The Depths of Psychopathy: A Comparative Analysis of Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer

Psychopathic Traits and Characteristics

In a daily basis, we hear a lot of crimes including massive of killing, molester, rape and many more. Without thinking, or knowing any details about what happened who did and why they did it, it is easy for us to label them as a psychopath. In order to label someone as a psychopath, there are many characteristics they should have such as problems in their emotional aspect, higher IQ, lack of empathy, manipulative behavior and impairment (Willem H.

2004, P.1). Psychopaths usually have a hard time to relinquish their personal desire with others in society. They are also lacking the capacity to understand others’ feeling and keeping up with a moral expectation (Lipton, 1950, p.584). Many psychopaths usually have a normal relationship with their family, for example they love their family, taking care of them and have normal lifestyles, however, they will have a difficulty of loving rest of the worlds (Willem H. 2004, P.1). Due to lack of emotions they might be experiencing divorce, separation from loved ones, or dissatisfaction from other people’s behavior (Willem H.

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2004, P.2). In their life history you will see a lot of rejection, abuse, poor relationships with their parents or others, anti-social behavior, killing animals, lack of attention from their parents, and guidance lacks opportunity (Willem H. 2004, P.1). There are many types of a psychopath, two main one’s to be discussed in this paper are primary and secondary. Primary psychopath usually anxiety, displeasure, punishment does not affect them, antisocial and does not understand social rules (baxter, 2018, p.

1). On the other hand, secondary psychopath usually is risk takers, suffer from high stress and constant anxiety and are guilt-prone (baxter, 2018, p.1). They stress about things more than normal people that’s why they do not usually call fully psychopathic. They are not as cold-hearted as primary psychopath. In this paper, I will talk about two serial killers, Ed Gein and Jeffrey Dahmer were based on their characteristic I will discuss if they are primary or secondary psychopaths.

Ed Gein: The Butcher of Plainfield

Ed Gein, also known as “The Butcher of Plainfield,” was born in Wisconsin August 27th, 1906 (Jenkins et al., n.d). He grew up in the small farming community of Plainfield with his parents and brother. His father became an alcoholic after he lost his job and his mother was an extremist religious woman which affected Ed and his brother social development. As a kid, Ed had health issues such as, a lazy eye and had a lesion on his tongue, which made him to be isolated from other kids at school and caused him to dropped out as he finished 8th grade (Jenkins et al., n.d). In addition, he was very shy and did not know how to make friends with other, this was further instilled by his mother’s religious and antisocial tendencies. His mother would abuse him using displacement behavior. Where she would get mad at their father for being a worthless alcoholic, and abuse the children verbally. While Ed would be abused by his father physically.

Ed childhood behavior had many risk factors for developing most of the problem he faced in his adulthood. Growing up, he would see his parents kill animals such as hog behind the family store and this would give him happiness and ejaculation while watching it (Jenkins et al., n.d). This satisfaction of being happy further develops his wants to kill people in the future. Since his mother was a very religious person, she would teach the child that anything related to sex is a curse. As his mother found him masturbating in the bathtub she abused him by grabbed his genitals and calling him “curse of man” (Jenkins et al., n.d). He never had any sexual relationship with anyone in his life, the only thing he had done was masturbation therefor he did not get married or have any kids. Ed would mostly work as a babysitter because he liked children better than adults where he was easily accepted without being judge. This could be one of the early sign for him being psychopath because he is adjusting in the environment where he can dominate (Lipton. 1950). Died of his brother was the first suspect, people think due to him and his brother disagree on their mother he might killed him. Soon after his mother died due to stroke, as she died he set up her room to be preserved as she alive (Jenkins et al., n.d).

Ed lived in the farm alone after his parents and brother died, he would visit his mother grave a lot. However, things has twist after few visits he started to dig up corpses and the first grave he dug up was his mother. He took his mother head off and shrunk it (Jenkins et al., n.d). He wanted to have her back to his life and keeping her body parts would be part of her memories. Some psychopath suffers from death of a beloved person caused them to be more violence (Willem H. 2004, P.1). Since then visiting cemeteries became part of his habits, he visited over 40 cemeteries. At first, he would go to cemeteries and collect different body parts and left whatever he did not wants. Slowly he started killing people and take their body part, such as skin, head, bones and more. For killing his victims, he used guns of.22 Rifle,.32 revolver (Jenkins et al., n.d).

He officially confirmed two victims Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan but five were suspected and he dug up many graves and took body parts (Jenkins et al., n.d). Both of his victims were middle age white female, whom remains him as his mother. Ed gein first victim is Mary Hogan, who is 55 years old divorced women (Jenkins et al., n.d). Who look similar to Ed mother, she wasn’t good of person based on her past history. She lives six miles away from Ed, where she owns a bar. On 1954 December 8th, on afternoon while they were hanging out and drinking, he shoots her on her head with his 32-caliber (Jenkins et al., n.d). After he killed her he took his body in his pickup truck and took her to his shed.

The next victim is Bernice Worden. He went to their hardware store and ask information about antifreeze to Mrs.Worden and her son. She was reported missing on November 7th, 1957 and the Ed was the suspect because he was the last person who brought something from the store (Jenkins et al., n.d). After while, on the same day when her son was looking for her in the store and they did not find her and the cash register and saw blood was on the floor. Afterward, they went to Ed place and found Worden’s headless corpse hanging upside down with her ankles lashed to a wooden cross beam. Not only that her vagina was split open (Jenkins et al., n.d) As the police went to Ed house they also found a box of organs, human skulls affixed, chair and other furniture made with bone and skin (Jenkins et al., n.d). He made masks using human skins, belt with breasts hanging, vest with breasts attached, Leggings made with human legs skin, masks with a human head, Skulls on his bed ports, four noses, pair of lips and many more (Jenkins et al., n.d).

