Diagnosis

[corey123]

Hi all,

It seems instead of them placing my thread in the right catagory, they deleted it. .

The good news is I can take some time to update my article on Narcissism. I have, low and behold, always had a feeling that "Jack the Ripper" could have been a Narcissist. I have made the theory from my own intuition, statistics, and psychological sciences.

Enough of that, the theory later. I am going to make a poll stating ten different psychological or sociological disorders "Jack the Ripper" may have had.

Multiple choices allowed. Private vote, but I would love to know ALL who choose Narcissism . I personally choose this catagory.

Main Catagory:
Lust Murderer
Sub-Catagory:
Necro-sadist
Traits:
Narcissistic

Now time for you to choose.

Have fun

Yours truly

p.s I know I put it in the right catagory this time. I am sure of it .

[corey123]

Update

Here is that article I promised. Also, for some, this is not normal results of Narcissistics and only happen less than 10% of the time.

The theory on Narcissistic probability in Serial killers, has been focused on from the time of Bundy, Shipman, and many others. The 1888 murderer "Jack the Ripper" should get equal attention in

this area.


I believe Jack the Ripper was one of the many serial killers suffering from the mental disorder of Narcissim, an aggressive form of the original personality disorder. A person diagnosed with

Narcissism experiances a multitude of traits.
Manifesting within them are aggression, paranoia, borderline characteristics, envy, greed, power lust, lack of empathy, they view others as "playthings" to be used then discarded.
Narcissim is caused by severe mental or physical pain in childhood at the hands of a powerful, Idealized mother/father figure.
Those with Narcissism believe they have the right to manipulate, exploit, and be unnaturally cruel to others.

Narcissim wasn't defined until the late 80's. It is an impulsive behavior. Those suffer from uncontrolable behavior like rage. Side effects of Narcissism range from OCD(obsessive compulsive

disorder), pathalogical lying, and paranoiac dimensions.

Those with Narcissim can also suffer from Borderline syndrom, Paranoid schitzophrenia, and OCD.
There are few signals and waring signs to a psychological break, in which anger is pent up and may be triggered by a sudden change in their environment or life. I believe Jack the Ripper to be the

victim of a psychological episode.

I belive he is a Necro-sadist killer.
His primary intention in his killings, MUTILATION!!
His prefered M.O is the approach, manipulation of the victim, taking them(or maybe even them leading him) to a spot deemed secure enough for the take out, in which he cuts the throat and engages in

mutilation.

I have found similar behavioral patterns in the zodiac killings, with the M.O and weapon choice.

Heres my view(or theory) of the events leading to his killing spree.

Jack the Ripper probally had a absent father, but a controling and dominant mother. I belive his mother put him through sever mental pain, she bacame a prostitute and her attention was diverted away from him, thus he become emotionally troubled and detatched. Having no way to release these pent up emotions, he set small fires and killed small animals, and found a level of dominance of his own and enjoyed it. In later adulthood he would work alone, experiancing tremors of rage which held him from society. He had a low openness so he had a difficult time adapting to social or personal change, which happened, sparking his murderous tendencys. I however do not know this sudden change. He hated woman, all of them, in each prostitute he saw his mother in them, ignoring him, abbusing him. Thus creating a immense disgust for woman prostitutes. This change also sparked anxiety, tension,and irritability, which is his primary motive.

So he killed.
Like I say in previous theorys he killed at first to release all that pent-up emotion, because of his state of alexithymia, or not being able to express his emotions, but found he enjoyed his work.

He took pride in his work, taking trophies from his victims, dehumanizing and defemanizing them. He probally even stood in the crowds attracked by his kills.
I dont point to any suspect in this theory, nor say he stopped killing with Kelly, these things, I believe may never be known.

So then why? Why would I say Jack is a Narcissist? The proper question should be HOW would a Narcissistic "Jack the Ripper" act? Well I have set a outline of questions to challenge this theory.

1)What evidence is there to suggest Jack the Ripper had Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
2)Why ritual act, if any, or constant varialbe in the crimes point to OCD?
3) Why did Jack the Ripper leave such a wide space of time between the murders of October 30th and November9th? Have could this be explained with NPD?
4)How can I explain how Jack started Killing? Why WOULD he first killer Martha Tabram? Did his veiw point of his killing experiance change throughout the murders?
5)Can his Fantasy, mutilations of a dead victim(Necro-sadism) relate to NPD? If so How?
6) The big one. Would a Narcissistic killer be capable of commiting the crimes of Jack the Ripper?

