Criminal Profile-Integration of Theory

Society is always grappled with the phenomenon of crime and it has often paid dearly because of this vice. A significant number of individuals in any society will be drawn towards crime. It is why different individuals and groups are always on the quest to understand the place of crime for the individual and society at large. Studies reveal that behavioral and environmental factors have important roles to play in the occurrence of crime and the development of criminal behavior in children. It is necessary to analyze one criminal profiling scenario to understand better the linkage between crime and the different criminology theories, as this will expound on this topic. Therefore, this study examines the case of Jeffrey Dahmer and his history of serial killings and other crimes. It uses this information to determine the connection between this individual’s background and development as a criminal. The study provides strategies for determining criminal behavior by analyzing personalities and their immediate environments and personal history. 

Introduction 

Individuals who engage in criminal activities for different reasons characterize society. It is why different schools of thought have committed to explaining why one would be drawn to crime. It has therefore led to the advancement of literature and development of theories that can help explain one’s push to engage in criminal activities. One example of an individual who committed serious offenses is Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, who is known as the world's most dangerous serious killers. Dahmer was an American murderer and sexual deviant who did a string of homicides from 1978-1991. Many of his murders included extremely gory and unconventional activities such as sexual attraction to corpses, human flesh eating, and the storage of human organs of some of his sufferers. He was found to be psychotic but was eventually convicted for fifteen of the sixteen killings that he did, and punished to a death penalty for his activities. An analysis of his personal life and consideration of different crime theories will lead to a better understanding concerning why he may have committed these crimes or behaved in the manner that he did. 

Criminal Case Description 

This individual was birthed in the early sixties and was the elder sibling. It is believed that he was not given sufficient attention as an infant, and as he entered the first grade, he spent most of his time in a sickly state. During his early years, he recalled tension and arguments between his parents. His mother suffered from anxiety and depression, and this was the main reason why he was neglected as a child (Davis 1991). His behavior became very different as a child and especially since he showed an attachment to bodies of creatures. He also collected the remains of dead animals and would eventually dismember these animals (Davis, 1991). By the time he reached high school, he had begun drinking beer, and at this time, he told his friends that this was his special medication. He was largely a withdrawn, polite, and quiet individual and had average grades. At puberty, he began to understand his sexual orientation and told others that he was gay. He also developed strange desires and fantasies and especially concerning dominating and overpowering individuals for sexual pleasure. 

In one situation, Dahmer laid in wait for an individual with a baseball bass, but fortunately, the individual did not pass through that path on that particular day. All those who knew him knew Dahmer as a loner, and he staged pranks such as feigning seizures or cerebral palsy at school or around the neighborhood where he lived (Davis, 1991). Academically, his grades began to decline to the point that his parents became largely concerned. His parents divorced when his father discovered that his wife had a brief affair. By the time he was 18, he was living with relatives as the family had already separated. Dahmer did the initial killing 1978, and this was a few weeks after he graduated from high school (Davis, 1991). Dahmer lured a hitchhiker to his house, and after several hours of company, he refused his visitor’s request to live, attacked him from behind, and strangled him to death before dissecting the body and burying it. From his early 20s to his late 30s, he committed a spate of crimes before he was finally arrested and confessed to his crimes before he was eventually jailed. 

Literature Review 

Meena (2016) reveals the impact that psychological theories have in explaining juvenile delinquency. It includes the study of the psychological features of three thousand English criminals. It discloses that there is a noteworthy association concerning lawbreaking and flawed intelligence, and this is connected to different negative characteristics like psychosis and schizophrenia (Meena, 2016). This reading reveals the deviancy can be hereditary and can be curbed through ensuring that such individuals do not breed. People learn from each other through imitation, and interpersonal behavior or observed behavior can have a major role to play in influencing criminality. 

Smith (2018) analyzes serial killers and their behaviors and links this to psychological as well as behavioral traits. An evaluation of the lives of individuals such as Jeffrey Dahmer reveals that there are potential traits in child growth, which may be linked to the future tendencies to commit crimes, as seen through his example (Smith, 2018). One major aspect revealed is that serial killers usually experience various hardships as children, which encourage their future as violent criminals. Furthermore, these individuals will usually bear certain traits that reveal their tendency to delinquency and crime. Agnew (2016) reveals that there are certain aspects of individual behavior that reveal their tendency to commit crimes in the future (Agnew, 2016). Certain factors may lead to the inclination of an individual to commit a crime, and these are bad thoughts, happiness, carnality as well as group dynamics. An individual may be inclined to commit a crime due to one or several of these factors and it may influence their decision-making and propensity to crime. 

