Thought Theater

The Mind Field: Bad Wiring genre: Six Degrees of Speculation

In light of the recent killing of a ten year old girl in Oklahoma and the dismay with the mindset of these type of criminals and with serial killers in general, I thought I would offer my own thoughts on explaining what may lead these people to commit such horrendous crimes. My thoughts are in no way meant to justify or defend these people but to attempt to figure out how a mind can become so seemingly dysfunctional.

I’m inclined to think that the process begins in early childhood and has its origins in the response the child gets to its own displays of anger. Often that anger is exhibited to no avail…the child is ignored and often shamed for their outbursts of anger such that the child begins to withhold anger in order to avoid these unsatisfactory and negative consequences.

At the same time, the child comes to discover situations and places where he or she can release this anger and do so in full control of the response and the outcome of that anger…unimpeded by shaming or blaming. In essence the child finds a position of total control and power where it is safe to disperse their anger. At virtually all other times, this anger is totally stifled and withheld so as to avoid the ridicule or shaming that might result from its exposure.

Over time, these individuals create scenarios where they know they can execute their anger with a certain and satisfying outcome…thus masking the feelings of shame or ridicule that they believe would otherwise be experienced if they were to allow this anger to escape in the wrong environment. The need to release this anger becomes part of elaborate planning that allows them to transfer anger with familiar individuals to animals or pets and then eventually to often unknown people they perceive as vulnerable or simply select as victims for the calculated release of their anger in a fully controllable scenario.

Supporting my theory is the behavior of these individuals upon capture. They are rarely intimidated and appear to be lacking in emotion when confronted with the shame of their actions. Investigators can attempt to elicit a response by yelling, shaming, and ridiculing…familiar experiences to these individuals…and although they possess anger at those inflicting these attacks, they will not allow the release of their emotions in these environments where they lack control. They have fully integrated a process that these emotions may only be expressed where they can be assured of a certain and satisfying outcome that they wholly control.

These individuals become well aware of survival of the fittest…the king of the jungle model. They quickly assess that direct battles are difficult to win and find other appropriate environments for achieving and experiencing success. They learn to do this while also learning to avoid the possibilities of experiencing additional shame or ridicule in situations considered normal by others...but that they perceive to be dangerous to their fragile self-image.

Sex often becomes tied to these moments of control because they rarely feel sufficient confidence to submit to the potential vulnerability of a normal exchange of emotions. Their longstanding aversion to ridicule is transferred to all aspects of life that possess the risk of experiencing these negative and debilitating feelings. Before long, sex is only acceptable when they can retain control…otherwise the possibility of shame and ridicule preoccupy their minds so fully that they have difficulty functioning in any normal environment. Sex soon becomes inextricable from these calculated and controlled scenarios that allow for the release of their anger. The satisfaction obtained from these moments of release becomes a virtual obsession and soon escalates into more elaborate and frequent situational opportunities. This behavior is, by its nature, reinforcing and grows in satisfaction and necessity such that it cannot be avoided or ceased.

Whether or not these individuals experience more shaming and ridicule than the average child or if they are simply less prepared to manage the feelings in any constructive way may be impossible to determine. What my theory implies is that the line between normal functional behavior and the reasonable management of emotions is very narrow. The fact that people, who have known these infamous individuals, frequently express shock upon hearing of the offense seems to support this notion. In my construct, it makes perfect sense since a fundamental element of this mindset is in fact learning to avoid situations that risk the exposure of these flawed mechanics used to manage emotions.

Sadly, it may be some time before any definitive causal effect data can be identified such that these individuals’ heinous behaviors can be prevented or predicted. What is certain is how little we actually understand the mind and its complexity. Until such time as we can, tragic crimes will continue to devastate and disturb.