Ted Bundy and Freud's id, ego, and superego

¶ … Id, Ego, and Super-Ego of Ted Bundy

Sigmund Freud first introduced the concept of a structural model of the psyche in his 1920 essay "Beyond the Pleasure Principle" and further elaborated on in "The Ego and the Id." Freud claimed that the psyche was composed of three parts; the id was the set of uncoordinated instinctual trends; the ego was the organized, realistic part meant to balance the id and super-ego; and the super-ego was meant to play the critical and moralizing role of the psychic apparatus. While most individuals can be found to encompass traits that can be categorized into id, ego, and super-ego, some elements may be found to be corrupted or missing in individuals such as Ted Bundy.

The id, according to Freud, is present at birth and meant to help the individual ensure that their basic needs are met, putting the individual's needs before those of another. Freud believed that our pleasure principle was the driving force behind the id and wants whatever feels good at the time, regardless of realistic nature of the situation. For instance, it may be argued that the driving force behind Bundy's actions was the id. Bundy acted impulsively in the attacks against his victims, his actions, many times, appearing to be instinctual and reactive. Bundy's modus operandi included kidnapping his victims, often by pretending to be injured and in need of assistance, or by impersonating a police officer. Of the verified victims found, most were kidnapped, bludgeoned with a blunt object, raped, and killed. Bundy targeted women based on their appearance and it has been speculated that many of his victims resembled his first girlfriend.

The ego is formed through the interaction and socialization with others. The ego is based on the reality principle and recognizes that other people have needs that also need to be fulfilled. The ego also understands that submitting to the id can lead to self-destructive behavior. The ego is also subject to "defense mechanisms" that will help it mediate between the id and the super-ego. One defense mechanism present in Bundy's behavior is displacement. Displacement occurs when one directs threatening impulses on a less threatening target. Reports indicate that Bundy directed his attacks on middle-class, white females, between the ages of 15 and 25, many of who were college students. His victims are speculated to have resembled his first girlfriend, "Stephanie Brooks." After his relationship with "Brooks" ended in 1968, Bundy became depressed, dropped out of school, and began traveling east. Bundy had confessed that his first attempted kidnapping occurred in 1969, an indication that the termination of his relationship with "Brooks" may have been the trigger on his serial killing spree.