Barra (2017) manages to ascertain the function of different youth occurrences in sexual offending, and it reveals that difficult occurrences in early life a major impact on the likelihood that an individual will commit a crime. One major aspect revealed is child maltreatment, which includes acts of omission or commission by a parent or caregiver, which may harm or potentially harm a child (Barra, 2017). Neglectful experiences such as physical and emotional neglect may harm a child and may heighten their propensity towards criminal behaviors in the future. Research reveals that adverse experiences in childhood have a major impact on the health and the social outcomes of children as they grow up. Perez and Jennings (2016) also reveal the outcomes of early occurrences on children and maintain that these can harm the progression of the young person and can lead to deficiency and occurrence of deviance (Perez & Jennings, 2016). Experiences of family violence, mistreatment, or negligence, and unwelcoming domestic situations can harm the growth and development of the child. They can manifest through undesirable behaviors of the child later on in life. It is also important to consider the self-control theory and its connection to crime and criminal activities. Friehe and Schildberg-Hörisch (2017) explain that absence of regulation and especially since this can lead to an increase in deviance and there is a link between a lack of self-control and increased criminal behavior (Friehe &Schildberg-Hörisch, 2017). Through this, it is clear that, individuals who have little capability to switch their thoughts and actions will be more easily do a misdemeanor as compared to those who were highly capable of controlling their behaviors. 

According to Britt and Rocque (2016), lack of restraint has a major role to play in crime, and the lack of it can be a major factor influencing crime and its occurrence. It is clear through this that individuals usually act due to their self-interest, and this does not imply that they are rational. People usually look for a benefit, which may be economic, psychological, or even social (Britt & Rocque, 2016). In many circumstances, the behavioral choice may be made out of habit, and this will usually not consider the fact that there is a full range of options that is available to such an individual. However, there are clear special motivations that may further propel an individual to commit different crimes. Offenders will usually be versatile, and they tend not to concentrate on one single crime but a variety of them. Delisi et al. (2018) reveal the fact that regulation and psychological condition are popular aspects of antisocial behavior and research consisting of a comparison of the connection between these two helps create understanding of deviance (Delisi et al., 2018). Furthermore, this particular research shows that a lack of regulation and mental state can be connected to crime. It is important to consider the various traits as well as an individual construct in considering the tendency of a person to engage in antisocial behavior. One major aspect revealed is the impact of poor self-regulation in increasing the occurrence of criminal activities. 

Through self-control, it is easier to understand the connection between offending and victimization. The integration of self-control and psychopathy is revealed using an assessment of personality and different traits. It is important to consider different aspects and their characteristics, such as constraint, cognition, dominance and emotion. Through this, it is easy to understand that some measures of psychopathy can be aligned with others, which show low self-control. Crank and Brezina (2019) investigate the link between self-control and resistance from crime based on analysis and studies conducted. It is clear that restraint and discipline are linked, and this is because self-control is a dynamic factor that affects the behavior over the lifetime and this is subject to age (Crank & Brezina, 2019). These are capable of influencing the surroundings that individuals are in and their thought processes in these situations. 

Self-Control Theory 

Dahmer is a well-known case of a murderer, and it is important to implement different criminology theories to better understand what may have modeled his behavioral patterns. One aspect of the criminal model that helps to explain the possibility of crime is the self-restraint model of deviance. It is evident from the onset that all of Dahmer’s criminal activities were done impulsively, and self-control was not present in his actions. Restraint includes refraining from activities aimed at bringing immediate gratification but eventually will raise concern on the perpetrator (Friehe & Schildberg-Hörisch, 2017). The household or any additional individual’s behavior from early on in the life of a young person usually influences the level of self-control of an individual. Differing ability of restraint in early childhood and teenage years affects the prospects of criminal behavior from an early age. People with higher levels of self-control perform better in school, at work, and in relationships and experience better health outcomes. 

