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Running Head: PERPETRATPR-MOTIVE RESEARCH DESIGN

Perpetrator-Motive Research Design: Jeffrey Dahmer
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Introduction
Jeffrey Dahmer is a serial killer and serial rapists who took the lives of many young men
over a period of years. The crimes in which he committed had terrorized the state of Wisconsin
during the 80s and the 90s. Due to the perverse nature of brutality that enacted upon his victims,
it shocked the country. Dahmer had a personality of one who showed no remorse or guilt for
what he had done. According to researchers, Dahmer is that of a psychopath who got off on
killing and murdering his innocent victims through sadistic methods (Pardue, A., & Arrigo, B.
A., 2008). The abnormal personality in which Dahmer developed over his lifetime gave
extensive knowledge and understanding to researchers and the public alike as to why Dahmer
had done the things he did to so many young men. This paved waves for all researchers alike to
become motivated to look further into the extension of his psychopathy to get a clear picture of
what his motivations were. The case study of Dahmer has been an instrumental one to give light
to further implications of research towards the understanding of other individuals similar to
Dahmer (Pardue, A., & Arrigo, B. A., 2008).
Dahmer’s Personality
Throughout the years of the 80s and the 90s, Dahmer murdered many young men
throughout the state of Wisconsin. The victims in which Dahmer chose were from AfricanAmerican descent and all were homosexual individuals as himself (Pardue, A., & Arrigo, B. A.,
2008). That is how he lured his victims into his apartment, was due to their sexuality in which
they shared. Dahmer murdered his victims in a gruesome and sadistic sexual nature while
exhibiting no remorse or guilt. Those have been deemed to be a psychopath or have psychopathy
tendencies, don’t feel for anything except for themselves and even then, it is hard for researchers
to explain as to why this is (Pardue, A., & Arrigo, B. A., 2008). Psychopaths are sadistic murders

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who manipulates, connives, and takes advantage of those who are more vulnerable and blind to
their nature.
The Childhood of Dahmer
Dahmer was born in the small town of Milwaukee in 1960. During the younger ages of
his life, his parents and those close to him witnessed psychopathic tendencies but never thought
beyond them. Dahmer was a loner throughout his entire life, he was never sociable and would
always stay to himself. Dahmer had stated once that he had felt as if his family had neglected
him (Davis, 1998; Drukteinis, 1992; Stubel, 2007; White, 2007). Due to his father practicing
chemistry, Dahmer grew a large interest in the field of science. He became fascinated by the site
of dead animals while sometimes bringing home road kill. Growing curious about how the
insides of animals looked, he would dissect them while disposing of their bodies or either
preserving their bodies in fluids for future looks (Pardue, A., & Arrigo, B. A., 2008).
Some believe that it was also likely that not only did he dissect dead animals, but that his
obsession grew into the torturing of animals in later stages (Davis, 1998; Drukteinis, 1992;
Stubel, 2007; White, 2007). Researchers have stated that those who conduct such behaviors on
animals at such a young, paves a way of future criminal behaviors and that those individuals
become strongly correlated with that of a psychopath. Violent fantasies, torturing animals,
setting fires to different things, and lying all of the time were true signs of Dahmer being a
psychopath. However, in his childhood, nobody truly realized the extent of Dahmer’s behaviors
to try and prevent future implications of murder and sadistic raping (Davis, 1998; Drukteinis,
1992; Stubel, 2007; White, 2007). If his behaviors were taken more serious at an earlier stage in
his life, then maybe Dahmer could have been helped to develop healthier behaviors and
emotional regard for others.

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For perpetrators like Dahmer, it has become apparent that most have indicated they
endured sexual abuse at some point in their lives (Purcell, C. A., 2001). Unfortunately, this type
of abuse for one to endure at such a young age the sexual experiences and traumatic issues in a
family setting leads way for my violence to occur. In a study in the year of 1988 conducted,
indicated that out of a total of 36 murders, it was found that over 40% of them had been
neglected at a young age, over 70% of them were abused mentally, and nearly 40% experienced
some sort of sexual abuse (Youngstrom, 1991). The children who endure such violence at earlier
ages tends to create fantasy relationships to substitute those who are hurting or abusing them.
Dahmer did just this and took it as far as inventing individuals to relieve his antisocial patterns of
behaviors.
Dahmer’s Murders
Dahmer was a fantasizer and luster that had developed sadistic and sexual experiences
not only his mind but made them real through his victims. The mind of Dahmer had become out
of control, so far that he kept his victims’ bodies in his apartment for fear of letting them go.
Dahmer only confessed to have killed 17 young men, but researchers believe there were more
(Davis, 1998; Drukteinis, 1992; Stubel, 2007; White, 2007). The scrutiny of his crimes leads
them to believe he couldn’t have just stopped at 17. The mutilation and cannibalism he practiced
on his victims, was far different than the typical serial killer. Once he was done with his killing,
he would snap photos of the dismembered body while keeping those parts as souvenirs (Davis,
1998; Stubel, 2007; White, 2007).
The victimology profile of Dahmer was quite apparent. He had only targeted young
homosexual African-Americans (Davis, 1998). Although with the racial concepts, it was never
understood as to why he chose African-Americans. As Dahmer grew confidence in himself, he

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went from victimizing and murdering small structured men to developing a need for more
stronger and larger men. The category in which researchers put Dahmer is that of an organized
offender. He knew exactly what he was going to do, how he was going to conduct his heinous
crimes, and where he was going to choose his victims. He calculated his every move during his
crime sprees (Davis, 1998; Drukteinis, 1992; Stubel, 2007; White, 2007).
The Capture of Dahmer
Dahmer was finally caught in the year of 1991. However, if the police would have
conducted a more thorough investigation to his arrest prior, they would have caught him earlier
on before more murders took place. At this arrest, he was convicted of sexually assaulting a 13year-old boy and found guilty of the charges of 2nd-degree sexual assault (Davis, 1998). It wasn’t
until his last attempt at murder was that he finally was apprehended. Edwards was being
handcuffed by Dahmer in his apartment when he finally realized that something was going
wrong (Martens, W. H. J., 2011). He then escaped and fled the apartment while explaining to an
officer that Dahmer was trying to threaten him with a knife. When the officers showed up at
Dahmer’s apartment, they found many p...