I have always been curious about the mystery behind the minds of serial killers. For this reason, in my writing, I try to analyze Jeffrey Dahmer’s past and the possible reasons behind his murders.
This article contains content that may be triggering in terms of murder, cannibalism, and sexuality. If you are sensitive to these topics, it is recommended that you refrain from reading it.
Who Was Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer?
Jeffrey Dahmer (May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994) was an American serial killer and sexual predator who had a known criminal history as the “Milwaukee Cannibal” or “Milwaukee Monster.” Although Dahmer was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and psychosis, he was found legally sane.
Criminal Profile And Victims
Between 1978 and 1991, Dahmer murdered 17 boys and men; most of his victims were Black and Hispanic. Dahmer usually selected his victims from public places such as gay bars, bath clubs, and bus stops. Dahmer hid his murders for many years.
Details About His Murders (May Be Triggering)
Dahmer’s crimes were not limited to murder; they also included necrophilia, dismemberment, and cannibalism. In his statements, he said that he ate parts of some of his victims’ bodies, boiled their bones, and kept their skulls as “souvenirs.”
Family Structure And Early Development
Dahmer grew up in a middle-class family. His family was chaotic and emotionally unstable.
His Mother’s Pregnancy And Drug Use
His mother, Joyce, experienced severe seizures and emotional crises during her pregnancy, during which she used barbiturates and morphine. Joyce took approximately 26 pills a day. His father, Lionel, stated that he believed the drugs may have affected Dahmer’s brain development.
So how might these drugs have affected Dahmer? Barbiturates and morphine can cross the placenta. Barbiturates can cause attention problems, learning difficulties, mild to moderate intellectual disability, behavioral regulation problems, and psychosocial maladjustment. The use of these drugs may have contributed to Jeffrey’s inability to control his impulsivity.
His Father’s Dark Thoughts
In his book, Lionel confessed that he had similar thoughts to Jeffrey when he was young. He wrote that he had contemplated murder, fantasized about it, and was obsessed with fire and explosives. This raises the possibility of genetic and psychological predisposition.
Surgery And Personality Breakdown
Lionel Dahmer argues that the hernia surgery Jeffrey underwent at around the age of four caused a significant break in his personality. He noted that Jeffrey, who was more outgoing and cheerful before the surgery, became withdrawn, shy, and emotionally numb after the surgery.
This age period coincides with the phallic stage (3–6 years) in Freud’s psychosexual development theory. According to Freudian theory, physical interventions or surgical experiences during this stage can trigger a fear of losing bodily integrity in children. Failure to resolve such anxiety can lay the groundwork for fixations and symbolic compensatory behaviors in the individual’s subsequent developmental stages.
In this context, Dahmer’s later behavior of preserving his victims’ bodies, particularly their genital areas, can be interpreted at a theoretical level as an attempt to control bodily integrity and compensate for its loss. However, this explanation does not establish a causal relationship; it is merely a symbolic interpretation within a psychoanalytic framework.
Domestic Conflict And Emotional Neglect
There were frequent arguments at home, sometimes escalating into fights that involved physical threats. His father, Lionel, expressed that he escaped this environment by devoting himself to his work, while his mother was going through a difficult period psychologically. Jeffrey became an “invisible child” in this family.
This feeling of invisibility may have paved the way for him to turn to inanimate objects rather than living beings and feed his inner urges there. Dahmer also stated in a program he attended with his father that he felt depressed by the worrying arguments between the couple and that he would go to the woods to brood when they fought. Leaving home to escape the family may have further intensified Dahmer’s feelings of isolation and abandonment.
Animals, Bones, And The Urge To Control
Dahmer, whose father was a chemist, examined dead animals with him from an early age, cleaned their bones, and stored them. Lionel Dahmer later stated that by encouraging this interest, he may have unwittingly contributed to his son’s descent into a dark path. He recounts how Jeffrey would find dead animals by the roadside and store them in the crawl space under the house. Jeffrey played with these bones, enjoying the sounds they made when he banged them together.
What his father initially saw as scientific curiosity gradually evolved into control, possession, and fantasy. His interest in examining and dissecting animals with his father can be seen as the first steps toward the dark world Dahmer would later develop.
Jeffrey Dahmer stated that these activities gave him a sense of power and control. He described his situation with these words:
“Maybe as a child, I had no control. It got mixed up with sexuality, and in the end, I did what I did.”
What if his father had noticed this dark side? Could things have been different?
Emotional Detachment And The Birth Of A Younger Sibling
When his younger brother David was born, Jeffrey was already isolated. With the family’s attention focused entirely on the new baby and his mother’s mental health, Jeffrey was completely immersed in his own world. He learned to mask his emotions during this period. Jeffrey, who was already invisible, became increasingly invisible.
Abandonment Trauma
When his parents divorced during his high school years, Jeffrey was left completely alone at home for a period of time. Lionel states that his mother taking his younger brother and leaving, and his own preoccupation with establishing a new life, caused him to forget about Jeffrey in that empty house, triggering his son’s “fear of abandonment” and leading him to commit his first murder during this period (the Steven Hicks case).
In his statements, Jeffrey confessed that he wanted to keep his victims with him for as long as possible, which is why he kept parts of their bodies. Perhaps Jeffrey fulfilled his desire for someone who would always stay with him in this way as a result of this abandonment trauma.
Furthermore, Jeffrey would drill holes in his victims’ brains and pour acid on them because he tried to create love slaves who would do anything for him. Since he did not see the relationship style he desired, where a couple strives for each other and does things for each other, Jeffrey may have subconsciously believed that he could not have such a relationship with living beings. Perhaps that is why he wanted slaves who would do anything for him without the concept of consent.
The Beginning Of Sexual Fantasies
Jeffrey says it started when he was 14 or 15 years old. He mentions that he thought about sexual fantasies intertwined with violence but did not tell anyone because he did not know how to explain them. Jeffrey also says he hid his homosexuality, and perhaps he could not explain it because such thoughts would not be accepted in the conservative middle-class environment he lived in. Perhaps this is why the fantasies he kept inside grew and became even more destructive.
Dahmer’s Pornography Consumption
Dahmer states that he was seeking satisfaction at that time and says he engaged in heavy masturbation to try to satisfy his fantasies. He states that at around 15–16 years of age, he had violent fantasies and tried to resolve his urges through excessive alcohol consumption, pornography, and masturbation.
According to studies, porn consumption that begins in childhood can lead to impulsivity, learning difficulties, and problems with memory and emotion regulation (Kang et al., 2020). As the frequency of porn use increases, thought control decreases, and difficulties with emotion regulation increase. Dahmer stated that he masturbated 3–4 times a day at that time. His pornography use may have laid the groundwork for him to feel an intense urge to act on his fantasies and be unable to control it. Dahmer also stated that pornography made him want his real fantasies even more.
These variables cannot be considered decisive factors on their own; however, they may be among the risk factors that could influence the emergence and persistence of the impulses in question.
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YouTube videos:
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