so many things are. Psychopaths such as Fallon don't intend to harm others, but they do, for instance, endanger them. At the extreme end of the scale there's Bundy, Hitler, et al.
Yes, I've seen many interviews with Dr. Fallon and he does seem dangerous..more like he'd play you like a puppet for his enjoyment..I wouldn't be surprised if he's done some really nasty things.
shareYep
shareI'm not a fan of the word "evil"; it too easy and simplistic to use to explain uncomfortable things away.
But you would agree, I trust, if someone's born with a brain that's malfunctioning in the ways we've been talking about, then psychopaths can be born.
It's interesting that, as Catsidhe pointed out, there are some who were raised in normal households. Also, there are some who were born into horrific households and managed to become good people all the same.
Bundy apparently had enough control over his behaviour to stay away from his girlfriend when he felt compelled to kill. Not enough to attempt to kill her once, but still it shows he had some control over himself.
Thanks, Catsidhe. I didn't know that. Bizarre response to seeing his mother in distress. But then if his brain had been malfunctioning since birth ...
shareIt's probably a bit weird I listen to podcasts about serial killers, but I find that stuff fascinating. Never had to worry about that kind of predator when I was a kid. Keep wondering what that must have been like.
The inconsistency of upbringings convinces me it's a nature thing.
Not weird, really. A lot of people are fascinated by serial killers. Like, "how does that happen?!"
I can't watch too much of this kind of stuff because it'll give me the creeps, but I'm fascinated by these people too.
And not just serial killers. Murder in general. Morbid fascination, I guess.
share"he got hooked to the women in peril porn"
He didn't, that was his last-ditch effort to win a stay-of-execution....
Bundy was heavily influenced by those hardcore magazines that showed women being tied up and gagged with rope..
Absolutely!
Nature vs Nurture is definitely at play here.
Apparently, Bundy had a pleasant uneventful childhood.
EXCEPT, he found that he was “ illegitimate “. This may have set him off.