Criminal Psychologist Explains The Sick Mind Of Ed Gein

Summary

Ed Gein, born in 1906, was a notorious murderer influenced by a traumatic childhood under his abusive mother Augusta's control. His deviant behavior escalated to grave robbing and murder, driven by a complex relationship with his mother. He confessed to two murders but was suspected of more. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Gein was institutionalized until his death in 1984. His case exemplifies the impact of childhood trauma on criminal behavior.

Takeaways

• 👤 Ed Gein, known as the Butcher of Plainfield, confessed to two murders but was suspected of more due to the disturbing contents of his home.
• 📚 Dr. Eric Hickey, a criminal psychologist, suggests that Gein's actions were rooted in a traumatic childhood and a dysfunctional family.
• 👨‍👩‍👦 Gein's mother, Augusta, was highly controlling and had a negative view of sex, which likely contributed to Gein's psychological issues.
• 🛏️ There is speculation that Gein may have had an inappropriate relationship with his mother, which further complicated his sexual development.
• 🔪 Gein's first memory of sexual arousal was witnessing the gutting of a pig, which may have contributed to his later acts of violence.
• 🏚️ After his mother's death, Gein became a recluse and developed a morbid interest in death and the macabre.
• 💀 To cope with his mother's absence, Gein exhumed her body and other graves to create a skin suit, attempting to assume a feminine appearance.
• 👵 He killed women who resembled his mother, possibly as a way to deal with the psychological and sexual trauma she inflicted on him.
• 🏠 Police discovered a house filled with human remains and objects made from human body parts, indicating a deep obsession with death.
• 🚨 Despite the gruesome evidence, Gein only admitted to two murders and was deemed not guilty by reason of insanity, suffering from schizophrenia.
• 🧠 Dr. Hickey suggests that Gein's lack of social skills and empathy, combined with his traumatic upbringing, led to his descent into serial murder.

Q & A

What was Ed Gein's childhood like?

Ed Gein had a difficult childhood, growing up with an alcoholic father and an abusive, controlling mother. His mother, Augusta, was particularly intimidating and is believed to have had a significant impact on Gein's psychological development.

How did Ed Gein's mother influence his views on sex and women?

Ed Gein's mother, Augusta, was said to have a strong aversion to sex and warned her sons about the dangers of women. She encouraged Ed to remain a virgin to stay loyal to her, which contributed to his confusion and distorted views on sexuality.

What is the significance of the pig-gutting incident in Ed Gein's life?

Witnessing his mother gut a pig on the farm and feeling sexual arousal during the process was a pivotal moment for Ed Gein. It marked the beginning of his association between violence and sexual stimulation.

How did Ed Gein's mother's death affect him?

Ed Gein was devastated by his mother's death in 1945, which led him to become a virtual hermit. He began to show interest in macabre literature and started digging up her grave, eventually decapitating her as a way to maintain a connection with her.

What was Ed Gein's relationship with his brother Henry like?

The relationship between Ed Gein and his brother Henry was strained, with Henry reportedly concerned about Gein's idolization of their mother. Henry's mysterious death, with Gein being the one to find his body, has led to speculation that Gein may have been involved in his brother's death.

How did Ed Gein's upbringing contribute to his becoming a serial killer?

Ed Gein's upbringing, marked by a traumatic childhood, an abusive mother, and a lack of normal social interactions, contributed to his development as a serial killer. His isolation and lack of healthy attachments led to a lack of empathy, which is a critical factor in understanding his crimes.

What was the nature of the items found in Ed Gein's home?

The items found in Ed Gein's home were made from human remains, including a bowl made from a human skull, a chair and lampshade made from human skin, and belts made from human skin. These items indicate his compulsion to create trophies from his victims.

How did Ed Gein select his victims?

Ed Gein chose to kill women who resembled his mother, as a way to deal with the psychological and sexual trauma she had inflicted upon him. This selection process was influenced by his deep-rooted fantasies and trauma related to his mother.

What was the outcome of Ed Gein's trial?

Ed Gein was arrested but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and deemed unfit to stand trial. Consequently, he was sent to Central State Hospital for the criminally insane, where he remained until his death in 1984.

What is the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath as it relates to Ed Gein?