First, for queston one, I would have to figure out if a Narcissistic killer would be disorganised ot organised. Here is a short essay I wrote about it:

This particular killer exihbits both traits. His locations are risky, daring, and he must rush in his murders, thus he is disorganised.
But he gets away with no evidence of him being there and without a trace he disapears. Thus he is organised. he is non existint in the eyes of the police and wasnt suspected. Thus he is organised. He, being a narcissist, walks away from his murders to clean up,then returns to bask in his glory. So he is orginised disorginised.

Next I would need to find a steady motive. This is pure specualtion and cannot be guessed. I have presented a logical and possibilty above.

Next, can the simple fact that Jack the Ripper stole organs from the bodies, escrivation, be explained by narcissism? I think so. Narcissistis are over achivers. They love to bath in self glorification. When they feel they have made a reward worthy accoplishment, they need a object to show off, or deem proof of their deed. I am not saying this is the reason WHY he escrivated them, but it is a possible. Another reason would be to take trophie items to relate to the murders.

The next question is a hard one. I have not found many aspects to say weather or not Jack the Ripper was compulsive obsessive.

For the third I have wrote another short article on it:

THE COOL OFF

There is a huge period of murderless days between September 30th and November 9th. I have many Ideas to why a narcissistic killer would stop. Jack the Ripper became Public Enemy No.1 after the

'double event' so that alone could stave off his desire. Also the flood of Ripper letters had begun along with full press coverage of the murders, he was a internation sensation. His murderers

flooded the papers at all corners of the world, with many myths of him already setting their roots in the soils of Ripperology. the name, though not ment by him,'jack the Ripper' gave his killings

there own spot in history. By september 30th he wasnt just an unknown killer anymore, he was "jack the Ripper".

This would reflect most important to his selfesteam. It would be at an all time high. This would do either of two things, increase his murderous tendencies, or put them at a halt.

The next question would be almost impossible without a subject to studie from. His addititue could have changed with the increase in press and local attention his murders got. His fantasies would grow sharper.

The fantasy. The most looked at and complex aspect of a murderoous indavidual. Many associat Jack the Ripper with sexual sadism. This is not the case. The victim, in his case, are neither alive nor suffereing. What satisifaction could Jack the Ripper get out of that? No, this killer liked to disfigue, demolish, and destroy females. He like to kill them quick and ruin their appearence to his satisfaction. He is a lust murderer. A postmortem mutilator. A killer who attacks parts of his satisfaction.

The last question is easily answred. Yes. It is highly possible.



In 1888, the doctors and Police investigators had a vague view on the psychological implications of Serial killers, mainly the motivations and theories. However, some of their begining ideas were spot on. IN this letter to the "Medical News" on October 13th, the writer puts emphasis on on the scale of violence in violent crime.

“Sexual perverts of this character never begin by the commission of crimes of such frightful atrocity, but yielding to impulses to do slight injury to their victims, find, as time goes on, that it is necessary to practice greater and greater cruelties, to arouse their desires and gratify passion, until a stage like the present is reached. Such has with probablility been the history of the present murderer [JTR].”


Modern day investigators have done well into seaching through the abyss of NPD. Here are two interesting aricles on it.

"Little is understood about the disorder because of its very nature. It is impossible for a narcissist to hold himself responsible for any mistakes or transgressions. In his eyes, he is the most moral, upstanding person on the planet. Thus a narcissist almost never seeks psychological assistance on his own. Charming, glib, and a master at upholding a carefully crafted image of himself, the malignant narcissist can manipulate and convince the most well respected, experienced medical professionals in the industry to sympathize with him, to be on his side. The fact that the best trained professionals have trouble identifying the disorder is an indication that victims are not merely "more apt to be impressed with superficiality and grandiosity" as one writer implied. Instead, malignant narcissists can con the smartest, most down-to-earth and loving people in society."

Thus, it points out some good qualities that the ripper might have:
1)"The maligant narcissist can manipulate and convince the most well respected,experianced medical professionals in the industry to sympathize with him, to be on his side"
2)"that the best trained professionals have trouble identifying the disorder"
3)"can be the smartest,most down-to-earth and loving people in society."

