5-2 Final Project: Milestone Two Wendy Calleros Southern New Hampshire University PSY 310: Criminal Psychology September 28, 2023
5-2 Final Project: Milestone Two Demographic Summary: Aileen Wuornos is one of the most famous woman serial killers from the late 1980's. Aileen was born Aileen Carol Pittman on February 29th, 1956, in Rochester, Michigan. Wuornos's childhood was poor; she was the youngest of two siblings, and the adult figures in her life, such as her parents and grandparents, always subjected her to psychological, sexual, and emotional abuse. Wuornos's mother was only sixteen years old when she was born, her father a convicted child molester killed himself while incarcerated. Since the apprehension and suicide of Aileen's father, her mother could not effectively cope with being a single parent and the responsibilities that came with that. Wuornos's mother decided to abandon her and her brother Keith with their maternal grandparents. While in the custody of her grandparents, her situation was not any better. Her grandmother was an alcoholic and was physically abusive when under the influence, her grandfather raped Wuornos on multiple occasions and well as being mentally and physically abusive to her and her brother. At the age of fourteen she became pregnant after being raped by a family friend. Once her grandmother found out about her pregnancy, she was forced to leave the home, she then found shelter in a wooded area near her grandparents' home. Wuornos gave birth to a baby boy at a home for unwed mothers on March 23, 1971, and placed the child up for adoption (Wikipedia, 2023). After the birth of her son, she proceeded to engage in sex work to survive and once Wuornos entered adulthood, her life quickly spiraled out of control. Biological Factors:
Analyzing this case, one can assume that Wuornos' violent tendencies resulted from enduring constant mental, physical, and sexual abuse during her childhood. Although those are crucial factors to consider, there is also the possibility that she had hereditary factors from her biological father as he had psychological issues himself. This might have an influence in her lack of empathy, remorse, and poor control of her behavior. All these factors played an indirect role in Wuornos becoming a serial killer. Psychopathic traits can be hereditary and become predisposed to the individual's children (Hicks et al, 2010). Wuornos's mother also consumed alcohol during her pregnancy with her, therefore, it could have been a possibility that in the womb she could have endured dysfunction or damage to her central nervous system due to prenatal exposure to alcohol (Myers et al, 2005). This exposure could have contributed to her overly aggressive personality and behavior. Another factor may have been the sexual and physical abuse in the hands of her grandfather. Wuornos grandfather used her for his own sexual satisfactions, which could also be seen as hereditary. Wuornos targeted only specific men, the ones that may have reminded her of her grandfather. By examining Wuornos case from a biological standpoint, there are significant biological factors