Criminal Psychologist Explains The Twisted Mind Of Jeffrey Dahmer

BuzzFeed Unsolved Network: It’s been brought to our attention that the woman in the images at 1:07 and throughout is Jeffrey’s stepmother, and not his birth mother. The featured images were the only pictures of Jeffrey’s parents available at the time of publishing, we apologize for any confusion!

Catherine Carlisle: I think this heavily explains what an impact parents have on their children’s lives. The feeling of abandonment can cause serious problems in a child and even adult

Aly B: He's not excusing Dahmers actions. You can tell that he loves his job & the psychology of it fascinates him.

Jenna Sessum: The psychologist’s explanation of nature vs nurture was just so perfectly said. The gun can be loaded (based on our genetic factors) but healthy parenting and a nurturing environment can literally keep that trigger from being pulled. And if behaviors do arise, we are able to intervene at an earlier point which creates a better overall society.

Jamie-Leigh Smith: Listening to much of what he did with his victims was very unsettling. May all the families of his victims find peace.

Jay: I think Dahmer’s mother leaving him without telling him at age 17 was an extremely profound experience in his life. I think this need to keep his victim’s bodies with him, to control them, to eat parts of them so they are with him forever, comes from the insecurity of being alone, which stemmed from his mother leaving

mazi: I feel like a lot of people here doesn't understand the idea of criminal psychology. It's not about not feeling for the victims, but the mind of the murderer. Someone doing these heinous acts obviously has a mind to be examined thoroughly. I really enjoyed the metaphor for nature vs nurture he did here as well. On a side note, the netflix series did really well on telling the stories of the victims and how they were affected. Sometimes we can feel so disassociated from true crime stories, but when you actually show how it affected the families it becomes much more disturbing and gives a wider perspective.

Rampaging Koala: I don't think this guy was trying to justify Jefferey Dahmer's behavior or to make us feel sorry for him. I think he was trying to show us life from Jefferey's perspective so that we could be educated on how to help prevent people from repeating his actions-- even though they were still entirely his fault. Edit: grammar

Michelle Abbott: "Are killers born evil or do they become evil over time?" That's the ultimate question isn't it? Nobody has ever been able to answer that definitively. I believe it's a combination of nature vs nurture that can possibly turn a person into a serial killer. Other killers? There are many reasons. Serial killers are unique and should be studied in every way possible.

Delen Potter: If Buzzfeed keeps doing videos like this, with people who were a part of the case, it may save them from going into the void

Queen Dha: The fact that this man keeps saying that Dahmer never wanted to harm his victims is CRAZY AS HELL to me ! Murdering them is harm at its heights ! Like what the hell is wrong with people ?!

Sherlock Homeless: Man.. this is a side note, but Dahmer's real life father really looks so much like Dahmer's father in the series that aired last week.

Anna Guerra: That is an amazing overview of this case. Very well done. As a therapist, it really help me to find a diagnose that makes sense for his case.

Laura M: I always wanted to know why some people are murderers and partly why I decided to study Psychology at university. As you study the degree, you realize the enormous amount of variables that can be behind human behavior, and the eternal nature vs nurture debate, it is incredibly complex and interesting. I loved the vision provided by the psychologist.

cleftintwain: I've known two different people that were abandoned by a parent that kept their other sibling. One was a boy who's father left with his younger sister(the father took both of them to the movies and left half way through with the sister). The other was a girl who's mother left with her younger brother. They were both train wrecks. Failed relationships, alcohol and drug abuse, anytime they managed to get anything or anyone positive in their life they sabotaged it almost immediately. That kind of trauma does not go away.

Julia Glassy: Dahmer's mother suffered from major mental health issues. That doesn't get expressed enough how profound her alienation and turbulent behavior was on him. He pretend to have seizures (like his mother had), he was attracted to someone who wouldn't love him back (like his mother) and her rage at their father and possibly men in general would have also hurt him horribly. Narcissists are made.

xo.julls: Dr. Hickey hands down one of the best professors I had at Fresno state! Glad to see him on here explaining the criminal psychology aspect of Dahmers behavior and actions!!

