The Roots Of Different Types Of Necrophilia - Research Paper Example

The Roots Of Different Types Of Necrophilia Introduction Society is based on the foundation of certain norms and standards. Hence, if people desire acceptance and respect from the society, then they have to follow those norms and standards. However, some people have a tendency to go against the social norms and behave and act in such a way that attracts rejection and anger from people around them. There are some behaviors and actions like body piercing and making tattoos on body, that are considered against the standard social norms (Andersen and Taylor 166). But these actions are mild form of deviance as they do not harm other people. However, there are people whose deviant behavior become threat to their own life and the lives of other people, and destroy the peace of the society. For example, behaviors like violence, eating disorder, crime, rebellion, terrorism etc., are harmful and life threatening behaviors not only for the people indulging in those behaviors but also for other people in the society (Andersen and Taylor 182). Hence, deviance can be life threatening and needs to be kept in check. One such life threatening and repulsive deviant behavior is the behavior where human beings get sexually aroused by the corpse due to their unusual attraction towards the dead bodies. In scientific language, this behavior is called as ‘necrophilia’. Necrophilia is of different types. The type of necrophilia that will be explored in this paper is the necrophilia known as ‘sexual necrophilia’ or the ‘regular necrophilia,’ Necrophilia has the potential to make a person commit heinous crimes like murder, rape and sexual relationship with the corpse. It is a deviant behavior which results from the mental, emotional and social maladjustment in personality, and hence, it is extremely necessary to recognize the signs of the behavior early in the life of a person, so that the person suffering from necrophilia can be treated or stopped from becoming a threat to other people’s lives. Definition Deviance Deviance is a behavior pattern that is related to the social norms. According to sociologists, deviance cannot be defined without society being taken into consideration. Hence, deviance is defined by sociologists as “behavior that is recognized as violating expected rules and norms” (Andersen and Taylor 166). However, as deviance has various social dimensions to it, different sociologists have coined different definitions for it. According to Gibbs (1981), the behavior of a person that breaks the social norm, i.e. the standard about “what human beings should or should not think, say, or do under given circumstances,” is called as deviance (Clinard and Meier 6). This is the normative definition of deviance (Clinard and Meier 6). However, the elements of deviance are not universal as they keep on changing with changing times, and as per the places and societies (Clinard and Meier 6). According to Becker (1973), it is the social groups who “create deviance by making the rules whose infraction creates deviance” (Clinard and Meier 6). By this definition, it is understood that people are responsible for creating deviance as they think that people who break the rules made by them are deviant. However, not every deviant behavior is a result of social thinking. Some deviant behaviors are not just ‘thought’ deviant because they are against norms but are sign of mental and emotional sickness, and hence, are extremely harmful for the lives of people in the society. Necrophilia is one of those deviant behaviors which come under the deviance of crime. Necrophilia Necrophilia is divided into different categories depending on the nature of the perversion. It was in the year 1886 that the first psychiatric definition of necrophilia was proposed by Krafft-Ebing (Jaffe 243). Krafft-Ebing realized that necrophiles can be divided into two categories depending on the behavioral aspects and the nature of the necrophilia (Jaffe 243). According to Krafft-Ebing, some people’s desire for sex object that can be completely controlled and enslaved, and avoidance of any refusal or physical reaction from them, lead them to seek contact with dead bodies as source of sexual pleasure (Jaffe 243). However, there are other kinds of necrophiles who not only seek sexual contact with dead bodies, but are also involved in murder and mutilation of the bodies to gain access and pleasure from the dead bodies whenever they want (Jaffe 243). The type of necrophilia associated with murder and mutilation was given the name of ‘necrosadism’ by Havelock-Ellis (Jaffe 243). However, not all the people suffering from necrophilia commit murder. According to Smith and Braun (1978), the desire of a person to use a female corpse to have sexual intercourse or any other kind of sexual contact is called as ‘sexual necrophilia’ (Jaffe 244). There are some necrophiles who murder people to use their corpse as sexual objects (Jaffe 244). These murders are called as ‘necrophilic homicide’ (Jaffe 244). However, not all necrophiles commit murder as there are necrophiles who use the bodies of already dead people for sexual gratification (Jaffe 244). This kind of necrophilia, where people try to gain access to the dead bodies for sexual gratification is called as ‘regular necrophilia’ (Jaffe 