In his seminal work, "Aberrations of Sexual Life" (originally: "Psychopathia Sexualis"), Kraft-Ebbing offers this observation:

"The perverse urge in murders for pleasure does not solely aim at causing the victim pain and - most acute injury of all - death, but that the real meaning of the action consists in, to a certain extent, imitating, though perverted into a monstrous and ghastly form, the act of defloration. It is for this reason that an essential component ... is the employment of a sharp cutting weapon; the victim has to be pierced, slit, even chopped up ... The chief wounds are inflicted in the stomach region and, in many cases, the fatal cuts run from the vagina into the abdomen. In boys an artificial vagina is even made ... One can connect a fetishistic element too with this process of hacking ... inasmuch as parts of the body are removed and ... made into a collection."

Yet, the sexuality of the serial, psychopathic, killer is self-directed. His victims are props, extensions, aides, objects, and symbols. He interacts with them ritually and, either before or after the act, transforms his diseased inner dialog into a catechism with internal logic and self-consistency.

In some cases, the murder ritual recreates earlier conflicts with meaningful objects, such as parents, authority figures, or peers. The outcome of the replay is different, though. The killer dominates the situation. He is the one to inflict abuse and trauma on others. He outwits and taunts figures of authority - the police, for instance. It is a form of poetic justice, a balancing of the books, and, therefore, a "good" thing. The murder is cathartic and allows the killer to release hitherto repressed and pathologically transformed aggression - in the form of hate, rage, and envy.

But repeated acts of escalating gore fail to alleviate the killer's overwhelming anxiety and depression. He seeks to vindicate his negative introjects and sadistic superego by being caught and punished. The serial killer tightens the proverbial noose around his neck by interacting with law enforcement agencies and the media and thus providing them with clues as to his identity and whereabouts. When apprehended, most serial assassins experience a great sense of relief.

Serial killers are not the only objectifiers - people who treat other people as objects. To some extent, leaders of all sorts - political, military, or corporate - do the same. In a range of professions - surgeons, medical doctors, judges, law enforcement agents - objectification is an efficient defense mechanism which fends off horror and anxiety.

Yet, serial killers are different. They represent a dual failure - of their own development as full-fledged, productive individuals - and of the culture and society they grow in. In a pathologically narcissistic civilization - social anomies proliferate. Such societies breed malignant objectifiers - people devoid of empathy - also known as "narcissists".

In recent times, I have discovered that Narcissism may have been apart of a pre-1888 disorder cluster called Monomania. This is some background info for the interested. It will not affect the accuracy of the disorder.


Here is the basics of that group(classified as, like Narcissism, as a type A personality)

In psychiatry, monomania (from Greek monos, one, and mania, mania) is a type of paranoia in which the patient has only one idea or type of ideas. Emotional monomania is that in which the patient is obsessed with only one emotion or several related to it; intellectual monomania is that which is related to only one kind of delirious idea or ideas.

In colloquial terms, monomania is often attached to subcultures that to the general public appear esoteric. However, the differences between monomania and passion can be very subtle and difficult to recognize.

Types of monomania
Following list is derived from The Psychiatric, Psychogenic and Somatopsychic Disorders Handbook.[1]

Capgras delusion: Delusion that an impostor has been substituted for a significant person in the patient's life.
de Clerambault's syndrome (erotomania): Delusion that a man or woman is in love with the patient. This can occur without reinforcement or even acquaintanceship with the love object.
Fregoli's illusion: Delusion that a tormenting individual is changing his appearance to resemble different persons in the patient's life.
Genital retraction syndrome: Delusion that the penis is being retracted into the body.
Wendigo (Wihtigo): Fear that one is being tormented by a demon who devours people. Alternatively the patient can take on the characteristics of the windigo. (Seen only in isolated members of the

Algonquin Indian nations of Canada and the USA.)
Demonomania Delusion that one is possessed by demons.
[edit] Monomania in literature
The 19th century writer Edgar Allan Poe would often write tales in which the narrator and protagonist would suffer some form of monomania, becoming excessively fixated on an idea, an urge, an object, or a person, often to the point of mental and/or physical destruction. Poe uses the theme of monomania in:




What is one of the strangest diagnostics of madness--what is the first appalling sign of mental aberration? The mind becomes stationary; the brain stagnates; the even current of reflection is interrupted; the thinking power of the brain resolves itself into a monotone. As the waters of a tideless pool putrefy by reason of their stagnation, the mind becomes turbid and corrupt through lack of action; and the perpetual reflection upon one subject resolves itself into monomania.
In Crime and Punishment, by the renowned Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky, the main character, Raskolnikov, is said to be a monomaniac on numerous occasions.