While both psychopaths and sociopaths exhibit antisocial behavior, psychopaths are characterized by a lack of empathy and manipulative social skills. Ed Gein, on the other hand, was more of a sociopath, as he was driven by his fantasies about his mother and did not exhibit the manipulative social skills typical of a psychopath.

What was the role of shame in Ed Gein's life?

Shame played a significant role in Ed Gein's life, particularly due to his mother's influence. He felt shame about masturbation, women, men, and sex in general, viewing all of these as dirty. This shame was a source of trauma for him and contributed to his deviant behaviors.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Ed Gein: The Early Years and Traumatic Background

Ed Gein, known as the Butcher of Plainfield, confessed to two murders but was suspected of more due to the disturbing contents of his home. Born in 1906, he had a troubled childhood with an alcoholic father and an abusive, controlling mother who instilled in him a fear and hatred of women and sex. His mother's influence was so profound that it likely contributed to his later criminal behavior. Dr. Eric Hickey, a criminal psychologist, suggests that Gein's mother may have sexually abused him, exacerbating his trauma. A pivotal moment in Gein's life was witnessing the gutting of a pig, which oddly aroused him, foreshadowing his future gruesome acts.

05:01

🎭 Ed Gein's Descent into Madness and Murder

After his mother's death, Gein became a recluse and developed an interest in macabre literature, particularly stories about Nazi war criminals. He exhumed his mother's body and decapitated her, an act that signaled his identification with her and his desire to escape her control even in death. Gein also began digging up other graves to fashion a skin suit, possibly to assume a feminine identity. His psychological state was further complicated by what experts describe as a Madonna-whore complex, reflecting his love-hate relationship with his mother. He eventually killed Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden, both of whom resembled his mother, and was implicated in other crimes, although he only confessed to these two murders.

10:02

🏥 Ed Gein's Capture, Insanity Plea, and Theories on His Psychopathy

Despite the gruesome evidence found in his home, Gein only admitted to two murders, claiming the rest of the bodies were obtained through grave robbing. He passed polygraph tests regarding other potential crimes. Ultimately, he was arrested and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, leading to a diagnosis of schizophrenia and his commitment to a hospital for the criminally insane until his death in 1984. Experts debate whether Gein was born a killer or made one by his traumatic upbringing. His lack of social skills, empathy, and normal human attachments are seen as key factors in his descent into serial murder. While some argue he was a psychopath, others believe he was more likely a sociopath, driven by his fantasies and the trauma inflicted by his mother.

Keywords

💡Ed Gein

Ed Gein, also known as the Butcher of Plainfield, was an American murderer and body snatcher. His crimes were a significant inspiration for numerous horror films and books. The video explores his life, suggesting that his actions were deeply rooted in his traumatic childhood and a disturbed relationship with his mother.

💡Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma refers to distressing experiences that occur during the developmental period and can have lasting effects on a person's mental health. In the video, Ed Gein's difficult childhood, marked by an abusive mother and alcoholic father, is highlighted as a potential root cause of his later criminal behavior.

💡Maternal Control

Maternal control denotes the excessive influence or dominance a mother has over her child's life. The script describes Ed Gein's mother, Augusta, as controlling and domineering, which likely contributed to Gein's psychological issues and subsequent crimes.

💡Sex Crimes

Sex crimes are criminal acts involving sexual behavior perceived as abnormal or harmful. The video mentions Ed Gein's interest in macabre literature and his disturbing acts involving the bodies of his victims, which are categorized as sex crimes.

💡Psychopathology

Psychopathology is the study of mental disorders and their underlying psychological mechanisms. The video discusses the possibility that Ed Gein suffered from psychopathic tendencies, influenced by his traumatic upbringing and relationship with his mother.

💡Madonna-Whore Complex

The Madonna-whore complex is a psychological concept where a man perceives women as either pure and virtuous (Madonna) or sexually promiscuous (whore). The video suggests that Ed Gein developed this complex, which contributed to his crimes and his desire to dress in women's skin.

💡Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking. The script mentions that Ed Gein was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which may have played a role in his inability to form normal social relationships and his descent into criminality.

💡Trophies and Souvenirs

In the context of serial killers, trophies are body parts kept as mementos of victims, while souvenirs are items taken from the crime scene. The video describes how Ed Gein made bowls and belts from human skin, indicating his need to keep tangible reminders of his victims.

💡Cannibalism

Cannibalism is the act of consuming the flesh of one's own species. The video suggests that Ed Gein may have engaged in cannibalistic acts, as evidenced by the discovery of human remains in various states of dismemberment and consumption in his home.

