Theodore (Ted) Bundy

Motivational Model of Sexual Homicide and Theodore (Ted) Bundy

For our exploration of Stage three of the FBI’s motivational model for sexual homicide, we will explore the inner mental life of one of the U.S.’s most notorious and infamous serial killers, Theodore Bundy.
Theodore Bundy is often used as the best example for an organized serial killer. The various lures he used, his specific focus on victim type, and his ability to elude investigators (his multiple escapes alone raised his profile and allowed him to select numerous more victims) have made him one of the most studied murderers of our time. His charm and bright future made his acts all that more mysterious. At the end of his life, he blamed his murderous addiction on exposure to pornography, although it is difficult to know if he was sincere in his explanation of his own behavior.
It is important to include all stage 3 information page 70 of the Ressler Text, as well as reading all of Chapter
Remember to only include material pertinent to stage 3. Resist the urge to foreshadow, preview, or summarize. This is only one stage of the paper.

There are really two distinct sections to Stage 3 of the motivational model:

The first set examines his personality for evidence of critical personality traits : Social Isolation, Preference for autoerotic activities, fetishes, rebelliousness, lying, and a sense of entitlement. Use examples from Ted’s life to support the existence or absence of each of the above 6 sets of traits.

The second section, Cognitive Mapping, has you empathize with Mr. Bundy in order to delve into his internal mental states. Four major parts, Structure, Internal Dialogue, Themes, and Kinesthetic Arousal Levels. The internal dialogue section requires you to state what you think Ted thinks about the world he finds himself in, and how he organizes interpersonal experiences. Themes and Kinesthetic Arousal Level parts have you examine his crimes for direct evidence of arousal escalation, and the more precise nature of his power driven fantasy.
A couple of basic hints to assist you in your analysis of Mr. Bundy :

Why was there such a great similarity in all of his earliest victims, and what does that tell you about the formative events in his adolescence which may have contributed to his murderous fantasy which he repeatedly brought to life ?

What is his attitude towards women, and why might that negative viewpoint developed ?

What did Ted think about the police and other law enforcement agencies who were trying to take him down ?

When the earliest evidence that Ted had a rich internal fantasy world to live within ?