Gerard John Schaefer Theories Based Upon Biology,

Gerard John Schaefer

Theories based upon biology, psychology, sociology, and socio-psychological observations and analyses have been formulated with the hopes are identifying factors that may influence and individual's behavior. In the case of prolific serial murderer Gerard John Schaefer, a psychological analysis of his behavior may be the best approach to better understanding factors that influenced his actions.

Gerard John Schaefer was tried and convicted for the murders of Susan Place and Georgia Jessup who were last seen on September 27, 1972. The remains of Place and Jessup were found in April 1973 and gave investigators cause to issue a search warrant to look for evidence tying Schaefer to their disappearance. The murders of Place and Jessup occurred while Schaefer was free on bond after being charged with false imprisonment and two charges of aggravated assault after he kidnapped, bound, and tortured/tormented Pamela Sue Wells and Nancy Ellen Trotter (Newton, n.d.). Schaefer is also suspected in the 1966 disappearances of Nancy Leichner and Pamela Nater, the 1969 disappearances of Leigh Bondies and Carmen Marie Hollack, the 1970 disappearances of Peggy Rahn and Wendy Stevenson, the 1972 disappearances of Belinda Hutchens, Mary Alice Briscolina and Elsie Lina Farmer, and the 1973 disappearance of Colette Goodenough and Barbara Ann Wilcox (Newton, n.d.). Items belonging to the aforementioned women, except Rahn and Stevenson, were recovered in April 1973 during a raid on Schaefer's mother's house. Furthermore, only the remains of Place, Jessup, Briscolina, Farmer, Goodenough, and Wilcox were ever found.

Schaefer is considered to be a mission-oriented killer, at first viewing women as whores and prostitutes and eventually coming to the conclusion that "indecent women and prostitutes should be destroyed for the welfare of society" (Newton, n.d.; Arrigo, 2006). Though Schaefer attempted to flaunt his power over people, such as his students while he was a teacher, or the issuance of superfluous traffic citations while he was a patrolman, there is little evidence to suggest that he was a power or control-oriented killer (Arrigo, 2006). Like many other serial killers, Schaefer was unable to hold down a job, getting fired from teaching positions twice while pursuing a teaching certificate, getting turned away from a seminary, working briefly as a security guard, and eventually becoming a patrolman (Newton, n.d.). While many serial killers are considered to have low education levels, Schaefer is said to have had an IQ of 130, obtained an Associates Degree in Business Administration, and was awarded a Bachelors degree in geography (Netwton, n.d.; Arrigo, 2006).

It may be theorized that the trauma-control model may be applied to Schaefer. Many of his murders may have been triggered by major events in his life. Though many of these events did not occur until Schaefer was an adult, it is important to note that a murder usually occurred after an event happened. For example, he reverted to practicing masochistic bondage on himself after breaking up with his first girlfriend, the murder of Bonadies occurred around the time his parents' divorce was finalized, Hollack's murder occurred soon after he was fired as a teacher for the second time, and he took a month-long tour of Europe and North Africa after his first wife filed for divorce; Schaefer alleges that he killed during his trip to Europe and North Africa and boasts to be the only serial killer to have committed crimes on three continents (Newton, n.d.).

In The Anatomy of Evil, Michael Stone (2009) argues that there are several factors that influence serial murderers. These factors are presented in a nature vs. nurture paradigm with occasional factors of unknown and/or mixed origin. The factors that Stone (2009) identifies as being of an individual's natural environment include mental illness with psychosis and mental illnesses without. Additionally, personality disorders are considered to be an inherent part of an individual's personality (Stone, 2009). The factors that are considered to be nurturing include parental physical abuse, parental abandonment or neglect, parental verbal abuse and humiliation, the death of a parent, the absence of a father or father-figure, the separation and/or divorce of parental units before the child is 16 years of age, being adopted, parental sexual abuse and seduction, and brain disease or damage (Stone, 2009). Factors of unknown or mixed origins include paraphilia, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, alcoholism, childhood conduct disorders, animal torture and arson, and rape or other sexual offenses that are committed in adolescence (Stone, 2009). Many of the aforementioned factors may have contributed to Schaefer's behavior. For example, Schaefer's father emotionally and psychologically abandoned Schaefer, choosing to devote all of his attention towards Schaefer's sister. There is also evidence to suggest that Schaefer was anti-social; many of his peers during high school do not recollect him engaging in any activities beyond the two sports teams he was a member of. Furthermore, Schaefer displayed anti-social behavior after he was apprehended by becoming a snitch in jail (Newton, n.d.).

Personality theories can be best applied to Schaefer as biological and environmental factors are difficult to attribute to having contributed to his behavior. Schaefer most likely suffered from anti-social personality disorder; supporting evidence includes his "failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors… deceitfulness…impulsivity…reckless disregard for safety of self or others…and consistent irresponsibility" (Arrigo, p. 23, 2006). It can also be theorized that his behavior was formed due to lack of parent-child interactions, as suggested by Carl Rogers, specifically interactions with his father who devoted his attention solely to Schaefer's sister (Arrigo, p. 22, 2006). Sigmund Freud's theories regarding psychoanalysis may also be attributed to Schaefer's behavior. There is evidence to suggest that Schaefer employed several psychoanalytic defense mechanism such as the repression of his fantasies when he was able to act them out with willing sexual partners, the displacement of frustrations over his parents' divorce, personal divorces, and loss of employment, and the possible projection of feelings and fantasies upon his victims (Arrigo, 2006). August Aichorn built upon Freud's psychoanalytic theories, theorizing that criminal behavior could be explained through latent delinquency. In the period of latent delinquency, the id goes unchecked and the subject has an underdeveloped superego. The notion of latent delinquency is still applicable today and is associated with "conduct disorder in adolescents and antisocial personality disorder in adults" (Arrigo, p. 32, 2006).