Criminology

Jeffery Dahmer

Jeffery Dahmer was a notorious American serial killer and convicted sex offender. He was active in criminal activities between the years 1978 and 1991, during which he torture, rape, murder and dismemberment of his victims. Apart from mercilessly killing his victims, Dahmer reportedly ate some of their body parts, and kept their bones in his private collection (Masters, 2007).

Upon his capture, Dahmer was examined by mental health experts who diagnosed him with borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder is also known as emotional intensity disorder or emotionally unstable personality disorder. This disorder is characterized by patterns of marked impulsivity, confused self recognition and problems relating with other people (Giannangelo, 2012). The behavioral effects of this disorder are substance abuse, self injurious behavior like reckless driving and dangerous activities and general hazardous behaviors. People with this disorder act impulsively. This is to immediately relieve themselves from certain emotional problems or pain. However, if not treated quickly enough, the situation may get out of hand and those suffering form it suffer increased pain, which may be due to shame or guilt.

Dahmer’s character can also be explained by Asperger’s disorder, a form of autism which the sufferer demonstrates repetitive patterns of behavior. It is known that Jeffrey Dahmer suffered emotional blows when he was still young. Dahmer’s mother suffered several complications which caused difficulties to her pregnancy. She suffered from anxiety, disabling protracted nausea, dysphoria and use of tranquilizers. This affected the baby Dahmer who was born with problems with his morphology and general body posture. Dahmer went on to the army, it was realized that he was a homosexual. Generally, Dahmer was seen to have difficulty elating with his peers and was perceived to be distant and friendless (Silva, Ferrari & Leong, 2002). This made...