A Psychoanalytic Lens Into Richard Ramirez’s Psychopathy. Jeremiah Adames. CRIM 2210: Criminology. University of Massachusetts Lowell Professor AnaCristina. 4/18/2024. Abstract Agnew’s general strain theory (1992) and Bandura’s social learning model (1997) can associate a serial killer’s upbringing and learned environment with the development of antisocial behaviors and mental disorders. Richard Ramirez was an infamous serial killer who carried many titles: child predator, rapist, sodomist, and Satanist. His deranged past and abusive experiences have a large impact on Ramirez’s psychopathy and gruesome actions that later led to his death row sentencing. Keywords: Richard Ramirez, antisocial behavior, psychopathy, general strain theory, …show more content…
While Ramirez spent the majority of his life in prison, criminologists and psychologists sought to discover more about Ramirez and his psychology. Why was he so ruthless? Researchers proposed there had to be more to his story, yet Ramirez refused to give the public what they wanted (Piccotti, 2023). Michael Stone, a renowned psychiatrist, revealed that Ramirez had schizoid personality disorder and was a “made psychopath” (Stone, 2007), implying that his experiences and environmental influences were associated with the development of his insanity. Interestingly enough, Ramirez acknowledged that everything he did was wrong and unethical. He hid himself in the shadows before initiating his massacres with the knowledge that he could not do these acts in public and without anyone knowing his identity. Yet, he continued with the hopes