244). However, no matter what kind of necrophilia a person is suffering from, it always entails a potential threat to the life of other people as it has been found that the different types of necrophilia usually overlap in a person suffering from it (Flowers 110). Necrophilia is a severe kind of deviant behavior of heinous nature and comes under the category of deviant behavior of crime due to its involvement of violence and sadism. The Nature Of Deviance People suffering from necrophilia desire and crave sexual contact and sexual relationship with dead bodies. People who are vulnerable targets of necrophiles are those who work as prostitutes, children prostitutes, runaway, and overdosed people (Flowers 110). Moreover, the deceased are also the targets of necrophilia as they are the readymade victims of necrophiles (Flowers 110). Due to their desire for the dead bodies, necrophiles usually choose professions which bring them easily in contact with the dead bodies (Flowers 110). For example, professions involving work in ambulance service, funeral services, morgues etc., where contact with dead bodies is common, are the usual choice of the necrophiles (Flowers 110). Moreover, due to lack of clarity about the motivation of the necrophiles and the overlapping of the kinds of necrophilia, it becomes difficult for the law enforcement officers to discover necrophilia in the offenders (Flowers 110). Moreover, even if a person is suffering from ‘regular necrophilia’, he still has a potential to commit ‘necrophilia homicide’ in case he does not get access to readymade dead bodies. Hence, it becomes a responsibility of common people to understand the signs of necrophilia in a person if they come in contact with one, and take some preventive or safety action against him. However, for that to happen, it is necessary to know the roots of the deviance of necrophilia and to understand the nature of this deviant behavior. The Roots Of Necrophilia Research studies of the necrophilia cases have revealed that necrophilia occurs in a person who is suffering from “multiple and increasingly serious” other problems like “alcoholism, impotency, hypersexuality” etc. (Holmes S. and Holmes R. 148). It has been found that necrophilia is also found in people suffering from mental problems like hallucination, paranoid grandiosity, and who are interested in black magic, vampires and religious fundamentalism (Holmes S. and Holmes R. 148). This shows that necrophilia occurs in culmination of different mental conditions and not in isolation (Holmes S. and Holmes R. 148). Nobus (2002) has found that mental perversions and dysfunctions like narcissism, sadism, and a need to destroy are common in people suffering from necrophilia (Hickey 130). In the Roseman and Resnick study of necrophiles, 17% of the necrophiles were found to be suffering from severe mental illness while half of the necrophiles were diagnosed with personality disorders of various kinds (Hickey 130). At the same time, the necrophiles in the study were generally intelligent and vast majority of them reported that they were in relationship with consenting partners with whom they had non-necrophilic sexual relationship (Hickey 130). However, the internal fears do not let necrophiles to continue with normal sexual relationship for a long time. Study by Franzini and Grossberg (1995) found that the fear of rejection and the need to be with, and to possess a partner who is accepting and complies with every necrophilic fantasy of theirs, drives necrophiles to commit necrophilic acts (Hickey 130). However, the prominent aspect of necrophiles that is evident from the studies is the deep seated fear, which is usually baseless. One of the strongest motivating factors that drive necrophiles to have sex with corpse is the avoidance of rejection from them (Hickey 129). The total control of the body and the environment gives the necrophiles the satisfaction they crave for (Hickey 129). Necrophiles usually fantasize sexual contact with a person who will not react in any way to the sexual act (Hickey 129). This fantasy is not fulfilled when they have sex with a live person as live person reacts in some way or other. It has been found that sometimes, the prostitutes are asked by some of their clients to act like a dead person by lying motionless in a casket, with eyes closed and white powder dusted o their bodies while their clients fulfill their sexual fantasies on them (Hickey 129). Necrophile’s desire for sexual gratification and doing whatever they want, without the fear of rejection and resistance from their sexual partner is fulfilled only when they act out their fantasy on the dead body. Hence, they desire dead bodies for sexual contact and are aroused by the dead bodies. Moreover, it has been found that necrophiles have unusually negative attitude towards women. Study by Holmes (1991) has found that most of the necrophiles harbor a deep-seated hatred for women and are insensitive to other people’s feeling (Hickey 130). They gain excitement in reducing the worth of female corpse by mutilating their bodies and humiliating them in their death (Holmes S. and Holmes R. 150). They find release of hatred for women in their necrophilic act (Hickey 130). Moreover, the helplessness of the corpse and inability to reject the sexual act on them drives the necrophiles to assault