Charles Manson, Essay Example

This paper examines the concept of clinical psychopathic symptoms and how these relate to the convicted murder Charles Manson.  The paper considers the psychological implications of a child’s upbringing and how this may influence later adult life. The paper is structured into three distinct parts (1) Background to psychological theory in psychopathic symptoms (2) The events of Manson’s orgy of murders and the related psychological considerations and (3) Conclusions reached, how early childhood manifested itself in Manson’s psychological disorders.  The paper addresses the question – Might the outcome have been different if Manson had a normal childhood ?

Background

The concept of psychopathic symptoms is widely associated with that of ‘Anti Social Personality Disorder’.  ” Antisocial Personality Disorder results in what is commonly known as a Sociopath. The criteria for this disorder require an ongoing disregard for the rights of others, since the age of 15 years. Some examples of this disregard are reckless disregard for the safety of themselves or others, failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviours, deceitfulness such as repeated lying or deceit for personal profit or pleasure, and lack of remorse for actions that hurt other people in any way. Additionally, they must have evidenced a Conduct Disorder before the age of 15 years, and must be at least 18 years old to receive this diagnosis.”  (Derek Wood, 2010).   The symptoms are numerous but include the following main conditions:-

• Lack of Empathy –  They have no empathy for the pain of their victims and often feel contempt for them. They will take advantage of this distress condition and perceive it as a sense of weakness;
• Absence of Conscience –  They have at their core a deep seated rage.  They view others as victims or targets of opportunity. They express no feeling of guilt, shame or remorse for their actions;
• Violence –  Psychopaths exhibit a Jekyll and Hyde personality.  They can switch from a passive to a violent state and vice versa.  In this sense they are both dangerous and unpredictable.  ” Psychopath. We hear the word and images of Bernardo, Manson and Dahmer pop into our heads; no doubt Ted Bundy too. But they’re the bottom of the barrel — most of the two million psychopaths in North America aren’t murderers. They’re our friends, lovers and co-workers. They’re outgoing and persuasive, dazzling you with charm and flattery. Often you aren’t even aware they’ve taken you for a ride — until it’s too late.”  (Derek Wood, 2010).

” The crimes of psychopaths are usually stone-cold, remorseless killings for no apparent reason. They cold-bloodedly take what they want and do as they please without the slightest sense of guilt or regret. In many ways, they are natural-born intraspecies predators who satisfy their lust for power and control by charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence.”  (O’Connor, 2009).

The Charles Manson Murders

It is bizarre that Manson never carried out any murders but was sentenced to death on August 9th 1969 for commanding a series of ghoulish murders.  This included the actress Sharon Tate, eight months pregnant at the time, and Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, writer Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent.  Additional killings included the La Bianca killings in 1969 and that of Gary Hinman.  ” Forty years after that carnage the man responsible for the two-day murderous rampage in Southern California remains a household name synonymous with evil, hatred, even the devil.”  (NETTER, 2009).  Today Manson is 74 years of age and still remains behind bars, most probably for life.  His death sentence was commuted to that of life imprisonment.

Manson was a head of a cult group called ‘The Family’ who he incited to commit the murders.  The group became serial killers of the most savage kind brutally stabbing the victims multiple times, effectively ripping them to pieces.  These attacks were frenzied cold calculated murders. Manson had a particularly poor childhood and deprived parental upbringing ” His 16-year-old mother, Kathleen Maddox was promiscuous, a criminal, drank too much and failed to take care of her illegitimate child. Soon after his birth, Kathleen was briefly married to William Manson, and Charlie’s last name changed from Maddox to Manson. Kathleen grew up in a strict religious home and seemed to rebel against all she was taught. In 1940, she was found guilty of Strong Armed Robbery and sent to prison.”  (Montaldo, 2010).

Manson’s teen years saw him in and out of reform schools for a series of different crimes including theft, petty crimes etc.  Whilst at one of the reform schools he claimed he was repeatedly raped. ” In 1951 Manson’s criminal activity moved from state to more serious federal offenses after he was caught driving a stolen vehicle over state lines. For his crime, Charlie graduated from reform school to federal prison. He proved to be a less than model prisoner, with his first year resulting in eight assault charges”  (Montaldo, 2010).  ‘ I am only what you made me. I am a reflection of you. You made your children what they are…. These children that come at you with knives, they are your children. You taught them. I didn’t teach them. I just tried to help them stand up…. You can project it back at me, but I am only what lives inside each and every one of you. My father is your system…. I am only what you made me. I am a reflection of you.” Charles Manson.

Manson essentially manufactured his cult following into a gang culture that resembled a family of his design and manufacture.  This took the place of his absent family and he commanded this group who thought of him as some sort of ‘messiah’ figure. He controlled them at a time when a drug culture was most prevalent and this helped him to bend their wills in order to command these horrific events.  Motives for the murders ordered by Manson were said to include the following:

• Manson hated society and wanted revenge against it;
• Manson became obsessive about death and control;
• Manson believed Armageddon was imminent and that he would emerge as the leader of a new world order;
• The Family would be his instrument to rule this new world order.