References
^ A. J. Giannini, H. R. Black, R. L. Goettsche. 1978. The Psychiatric, Psychogenic and Somatopsychic Disorders Handbook. New Hyde Park, NY: Medical Examination Publishing Co.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomania"

Now while I set the basics for Monomania, here is a reference of it used during the Whitechapel murders.

DR. FORBES WINSLOW'S OPINION

Dr. Forbes Winslow, the eminent specialist in lunacy cases, said to our representative; I am more certain than even that these murders are being committed by a homicidal maniac, and there is no moral doubt in my mind that the assassin in each case is the same man. I have carefully read the reports in the morning papers, and they confirm me in the opinion which I had previously formed.

While I am clearly of opinion that the murderer is a homicidal maniac, I also believe him to be a mono-maniac, no I see no reason why he should not, excepting, at the periods when the fit is upon him, exhibit a cool and rational exterior. I have here, in my book - a work on psychology - a case in which a man had a lust for blood, as in this case, and he was generally a person of bland and pleasant exterior. In all probability the whole of the murders had been committed by the same hand, but I may point out that the imitative faculty is very strong in persons of unsound mind, and that is the reason why there has been a sort of epidemic of these crimes. We shall probably find that a good many knives will be displayed to people within the next few weeks. Still all the evidence that is forthcoming up to the present moment shows clearly enough that the Whitechapel crimes have been perpetrated by the same hand. My idea is that under the circumstances the police ought to employ, for the protection of the neigbourhood, and with the view of detecting the criminal, a number of officers who have been in the habit of guarding lunatics - that is to say, warders from asylums and other persons who have had charge of the insane. These men, if properly disposed in the neigbourhood, would assuredly note any person who was of unsound mind. I have sent a letter embodying this suggestion to Sir Charles warren, but I have received only a formal communication acknowledging its receipt. It is not easy to prevail upon the police to accept suggestion from outside sources. This I discovered the other day when a man in emulation of the Whitechapel murder drew a knife and sharpened it in the presence of a relative of mine at Brighton under circumstances which have been published in the newspapers. When I made a statement to the police on that occasion they thought very little of it indeed. I attach not the least importance to the

American physiologist story. It is a theory which is utterly untenable, and I should think there were very few medical men who ever entertained it seriously. All that has recently happened appears to me to be a strong confirmation of the views which I have previously given expression to upon the subject. The murderer is a homicidal monomaniac of infinite cunning, and I fear he will not be brought to justice unless he be caught while engaging in the consummation of one of his awful crimes.


Sources:
Corey Browning; Serial killers, a pattern? copyright 2009
Wikipedia/"Monomania"/ intro, psychopathic disorders.
Volume One:The new and complete Medical and Health Encyclopedia. Ney York, 1977
Krafft-Ebing Psychopathia Sexualis, 1994.
Medical News, 1888, October 13th.
Begg,Skinner,Fido: The Jack the ripper- A-Z, 1996
FBI-Freedom of information act I. Ciminal Investigative Analysis: Subject: "Jack the Ripper". July 6, 1988
Criminal Shadows. Dr.David Canter. PhD.

[corey123]

Bumping

[corey123]

Five votes so far. Keep them coming.

[corey123]

Bumping for votes. Please, whoever picks narcissism tell me.

OK seriously, I would love it if those who vote tell me their votes.

[DVV]

Hi Corey,

I forgot what I've voted, really.
Must be necro-sadism (no doubt), parano-schizo and obsessive compulsive.
Don't ask me why.

Amitiés,
David

[corey123]

Hi David,

Thanks for your vote. I think, Ok I probally know why.

Thanks

[corey123]

David,

By the way I just started to read the Trial of Gilles de Rais. Very good book and very interesting.

I also got the book on Erszebet Bathory, but I have not read it yet. I scanned the book and noticed de Rais' name shows up a bit, even though they seperate by about a century or more.

Yours truly

[DVV]

There are some similarities, indeed, between Gilles and Erszebet.
Including black magic.
And of course their social position.

Amitiés,
David

[corey123]

Hi David,

Indeed they do. I particularly find the report of Jean de Craon's relationship with de Rais to be very interesting. Very very interesting.

