Topic > Analysis of John Wayne Gacy's crimes 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 transformed him into the friendly clown that everyone seemed to like, but little was known about the devil himself behind the costume. Perceived as a friendly person who loved organizing children's parties in his neighborhood. Gacy's means of gaining pleasure through his mischievous act of committing numerous murders which revolve around trying to understand the personal and social variables that may lead to his criminality. It is plausible that factors surrounding Gacy's murders and psychological factors contribute to his sexual sadism. In this case, the application of criminological theories will be used to explain the motives for the murder, incorporating the frustration-aggression hypothesis and the self-control theory. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Understanding John Wayne Gacy's early life can help us understand the root cause of his murderous intentions. As a boy, Gacy suffered both mental and physical abuse at the hands of his father, John Stanley Gacy. It is known that Gacy's father was an alcoholic and was deeply disheartened by the lack of masculinity that Gacy seemed to display. Gacy was born with a congenital heart condition, as a result, this increased tensions between Gacy and his father as he was now seen as a failed child. His father was creating constant damage to Gacy's self-esteem, where suffering and violence were all he experienced. Although his childhood experience appeared to develop confusion within his sexual identity, this led Gacy to move to Illinois to get married and have a family to hide his homosexuality. Through this development of concealment, Gacy surrendered his true sexual identity once he committed his first crime when he raped a young male (Navin, 2017). In which he got a 10-year prison sentence, although he served 18 months for good behavior. During his time in prison, Gacy's father died due to alcohol consumption. In which Gacy seemed to portray the humiliation his father might have suffered due to his conviction for the sodomy of a teenager. The buildup of emotions was essentially fueling her anger over her sexual desire to grow more towards boys. Once released from prison, Gacy chose to travel and reside in Chicago, starting a new life where he became a thriving businessman through his construction company. A new chapter in his life where his clown disguise translates into a character where he can make his crimes possible. The way Gacy created this character allowed him to feel like a child, he said again in an interview. This allowed Gacy to become the devil himself, luring young males to his home where he will rape and kill those he has captured. The character created by Gacy, known as Pogo the Clown, gave him the necessary respect and trust from the locals. Gacy remained killing innocent lives for six years, without arousing much suspicion due to his established reputation in his community. It all started from 1972 to 1978 until he was caught and confessed that 33 young boys had been raped and killed (Navin, 2017). Understanding, John Wayne Gacy is really one of the only ways to recognize the main aspects of his psychological profile. John Wayne Gacy was abused at an early age by his father due to his disability in adapting to the boy's normal activities (Navin, 2017). Maybe he was signaling.