MissLaeeBeauty: Yess.! It usually (not all cases) starts with the animal abuse when they are young ‍♀️ and most parents will swear it’s “normal”. HOW it never crossed your mind that my child may need help. There’s usually always signs over looked in the beginning way before they build up to start acting out these crimes.

Courage Buff: PLEASE DO MORE OF THESE WITH PSYCHOLOGISTS! THIS WAS FASCINATING

JFTA: part of the reason why I'm studying psychology is because with things like this, we actually do not justify wrong doings but we are looking at the reasons and patterns why it was committed. isn't it fascinating how neglect and rejection affects your thoughts and behaviors? p.s. I'm sure everyone would be interested with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, its the perfect guide on how to 'actually' care, love, and nurture your children.

Woodward Fit Body Boot Camp: Dr. Hickey was my professor at Fresno State, Criminology class. Good to see him on here.

thewkovacs: i want him to explain the minds of the cops who let him get away with it for 10 years

Michelle: Imagine living in the kind of mind where you think you have to kill people to feel loved and keep them from leaving. It’s so difficult to comprehend that kind of existence but I appreciate those who study these people for providing some understanding.

donato286: I'm amazed at how many people put an equal sign between understanding and compassion. Let's learn once and for all that those two are not the same. Understanding is a rational action, a logical comprehension of how someone or something works. Compassion is a feeling that we may develop for someone after we've gained understanding of their struggle, but not necessarily if this struggle causes them to hurt people. This video is for us to gain understanding and insight into how someone like Dahmer functions, thinks and how that's different from other people. But no one is expecting anyone to have compassion, especially not for the adult Dahmer.

Yara Shamali: I must say the Netflix series casting crew did an amazing job

T: Rest in peace to all the victims that died at the hands of this monster. All the child victims, and adult victims.

Edin Ljeti: Fascinating, how easy one becomes so evil and yet able to hide it.

Alex Vs: What an incredible doctor, the way he explains and speaks about these things was so interesting and articulated that I immediately went ahead and bought one of his books, I could hear speaking for hours

Agata Marciniecka: Lets be fair. We as a society are fascinated with gore. True crime series are highly popular, we get excited about texas massacre movies, saw, and other gore creations. Media publicises perversions for us to watch. We all have the potential of a killer. But some of us have a happy personal life. Friends, family... this man was lonely. Abandoned. Fear of abandoment and a natural human instinct for violence, has led to what happened. Watching the series i was crying for him. I do feel pity for the victims but Dahmer was so so lost. So lonely it hurt.

vestaosto: As someone who is interested in psychology, this video is very well done. Thanks for uploading.

Jane Doe {Bean}: I understand a lot of these comments about the Dr being seemingly unsympathetic enough towards the victims..(R.I.P.)...this video though is about the psychology of Dahmer's brain and how that can help us try to understand this man who was a monster. What can make a man do things so abnormal? Why? What was his purpose? Reasoning? I found it fascinating. I don't have to agree with all of the Drs. assessments but I do find them all really interesting to think about. I loved how he explained nature vs nurture. That was simplifying it but so well done.

Missblondeappetite: I believe the abandonment caused a lot of problems for him and that’s why he wanted to keep he’s victims close. He’s parents had a profound affect. No love at all. The mother just leaving is evil and think this caused most he’s problems from then. The rejection theory speaks volumes. Great video.

Only1Noodle: For those who don't know, Dahmer's brother David, changed his name after the trial.

Taylor Colson: his life was tragic from start to finish, it’s honestly sad. he had no hope from the womb. i wonder if all of this could’ve been avoided if he got the help he needed smh

Iadira Saenz: Just extremely interesting what the mind can do, I’m speaking on the side of psychiatry not to be disrespectful. Sociopath and psychopath wow didn’t know the difference. This professional said it best. Parenting is so important, his parents were at fault…

Lauren Christie: I’m midway through the Netflix series Dahmer. Evan Peters did an amazing job as Jeffrey Dahmer. Highly recommend

Nat524Ricci: Really appreciate this professional explaining the pathology here and how someone like this comes to be. It’s chilling. I tried watching the Netflix series. I couldn’t finish episode 1. Just felt evil.

