The MacDonald Triad , formulated by John MacDonald in 1963 in The Threat to Kill .
In his work, MacDonald examined 100 patients who threatened to kill (two of them later realized their threats [2] ); 48 of them had psychopathology . He discovered that as a child, many patients with sadistic inclinations regularly tortured animals, set fires and urinated in bed after five years.
More recent studies have not found a direct statistical connection between this triad and violent crimes, however, many serial killers had signs of appropriate behavior [3] .
Appearance Mechanism
Such inappropriate childish behavior is often the result of impaired development of mechanisms for adaptation to stress loads. At the moment, the triad is not considered a predictor of criminal behavior, but is an indicator that the child is undergoing significant stress. Not all children with stress adaptation problems become serial killers, but there is a certain correlation. Thus, the MacDonald triad can serve as an indicator of the need to help a child with such problems [4] .
After the MacDonald triad, more accurate models were developed: a motivational model of sexual killings ( Eng. Motivational Model of Sexual Homicide , 1986) and a traumatic regulation model ( Eng. Trauma-Control Model , 2002) [4] .
Zoosadism
Animal cruelty is the most investigated of the three factors. Cruelty to animals is a way to escape despair and anger. Future serial killers, being unable to take revenge on those who humiliated them, crack down on the innocent and defenseless.
A study by Wright and Hensley showed that they usually subsequently kill people in the same ways that animals were killed in childhood [5] .
Pyromania
Arson is a less serious way to give way to despair and anger than tormenting animals, and is also a response to humiliation [6] .
Enuresis
Studies have not revealed a direct link between enuresis and serial killing. However, he is often a harbinger of arson and bullying of animals, as it can be a source of humiliation. This disease, and especially the inadequate reaction of the parents, can cause a person to psychological trauma, the memory of which can lead in the future to the desire for revenge for their grievances [6] . In particular, Andrei Chikatilo suffered from enuresis, for which he was constantly beaten by his mother.
Notes
- ↑ Macdonald JM The threat to kill (Eng.) // American Journal of Psychiatry : journal. - 1963. - No. 120 . - P. 125-130 . - DOI : 10.1176 / appi.ajp.120.2.125 . Archived October 30, 2010. (eng.)
- ↑ John Owen. Dead threats to psychiatrists (neopr.) // Psychiatric bulletin. - 1992. - No. 16 . - S. 142-144 . (eng.)
- ↑ Models V.A., Bogomolova S.N. Forensic Psychology. - M .: Unity-Dana, Law and Law, 2002. - 448 p. - 20,000 copies. - ISBN 5-238-00354-4 .
- ↑ 1 2 Danielle M. Buller, Katelyn McGinnis. The Buller-McGinnis Model of Serial Homicidal Behavior: An Integrated Approach // Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice Research & Education. - 2009. - T. 3 , no. 1 . Archived January 19, 2012.
- ↑ Wright, J., & Hensley, C. From animal cruelty to serial murder: Applying the graduation hypothesis (Eng.) // International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology : journal. - 2003. - No. 47 . - P. 71-88 . (eng.)
- ↑ 1 2 Singer, SD, & Hensley, C. Learning theory to childhood and adolescent firesetting: Can it lead to serial murder (Eng.) // International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology : journal. - 2004. - No. 48 . - P. 461—476 . (eng.)