Jeffrey Dahmer: characteristics and psychology of a serial killer

Nicknamed the "Milwaukee cannibal" for dismembering his victims and storing their remains in a freezer to later consume them, his actions have been the center of various studies psychiatric.

But also his story has given rise to books, movies and television series that seek to understand how Dahmer's mind worked, this bloodthirsty serial killer. An account of this is that just a few weeks ago Netflix released Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a miniseries that tells us about the life and crimes of this murderer, author of the murder of seventeen men and children between 1978 and 1991.

The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was born in Milwaukee on May 21, 1960 into a dysfunctional middle-class family.. His mother suffered from depression, taking a large amount of medication during her pregnancy. In addition to being committed to a psychiatric hospital, she had a suicide attempt when Dahmer was just a child. It is known that his parents argued constantly and very aggressively.

As related by his father in some interviews, his son was a very curious child. Around the age of 10, he began collecting roadkill to study their internal anatomy, and collecting their bones. Over time, Dahmer became increasingly shy and introverted. His father felt that his son was not comfortable in the company of other people. During his teenage years, his classmates considered him strange, flamboyant, and an alcoholic.

In later interviews, Dahmer revealed that it was around this time that he discovered his sexual orientation, but that his sexual fantasies were mixed with others in which he killed and torn apart his partners. In an interview, Dahmer recounted that at the age of 14 or 15 he began to obsessively think about sex interspersed with violence and that these ideas became increasingly obsessive and disturbing.

Dahmer mentioned that one of his fantasies involved "lying down next to an unconscious man" and that he found in alcohol a way to forget these thoughts.

Shortly before turning eighteen his parents decide to divorce. His father left the house and his mother stayed with him, although after a while she also left his house, taking his younger brother with her. However, his father tried to help him by encouraging him to attend university, so in 1978 Jeffrey entered Ohio State University, only to drop out shortly after due to his problems. alcohol problems. A year later, his father convinced him to join the army again, but his alcoholism again caused him to be discharged in a short time.

What were the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer?

For serial killers it is common to select a specific group of individuals that they target. oriented their crimes, this choice is usually based on aspects such as ethnicity, age or gender of the victims. In the case of Jeffrey Dahmer, he selected young men whom he considered physically attractive.

His method or modus operandi consisted of seducing his victims sexually and then inviting them to his house to carry out the meeting. On occasion, he also offered money in exchange for victims coming to his residence for a photo shoot. Once in the place he sedated them, beat them and strangled them until they were unconscious.

Dahmer's first murder occurred when he was already 18 years old.. During the period when he was alone at his family residence, he picked up a man named Steven Hicks on the freeway, whom he then took to his home. There, both used substances and drank alcohol. However, when Steven tried to leave the house, Jeffrey prevented him by hitting him with an exercise bar. Soon after, he mutilated Hicks's body and disposed of it.

Eight years later, Jeffrey would commit a second murder in his hotel room. He had previously met the victim, Steven Toumi, at a nearby bar. Using sleeping pills to knock him unconscious, Dahmer came across Steven's lifeless body the next morning. In this crime, Jeffrey claimed not to remember well what happened that night. Later, he dismembered the body and kept the skull as a keepsake.

From 1988 to 1991, Jeffrey committed the next fifteen murders of his career as a serial killer, beginning with two in 1988, one in 1989, four in 1990 and eight in 1991, when he was finally arrested after several reports to the police by a neighbor about the putrid odor emanating from his home.

Dahmer used to keep objects and body parts of his victims as trophies., and in several interviews he admitted to masturbating while reminiscing about the murders. In addition to confessing to having eaten the parts of the bodies of her victims "to feel that they were part of him."

your catch

In July of the year 1991, Tracy Edwards, who was being held hostage in Dahmer's apartment and was destined to be his next victim, managed to escape. and stop a police car that was patrolling nearby. When the police searched the apartment, they could not have imagined the magnitude of the horror they would find.

They found photographs of eviscerations and human remains of eleven people. Jeffrey Dahmer hid heads in the refrigerator, organs in the freezer, skulls in cabinets, blood on the walls and a 215 liter drum with acid and three human torsos in decomposition. This discovery caused a great impact on American society.

In 1992, Jeffrey Dahmer, also nicknamed "the Milwaukee butcher", was sentenced to 16 prison terms. life sentences and sent to Columbia (Wisconsin) prison, where he turned to the church to "atone" for his sins. During his short stay, received countless letters from fans across the country, sometimes along with money. He also gave various interviews to the media to recount his experience, some of which included his father.

In November 1994, Jeffrey met the end of him in violent fashion, when another inmate also serving a sentence for murder attacked him with a barbell to death.

The psychology of Jeffrey Dahmer

Interest in serial killers has always been great among the public and experts on the human mind, due to the seriousness and cruelty of their crimes. In the case of Dahmer, psychological studies have revealed similarities between him and other serial killers., as well as some variations on different patterns. However, a common characteristic in these individuals is that their main motivation is based on the psychological gratification obtained by committing their crimes. Some of the elements commonly seen in serial killers are:

1. Lack of empathy

Serial killers are known for their lack of compassion and empathy towards their victims. Instead of feeling pity or sympathy for the person affected, they find pleasure and gratification in committing their crimes. Many of these individuals are considered psychopaths and have a distorted view of reality."

2. vulnerable victims

Serial killers often seek out victims they perceive to be weak or submissive, as this allows them to be in control and power over them at all times.

3. adverse childhood

A large number of serial killers have had traumatic experiences during their childhood, as they come from dysfunctional families, have suffered abandonment, lack of love and even abuse. This trait helps explain his lack of empathy. and their focus on themselves.

4. appearance of normality

Serial killers often do not display any strange behavior in public in order to avoid suspicion and go undetected, so they can commit murders for years without attracting attention or even being suspected of anything crime.

5. Manipulative and even seductive

serial killers tend to have a great ability to manipulate and seduce others. This allows them to easily approach their victims without anyone noticing the danger. It is common for them to establish relationships, but these are usually temporary and superficial.

Two main types of serial killers

On the other hand, According to some FBI studies, serial killers can be classified into two main categories: organized and disorganized.. The organized tend to have a high IQ, carefully plan their crimes, and can take years to commit a homicide.

Often acting out of spite or due to mental disorders, they often kidnap their victims after gaining their trust. The disorganized, on the other hand, have low or average IQs and make their own mistakes. crimes on the spur of the moment, killing when given the opportunity and without planning carefully. They are often antisocial and have mental problems. FBI studies indicate that many serial killers show aspects of both types, although characteristics of one type often predominate.