the corpse for sexual pleasure (Holmes S. and Holmes R. 150). This shows that necrophilia develops due to cluster of mental, emotional and social maladjustment problems. People who are not able to develop a healthy relationship with males and females, and who have scores of other mental problems like alcoholism, fetishism, sadism etc., are more prone to suffering from necrophilia. Hence, it is extremely important for people to realize the signs of necrophilia and take necessary steps. If not detected at right time, it can cause series of problems for person suffering from necrophilia and can also lead him to commit homicide. Necrophilia Case Kenneth Douglas, a 55-year-old man working at the Hamilton County Morgue, was charged with the crime of assaulting two women’s bodies in the morgue in year 1991 (Savino and Turvey 15). At the time of the charge, he was already serving a sentence for having sex with a body awaiting autopsy (Savino and Turvey 15). He was sentenced to prison for having sex with a body of a19-year-old murder victim in the year 1982 (Savino and Turvey 15). Douglas worked as an attendant at the morgue from 1976 to 1992, and it was clear that he had committed many offences against the dead bodies due to the opportunity available to him (Savino and Turvey 15). According to the prosecutor Joe Deters, the numbers of victims that Douglas had assaulted ranged from one to 100 as per the interview given by Douglas during the police investigation (Savino and Turvey 15). The first case that brought Douglas’s behavior in light was the case of 19-year-old girl called Karen Range, who was murdered in her home in Cincinnati (Savino and Turvey 15). In 1983, a door-to-door salesman, David Steffen, was convicted of rape and aggravated murder of Karen Range (Savino and Turvey 15). However, Steffen denied the rape charges saying that he was not able to rape her despite of wanting to, due to his physical inability (Savino and Turvey 15). He accepted that he had stabbed Karen to death (Savino and Turvey 15). In the year 2007, when the DNA tests became possible, it was proved that Steffen had not raped her (Savino and Turvey 15). Later, Douglas was asked to provide the DNA sample as required by the Ohio Law and his sample matched the sample taken from Karen Range in 1982 (Savino and Turvey 15). It was proved that Douglas had sexually assaulted the dead body of Karen and he was sentenced to 18 months prison for the same (Savino and Turvey 15). This shows that law does not treat the necrophilia related offense as harshly as rape or murder. The low sentence of 18 month aggravated the families of the victims and in year 2010, they filed suit against Hamilton County, Doglas’s supervisor Bernard Kersker, and the former coroner, Dr. Frank Cleveland (Savino and Turvey 15). The leniency of the law towards the criminals committing crimes of assaulting and abusing the corpses sexually has caused dissatisfaction among people (Savino and Turvey 15). Different States are reviewing laws related to crimes of necrophilia. For example, the State Supreme Court of Wisconsin has made significant reinterpretation in the laws and now allows their prosecutors to charge the corpse molesters with rape (Savino and Turvey 15). Treating the crime of necrophilia strictly is the need of an hour as many of the cases have revealed that ‘regular necrophiles’ turn into murderers if they do not get access to the readymade corpses. However, what is more important is to read the signs of the deviance in early childhood and prevent the development of the deviance before it is too late. Conclusion The literature review of the deviant behavior of necrophilia shows that necrophilia does not appear in isolation. It develops along with cluster of emotional and psychological dysfunctions and personality disorders. Hence, it is extremely important for people around the necrophiles to detect the deviance and take necessary steps either to prevent it from developing, or to report it to the relevant authorities. To avoid the victimization of innocent people, one should be alert to the signs of necrophilia in language, behavior, fetishes or mental problems of a person. This will not only help the person suffering from necrophilia to get timely therapy but will also help in reducing the chances of innocent people becoming a victim of deviant criminal behavior of necrophilia. Works Cited Andersen, Margaret, and Howard Taylor. Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. 4th ed. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008.Print. Clinard, Marshall, and Robert Meier. Sociology Of Deviant Behavior. 14th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print. Flowers, Barri. The prostitution of women and girls. Jefferson: McFarland & company, Inc., publishers, 1998. print. Hickey, Eric. Serial murderers and their victims. 5th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Holmes, Stephen And Ronald Holmes. Sex Crimes: Patterns And Behavior. 2nd Ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc, 2002. Print. Jaffe, Philip. Psychology And Criminal Justice: International Review Of Theory And Practice. Ed. Janos Boros, Ivan Munnich And Marton Szegedi. Berlin: Walter De Gruyter Gmbh And Co., 1998. Print. Savino, John and Brent Turvey. Rape Investigation Handbook.2nd ed. San Diego: Academic Press, 2011. Print. Read More