The self-moderation aspect gives a new perspective on criminology and especially since, it focusses on personal issues connected to the immediate effects of one activities as the cause of deviance. It is revealed that those who learn self-control from an early stage of life are less likely to partake in deviance (Friehe & Schildberg-Hörisch, 2017). Restraint model reveals that people will usually act using principles of rationality and self-interest, and people will usually look to pursue common motivations to maximize pleasure and minimize their pain. This is a control theory, which can also be classified under restraint theories, and they are connected to the different issues connected to following moral codes. Through this theory, it is clear that the absence of effective restraint is a major cause of crime. 

It is also important to consider how people are trained concerning various values from their childhood. Self-control theory also reveals that differences in socialization over childhood can produce differences in individual as well as their aptitude to reflect on current objectives. Once developed, the individual differences in self-control will remain stable throughout life (Crank & Brezina, 2019). This theory focusses on different correlations of consistency, such as age group and other personal aspects affected by deviance. The model also reveals that crime declines with age, and this leads to differences in tendencies. According to the restraint model and deviance is also described as the behavior that leads to the instant satisfaction but has underlying results that may be bad. 

The theory argues that wrongdoings can be done forcefully or fraudulently, and are executed to pursue a self-interest. It also realizes that many acts that are non-criminal such as substance abuse and misconduct can be interpreted as acts that have immediate benefits but are costly in the end. It is clear from this that many acts of delinquent nature are usually momentary, opportunistic, and lack proper planning (Crank & Brezina, 2019). Typically, these acts have little gain to the offender and have huge implications to the person involved, and they do not help solve any issues that the perpetrator may have previously had. These acts easily provide normal human satisfactions but fail to consider the negative consequences that may occur because of them. Through this, it is clear that individuals who have a low sense of self-control will usually commit delinquencies. 

Psychological Theory of Crime 

The psychological theory of crime looks at individual factors that may lead to the occurrence of crime, such as early childhood experiences and lack of proper socialization. This theory used the approach of explaining delinquent behavior by focusing on the personality of the individual and particular the processes by which behavior and restraints on behavior are learned (Meena, 2016). Different examples help to illustrate the framework of the psychological theory and its impact on crime. One important theory in the psychological theory of crime is the psychological model. The model focuses on Sigmund Freund, who looked at three central forces that help determine the personality of an individual, and these are the id, the ego, and the superego. 

The id is focused on the individual's needs based on instinct, while the ego understands normal expectations in society, and the superego is more concerned with ethical perception and the effects of one’s actions. The theory reveals that delinquent behavior can be linked to lack of balance in the three of these aspects. It will usually force a person to find ways of adapting to these shortcomings. The model reveals that this is the basis of problematic behavior and a lack of moral reasoning before doing actions (Meena, 2016). Delinquency, in this aspect, can be viewed as a crisis in one’s identity which comes about due to inner turmoil. Another theory linked to the psychological theory of crime is the behavioral theory, and this holds the argument that the behavior of human beings is learned. The theory holds the opinion that the behavior that human beings exhibit usually occurs due to their life experiences. When the actions of an individual undergo reinforced through conditioning, the person easily learns the behavior. It also considers the fact that one’s environment acts a major determinant in the person’s behavior. 

One crucial concept through this is that criminal behavior will occur in the presence of a cultural conflict where a person’s affiliation with criminals will usually lead to increased criminal behavior (Smith, 2018). There are different aspects that may help build criminal tendencies and it leads to different perspectives concerning an understanding of crime and delinquency. Another school of thought is the Cognitive theory which is founded on the presumption that cognitive processes are the central aspect of human behaviors, thoughts and actions. It emphasizes a lot on what people think instead of what they do. 

The theory focuses on the fact that the different stages of cognitive development can aid in explaining crime as well as delinquency. This is based on the three levels of ethical growth that include the stage before one develops and this is common in babies and toddlers. The other stage is the ethical stage where this is common in teenagers and this is based to adherence to societal expectations. The final phase is that after ethical understanding, and this focuses on adults and critically examines moral principles and the implication of human rights. Theorists propose that criminals are individuals whose moral judgment capabilities have not developed beyond the pre-conventional stage of cognitive development. 

Connecting Criminology Theory to this Case 

Jeffrey Dahmer’s tendency to commit a crime was determined by activities that occurred in his early age and youth. The environment in which he was raised was unstable and unsuitable for a young child to experience (Hagan & Daigle, 2018). The constant conflict between his father and mother had a major impact on his young life. It revealed the different individual factors that may have triggered a negative character in him from an early age. Psychoanalysis viewpoints reveal that a lack of attention and care from his parents may have caused psychological harm to him from a young age. These formed the foundation and basis for his future behavior and largely affected his outlook towards life. 

