Case Analysis: Aileen Wuornos Tiffin University Samantha M. Rippey

Do you believe a person’s genetics or environment most influence their psychological development (behavior, habits, sexuality, personality, etc.)? This is the nature versus nurture psychological debate. The nature argument believes that a person’s genetics determine their development. An example of this would be someone extremely successful in school crediting their academic success to a family of intelligent people (genetic predisposition). The nurture argument believes that people are products of their environment. If a child grows up surrounded by criminals and continuously observes their behaviors, it may not be a surprise when they enter a life of crime. It would be safe to say that they were a product of their environment.

Background Information Aileen Wuornos was an American serial killer who killed seven men in the state of Florida from 1989-1990. Aileen Carol Pittman was born in Rochester, Michigan on February 29, 1956. Her biological father was Lee Dale Pittman, who was a psychopathic child molester. Lee Pittman committed suicide by hanging himself in a prison cell in 1969. Unfortunately, Aileen never really got to know her father. Aileen had an older brother named Keith who was born in 1955. Aileen and Keith were abandoned by their parents in 1960 and adopted by their maternal grandparents, Lauri and Britta Wuornos. Aileen and Keith did not find out their grandparents were not their actual parents until they were pre-teens. Lauri was a strict disciplinarian who would often make Aileen strip naked and lie spread-eagle on the bed to receive her spankings. Aileen had several behavioral problems. Her short fuse temper made it difficult for her to maintain friendships. She often alienated friends. Aileen stole items and money from family and friends and played with fire. While in middle school, it was discovered that Aileen had hearing and vision issues which contributed to her troubles. School officials urged Aileen’s grandmother Lauri to get counseling but Lauri refused the intervention efforts. The school attempted to control Aileen’s behavior through a tranquilizer, which unfortunately did not work. During the next few years of Aileen’s life, tragedy fell on her family. Lauri Wuornos died of complications from alcoholism, Britta committed suicide, and Keith died of throat cancer. This left Aileen to fend for herself. At 14 years old, Aileen got pregnant and had a baby boy. She put him up for adoption soon after his birth. In 1976, Aileen moved to Florida where she met a wealthy man who she married. Aileen’s ways caused the marriage to end within two months. Lewis Fells, her husband had the marriage annulled.

Overview For the next ten years, Aileen prostituted, committed forgery, and theft. Aileen became despondent over her life’s circumstances; she tried to commit suicide several times. In 1986, she met a woman named Tyria Moore at a gay bar. They ended up falling in love. Aileen continued to prostitute herself out. She did this to take financial care of herself and Tyria. When they were unable to afford a hotel room, they often slept in the woods. Tyria would sometimes find housekeeping work, but for the most part was content with Aileen prostituting to support them. Aileen killed seven men in Florida while prostituting. All seven men had been shot with a .22 caliber pistol. Aileen claimed self-defense for each of the killings. She claimed each victim had assaulted, threatened, or raped her so the killings were self-defense. Tyria worked with police to get Aileen to turn her in. When Aileen’s case went to trial, the Defense had Aileen examined and it was determined that Aileen had borderline personality disorder. Her upbringing seemed to have ruined her. In January of 1992, Aileen stood trial for the murder of her first victim. She was found guilty. In March of the same year, she pleaded no contest to three more murders. For these crimes, she received three sentences to death. In June, she pleaded guilty to another murder. In early 1993, she pleaded guilty yet again to another murder. In total, Aileen received seven death sentences. Aileen Wuornos was executed on October 9, 2002 at 9:47am at the Florida State Prison.