Being psychopath there could be many risk factor growing up from their childhood. Which is similar to Ed, he had many risk factor such as abuse as a child, social awkwardness, bullying at school, bad parenting from both of his parents, moving home, his father was alcoholic and many more. There was not really any protective factor, he did went to school but he was bullied at school as well due to his abnormal eyes. If there were protective factor such as parents love, good schooling, he might have normal adulthood.

On December 9th, 1957 at the Central State Hospital, as Ed had an interview with Dr. E.F. Schubert Ed, complained of memory shortages (Jenkins et al., n.d). On December 17th, Central State Hospital sent a form to judge saying that Ed is crazy and he should be permanently committed to the hospital. After 10 years of being in the hospital, finally, Ed was charged with murder. However, the court did not charge him as guilty because he was found to be insane and sent back to the Central State Hospital. Going back and forth hospital to court on July 26th, 1984 Ed died caused of cancer (Jenkins et al., n.d).

Jeffrey Dahmer: The Milwaukee Cannibal

My second psychopath is Jeffrey Dahmer, who is known as “The Milwaukee Cannibal” or Gruesome serial killer was born on May 21, 1960, lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?, n.d). He was known to have a high IQ than average children. Due to higher level of IQ it helps Psychopath to manipulate people easily (baxter, 2018, p.1). At first, he was a hyper and happy child just like anyone else until the age of 4 when he underwent surgery to fix double hernia this had changed him (Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?, n.d). Since his childhood, he has been obsessed with Nurturing animals, animal anatomy and their body structures, especially butterflies and insects (Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?, n.d). Where he used to keep their body parts in a jar. Study has shown that animals abuse is highly connected to interpersonal human to human violence (Watts, S. 2018). His childhood trauma reflected his adulthood problem after he underwent a surgery to fix a double hernia his attitude and behavior has changed. Slowly he changed even more after the birth of his first brother and the family’s frequent moves. By his teens, he seemed very tense and had very little friends. By the age of 14, he had thoughts of murder and killing also at that time he parents had troubles in their relationship. These events had a great impact on his mental health. Also during his teens, Jeffrey found out that he was gay which further distanced him from society.

Jeffrey was not married or did not have any children and was a loner. His first victim was a man by the name of Steven Hicks he took him to his parent's house and tried to intoxicate the young man when he tried to leave Jeffrey killed him by hitting him on the head and strangling him (Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?, n.d). He then cut the men into pieces and put him in a plastic bag and buried him in his parents home. After his first kill, Jefferys alcohol addiction had gone out of control. He dropped out of Ohio State University in 1979 and decided to join the army but soon his alcohol addiction had him kicked out of the army (Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?, n.d). Even tho he did not experience any mental disorder he was experiencing mental illness which he was not treated for. He would be fascinated by animal bones and was gay caused him being distanced from society and turned him into a loner.

Jeffery raped and murdered 14 young boys and men from 1978 to 1991 (Taylor, 2007). Jeffery apartment was armed with high-security system which was to make sure that his victims don't escape (Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?, n.d). He would drug his victims and kill them and cut their limbs. Before he buried them he would masturbate to there corpse. He also his victim’s genitals and skulls for future memories and keep their head in the refrigerator and treat with bleach (Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?, n.d). Jeffery’s first victim name is Steven Hicks, as he took Steven home, he gave him a drink and wanted to spend time with him. But as Steven wanted to leave he hit Steven head with a barbell and killed him, afterward he kept Steven body in plastic bags (Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?, n.d). He went to the army afterward and did not kill anyone for a long period of time. As he got kicked out from there due to being alcoholic, the second victim is Steven Toumi, he killed him in a hotel room after they been drinking for a while. Jeffery kept his second victim body in his grandmother’s basement in a suitcase. Soon after two months he killed 14-year-old male prostitute and keep going with 13 more males, mostly African-American men (Taylor, 2007).

Jeffery trial started January 1992. Most of his victims were African Americans so there were signs of racial tension. He pled not guilty to all of the charges but soon pled guilty due to his madness. The judge chose to believe that he was well aware of the actions that he committed and found him guilty. He was sentenced to 15 life terms in prison. He adapted well in prison and convinced the guards to let him communicate with his fellow prison mates. November 28, 1994, at the age of 34 he died in the Portage, Wisconsin, the U.S. He was killed by Christopher Scarver with metal bar crushed Jeffery's head (Taylor, 2007).

Conclusion: Primary or Secondary Psychopathy

Based on my knowledge and the information I believe Jeffery and Ed is a secondary psychopath. For Jeffery, he who knows what he is doing is wrong and feels guilty but in order for his own satisfaction, he needs to do whatever he is doing. Due to his sympathies and guilty feeling he can not be primary psychopath because for primary psychopath they lack the capacity to feel for other and the ethical consequences for society (Lipton, 1950). The reason he killed those young men because his sexual attraction toward those men, which was not normally acceptable in society and to him as well. When he was young he had a normal childhood, he was a happy young kid until he went through the double hernia surgery,which changed him insecure and shy (Who was Jeffrey Dahmer?, n.d). He also mentioned that he killed for company and to forgets rejection, neglect and emotional suffering due to lack of friends (Willem H. 2004, P.1).On the other hand for Ed, being abuse since he was a young child from both of his parents and his peer. He has a problem with his eyes and had a lesion on his tongue which caused him isolated from his peer and not have any friend. For most part he would be describe as secondary psychopath due to childhood trauma. But from the information I have, it does not say if he is emotionally unstable. However, two things they both have in common is killing animals as young and keeping their victims body part for later memories.