Ted Bundy: Case Study

Background Information

• Theodore Robert Cowell grew up in what he called a healthy home.

• However, future studies have revealed other facts.

• For a lot of his life he believed his mother to be his sister, and his grandparents to be his parents.

• His grandfather expressed schizophrenic tendencies, and his grandmother was being treated for depression.

Background Information• At the age of twenty-one, Bundy fell in love with

fellow University of Washington student Stephanie Brooks.

• The love was unrequited.• When Bundy began to fail in his studies, Brooks

left him suddenly, sending him into a deep and dark stage that would last the rest of his lifetime.

• Later in his life, Bundy developed a relationship with divorcee Meg Anders.

• Anders fell deeply in love with Bundy, but he was still obsessed with Brooks.

Background Information• Bundy met up with

Brooks again years later, wooed her, and got her to fall in love with him.

• Then, he left her as she left him three years past for revenge.

Description of the Presenting Problem• Unable to feel sympathy• “I don’t feel guilty for anything. I feel sorry for

people who feel guilt.” • “I didn’t know what made people want to be

friends. I didn’t know what made people attractive to one another. I didn’t know what underlay social interactions.”

• Bundy was charming.• He lost his ability to hold a steady job.• He was smart and observant.• Compulsive liar, deceitful, manipulative

Diagnosis• Axis I: 296.54 Bipolar I Disorder (Manic-

Depression) with Psychotic Features• High highs, low lows• Multiple manic episodes• Confidence during highs that led to rash decisions• Interrupted functioning

• Axis II: 301.7 Antisocial Personality Disorder• Disregard for the rights of others• Impulsive• Clever• Deceitful

Diagnosis• Axis III: None• Axis IV: Psychosocial Stressors• Bundy’s victims had similar physical features to Brooks

• Axis V: Highest Level of Functioning• Social: 40• Occupational: 35• Symptoms: 50

Intervention• Psychoanalytic Approach• Repressed anger• Sexual desire• Strong id compared to ego and superego• “the talking cure”

• Behavioral Approach• Learned psychotic behavior• Blamed a lot of his violence on media• Positive behaviors are rewarded

Intervention• Humanistic Approach• Deviated from natural tendency of good• Self-actualization and individualism• Fulfillment instead of emptiness and anger