💡Necrophilia

Necrophilia is a paraphilia involving sexual attraction to dead bodies. The script implies that Gein may have been involved in necrophilia, as he was found with bodies in various states that suggested post-mortem sexual activities.

💡Insanity Plea

An insanity plea is a legal defense arguing that a person was not responsible for their criminal actions due to severe mental illness. Ed Gein pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and the video discusses his diagnosis and subsequent confinement in a mental hospital.

Highlights

Ed Gein, known as the Butcher of Plainfield, confessed to two murders but was suspected of more.

Criminal psychologist Dr. Eric Hickey discusses the dark psychology behind Ed Gein's crimes.

Ed Gein was born in 1906 and had a difficult childhood with an alcoholic father and an abusive mother.

Gein's mother, Augusta, was very controlling and had a strong influence on his views on sex and women.

Dr. Hickey suggests that Augusta Gein may have sexually abused Ed, contributing to his trauma.

Ed Gein experienced sexual arousal when witnessing his mother gut a pig, hinting at his future behaviors.

Ed Gein felt deep shame due to his mother's influence, which was more damaging than guilt.

Gein's father and brother died under mysterious circumstances, possibly linked to Ed.

After his mother's death, Gein became a hermit and developed an interest in macabre literature.

Gein exhumed his mother's body and kept her head, indicating a complex psychological state.

He also dug up other graves and made a skin suit, showing a desire to assume a feminine appearance.

Ed Gein killed women who resembled his mother, indicating a deep psychological connection.

Police discovered a horrifying collection of human remains and body parts in Gein's home.

Gein's trophies and souvenirs suggest a compulsion to keep parts of his victims as mementos.

Rumors suggest Gein engaged in cannibalism and necrophilia, supported by Dr. Hickey's analysis.

Despite evidence of more victims, Gein only confessed to two murders, claiming the rest were grave-robbing incidents.

Gein was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was deemed unfit to stand trial, spending the rest of his life in a hospital.

Dr. Hickey concludes that Gein's upbringing and trauma likely led to his becoming a serial killer.

Gein's lack of empathy and social skills are key indicators of sociopathy, according to Dr. Hickey.

The narrative ends with a reflection on Gein's life and the impact of his traumatic childhood.

Transcripts

- [Narrator] He's the inspiration

behind countless books and horror movies.

Ed Gein, the Butcher of Plainfield,

admitted to two murders,

but his house of horrors hinted at far greater crimes.

But what was going on in the mind of this monster?

Was he born evil, or did he become evil along the way?

- My name is Dr. Eric Hickey.

I'm a criminal psychologist.

I work in the areas of sex crimes, homicide,

criminal paraphernalia, psychopathology,

anything on the dark side,

and doing it for a long time.

- [Narrator] Let's start at the beginning.

Ed Gein was born on August 27, 1906

in Plainfield, Wisconsin.

Growing up on a farm as the youngest of two children,

Ed Gein reportedly had a difficult childhood,

between his alcoholic father and abusive mother.

Gein's mother, Augusta,

was said to be especially intimidating,

and even bullied her husband.

- So Ed Gein is not alone

when we talk about childhood trauma,

in what he went through with his mother.

She was very controlling.

She didn't like men, per se.

She certainly didn't like sex.

All of that tells you that he did not bond well with her.

We don't see serial killers being raised in normal families.

And we don't know much about the mother,

other than how controlling she was.

But I believe that Ed Gein's mother suffered terribly

when she was a child,

and I think that was passed on to her son.

- [Narrator] Augusta abhorred all sex,

and constantly warned her two sons

about the dangers of women.

She even said sex for procreation was horrendous,

but tolerated in order to establish a family.

She also encouraged Ed Gein to remain a virgin

in order to stay loyal to her, which confused him,

because it went against the grain

of being a normal, sexual being.

- I think when we look at the Ed Gein case,

we can't ignore the very likelihood

that the mother was involved with her son sexually.

Specifically with Ed.

I think that that helped traumatize him.

She has her own sexual hangups from her own sexual abuse,

and then her own attitudes about men and sex,

and she probably wanted to teach him about sex.

She had a lot of, I think, sexual control over him

and of course he felt a lot of shame,

for by masturbating,

and he couldn't think about women.

