Theory Discussed Attempt Explain a Real Criminal

¶ … theory discussed attempt explain a real criminal crimes. Gary Ridgeway America's notorious serial killers. Your assignment analyze Ridgeway's criminal life Hans Eysenck's theory Personality.

When considering Gary Leon Ridgway's (The Green River Killer) criminal case in the context of Hans J. Eysenck's theory on personality and crime, one is likely to observe a series of parallels between the murderer's personality and behavior and a series of events that occurred throughout his life up to the moment when he became a serial killer. Eyseneck considered that genetics plays an important role in shaping one's personality and this thus points toward the belief that Ridgway was probably influenced by biological factors when he put across criminal thinking. According to Eyseneck, individuals like Ridgway have a neurophysiologic structure that influences them to express certain attitudes when they come across particular circumstances.

While someone might be inclined to think otherwise consequent to consulting the theory, it would be wrong to say that Ridgway was born a criminal, as when considering Eysenck's theory, such a person respond to a complex set of neurobiological factors, environments, and ideas. These respective factors played important roles in making Ridgway consider that it would be normal for him to become a murderer. To a certain degree, Eysenck's theory can also be used in Ridgway's case when regarding matters from a psychological point-of-view. The theory promotes the idea of biology as a factor influencing individuals to become murderers. However, when considering all of the factors involved in the theory, psychology is particularly important in gaining a more complex understanding of the set of ideas that led to Ridgway becoming a serial killer (Putwain, & Sammons, 2013, p. 38).

Eysenck actually proposed a theory that would have probably been effective in finding Ridgway guilty before he continued to kill several other women. "Eysenck believed that a comprehensive theory of criminality must allow for the examination of the neurophysiologic makeup and the unique socialization history of each individual." (Doc 4) The theorist largely believed that many individuals involved in solving murders through understanding criminal thinking were wrong in ignoring the importance of hereditary factors and the environment that a killer lived in (Marsh, 2006, p. 64).

By focusing on Eysenck's theory, it appears that a neuroticism, as a temperament, might have influenced Ridgway to act. "Neurotic individuals are believed to achieve an emotional level quickly and then remain at that level for a longer amount of time than non? neurotic individuals." (Dechant) Ridgway's experience with prostitutes had infected him with a venereal disease and this triggered a criminal instinct. The emotional level he was at as a result of this incident had stayed with him for several years after it actually happened and influenced him to become a serial killer (Hadden & Luce, 2002, p. 59).

An extravert temperament was also a key factor that assisted Ridgway in becoming a cold-blooded killer. He required constant stimulation from the environment and could not stop consequent to killing one person. This is also supported by the fact that his marriage with Judith Mawson provided him with stimulation from a different environment, thus making him feel that it was not necessary for him to continue at the level he previously had. "Judith Ridgway said she thinks about the victims every day, the vast majority of whom were killed before she and Gary Ridgway were married. The rate of the Green River murders slowed dramatically after they were married." (Wife Of Nation's Worst Serial Killer Shares Her Story)

Eysenck emphasized that social factors can be essential in determining a person's likeliness to kill. Ridgway's early years involved an abusive mother who was obsessed with dominating her family and who was unhesitant about treating her children badly when they did something wrong. These acts made it increasingly difficult for the man to deal with external situations that put a lot of pressure on him. "The interplay between poor social conditioning and inability to comprehend such conditioning subsequently creates the criminal personality." (Marsh, 2006, p. 64) The violent episodes that Ridgway experienced during his childhood certainly reflected on his personality in later years. He was traumatized as a result of his mother's tendency to relate to him as being a person who was different and whom it was impossible to educate in accordance with conventional strategies. "She didn't want Ridgway to have any relationship with anyone and was never content with him." (Salvace, 2010, p. 17) This certainly shaped Ridgway's understanding of women and his later desire to harm them, as he likely tried to compensate for the suffering he experienced in his childhood.

A combination of factors led to Ridgway taking on attitudes characteristic to a murderer: he sought constant stimulation from the outside environment and expressed little to no interest in the consequences of his actions. Such personality dimensions convinced the Green River Killer that he needed to get his dose of crime, thus leading to him performing a series of murders during a short period of time.

It would be wrong to attempt to explain Ridgway's behavior by focusing on Eysenck's personality theory. Even with this, one can easily confirm the criminal theorist's thinking by analyzing Ridgway's background. The environments that the criminal encountered and the inherited factor both contributed to influencing him to murder women. Concepts like mother's attitude toward him, the fact that his first two wives cheated on him, and him contracting venereal diseases from prostitutes were essential in shaping his character. All of these factors influenced them to experience feelings of both hatred and appreciation with regard to women. From an early age he would look out the window and fantasize about having sexual relations with his mother. He would concomitantly think about hurting or even killing her and abusing her body, as she was apparently especially appreciative of her physical appearance. These concepts influenced him to think about women as being obsessed with their bodies and with his killings as providing him with the impression that he would step in and put an end to their tendency to make him feel underprivileged.