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  • Essay / Analysis of the crimes of John Wayne Gacy through criminological theories

    John Wayne Gacy, a serial killer better known as Pogo The Clown. At a young age, he experienced an abusive childhood that made him the friendly clown that everyone seemed to like, but little is known about the devil himself behind the costume. Perceived as a friendly person who liked to organize parties for the children in his neighborhood. Gacy's means of obtaining pleasure from his mischievous act of committing numerous homicides revolves around attempting to understand the personal and social variables that may lead to his criminality. Factors surrounding Gacy's murders and psychological factors may be plausible and contribute to his sexual sadism. In this framework, the application of criminological theories will be used to explain the motives of homicide, incorporating the frustration-aggression hypothesis and the self-control theory. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Understanding John Wayne Gacy's early childhood can help us understand the root cause of his murderous intentions. As a young boy, Gacy suffered mental and physical abuse from his father, John Stanley Gacy. It is known that Gacy's father was an alcoholic and was extremely discouraged by the lack of masculinity Gacy seemed to display. Gacy was born with a congenital heart condition, which increased tensions between Gacy and his father, as he was now considered a failure. Gacy's self-esteem was constantly damaged by his father, in whom he suffered only pain and violence. Although his childhood experience seemed to develop confusion within his sexual identity, this led Gacy to move to Illinois to marry and start a family in order to hide his homosexuality. Through this development of concealment, Gacy came to his true sexual identity once his first crime was committed when he raped a young man (Navin, 2017). In which, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison although he served 18 months for good behavior. While in prison, Gacy's father died due to heavy drinking. In which, Gacy seemed to interpret as the humiliation his father may have suffered due to his conviction for sodomy of a teenager. The buildup of emotions essentially fueled his rage and his sexual desire grew more towards young boys. Once Gacy was released from prison, he chose to travel and reside in Chicago, starting a new life where he became a successful businessman through his construction company. A new chapter in his life where his clown disguise gives birth to a character where he can make his crimes possible. The way Gacy created this character made him feel like a child, he further said in an interview. This allowed Gacy to become the devil himself, luring young men into his house where he will rape and murder those he captured. The character Gacy created, known as Pogo the Clown, gave him the necessary respect and trust from the local population. Gacy stayed to murder innocent lives for six years, without raising much suspicion due to his established reputation in his community. This started from 1972 to 1978 until he was arrested and confessed that 33 young boys were raped and murdered (Navin, 2017). Understanding, John Wayne Gacy is truly one of the only ways to recognize the major aspects of one's psychological profile. John Wayne Gacy was abused from a young age by his father due to his disability..