It is also important to consider Dahmer’s behavioral patterns and especially so his initial obsessions and triggers. It is revealed that he began taking alcohol at the age of 14, and this could have been a major factor in triggering his deviant behavior. The age of 14 is vital because a child is developing into an adolescent, and their body is undergoing various changes (Hagan & Daigle, 2018). The fact that he began alcohol abuse may have been a trigger to his criminal tendencies. It is also revealed that he began to be obsessed with dead animals, and his preoccupation with dead animals from an early age affected him as well (Davis, 1991). As a young child, it was abnormal for him to be fixated on young animals to the point of dissecting them, and it reveals that he may have developed mental problems from an early stage of life. 

There are recollections of Dahmer decapitating animals such as dogs, this is alarming for a young child, and it proves that his behavior at this time was largely unnatural. Behavioral inadequacies can be seen in Dahmer, and his new sexual fascinations prove that he was an individual of unstable mental condition, which may have enhanced his criminal tendencies (Davis, 1991).On one occasion, he allegedly stalked a jogger and attempted to kill him with a baseball bat before sexually assaulting him. It proves that Dahmer was an individual who had deep psychological issues coupled with a traumatic past, which triggered his unnatural habits and obsessions. He had a lack of self-control to his sexual urges and would often prefer to attack and destabilize an individual before sexually assaulting them and then killing them. Both the behavioral and self-control theories can explain his behavior and his tendencies towards criminal behavior. 

Conclusion 

Jeffrey Dahmer is an individual who grew up in a troubled home and unstable environment and lacked attention from his mother. As he grew up, his abnormal behavior and criminal tendencies began to manifest, and it became clear that he was a troubled individual. After committing his first murder from an early age, he later on developed as a fully blown sexual predator and killer, until he was caught and confessed to his various crimes. The behavioral theory and self-control theory reveal Dahmer's behaviors using criminology perspectives and help explain reasons for this occurrence. Growing up in an unstable environment as a young child was a major factor, and this affected him psychologically as he grew up. Dahmer also portrayed unique behavioral characteristics that were marked by obsessive and abnormal sexual urges. Furthermore, it is also apparent that he lacked self-control and would seek immediate gratification for these sexual urges that he had. 

References 

Agnew, R. (2016). A theory of crime resistance and susceptibility.  Criminology ,  54 (2), 181-211. 

Barra, S. (2017).  On the Heterogeneity of Juveniles Who Have Sexually Offended: The Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences in the Occurence, Maintenance, and Prediction of Crime  (Doctoral dissertation, University of Zurich). 

Britt, C. L., & Rocque, M. (2016). Control as an Explanation of Crime and Delinquency.  The Handbook of Criminological Theory. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons, Inc , 182-208. 

Crank, B. R., & Brezina, T. (2019). Self-control, Emerging Adulthood, and Desistance from Crime: a Partial Test of Pratt’s Integrated Self-control/Life-Course Theory of Offending.  Journal of developmental and life-course criminology ,  5 (1), 38-59. 

Davis, D. A. (1991).  The Jeffrey Dahmer story: An American nightmare . St. Martin's Paperbacks. 

DeLisi, M., Tostlebe, J., Burgason, K., Heirigs, M., & Vaughn, M. (2018). Self-control versus psychopathy: A head-to-head test of general theories of antisociality.  Youth violence and juvenile justice ,  16 (1), 53-76. 

Friehe, T., & Schildberg-Hörisch, H. (2017). Self-control and crime revisited: Disentangling the effect of self-control on risk taking and antisocial behavior.  International Review of Law and Economics ,  49 , 23-32. 

Hagan, F. E., & Daigle, L. E. (2018).  Introduction to criminology: Theories, methods, and criminal behavior . Sage Publications. 

Meena, T. (2016). Psychological Theories of Juvenile Delinquency-A Criminological Perspective.  Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research ,  2 (9), 1644-1651. 

Perez, N. M., Jennings, W. G., & Baglivio, M. T. (2018). A path to serious, violent, chronic delinquency: The harmful aftermath of adverse childhood experiences.  Crime & Delinquency ,  64 (1), 3-25. 

Smith, J. (2018).  Application of Investigative Psychology to Psychodynamic and Human Development Theories: Examining Traits and Typologies of Serial Killers  (Doctoral dissertation).