Ted Bundy Through the Developmental Psychology Lens
Case Study: Ted Bundy Through the Developmental Lens Ted Bundy was a notorious American serial killer known to be active between 1973 and 1978. Before his execution in 1989, Bundy confessed to over 30 murders, although the actual number is estimated from 26 to 35 or more. His modus operandi was to lure and bludgeon young women, and then strangle them to death. Bundy confessed to acts of rape, mutilation and necrophilia with his victims. He escaped twice from county jails prior to his final apprehension in 1978, and was executed by electric chair in 1989 in Florida.
Developmental History Bundy was born Theodore Robert Cowell on November 24, 1946, at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Burlington, Vermont. He lived with his mother and grandparents near Philadelphia during early childhood. The identity of his father is unknown, although his mother described being seduced by a war veteran. To avoid the social stigma attached to being an unwed mother, his grandparents claimed him as their son. Bundy reportedly grew up believing that his mother was his older sister, and likely did not learn the truth about his biological parents until high school or later. His grandfather was known to be temperamentally volatile, abusive toward animals, authoritarian, and a consumer of pornography. Bundy later reported a strong early attachment to him (Rule, 2009). Bundy’s mother moved to Washington in 1950, married, and had four more children. Ted spent a great deal of time babysitting and remained detached from his stepfather emotionally, often scorning the Boy Scout camping trips arranged by his stepfather in favor of isolation, preferring reading and listening to radio talk shows. The Bundy family lived in a middle-class neighborhood in Tacoma, Washington, and was of modest economic means. His mother worked as a secretary and his step-father was a cook at an Army Hospital, and together they picked beans in nearby fields on weekends to supplement their
Developmental History Bundy was born Theodore Robert Cowell on November 24, 1946, at the Elizabeth Lund Home for Unwed Mothers in Burlington, Vermont. He lived with his mother and grandparents near Philadelphia during early childhood. The identity of his father is unknown, although his mother described being seduced by a war veteran. To avoid the social stigma attached to being an unwed mother, his grandparents claimed him as their son. Bundy reportedly grew up believing that his mother was his older sister, and likely did not learn the truth about his biological parents until high school or later. His grandfather was known to be temperamentally volatile, abusive toward animals, authoritarian, and a consumer of pornography. Bundy later reported a strong early attachment to him (Rule, 2009). Bundy’s mother moved to Washington in 1950, married, and had four more children. Ted spent a great deal of time babysitting and remained detached from his stepfather emotionally, often scorning the Boy Scout camping trips arranged by his stepfather in favor of isolation, preferring reading and listening to radio talk shows. The Bundy family lived in a middle-class neighborhood in Tacoma, Washington, and was of modest economic means. His mother worked as a secretary and his step-father was a cook at an Army Hospital, and together they picked beans in nearby fields on weekends to supplement their