RUNNING HEAD: MOMMY MADE ME DO IT

Mommy Made Me Do It
A Look into Criminal Behaviour

Essay 3: Research Essay

By: Nicole Stata
100573838

Due Date: Friday, April 10th, 2015

For: Mubeen Ladhani
Course: COMM 3715

MOMMY MADE ME DO IT

I hated all my life. I hated everybody. When I first grew up and can remember, I was dressed as
a girl by mother. And I stayed that way for two or three years. And after that was treated like
what I call the dog of the family. I was beaten. I was made to do things that no human bein
would want to do.- Henry Lee Lucas
The nature versus nurture debate has been argued since the dawn of time examining how
the behaviours of individuals are formed, by environmental factors or created by genetics. Serial
killers specifically have gained interested from psychologist over the years due to the fact that
average people cannot comprehend their motive behind their actions. Is it the fault of their
genetics? Did their parents pass on a certain chromosome that would inhibit the development of
a conscience? Is it possible for that the personalities of humans are decided for them prior to the
beginning of their life or is it society that shapes people? The developmental years, age birth to
five, are fundamentally important. (Facts for Life - Child Development and Early Learning,
n.d.). When a child is brought up in a loving home with positive reinforcements and a stable
lifestyle, the child has a better chance of having a stable mentality. Criminal behaviour is mainly
affected by negative environmental influences such as abusive family, poor socioeconomic
upbringing, and negative social experiences.
Family life is an important factor when it comes to molding behaviours and thoughts of a
child. Many famous serial killers had rough upbringings that would assist their drive for their
deeds, for example, Ed Gein. [Geins mother] had moved her family onto a 79 hectare farm
because she feared the moral depravity of the locals would affect her beloved sons- and they
stayed in splendid isolation for 25 years. (Donnelley, 2009, pp. 384) Gein was taken away from
any social contact that would assist in his development, but due to his mothers religious nature.
A fervent Lutheran, preached to her boys about the innate immorality of the world, the evil of
drinking, and the belief that all women were naturally prostitutes and instruments of the devil.
She reserved time every afternoon to read to them from the Bible, usually selecting graphic
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verses from the Old Testament concerning death, murder, and divine retribution (THE
LEATHERFACE KILLER ED GEIN, 2014) His mothers belief of how all women were evil
creatures and were made by the devil, violent attacks towards her sons and neglectful ways,
would lead Ed to go grave digging. He liked to create clothes from their skin and would often
wear them. (Donnelley, 2009, pp. 384)

Eventually, the cops would ransack Geins house when

he was away and found multiple body parts of women ranging from fingers, to labias, even
finding a decapitated head of a missing women.
Though this is only one example of a child that has been affected negatively by abusive
parents, it is a story that has been told for years. In one study, 80% of 21-year-olds who reported
childhood abuse met the criteria for at least one psychological disorder. (Child Abuse
Statistics, n.d) Criminologists and psychologist have done years of research on the topic of how
child abuse affect children and many have come to argue that "childhood experiences" and
"repeated psychological trauma," during the early stages of growing up can cause a child to seek
relief through activities of violence such as killing small animals. (Serial Killers: Nature vs.
Nurture, n.d.) In a study of sixty two male serial killers, Eric Hicky a criminologist found that,
forty eight percent of them had been rejected as children by a parent or some other important
person in their lives.[] Once rejected many of these killers begin to dive into their selfindulgences and are unable to understand how and who they are when going through puberty.
The social experiences which make people dangerous violent criminals are the significant
experiences rather than the trivial ones in their lives" (Serial Killers: Nature vs. Nurture, n.d.)
Parental figures have always had a significant impact on their offspring, may it be either
supporting them to the full extent or neglecting them well into their adulthood, all of their actions
affect children greatly.
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MOMMY MADE ME DO IT

