Annotated Bibliography- Ted Bundy
Kiehl, K. A., & Buckholtz, J. W. (2010). Inside the Mind of a Psychopath. Scientific American Mind, 21(4), 22–29. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24943127
[Journal Article] Kiehl’s article explores the psychological and neurological traits of psychopaths. He describes that some of the most gruesome killers aren’t necessarily bad. Neuroscientists discovered that most killer suffer from a brain abnormality that places them in an emotionless world. Psychopaths show none of the classic signs of mental illnesses making it difficult to point one out. The article talks about the paralimbic system of the brain. This system contains of a group of interconnected brain structures that are involved in emotion processing, goal seeking, and motivation which are undeveloped in most psychopathic minds. One important structure to look at when examining a psychopath is the almond shaped amygdala which generates fear which most are unfazed by the threat of danger. People with brain damage in these areas tend to develop psychopathic traits and behaviors. I will use this source to explore the minds of serial killers and how it relates to Ted Bundy’s case. I will synthesize this source with a source on the investigation of Ted Bundy’s mind.
LILIENFELD, S. O., & ARKOWITZ, H. (2007). What “Psychopath” Means. Scientific American Mind, 18(6), 80–81. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24939768
[Journal Article] Lilienfeld’s article dives into what it means to be a psychopath. These ill humans tend to make good first impressions on others and often come off remarkably normal. They are most of the time educated, in romantic relationships, and live a normal life on the outside. The offer excuses for their actions and place blame on others. He describes that the term “psychopath” is overused and only 25% of inmates fit the criteria. He also introduces three myths: All psychopaths are violent, all psychopaths are psychotic, and psychopathy is untreatable. I will use this source to introduce what a psychopath really is and how they may seem familiar but are far from it.
McCann, B. J. (2021). Duplicity and the Depraved Uncanny in Mediations of Ted Bundy. Women’s Studies in Communication, 44(3), 340–359. https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2020.1834038
[Journal Article] McCann describes the double life of Ted Bundy how his actions were uncanny. Bundy was a law student and Republican Party activist who kidnapped, raped, and killed at least 30 women and girls across six states for 1974 to 1978. In this article, the author presents many secondary sources like The Stranger Beside Me, a book about what a friend of Bundy saw. She describes the “two Ted’s” that she knew. The phrase depraved uncanny is presented and describes the strong feelings we get when we come across twisted corrupt or immoral actions that strangely resemble normal behaviors. Bundy’s uncanniness comes from the familiarity of his charm and the unfamiliarity of his crimes. This article shows how Ted Bundy hid in plain sight and the people close to him were completely unaware. I will use this source to describe the double life of Ted Bundy and synthesize it with the movie “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”.
(2019). Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Retrieved May 3, 2019, from https://www.netflix.com/title/81028570.
[Movie] The 2019 film, directed by Joe Belinger, portrays the life and crimes of the infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy through the perspective of his girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer. I will use this source to explain how Ted Bundy is portrayed to most of the world. I will also use this source to describe his girlfriend’s view of Bundy and how he was so good at living a double life that she has no clue what was truly going on.