Yours truly

[FrankO]

Hi Corey e.a.,

Since we know so little about the Ripper, I think we can’t label him with much certainty. My personal view is as follows.

Judging from the crime scenes and the time span, he was an opportunist rather than a planner. The fact that he took some precautions not to get caught tells me he probably knew right from wrong. That he was able not to act too suspiciously and give himself away to his victims tells me he was enough in control of himself. The time span, especially between Nichols and Chapman, to me points to some compulsiveness. Judging from the fact that many people who were acting strangely or even just looking suspicious were brought to the attention of the police, I think the Ripper was inconspicuous in both appearance and behavior rather than the opposite. I think he was rather the seemingly inoffensive and perhaps somewhat odd loner rather than the explosive, yet seemingly outgoing, charming, perhaps relatively well-dressed man who was noticed wherever he appeared.

I think he may have suffered from a paranoid personality disorder, causing him to not trust people in general and to keep to himself, and leaving him unable to have normal relationships with women. This, in turn, caused him to hate women, while on the other hand he was still very interested in them because of the very fact that he couldn’t get them. He may well have had some psychopathic traits, although I certainly don’t think he was a fully fledged psychopath. His murders carried just too much risk and, to a certain extent, seem to have been the result of compulsion.

I think the mutilations were a combination of rage (a wish to destruct) and exploration of the female body.

So, all in all, looking at your list, I can only fully go with misogyny and the last option.

All the best,
Frank

[corey123]

Hi Frank,

I agree. It is hard to lable him with certainty but we can try.

Odd that you think he was exploring the female body. Any reason behind it besides intuition?

Thanks for your views.

Yours truly

p.s Announcement:
If your prefered disorder is not listed, pick "Other" and then specify on the disorder.

[Hunter]

Frank, I'm not much on profiling, as Corey knows, but that is the best analysis of JTR I've seen here and I would have to concur with you. I know this destroys alot of high profile suspect theories, but if I was investigating this series of murders, that would be the type of person I'd be looking for. However, this type of "undiciplined" killer is historically the most difficult to apprehend, even today, because of their unpredictabilty and is likely the reason why he was never caught. This guy was very lucky as well, because all of the murder locations were very risky places; something many people seen to overlook. Most of the victims were found soon after the murders took place and he may indeed have been interrupted on more than one occasion.

Corey, Frank's theory about the exploration of the female body lies in the way the mutilations were performed; starting with the stabbing of the genital area ( Tabram and Nichols); progressing with extraction of reproductive organs ( Chapman, Eddowes and Kelly) and cumulating in facial disfigurement ( Eddowes and Kelly). The subject has a fantasy life going back to adolesence about the female body but has perceived inabilties for a normal relationship with women. Being a loner, the only relationships he probably had was with prostitutes. His inadequacy turns to a general hatred of women. He eventually acts out these fantasies in more lethal ways. FBI investigator, John Douglas, used the term " Lust Murderer" to describe this type of individual.

I'm usually reluctant to discuss this topic, because it is speculative, but I found Frank's analysis intriquing.

[corey123]

Hi Hunter,

Truly, the evolution of the fantasy doesn't indicate he was exploring female viscera. It indicates he was evolving through escilating violence as does every criminal. I agree, it may be the case, but it may be others. The fact that the mutilations increased in affect can indicate his sexual fantasies were growing(if you think he a sexual sadist), or, like Frank said, his need to explore the female body increased, or it could just be normal progress in a serial offinder. A killer will shape his killing habits with experiance. He will space his hunting ground out more. This comes with familiararity. He will shape his Modus operandi through trial and error and may sharpen his fantasy with experiance. The fantasy will be more elaborate as time goes on and the circumstances shape his fantasy. Realy, without a suspect, we cannot make much out of this besides speculation.

I am well aware of Jack the Ripper being a "Lust murderer"(See post 1).

I can post my relavent profile which is much like Franks besides I don't elaborate on why he mutilated them.

I will do so in the next post.

Yours truly

[corey123]

My profile

White
Male
Aged between 28 and 36
Local whitechapel or spitalfields resident
Weekly employed
Eccentric in his behavior
Neat and organised( in his daily life, not meaning he was a fully organised killer)
Outgoing, very socialy acceptable indavidual(meaning, like Frank said, inoffensive)
May or may not have been incarcerated between Sep 31 and Nov 8.
May perhaps shows some Narcissistic qualities
Not married
Never sired a child