Essay about Charles Manson

Words: 1321
Pages: 6
Open Document
An Assessment of
Charles Manson: Two Points of View on a Killer’s Personality
Crystal L. Boyanski
Columbia College

Abstract
There are many theories about what shapes an individual’s personality and when following these approaches, sense can be made of a certain person’s behavior. Charles Manson is a well-known serial killer whose personality is reflective of two specific personality theorists’ views. Sigmund Freud, whose psychosexual stages of development could explain some of the traits held by Manson. Karen Horney was another theorist whose views on childhood love and nurturing, or lack of it, could explain Charles Manson’s personality. Gathered information on …show more content…
(Rosenberg, 2009).
Karen Horney thought anxiety was part of the basic human condition but she also thought that it was a result of social forces and since anxiety causes a feeling of being in a hostile world, the environment as a whole is dreaded. (Engler, 2009) The text also states that when a parent cannot provide a child’s basic needs, this can cause an insecurity in a child that lead to “domination, isolation, hostility, indifference, lack of respect and guidance and neurotic needs and trends” (Engler, 2009, p 124) Of the ten neurotic trends mentioned by Horney, Manson had a few including exaggerated need for power, need to exploit others, exaggerated need for social recognition and the need for personal admiration (by the family). Based on Karen Horney’s ten neurotic trends and the fact that Manson lacked love and nurturing as a child, these factors may have contributed to his personality. Some of the anxieties felt by Charles Manson from childhood experiences could have been that he had a 16 year old mother that was an alcoholic and prostitute and was abusive. He never knew his father. His mother once traded him for a pitcher of beer. His mother and uncle were convicted of sexual assault and armed robbery. He was in and out of reform schools and he had an IQ of 109. (Rosenberg, 2009)
Sigmund Freud believed that most behavior is determined by past behavior,
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Charles Manson

Charles Manson Essay

Charles Manson Killer Adam Carachure WestWood College October 2, 2013 Mr. Clark Charles Manson: Serial killing involves murdering one person then another and then another. Despite this characteristic being similar among all serial killers, Charles Manson was different for various reason. For example, Manson decided that he would create a gang and gain fame for his crime instead of just killing people and attempting to remain undetected (Rosenberg, 2012). The purpose of this paper…

Words 506 - Pages 3

Essay On Charles Manson

Manson by Jeff Guinn depicts the life and events in history surrounding the infamous cultist, Charles Manson. Charles Manson was a troubled child who greatly lacked a home environment. His childhood was spent mostly in rough boys homes, and then in prison in early adulthood. However, when he got out of prison after a ten year term, he seemed to have turned his life around. He moved to California and became a guru, a spiritual teacher, during the summer of love. The problem was, this facade wouldn't…

Words 486 - Pages 2

Charles Manson Research Paper

Nightmare In California: The Manson Family Charles Manson is known as one of the most evil masterminds of all time. In the 60’s he well regulated murders that caught the world by surprise and the name Charles Manson still puts fear into American hearts. Manson had a rough childhood growing up, which led to his behavior problems, which led him to organize a family-like cult with degenerates like himself and tried to start a race war. The crime type that best describes Charles Manson and his family is murder…

Words 1609 - Pages 7

Charles Manson Essay example

Charles Milles Manson (born November 12, 1934) IQ: 122 in 1972 Age: 77 He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the murders of Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca carried out by members of the cult at his instruction. He was convicted of the murders through the joint-responsibility rule, which makes each member of a conspiracy guilty of crimes his fellow conspirators commit in furtherance of the conspiracy's objective.[4][5] Manson believed Helter Skelter to be an impending apocalyptic…

Words 915 - Pages 4

Charles Manson Research Paper

Charles Manson is an American criminal who is sentenced for serial killing.. He was born in Ohio in 1934. Charles Manson is infamously linked to the violent killings of the actress Sharon Tate and other Hollywood residents as well, but he himself certainly didn’t got proven guilty of committing these killings. The well-known Tate-La Bianca murders have commemorated him as a living example of a dangerous criminal. Manson considered in "Helter Skelter", a term he picked from the song of the identical…

Words 946 - Pages 4

Charles Manson Research Paper

Kae Naphen April 25, 2024 ANTH 4 High Demand Group The Manson Family The sensationalism behind the Manson Family murders makes it easy to view the cult fanaticism in a narrow mindset that in turn hails Charles Manson as exactly what he believes he is, a mastermind. However, if we look at the circumstances surrounding his rise in socialite circles in the 60s, the political turmoil of the time, and the way he was able to manipulate and entice his followers, he turns out to be an entirely predictable…

Words 1327 - Pages 6

Charles Manson Research Paper

The Manson Family SIMILAR TO EVERY WORKDAY, Winifred Chapman, an African American maid of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate, made her way towards the rented residence of 10050 Cielo Drive. At the time she had been a loyal maid to the Polanski family for a year and four months. Winifred had made the journey from her home to the rented property every day, an instinctual journey that has become her normal way of life. Winifred usually took a cab to the Polaski residence, but the morning of August 9, 1969…

Words 1224 - Pages 5

Charles Manson: 'Helter Skelter Is Coming'

When Asked about the murders, Charles Manson retorted with “Helter Skelter is coming”(biography). When Manson was born he didn’t have the best life. He was born in Cleveland Ohio to a 16 year old prostitute.Living on the streets he picked of several bad habits, he would steal anything he could get ahold of, and got into doing and selling drugs. He eventually landed in jail.Once he got out of he gathered a group of followers who shared his same passions in doing drugs. The family numbered in almost…

Words 1313 - Pages 6

Charles Manson Research Paper Outline

Charles Manson Aidan O’Sullivan 12569_2161P:Intro To Criminal Justice Systems 4/11/16 Sean Forde Charles Milles Manson (born November 12, 1934) was a criminal who in 1967 would suffer from extremely severe Beetlemania and form a cult named after himself, commonly called the Manson family, and lead them to murder nine people in a four month period of May to August in 1969 in preparation for “Helter Skelter” an apocalypse scenario brought about by a massive race war between black and white people…

Words 1945 - Pages 8

How Does Charles Manson Affect Criminal Behavior

Charles Manson is an American criminal that formed and led the Manson Family. The Manson Family is known for committing a sequence of scandalous and violent murders that are quite famous across the country. Manson is currently serving life in prison because of his association with these murders. Prison is where he will remain until the day he dies. There are many different theories as to why Charles Manson engaged in such cruel and violent activities. However, the infamous killer Charles Manson did…

Words 1463 - Pages 6