Dissertation 

As I discussed in a previous blog, I discovered a dissertation by Amanda Vicary. She wrote it in order to fulfill the requirements for the degree of the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Once again, as Amanda stated, there has been no research conducted to investigate the phenomenon. I am going to use her findings to compare it with other conclusions that I have found in my research process. 

Amanda's hypothesis is that an insecure attachment orientation, low self-esteem, and high sensation seeking will correlate with women’s attraction to murderers.

Attachment

The first thing that Vicary addresses is a woman's attachment to her father. Was he there during her upbringing? Did he pass away at a young age? Or was he just emotionally unavailable? 

Findings from research conducted in the area of life history theory (Belsky, Steinberg, & Draper, 1991) provide support for the notion that a woman’s early childhood experiences may impact her subsequent relationships.

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Attachment theory was developed by Bowlby (1982) to explain the bond that develops between an infant and his or her caregiver. According to attachment theory, children instinctively form an attachment to their primary caregiver that helps to insure their survival. In 1987 Hazan and Shaver  extended theory on attachment to adult romantic relationships when they noted that the same patterns of behavior observed between infants and caregivers also seemed to exist between romantic partners.

With this information, Vicary proposed that women who are high in attachment avoidance with their fathers and romantic partners will be more likely to find killers attractive.  Individuals who score high on avoidance prefer not to open up to others and are uncomfortable being close to others. Vicary went on to state that they, the women, may prefer a partner with whom they do not need to interact with emotionally on a level that would occur if he were free, due to the score of high avoidance.

-In other research I have came across, they never gave "daddy issues" as a reason for these women to be drawn to these dangerous men. But if you think about it, it does make sense. They know where the man will be at all times and they have the power to come and see them as they please. I think that desire for power and control, as discussed in a previous post, could come from this theory.

Vicary added on to her conclusion, "Highly avoidant women, possibly due to their fears of being abandoned, their dislike of closeness, or distaste for sexual relations, will find a man who  is behind bars more attractive than women of a more secure attachment orientation."

- So plainly stated, if a woman didn't have a father figure, she is more likely to become involved with a killer for reasons as simple as that he can't leave her and she has control of what happens.


Self-esteem

"Isenberg (2000) states, based upon her interviews, that women who love killers are often suffering from extremely low levels of self-esteem. They seek out killers because they want something that society has also branded as unacceptable", stated Vicary in her dissertation.

- I have found that self-esteem issues is a common reason given to explain these women's actions. They are using "love" to boost their self-esteem and give them self worth. They don't think that they can do better. Another idea to think about is that these criminals with settle for anything, They are lonely and seeking companionship. I don't think a criminal is going to be to picky as to who he accepts letters and maybe even money from. We need to remember that these convicts are cons, con-artists. They can lead these women to believe anything, they are the perfect targets.

Self -esteem and attachment are just some of the reasons that Vicary discusses in her dissertation. I chose to use this dissertation as apart of my research process because this id the first work I have come across that attempts to answer my initial question in its entirety. Her dissertation is entitled, "An investigation into the potential romantic appeal of convicted killers."  I feel that she has invented ethos due to the fact that she has done extensive research and cites many credible sources. She is writing it in order to fulfill the requirements for the degree of the Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, so she is of an advanced level. Additionally, if she chose to write her dissertation on it, she must be passionate about the subject.

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/26208/Vicary_Amanda.pdf?sequence=1


Isenberg, S. (2000). Women who love men who kill. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse.

Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511-524.

Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. New York: Basic Books. (Original work published 1969)