The Macdonald Triad Essay

The MacDonald Triad is an important piece of information that can possibly identify deviant behavior in juveniles that lead to serial killings in the future. The triad includes three ominous parts to it including; fire setting, enuresis, and cruelty to animals. A key element to the triad is large number of serial killers have admitted to experiencing and committing at least one aspect of the triad. Neglect and child abuse have all been concurrent with serial killers that have characteristics relating to the triad.

Fire setting is a method to release aggression. Juveniles that experience neglect and child abuse can start fires to counter act their feelings of abuse. It’s a method that helps them control their personal feelings of humiliation

Criminal psychologists have linked the humiliation of enuresis towards deviant behavior. Psychologists believe that if a parent shames and belittles the child for the act of bedwetting, that their frustration can lead towards fire starting and animal abuse.

The serial killer Jerry Brudos showed no characteristics of any part of the MacDonald Triad. He experienced countless moments of psychological abuse from his mother. She berated and humiliated him. Brudos didn’t show any true deviant behavior till his late teens. Brudos never started fires, wet the bed, or hurt animals. There was no indication that the abuse he experienced would lead to his deviant behavior as an adult according to the

The events these individuals experience when they’re young adolescents could be antecedents of their psychosis in adulthood. They’re multiple factors that must be considered when connecting harrowing childhood events and the material used when making a serial killer. Everyone experiences devasting life events, but they don’t necessarily shape anyone to become a serial killer. These individuals experience feelings of mistrust, anxiety, and low self-esteem. The timing and method in which the event occurred is imperative when trying to analyze how the event will affect the individual. If the individual cannot cope will stressful events such as divorce, sexual abuse, an unstable home life, and death it can lead to and cause abnormal behavior. Lashing out or substance abuse can be coping mechanisms of anyone experiencing trauma, but serial killers tend to have factors of biological and psychological deformities that also inhibit deviant behavior. A blend of substance abuse, mental illness, and environmental factors can produce the deviant behavior that can mold and shape a serial killer.

Trauma alone cannot be the predisposition of someone becoming a serial killer. It can be an insight of why the deviant behavior begins, like the Macdonald Triad. Both models alone cannot determine someone’s