External/Environmental Factors It is safe to say that a lot of Aileen’s issues came from the situations she had to deal with growing up. Her and her brother were abandoned and went to live with their grandparents. Many children have a safe haven while living with their grandparents. They are showered with attention and love. Unfortunately, Aileen’s situation while living with her grandparents was anything but that. Her grandmother Lauri was extremely strict and used torture as a form of punishment. Lauri was aware of Aileen’s behavioral and social issues, yet refused to get Aileen the help that she desperately needed. Aileen’s school even urged Lauri but to no avail. Aileen’s grandfather Britta committed suicide just like her father had. Her brother Keith passed away due to complications of throat cancer. This left Aileen to have to fend for herself. Aileen having to fend on her own led to situations that are not idea for anyone, especially a child who has lacked nurturing and social skills. A.Wuornos had to grow up to fast. She was a teen mom who put her son up for adoption. She was in and out of the criminal justice system as a youth due to committing crimes just to survive. She prostituted herself, which was dangerous for more reasons than one. Aileen often went from pillar to post, not even always having a place to call home. There were times she even had to sleep in the woods. This is a perfect example of the nature versus nurture theory. The nature versus nurture theory asks the questions “is a person’s behavior more influenced by genetics or environmental influences” and “is your personality the result of traits you have inherited or has it been shaped by your life experiences”? Many believe that a person’s personal experiences (nurture) are what shape them into the person they become. I feel that being a product of your environment (nature) shapes a person as well. It is safe to say that the environments that Aileen was in definitely shaped her and sheds light on why she was the way that she was. The Stage Theory of Moral Development is a theory that was developed by Carol Gilligan. This theory states, “The first stage of moral development is the child’s first sense of what is good for him or her. Young children follow the rules to get rewards and to avoid getting punished.” With the dysfunctional nature of Aileen’s family, it is extremely possible that there was a very thin line between right and wrong for her. It is hard to imagine the extent of the damage that was done to her internally due to her external and environmental factors.

Internal Factors Many things can be debated about A. Wuornos and her life. One thing that cannot be debated is the factors, both external and internal that shaped her into the person she was. Aileen experienced so much loss, and not just by death. Her losses seemed to be compounded by mental health issues, which had a profound effect on her. A Wuornos mental health issues were most likely inherited from her father. His mental health issues led to his committing suicide while he was in prison. It is safe to say that A. Wuornos was genetically predisposed to certain things because of the history of mental illness. It is of no surprise to me that violence was a constant in Aileen Wuornos’s adult life. Think of all the violence she was predisposed to. There is a genetic connection between what a person has been through in life and how that affects a person and the course of their life.

Theoretical Perspectives It can be difficult to explain and prove the link between the committing of a crime and why it was committed. Some crimes are committed for a reason and others committed for no reason at all. A. Wuornos’s future was predetermined before she was even born. As earlier stated, issues with substance abuse, anger, and mental illness were relevant within her immediate family. She was raised in homes where she was not shown moral values from her family. She was not raised to believe that she was worthy or special. She was not taught societal standards. The lack of these things was the perfect recipe for her to engage in the types of delinquent activities that she did. Between genetics and the environment she was born into, she was very likely to engage in criminal behavior (Nagin & Paternoster, 1994). The more I researched A.Wuornos the more certain theories stuck out. Cesare Lombroso was a criminologist who believed that criminal behaviors come from an instinct that predisposes a person to act out in deviant ways. Lombroso believed that biological factors destined that some people were going to behave criminally, no matter what other influences they may have. He deemed these people “born criminal.” This is the biosocial theory. The Biosocial Theory states that personality disorders, mental illnesses, and disabilities are biologically determined personality traits (Lombroso-Ferrero, 1972). Violent acts committed against children can have an adverse effect. Children who have violent parents are likely to be violent themselves (Spatz, Widom, 1989). Seeing aggressive behaviors and witnessing violence become a part of a child’s personality that carries from an early age into adulthood. A. Wuornos’s father was violent, as well as her grandparents. It is no surprise that she herself was violent as an adult, due to all she witnessed as a child. The Social Control Theory focuses on containment and neutralization. Containment looks at both the internal and external factors that tug a person toward and away from criminal behaviors. The internal factors include a person’s self-image, tolerance for frustration, ego and superego, being self-directed and goal oriented, and having a set of morals and ethics. The external factors are having moral values, support, positive role models, limits and responsibilities, and a sense of belonging. When containment is working well for an individual, the individual feels in control of their selves and are responsible for their own actions (Reckless, 1967). Neutralization is where those who are delinquent have their own set of personal ethics. Neutralization makes delinquents feel no ties to society’s values which give them a sense of freedom to commit whatever delinquent acts they may choose (Matza, 1964).

