Sexual Psychopaths Sex offenders use sex as a vehicle to gain control over their victims by infl
Sexual Psychopaths Sex offenders use sex as a vehicle to gain control over their victims by inflicting pain and suffering. It is believed that the sexual involvement of many serial killers is a result of childhood experiences. According to Gebhard (1965), “It appears that fewer sexual psychopaths than other offenders were able to make good adjustments with their parents and their peers throughout their peers and throughout their childhood.” De Young (1982) notes that “the sadist sees the child victim as representation of everything he hates about himself as well as the dreaded memories of his own childhood.” Karpman (1954) notes similar characteristics of masochists: “Aggresive sexual crime symbolizes the inferiority feelings of the masochist and expresses his hostility toward the objects of his lust; these tendencies are integrated in the personality of the sexual psychopath as a result of long-standing emotional conflicts and stresses.” The offender, through violent acts, attempts to gain the control he or she has sought since childhood. As Stroller (1975) observes, “Many childhood defeats and frustrations feed into the dynamics of risk, revenge, and triumph.” The sexual psychopath who murders is often referred to as a “lust killer” or one who practices erotophonophilia. The notion of lust suggests one who possesses a particular urge not only to kill but to ravage the victim. Methods of killing vary widely among lust killers, as do the types of mutilations that may occur before or after the victim has died. In one case, an offender described his feelings about killing, focusing on the urge to mutilate and destroy his victims before he could find relief. -- source link