Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Clinical

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Ted Bundy and The Unsolved Murder Epidemic

  • 410 Accesses

Abstract

Clinical examines the broad concept of clinical disorder in the behavioral sciences that is essential for not only understanding Bundy’s psychopathology, but also for recognizing that given the extremity of these conditions, it is virtually impossible that severe conduct problems were nonexistent prior to the official 1974 to 1978 murder career. The personality disorder of psychopathy, which Bundy and sexual homicide offenders like him clearly instantiated, is used to highlight the concept of clinical disorder as well as provide a foundation upon which to understand his emotional and behavioral dysfunction. There is ample convergent validity between psychopathy and the most pathological forms of criminal offending. In many respects, the specific clinical features of psychopathy facilitate an instrumental, relentless, and remorseless mode of offending that produces far more victims than law enforcement authorities are aware of, and that are ever reported missing.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bundy v. State, 455 So.2d 330 (1984).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleckley, H. M. (1941). The mask of sanity: An attempt to clarify some issues about the so-called psychopathic personality. The C. V. Mosby Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coid, J., Yang, M., Ullrich, S., Roberts, A., & Hare, R. D. (2009). Prevalence and correlates of psychopathic traits in the household population of Great Britain. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 32(2), 65–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeLisi, M., Angton, A., Vaughn, M. G., Trulson, C. R., Caudill, J. W., & Beaver, K. M. (2014). Not my fault: Blame externalization is the psychopathic feature most associated with pathological delinquency among confined delinquents. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 58(12), 1415–1430.

    Google Scholar 

  • DeLisi, M., Drury, A. J., & Elbert, M. J. (2021). Psychopathy and pathological violence in a criminal career: A forensic case report. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 60, 101521.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeLisi, M., Vaughn, M. G., Beaver, K. M., & Wright, J. P. (2010). The Hannibal Lecter myth: Psychopathy and verbal intelligence in the MacArthur violence risk assessment study. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 32(2), 169–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. D. (1991). Manual for the psychopathy checklist-revised. Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kendall, E., with a contribution from Molly Kendall. (2020). The phantom prince: My life with Ted Bundy (updated and expanded edition). Abrams Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruh, I. P., Whittemore, K., Arnaut, G. L., Manley, J., Gage, B., & Gagliardi, G. J. (2005). The concurrent validity of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory and its relative association with past violence in a sample of insanity acquittees. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 4(2), 135–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larsson, H., Andershed, H., & Lichtenstein, P. (2006). A genetic factor explains most of the variation in the psychopathic personality. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115(2), 221–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lilienfeld, S. O., & Andrews, B. P. (1996). Development and preliminary validation of a self-report measure of psychopathic personality traits in noncriminal population. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66(3), 488–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michaud, S. G., & Aynesworth, H. (1999). The only living witness: The true story of serial sex killer Ted Bundy. Authorlink Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michaud, S. G., & Aynesworth, H. (2019). Ted Bundy: Conservations with a killer: The death row interviews. Sterling.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, P. (2018). Defending the devil: My story as Ted Bundy’s last lawyer. Echo Point Books & Media.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, C. J. (2010). Conceptualizing the psychopathic personality: Disinhibited, bold, … or just plain mean? In R. T. Salekin & D. R. Lynam (Eds.), Handbook of child & adolescent psychopathy (pp. 15–48). The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, C., Fowles, D., & Krueger, R. (2009). Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: Developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 913–938.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rule, A. (1980). The stranger beside me. W. W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sleep, C. E., Weiss, B., Lynam, D. R., & Miller, J. D. (2019). An examination of the Triarchic Model of psychopathy’s nomological network: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 71, 1–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sullivan, K. M. (2009). The Bundy murders: A comprehensive history. McFarland and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trulson, C. R., Haerle, D. R., Caudill, J. W., & DeLisi, M. (2016). Lost causes: Blended sentencing, second chances, and the Texas youth commission. University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vaughn, M. G., Howard, M. O., & DeLisi, M. (2008). Psychopathic personality traits and delinquent careers: An empirical examination. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 31(5), 407–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaughn, M. G., Salas-Wright, C. P., DeLisi, M., & Maynard, B. R. (2014). Violence and externalizing behavior among youth in the United States: Is there a severe 5%? Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 12(1), 3–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viding, E., Blair, R. J. R., Moffitt, T. E., & Plomin, R. (2005). Evidence for substantial genetic risk for psychopathy in 7-year-olds. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46(6), 592–597.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viding, E., Jones, A. P., Frick, P., Moffitt, T. E., & Plomin, R. (2008). Heritability of antisocial behaviour at 9: Do callous-unemotional traits matter? Developmental Science, 11(1), 17–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolfgang, M. E., Figlio, R. M., & Sellin, T. (1972). Delinquency in a birth cohort. University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, N., Pickles, A., Sharp, H., & Hill, J. (2021). A psychometric and validity study of callous-unemotional traits in 2.5-year-old children. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Matt DeLisi

Authors
  1. Matt DeLisi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matt DeLisi .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

DeLisi, M. (2023). Clinical. In: Ted Bundy and The Unsolved Murder Epidemic. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21418-9_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21418-9_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-21417-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-21418-9

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation