Coping with Monsters II: Dahmer & the Search for Monsters in the Shadows
Was Dahmer born evil? Were his twisted fetishes to blame? What if monsters are hiding among us?
Monsters walk among us and it is only a matter of time before they attack. Some people are evil. Evil has been defined as “the most severe condemnation our moral vocabulary allows.” In contrast, others argue that tragic circumstances can make ordinary people into monsters (see Part I). If monsters were not real, how could we explain horrendous crimes like those of Jeffrey Dahmer, who lured men to his apartment to murder, violate, and cannibalize. For those who think monsters are born it is paramount to identify them so tragedies can be averted.
Netflix’ Dahmer has revived the debate as to why he killed. Those who think that monsters are born have criticized the show, because it “blames everything from Dahmer’s home life, to alcoholism, to internalized homophobia for his transformation into the titular monster.” In this essay we explore the arguments made by those who insist that “serial killers aren’t [likely] made”.
Carlyn Beccia gives a provocative overview of different physiological factors which could make an individual more likely to be violent. These include brain lesions and trauma, genetic predisposition, and environmental influences. Dahmer’s father recalls Dahmer changing from a regular kid, into an odd and withdrawn child, after an operation for a double hernia, and a brain injury. According to Beccia, latest research links brain injuries to increased violent behavior. There is also scientific uncertainty regarding the long term effects of anesthesia on developing brains. Other biological factors include genetic variants.
Beccia discussed the MAOA gene, also known as the “warrior gene”, which has generated controversy in the scientific community. Some research links a variant of this gene to an increased likelihood of violent and aggressive behavior. However, with one third of the population carrying changes in this gene, the portion of humans engaging in violence would be expected to be much higher than it is. Thus, it is unlikely that a MAOA variant is strongly responsible for violent behaviors. Several of these factors could be important in influencing whether someone commits acts of violence. Most organism’s characteristics are a result of interactions between genes and environment. Hence behavioural propensities are also likely to be a product of this interaction.
Dahmer’s mother was heavily medicated while pregnant for emotional distress, which some argue spoiled the uterine environment in which he developed. She took many medications which included barbiturates and morphine which could have affected the developing embryo. Therefore dampening his ability to sympathize and fully understand the consequences of his actions. The show depicts Dahmer’s mother’s use of medication. In chapter 8, Dahmer’s father confronts his ex-wife after a hearing, demanding her to take responsibility over his son’s actions, blaming her and the amount of pills she used to take. His mother’s medications could have interfered with his physiology. Alternatively, concerns can be raised about doctors prescribing treatments that could unwittingly impact developing embryos. Nevertheless, many other women received these treatments and their children developed into well-functioning adults.
Dahmer’s brain was cremated, and therefore it is impossible to determine whether these medications had an effect. What we do know is that he had very twisted fetishes. Dahmer’s sexual proclivities have been pointed out as a critical factor in his urge to kill. A newspaper article published in 1992 reported that one of the psychiatrists that examined Dahmer believed his main motive behind killing was the longing for a “live” homosexual partner, which would explain why — according to this psychiatrist — he attempted to keep them alive by turning them into “zombie sex slaves” via rudimentary lobotomies (see our blog for an upcoming story about this). This desire, mixed with his other sexual deviations, such as necrophilia, made him commit horrible crimes to fulfill his sexual needs.
In Netflix’s Dahmer, chapter 3, Jeffrey is shown masturbating to climax when picturing a memory of him cutting open a fish and removing its insides, whereas, moments prior, he failed to get aroused looking at a Playboy magazine. Nonetheless, people with unusual sexual interests do not always carry them out. Some individuals act their fantasies with other consenting adults, and others seek help if they think that these may be harmful. It is unknown whether people are born with certain fetishes or if these are products of their experiences.
Bev Potter thinks that killers are likely born. Potter discussed a study from 2019 that examined individuals who have committed crimes and found those imprisoned for homicide have brains with reduced grey matter. This explanation is alluring because it is observable, measurable, and logical. Nevertheless, even if we assume the conclusions to be correct, it still generates questions. Can childhood experiences (or adult ones) affect the development of gray matter? Are there individuals with reduced gray matter who are not violent? And if so, what is different about them? The view that killers are born also diminishes the opportunity for reform. Alternatively, it could present opportunities for medical interventions which could cure these individuals.
One writer defined evil as the “absence of the emotional qualities that make a person human”. Calling Dahmer evil may help us sleep at night, but it does not help in understanding why he killed. It does not save any of his victims. It brings no peace to their relatives, and it does not help us prevent more killings. Our ability to prevent these kinds of crimes depends on our ability to understand why these happen. We should emphasize that efforts to explore the factors that contributed to Dahmer’s killings should not excuse his actions.
In an effort to either prevent crimes or to solidify their grip, many states have, at one time or another, approached crime as if it was a medico-scientific problem. There are interesting and similar implications regardless of killers being born or made. Nation states have historically taken several approaches to deal with those outside of what they have defined as normal. In several cases certain individuals were perceived as threats. A greater understanding of monsters raises an intriguing dilemma about what to do with individuals who have the constellation of characteristics that are associated with committing certain kinds of crimes. What do we do with a person who is yet to commit a crime but has the telltale signs of a violent criminal? In the past states have surveilled, segregated, separated, sterilized, and eliminated certain groups of people.
We will explore these efforts in future posts.
Lucas Heili & Christian Orlic collaborated on this story. They are co-authors.
Originally published on Medium.