Forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Stone, from Columbia University as studied murders that range from those that kill in self-defense to those that kill out of a jealous rage to psychopaths.
After conducting hundreds of interviews with murderers, he developed a “Scale of Evil” to help science understand killers and thus prevent this type of behavior.
The Scale of Evil takes into account neurological, environmental factors, personal histories and genetic factors to determine what drives a person to kill.
Here is Dr. Stone’s Scale of Evil with examples of famous cases of murderers included in each category.
Category 1 – Those who kill in self-defense and do not show psychopathic tendencies, also known as justifiable homicide.
Category 2 – Jealous lovers who, though egocentric or immature, are not psychopathic. These crimes as also referred to as crimes of passion.
Category 3 – Willing companions of killers with deviant personality who are impulse-ridden and have antisocial traits.
* Leslie Van Houten (associated with Charles Manson)
Category 4 – Those who kill in self-defense, but had been extremely provocative towards the victim.
Category 5 – Traumatized, desperate people who kill abusive relatives but lack significant traits of psychopaths and are genuinely remorseful.
* Martha Ann Johnson
Category 6 – Impetuous and hotheaded murderers without marked psychopathic characteristics.
* Robert John Bardo
Category 7 – Murderers that are highly narcissistic, but not distinctly psychopathic people with a psychotic core, who kill people close to them with jealousy as an underlying motive. Can be prone to stalking.
* Mark David Chapman (killed John Lennon)
* Marybeth Tinning
Category 8 – Non psychopathic people with underlying rage who kill when rage is ignited.
* Charles Whitman
Category 9 – Jealous lovers with psychopathic features.
Category 10 – Killers of people who were “in the way” to a desired objective. For instance, killing witnesses or those set to testify against you. These murderers are egocentric but not distinctly psychopathic.
* Susan Smith
Category 11 – Psychopathic killers of people “in the way.” Psychopaths display chronic immoral and antisocial behavior.
Category – 12 Power-hungry psychopaths who killed when they were cornered.
* Ervil LeBaron
Category 13 – These are psychopathic killers with inadequate, rage-filled personalities who snapped.
* Ed Gein
* Martin Bryant
Category 14 – Ruthlessly self-centered psychopathic schemers prone to stalking victims.
* John List
* Richard Farley
Category 15 – Psychopathic “cold-blooded” spree or multiple murders.
* Andrew Cunanan (killed Gianni Versace)
* Charles Manson
Category 16 – Psychopaths committing multiple vicious acts such as robbery or arson.
* Karla Homolka
* Myra Hindley
Category 17 – Sexually perverse serial murderers who rape with the primary motive of killing their victim to cover up their sex crime.
* Aileen Wuornos
* Ted Bundy
Category 18 – Murderers who torture but murder is their primary motive.
* Gary Ridgway (Green River Killer)
* William Heirens (Lipstick Killer)
Category 19 – Psychopaths driven to terrorism, subjugation, intimidation and rape, but stop short of murder.
Category 20 – Torture murderers with torture as the primary motive but they also have psychotic personalities.
* Joseph Kallinger
Category 21 – Psychopaths preoccupied with torture in the extreme, but not known to have committed murder.
Category 22 – Psychopathic torture murderers, with torture their primary motive, sexual homicide.
* Dennis Rader (BTK Killer)
* John Wayne Gacy (Killer Clown)
* Jeffrey Dahmer
* David Parker Ray
* Westley Allan Dodd
what real live people fit in category 21?
ReplyDeleteGreat and I have a neat present: How Much Is Home Renovation home addition cost
ReplyDelete