He had to think about his mother,

so he probably masturbated about his mother,

and that was probably traumatic for him as well.

- [Narrator] In his youth, Gein would witness

his mother gutting a pig on a farm.

When Augusta carved up the pig to remove its intestines,

Gein felt sexual arousal.

This would be a marker of things to come.

- Ed Gein admitted that he was sexually aroused

by that experience.

Ed Gein had a lot of shame.

He had shame because his mother made him feel shameful.

I don't know if you understand the word shame,

the concept of shame.

It's a far worse thing than guilt.

No one feels guilt.

They either are guilty, or they're not guilty.

But it's not a feeling, it's a fact.

Yes, I killed them.

Do I feel badly about it?

No.

That's where the shame can come in.

I'm sure that was like acid to Ed Gein

in the early days of growing up.

How he felt shame about masturbation,

about women, about men,

about sex at all.

It just was all dirty,

so that really would be traumatizing to him.

He never had a healthy discussion about sex in his life.

Yeah, he'd never been with a woman other than his mom.

All that was be very, very disturbing for him growing up.

I mean, horrific childhood.

- [Narrator] Ed Gein's father would die

of a heart attack in 1940.

Four years later, Gein's brother Henry

would die in a mysterious manner,

leaving Gein alone with his mom.

Ed told police that he'd lost sight of his brother

while trying to put out a brush fire

that was approaching their property.

He called them to ask for their assistance in finding him.

However, when they arrived, Gein was able to lead them

straight to where his body was.

Even stranger, his body was not burnt by flames

despite it resting on scorched ground.

There were also bruises on the back of his neck.

It has been said that Henry was concerned

about Gein's idolization of their mother.

- There were a lot of strange things about that death.

It's very possible that he killed his own brother.

Because of his own, maybe attraction,

and his own interest in his mother sexually,

very likely that his brother was just a hindrance to that,

he didn't want him around.

- [Narrator] In 1945, Augusta Gein died,

which devastated the 39 year old Gein.

Afterwards, he became virtually a hermit.

He also showed interest in macabre literature.

In particular, tales about Nazi war criminals.

- That just added to his fantasies about death and dying.

I mean, all he would hear about,

all these people were dying in the war.

He was isolated out in Wisconsin,

and he didn't have friends.

All he had was his own little world

of getting his newspaper,

and fantasizing, and masturbating, I'm sure,

and he probably got some very strange notions about women,

I think led him into the killing phase.

- [Narrator] To cope with his mother's absence,

Ed Gein eventually dug up her grave

and decapitated his mother.

- Ed Gein identified with his mother,

and didn't have any connection with his father.

So she was his role model,

and she's the one that traumatized him

about sex, sexuality, being terrorized,

being traumatized by her.

He had such a fixation for her.

She had such control of his life.

I think even in death, that Ed Gein feared his mother.

Even in the grave, he felt controlled by her.

That having her be in the grave was not enough.

He had to have her with him,

and so he took her head.

And of course, he had access to the body.

- [Narrator] He also started digging up other graves,

and fashioning a skin suit in order to look like his mother.

Or at least, appear more feminine.

- I think he developed what we call a Madonna-whore complex,

where he really loved his mom.

I think he wanted to love her, but he also hated her.

Off the top of my head, when we talk about those

who relate to Ed Gein in terms of their MO,

I would say that Jerry Brudos had severe mother issues,

and he liked to relive his experiences with her

by dressing his victims up in her clothing.

I think Ed Kemper, by his own words,

said I had this sort of Madonna-whore complex with her.

I loved her, and I hated her.

On one of the days I hated her,

I went over to say goodbye to her and I killed her,

I cut off her head, I used it for a dartboard,

because I hated her.

But then there were days when he really loved her.

- [Narrator] In 1954, almost 10 years after his mother died,

Ed Gein killed 55 year old tavern owner Mary Hogan.

He got away with this crime, but then in 1957,

hardware store owner Bernice Worden also vanished.

Gein was seen in the store

purchasing antifreeze the night before.

He was arrested that evening,

where police discovered Worden's decapitated body

hanging upside down in his shed, gutted like a pig.

Both women resembled Gein's mother.

- Ed Gein chose to kill women who resembled his mother,

because of the huge impact

that she had on his life.

The psychological trauma, the sexual trauma.