Leslie Van Houten was a family member responsible for the death of Leon and Rosemary LaBianca, along with the fellow murders Patricia Krenwinkel and Tex Watson. She cited that it was Manson that incited her to murder through ” LSD, mind control methods used by Charles Manson, and brain washing”  (Montaldo, Leslie Van Houten, 2010). There is no doubt that Manson selected weak willed people who were addicted to drugs and as such could easily be bent to his will.  He created the environment whereby he was worshipped as a Messiah and guru like figure.  He isolated the group in order that he could brain wash them with his own form of indoctrination and as such get others to carry out his gruesome tasks that would inflict his own brutal form of revenge on society.  It was during this hippie revolution that the worst forms of hallucinogenic drugs like LSD were used.  These mind controlling drugs it is considered were used by Manson to gain control over his followers.  ” It appears that part of Manson’s own supply of  LSD may have come directly from the CIA. A new type of LSD known as “Orange Sunshine” was being used by the Manson Family immediately prior to the Tate-LaBianca murders according to Family member Charles “Tex” Watson, who wrote in his prison memoir that it was the use of Orange Sunshine LSD that finally convinced him that Manson’s violent, apocalyptic vision was real.   In addition, Tex Watson recounted in his testimony that Manson used other drugs such as “mescaline, psilocybin, and the THC.”  (Anon, 2010).

Manson was essentially a cold blooded, calculated and manipulative psychopathic killer. Whether or not he was mentally deranged as part of his upbringing is debateable.  The fact is that he knew precisely what he was doing, his murders were pre-meditated and he manipulated others to carry out his will.  There is no doubt that he was mentally unbalanced as part of his ‘Messiah’ like complex but from the psychological standpoint would this classify him as being insane ? The jury initially sentenced him to death but this was commuted when California abolished the death penalty in favour of life imprisonment.  ” Charles Manson has remained in the mainstream although in prison, psychiatrists want to study him, and others want to emulate him, but trying to understand him is truly impossible. Charles Manson has spent the majority of his life in prison but even today, bodies continue to be discovered and he continues to baffle the minds of everyone who crosses his path.”  (Daniels, 2009).

Gangs are often formed owing to dysfunctional family structures. This is applicable in the case of Charles Manson and his lack of a proper child upbringing. It equally applied to the many of his delusional and weak willed followers who had become easy victims as a result of hallucinogenic drug addictions ” Fatherlessness in America is at historically high levels. Four out of 10 children – an estimated 24 million – do not have their fathers present in their homes. Research shows that children from father-absent homes are more likely to do poorly in school or drop out; suffer from lower levels of self-esteem; get involved with drugs, alcohol and gangs; become teen parents; get into trouble with the law; or become incarcerated.”  (US Department of Education, 2001).

Conclusions

Manson was essentially mentally disturbed as a result of a broken home and lack of a proper family upbringing.  This manifested itself into a vengeful character that blamed society and one which he sought revenge against.  This is played out in his Messiah complex whereby he sees himself as a victim of persecution and subsequently considers himself as a redeemer of these people by some act of cleansing.  His family to be his instrument for carrying out these acts under his leadership and guidance.  There is no doubt that drugs like LSD equally played a considerable part in establishing paranoia within the group and they readily accepted Manson’s vision of reality.  This in turn translated into the brutality of the murders i.e. the slashing and mutilation of the victims.  ” Manson himself admits “I’m still a little five-year-old kid.” This is psychologically accurate:  Manson, like most other messianic cult leaders, is basically an abandoned, damaged, deeply hurt, angry, resentful, fearful little boy who feels unloved and unlovable. By becoming cult leaders, they receive the unconditional love, attention and acceptance from their followers they always craved. Here they can act out their infantile fantasies of omnipotence and control. ”  (Diamond, 2008).

Works Cited

Anon. (2010). Charles Manson — A Programmed Assasin Created by the CIA? Retrieved 4 15, 2010, from Charles Manson — A Programmed Assasin Created by the CIA?: http://www.freewebs.com/ufoscience/mindcontrol.htm

Daniels, I. (2009, 4 29). The Tangled Mind of Charles Manson. Retrieved 4 15, 2010, from Socyberty: http://socyberty.com/crime/the-tangled-mind-of-charles-manson/

Derek Wood, R. B. (2010). Profile of the Sociopath. Retrieved 4 15, 2010, from Profile of the Sociopath: http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html

Diamond, S. (2008, 5 8). Psychology Today. Retrieved 4 15, 2010, from Messiahs of Evil: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evil-deeds/200805/messiahs-evil-part-three

Montaldo, C. (2010). Leslie Van Houten. Retrieved 4 15, 2010, from About.com: http://crime.about.com/od/murder/p/leslievanhouten.htm

Montaldo, C. (2010). Profile of Charles Manson. Retrieved 4 14, 2010, from About.com: http://crime.about.com/od/murder/p/charliemanson.htm

NETTER, S. (2009, 4 7). Charles Manson Reign of Terror: 40 Years Later. Retrieved 4 15, 2010, from ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/MansonMurders/charles-manson-murders-shock-40-years/story?id=8266725

O’Connor, T. (2009, 1 12). Antisocial personality, sociopathy, and psychopathy. Retrieved 4 15, 2010, from APSU: http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/crim/crimtheory08.htm

US Department of Education. (2001, 8). Into The Abyss. Retrieved 4 15, 2010, from US Department of Education: http://faculty.missouristate.edu/m/michaelcarlie/what_I_learned_about/GANGS/WHYFORM/family.htm