Research shows that nearly 1/2 of the world's population more than 3 billion people
live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty less than $1.25
a day. 1 billion children worldwide are living in poverty. (11 Facts About Global Poverty, n.d.)
Poverty is a huge issue in todays world and is affecting the futures of children who are living
like this. Studies of childrens early cognitive and physical development suggest that family
income in the first five years of life is a powerful correlate of developmental outcomes in the
early and middle childhood. (Duncan, Yeung, Brooks-Gunn, & Smith, 2012)
Living in poverty also influences and encourages gang involvement. Richard "The
Iceman" Kuklinski grew up in a rough neighborhood with even rougher parents and would
eventually; grow up to be a mafia hit man. Kuklinski said that he began killing cats as a child
and graduated to his first murder at the age of 14a teen in a neighborhood gangdisposing of
the body by removing any identifying markers; the body was never found.( ) Sometimes, people
cannot control their finical situation, but children should not have to be in a situation like that.
Life can be hard for children and it does not help when they go to school, a place
supposedly safe, and are tormented for being themselves. Almost 14 percent of those who
reported being bullied repeatedly from childhood through their teens ended up in prison as
adults, compared to 6 percent of non-victims, 9 percent of childhood-only victims and 7 percent
of teen-only victims, the study found. [] When comparing rates of convictions, more than 20
percent of those who endured chronic bullying were convicted of crimes, compared to 11 percent
of non-victims, 16 percent of childhood victims, and 13 percent of teen victims. (Turner, 2013)
School is a place of social thriving and is the second largest area socialization that builds
character.

MOMMY MADE ME DO IT

Researchers have taken notice of the trend serial killers of being a victim of bullying, for
example, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy were bullied by their classmates.
Dahmer and Bundy were both terrorized due to their awkward shyness and Gacy was attacked
because of his weight and medical problems. Findings by the FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit,
they found that 71% of the murderers they profiled experienced a sense of isolation in their
childhood, and 77% experienced this during their adolescence. (Turner, 2013) Bullying
impacts a childs self-confidence that ruined self-image will follow and haunt them through
adulthood.
The nature versus nurture debate has gone on for years and will continue to go on for
centuries. Examining criminal behaviour is a step in the right direction to help figure out which
category of development has a larger impact on individuals. Looking at the research said here,
society can see that a person surrounding environment doe in fact have an impact on how an
individual perceives society, other people and themselves and determines how they will act and
behave. Ed Gein was abused and was told lies by his mother for most of his life in isolation and
grew up to be a an infamous murderer who inspired three horror movie villans. Richard
Kuklinski had to endure growing up in poor socioeconomic situation with his violent family and
he grew up to become an infamous hit man. Finally, a good chunk of serial killers were bullied as
children and faced negative social experiences that would scare them for life. Though those on
the nature side of the debate has brought up good arguments, it is plain to see that environmental
factors of everyday life are the ones that will reign supreme in the argument when it is all said
and done.

References

MOMMY MADE ME DO IT

11 Facts About Global Poverty. (n.d.). Retrieved 8 April 2015, from

https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-global-poverty
Child Abuse Statistics. (n.d.). Child Help. Retrieved from https://www.childhelp.org/childabuse-statistics/
Donnelley, P. (2009). 501 Most Notorious Crimes. (J. Birch, Ed.). United Kingdom: Bounty
Books.
Duncan, G., Yeung, J., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Smith, J. (2012, September 29). How Much Does
Child Poverty Affect the Life Chances of Children. Retrieved 11 April 2015, from
http://shiftfiles.com/files/190667E_source_2.pdf
Facts for Life - Child Development and Early Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved 31 March 2015, from
http://www.factsforlifeglobal.org/03/
Richard "The Iceman" Kuklinski. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 11:23, Apr 10,
2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/richard-the-iceman-kuklinski-21360091.
Serial Killers: Nature vs. Nurture. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aaets.org/article213.htm
THE LEATHERFACE KILLER ED GEIN. (2014, October 31).
Top 51 Disturbing Quotes from 19 Disturbed Serial Killers. (2014, May 11).
Turner, M. (2013, July 13). Chronic Bullying may Breed Criminal Behavior. Retrieved 9 April
2015, from http://criminaljusticeschoolinfo.com/legal-justice-news/2013/08/chronicbullying-may-breed-criminal-behavior-6813/