Sociological Analysis of Serial Killers: John Wayne Gacy and Jeffery Dahmer

The actions of serial killers shock many people, leading them to wonder why such individuals commit these heinous acts and what factors might make one killer more malicious than another. John Wayne Gacy and Jeffery Dahmer, two of the most infamous serial killers of the 20th century, can be analyzed through various sociological theories and tools, which work together to gauge the psychopathy of these killers and provide a well-supported explanation of their actions. These tools include Michael Stone’s gradations of evil, Robert Hare’s psychopathy checklist, James Fallon’s insights from his "Exploring the Mind of a Killer" TED talk, and Phillip Zimbardo's analysis of evil in his "Psychology of Evil" TED talk. By examining their lives and behaviors, we can gain a deeper understanding of Gacy and Dahmer.

Tools for Analyzing Psychopathy

Two sociological instruments that can be used to gauge the psychopathy of Dahmer and Gacy are Michael Stone’s gradations of evil and Robert Hare’s psychopathy checklist. Michael Stone’s gradation of evil assesses how evil a person is by examining criminal behavior. Gacy tortured, raped, and murdered his victims, while Dahmer, a necrophile, also tortured, raped, and murdered his victims, and even cannibalized them. Both Dahmer and Gacy fall under category 17 for sexually perverse serial killers, yet they also fit category 18 due to their torture of victims. In Stone's gradations, categories 17 and 18 fall under the sixth level of evil, with psychopathic features emerging at level three. Dahmer and Gacy surpass level three by three levels, indicating their psychopathy according to Stone’s method.

Dr. Robert Hare’s revised psychopathy checklist evaluates the number and extent of psychopathic behavioral and personality traits in Gacy and Dahmer, helping to determine the degree of their psychopathy and whether one was more psychopathic than the other. Hare's scoring system ranges from less than 20 for most ordinary people, 20 to 29 for borderline psychopathy, and 30 or above meeting the criteria for psychopathy (Hare, 1991). Personality traits in Hare’s checklist include glibness, superficial charm, a grandiose sense of self-worth, pathological lying, manipulation, lack of remorse, shallow affect, callousness, and a lack of empathy. Behavioral characteristics include a parasitic lifestyle, poor behavioral control, impulsivity, irresponsibility, juvenile delinquency, early behavior problems, a need for stimulation, and sexual promiscuity (Hare, 1991).

Testing these killers led to intriguing conclusions: Gacy scored a 24, while Dahmer scored a 31. Surprisingly, Gacy does not fully meet Hare’s criteria for psychopathy. Gacy scored lower because he showed no early behavioral problems or juvenile delinquency and had realistic long-term goals. However, these factors are less severe than others like glibness and criminal versatility, in which Gacy excelled. If anything, Gacy acted more psychopathic than Dahmer by being more manipulative and opportunistic, such as using his workplace employees as potential victims and deceiving his community into seeing him as an ordinary, friendly man.

Understanding the Causes of Evil

Psychologist Phil Zimbardo and neuroscientist James Fallon explain the causes of evil through their TED talks. James Fallon’s talk offers a biologically grounded approach, discussing the interplay of genetics, brain damage, and environment in creating evil people. Fallon states that a person must have temporal lobe damage and an MAO-A gene variant, which manifests when exposed to early-life stress and violence, to become a psychopath. Although not everyone raised in terrible environments becomes a serial killer, Gacy and Dahmer likely had temporal lobe damage and the genetic predisposition for psychopathy due to their turbulent early lives.

Phil Zimbardo uses the analogy of bad apples, bad barrel makers, and bad barrels to describe dispositional, systematic, and situational causes of evil in his TED talk, which aids in understanding Dahmer and Gacy. These serial killers were "bad apples" with evil dispositional features, evident from their positions in Hare’s gradations, high scores in Hare’s checklist, and the likelihood of having damaged temporal lobes and inheriting the MAO-A variant gene. The "bad barrel" metaphor represents situational circumstances that foster evil. For Dahmer and Gacy, their bad barrels were their early life experiences. Gacy was raised by an abusive, homophobic father who taunted him for being too girly (Crime and Investigation, 2020). Dahmer had no social life and distant parents preoccupied with their divorce rather than caring for him. Both were unfortunate to have terrible upbringings and the wrong genes, creating the right conditions for psychopathy. Dahmer faced systematic issues due to the stigmatization of homosexuality and mental health problems in the 1970s. Gacy’s psychopathy stemmed from his abusive, alcoholic father, whose temperament may have resulted from his World War I experiences, and prevalent negative views on homosexuality in the early 20th century.

Conclusions

The use of effective sociological tools and theories has enhanced our understanding of Gacy and Dahmer. However, Hare’s tool yielded an interesting result: Gacy does not meet the full criteria for psychopathy. In adhering to Hare’s checklist, one might conclude that Gacy was at least a sociopath. Stone might have described Gacy as a killer who “can be sadistic without being psychopathic.” These tools and theories don’t always provide clear-cut classifications for everyone, but it’s crucial to remember that even if a serial killer does not meet the criteria for psychopathy, it doesn’t make them any less of a threat to society and human life.

References

1. Crime and Investigation. (2020). John Wayne Gacy: The Killer Clown. Retrieved from https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/
2. Fallon, J. (2010). Exploring the Mind of a Killer. TED Talk. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/james_fallon_exploring_the_mind_of_a_killer
3. Hare, R. D. (1991). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. Multi-Health Systems.
4. Stone, M. (2009). The Anatomy of Evil. Prometheus Books.
5. Zimbardo, P. (2008). The Psychology of Evil. TED Talk. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil