1. Psychology Assignment presented by: Samantha Cécile

2. Introducing Aileen Carol Wuornos American Lesbian Serial Killer Born on 29th of February 1956 Start prostituting herself when she was 15 Killed seven men in Florida Was convicted and sentenced to death for six murders Was executed via lethal injection on 9th of October 2002

3. Aileen’s Childhood Her Mother, Diane Pratt, was 15 when she married Aileen’s Father Leo Pittman. Aileen had an elder brother named Keith Less then two years into marriage and two months before Aileen’s was born, Diane filed for divorce. Aileen’s dad was a child molester who spent most of his life in and out of prison.

4. Aileen never met her father for he was imprisoned for the rape and attempted murder of an 8 year old boy at the time of her birth Her father hanged himself in prison in 1969 In January 1960, Diane (Aileen’s mother) abandoned her children, she left them with their maternal grandparents –Lauri and Britta Wuornos. So they were legally adopted on March 18, 1960 by the Wuornos family and took their surname.

5. Her grand parents were abusing her as they were themselves alcoholics On July 7, 1971 Britta Wuornos (Aileen’s grandmother) died of liver failure She dropped out of school at a very early age From the age of 12, Aileen began to engage in sex with multiple partners (including her own brother) At 14, she became pregnant (she claimed the pregnancy was a result of being raped by an unknown man)

6. She gave birth in a Detroit home for unwed mothers on March 23, 1971 She had a son who was placed for adoption At age 15, Aileen’s grandfather threw her out of the house So, she began to support herself as a prostitute while living in the woods near her old home. (RAPED AND ABUSED)

7. In 1976, Aileen hitchhiked to Florida, where she made where she met 70-year- old yacht club president Lewis Gratz Fell They got married the same year However, Aileen continually involved herself in confrontations and was sent to jail for assault She also hit Fell with his own cane, leading him to get a restraining order against her and they divorced soon after that.

8. Early Criminal Career On May 27, 1974, Aileen was arrested in Jefferson County, Colorado for Drunk Driving, Disorderly Conduct, and Firing a 22-caliber from a moving vehicle She was later charged with failure to appear

9. A month later, she met a lesbian Tyria Moore in a gay bar and they moved in together They became lovers and Aileen kept prostituting herself to support each other Aileen killed these men by shooting them 6 to 7 times, and she robbed them of their belongings (Tyria was aware of that), and was once witness for her girlfriend She convicted and was sentenced to death via lethal injection

10. ATTACHMENT THEORY by Harlow & Bowlby  Aileen had no SECURE BASE ATTACHMENT as a CHILD She never had an affectionate bond with her parents Her mother abandoned her and she never knew of her father She might have been raped by her brother She was ill treated by her grand parents, her grandfather kicked her out She was raped at 14 (stranger) and got pregnant

11.  NO SECURE BASE ATTACHMENT as an ADULT also She had several sexual partners at a very young age She was never protected and was left at the mercy of people (particularly men) who have harmed her She couldn’t have feelings for people for she herself has never received any care or love from others The dynamics of her fateful relationship with Tyria Moore, the lesbian lover (who knew Aileen was killing yet stayed by her side), and those dynamics moved her closer to a life of murderer

12. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs

13. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Self Actualization: Aileen didn’t have the chance to use her potential, she dropped from school at an early age to become a prostitute at 15Self Esteem: She had no respect for herself for she had to sell her body and was obviously treated as an object by men. Not surprising that she could not respect othersLove & Belongingness: She never knew the meaning of true family love and care and had no sense of belongings to anybody, her mother left her to be adopted by her grand parents who did not take care of her at all

14. Safety & Security: Aileen was never safe, nor protected, for she was raped and abused by men, that can be the reason why she turned out to have a female partnerPhysiological needs: She had NO PLACE TO GO when her granddad kicked her out, she had no shelter, for she was living in the woods

15. Stages of Development by Erik Erikson  Basic Trust v/s Mistrust: Those who should have protected Aileen have abused her, mother abandoned her, never knew her dad, brother might have raped her, her grand parents have ill treated her, her emotional needs were never met by her mother  Initiative v/s Guilt: Aileen had no regrets when killing these men, 1 or 2 shots were NEVER enough, 6 or 7 shots work better… it also shows her anger For her it was like their punishment for being nasty to her and abusing her, that was her REVENGE!! “Each time it was easier. The fear, the body coursing with adrenalin, and oh God, it felt good. She had her prey. She had the power. She had the control” (LETHAL INTENT by SUE RUSSELL)

16.  Industry v/s Inferiority: Aileen had to drop school early and has been prostituting herself at a very young age, nobody has helped her to better her situation.  Intimacy v/s Isolation: Aileen has kind of “isolated” herself for she has great anger towards men and prefers to intimate with a woman instead. Tyria still stays with her even knowing that Aileen was a murderer  Integrity v/s Despair: Aileen has been hurt and abused by men, she feels no remorse at all, but she had always said that she has been doing something no women has ever done before, she’d loved to be talked about…

17.  She succeeded as a book called “LETHAL INTENT” was written about her by Sue Russell (Nov 2002)  “Life and Death of a Serial Killer” was also written by Nick Broomfield (2003)  There is also a DVD about Aileen’s life called “MONSTER” directed by Patty Jenkins (2003)

18. Psychological or Behavioural Problems (Extracted from Fahlberg, 1994)  Conscious Development Aileen tends to put the blame on others… the men she killed deserve to be dead… because they have raped and abused her in many ways “You bet, she took their cash and their stuff. That was out of pure hatred. The final revenge. You bastards. Dirty sons-of-bitches. You would have hurt me. Damned right, she’d take their things. Get her money’s worth. After they were dead, there were no regrets. It didn’t bother her, what she’d done. They were old. Their fathers and mothers were probably dead. Why worry about it? She knew in her heart she was a good girl.” (Lethal Intent)

19.  Emotions  Aileen has trouble in recognising her own feelings and recognising feelings in others “The bastards deserved to die, anyway, she thought bitterly. They probably would have raped her, skipped off without paying her, tried to screw her in the ass, beaten the shit out of her, strangled her, maybe even killed her. Maybe they had a gun, too? Who knows what they might have done? That’s how she had to look at it” ( Lethal Intent)

20. Conclusion: Early life experiences have a strong impact on social interactions and definitely affects the personality later on (FREUD) Aileen’s last words before her execution were: “I’d just like to say, I’m sailing with the Rock and i’ll be back like Independence Day with Jesus, June 6, like the movie, big mothership and all. I’ll be back...”

21. Recommendations “A coffin and a quick burial!!!!!!!!!!”

22. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFBcjII3QAE