I think all that really played into

his need to kill other women,

and to sort of emulate her and become like her,

and I think in the end,

his fantasy was to become his mother.

Thus, the skin.

- [Narrator] The skin refers to the trove of nightmares

police discovered when they entered Gein's home.

There was a bowl made from a human skull,

a chair, lampshade, and belts made from human skin.

Noses, bones, and other remains were strewn about.

Heads were discovered in various bags and boxes.

On the stove, a heart sitting inside a pot.

The home was also trashed.

It was littered with crime magazines, newspapers,

and clippings about disappearances and unsolved murders.

- Serial killers, some keep trophies,

some keep souvenirs, some do both.

For me, in my work, I identify trophies as body parts,

like an eyeball, fingers, the vagina, a penis.

Ed Gein had a compulsion to make belts,

and jackets, and bowls, and things.

This is a way that he could

always have his mother in his fantasy world.

It was also his bizarre trauma about sex and sexuality,

but the whole sex part.

I think that was important to him.

Think about this, he lives by himself.

There's no one to hold him accountable.

He's able to explore sex by digging up dead people,

by killing women, by taking their body parts.

I mean, he lived in his own dark, dark world.

You can imagine walking into his house,

and seeing how he was living.

His house was a house of horrors.

- [Narrator] After Gein's arrest, there were rumors

that he engaged in cannibalism and necrophilia.

- I believe Ed Gein did engage

in sexual activity with the corpse.

In his fantasy world, this is his mom,

and he can do what he wants to her,

and the next one, and the next one.

So I think he was sexually involved

with all of his victims, sure.

I think that he would explore whatever he could explore.

He had nothing to stop him.

Why wouldn't he then try the blood?

I mean, I'd be surprised if he didn't do that.

He had some very, very strange ideas

about sex and sexuality.

I would say he probably did have

some cannibalistic acts with his victims, yeah.

- [Narrator] Though the sheer amount of bodies

indicated many more victims, Gein insisted

that he had only murdered Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden,

and that the rest were found by grave robbing.

Polygraphs were even administered

for other potential crimes he committed,

but he passed them all.

Gein was arrested,

but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

With a diagnosis of schizophrenia,

Gein was deemed not fit to stand trial,

and was sent to Central State Hospital

for the criminally insane.

Gein remained in a hospital until his death in 1984.

- I believe that Ed Gein was deeply traumatized as a child.

We know that schizophrenia develops earlier on,

like in your late teens, early twenties,

and manifests itself then.

It's possible that he had moments,

because of his trauma from his mother,

he could've experienced schizophrenia.

- [Narrator] So, when we talk about Ed Gein,

was he born a killer, or made one?

- He really had no way of developing normal social skills

because of the family he was raised in.

There was nothing there that was conducive

to becoming a human being,

to being socialized as a human being.

Every child needs to bond,

and have attachments, healthy attachments.

Children who do not have healthy attachments

often end up going down a different pathway

where, because they don't have a stake in conformity,

they don't develop a need to be a part of the community,

they don't have empathy.

They lack empathy.

I mean, empathy really distinguishes us as being human.

That we can identify the suffering of other people.

But if you don't care about the suffering of somebody else,

then you can be very dangerous.

- [Narrator] So, was Ed Gein a psychopath?

- May go off on a tangent for a second.

So, being a psychopath,

you develop a certain set of social skills.

How to manipulate people.

Ed Gein didn't do that, 'cause he was a hermit.

He didn't go out in public.

Ed Gein shot his victims first,

before he decapitated them,

which tells me he wasn't sadistic at all.

He wanted them to die quickly,

so that he could have access to the bodies.

Otherwise, he could've tortured them,

but he didn't do that

because that was not of interest to him at all.

I think Ed Gein was a sociopath, absolutely.

I think he was driven by his fantasies about his mother.

Someone like Ed Gein, who didn't understand empathy,

he didn't have a normal relationship with people.

I think Ed Gein's foundation to becoming a serial killer

was well laid out in the beginning,

as he was shamed by his mother.

He probably did some sex things with her.

He probably masturbated, and he felt shame about that.

All of that stuff that you wouldn't normally see

in a family was going on with him with his mom.

His brother died mysteriously.

He lives as a hermit.

He fantasized about bizarre things.

He has no way to socialize.

It's not surprising that, not only was he a strange man,

but he became a very prolific serial killer as well.

(gentle music)