DSM diagnosis/Preventative treatments In my opinion, A.Wuornos suffered from psychopathy, a personality disorder characterized by antisocial behavior, lack of empathy and remorse, and bold behaviors. Assessments of psychopathic characteristics are widely used within the criminal justice system. This is despite there not being an actual psychopathy diagnosis in the Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). A.Wuornos met the criteria for two DSM-IV-TR (11) personality disorders. Based on her pattern of disregard for the rights of others, she met the criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). She started violating others at the age of fifth teen years old. In order for her to meet the diagnosis of ASPD, A.Wuornos had to meet three of seven behavior and emotional qualities. These qualities include: (1) failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behavior(s); (2) deceitfulness by lying, the use of aliases, and conning others for personal gain; (3) impulsive behaviors and failure to plan; (4) aggressiveness shown by repeated assaults; (5) reckless disregard for not only her safety but the safety of others; (6) consistent pattern of irresponsibility, failure to keep consistent work; and (7) lack of remorse. During her teen years, A.Wuornos was stealing, starting fires, and fighting which are symptoms or signs of Conduct Disorder (Meyers et al, 2005). She also met the DSM-IV-TR (11) criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), which is based off of a pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, and having an impulsive nature. Five of the nine criteria are to be met for this diagnosis. A.Wuornos met seven of these criteria: (1) frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment by manipulative suicide attempts; (2) pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships that alternated between different extremes (i.e. her 60 day marriage and lesbian relationship); (3) identity disturbance with an unstable self-image; (4) impulsive behavior (her promiscuity and substance abuse); (5) recurrent suicidal behavior; (6) intense mood swings; and (7) anger that is inappropriate, and difficult to control (Meyers et al., 2005). When we hear of circumstances such as A.Wuornos’s, one of the first questions asked is “what could have been done to prevent this?” Seven victims lost their lives through death but there was an eighth victim as well. That eighth victim is Aileen Wuornos. She suffered so much from an early age at the hands of her family. Family is supposed to protect you not hurt you. Perhaps if A. Wuornos had got the treatment she needed, maybe things would have turned out differently for her. Counseling and mental health treatment would have been an immense help, especially dealing with all that she had. In her young life, A.Wuornos experienced things that the average adult would not be able to handle. Imagine being a child and having to deal with those things. It makes you grow quick. It seemed that she searched her entire life for a real emotional bond and love. A.Wuornos experienced much loss and not enough love. When her brother Kevin passed away, she lost her only true ally. She also gave up her son who would have been a source of love for her. The emotional bond she was searching for, she found in Tyria. Part of the BPD diagnosis includes fear of abandonment. She had a strong fear that Tyria would leave her just like everyone else in her life that she had every cared about. Tyria eventually betrayed Aileen’s trust when she worked with the police to convince Aileen to confess to the murders. A.Wuornos died just as she had lived, alone (Macleod, 2002). Aileen Wuornos had serious issues. It is clear that she was dealt many low blows in her life, but that did not give her the right to commit murder. The only question that I am left wondering is did she deserve to die or should she have been put in a mental institution?
References
Nagin & Paternoster. (1994). Personal Capital and Social Control
Lombreso-Ferrero. (1972). Crime, Justice, and Society
Spatz & Widom. (1989). The Cycle of Violence
Matz. (1964). Delinquency & Drift
Reckless. (1967). Inner Containment & Delinquency
Macleod. (2002). Selective attention and emotional vulnerability