MxNobody: What has terrified me about him is how he almost had an uncontrollable inner monster that he tried to calm. Especially if you read "My Friend Dahmer" it really makes me feel like he was a sad lonely person. I can emphasize that much of him. Like this thought that his brain was running amok and he couldn't control it is a terrifying concept. Like a disassociative state or a Skin Walker

Amanda Davis: I did a thesis on Jeffrey Dahmer in my Psych class... I disagree that he didn't want to hurt them... he drilled holes in their heads and poured acid in to try to make them zombie like... It's the crime scene photos that really take you into another world... It's beyond disturbing

Gab Dol: I think this series was beautifully and respectfully done. No killing were shown no sex and no creepy music. It was done in such a way to send the message that many were brutally killed but the exact details of each and every death are none of your business. Bravo.

Markus Hayden Sutherland: The whole story of Jeffrey Dahmer is so terrifying to me. As a gay man I would have been very physically attracted to Dahmer. I would have gone home with him from a bar. I think of the times I did go home with a stranger from a bar. We even had a serial killer in the city that I live who picked up most of his victims from a bar I frequented. You just never know. It's like a horrible game of Russian roulette.

Gensci DuLac: This has been my favorite documentary so far. Dr. Hickey, thanks for your insights and human way at looking at such mortal, complex situations. Demonizing serial killers isn't helpful,so having someone explain the how and why a case like Dhamer can act the way they do towards their victims is so essential in identitying and stopping them. Someone needs to be brave enough to do it with a professional finess and coolness to get clearity, so thank you- because you're someone that that others can go to when the overwhemling aspects hit but for reasons, you can't look away....like you're a victim. I've been there, with no family support and only my judgement against someone who is now in jail for murdering his next target, and it's surprising but people with sociopathy like this are more common than you'd think. :/ RIP all Dhamer's victims, and may law enforcement never repeat their mistakes. Also RIP Lizzie Marriot, the court should have treated you with more dignity in death.

Lola Fairchild: If only his victims got this much attention .

Venus Axe: 15 mins in I didn't feel a need to be harsh on this criminologist about his analysis. Of course, I'm not a professional just someone with a keen interest but it did answer some questions I had and greatly informed me on a psychopathic/sociopathic difference and similarities which can be confusing sometimes. I honestly really enjoyed this video. Maybe I'm missing something but I appreciated it more because of how he discussed it. Somewhat lightly, with a sense of humor without losing sight of the horror. Which is practically how I articulate dark subjects, humorously because that's how I can better understand it. Now after the 15 mark I have some issues about what professionals considering perps hurting their victims versus sadism/sadist elements and more, I humbly disagree on a few instances. However, in reference to this for the most part I feel he nailed Jeffrey. But I must say this too 17:36 is extremely telling.

Lyndi Wilson: Excellent video. He really explained things so well. I loved the, "nature loads the gun but nurture pulls the trigger," quote.

Synnthetic: there is plenty of people that had horrible childhoods that did not do what Dahmer did. I have no pity for him.

Brenda Echols: I think he was ready to be caught. He had to stop what he was doing. He confessed cause he was ready to end the madness in his head.

black goku💎: I agree totally with the Dr. Don't justify what Jeffrey did but this Dr. Gave a good explanation and he is so right when he say parenting is important

Bhumika Khatri: Referring to the comments who are completely disregarding the doctor here. Doctor here is analysing every moment of Jeffrey's life and the way he killed and what he did to the bodies in order to decipher the why of all the actions. Again his point is that if he had a normal childhood, would he be a killer who claimed the life of so many innocent people? Everyone's trauma response is different according to their personalities, genetics and level of trauma so an individual cannot compare it with Dahmer's trauma and objectively say he was just an evil person who would've done bad things regardless of the trauma. No one is asking you to sympathise with Dahmer but take notes on how the criminals like him can be prevented to become a criminal and can possibly save lives of so many. Criminals needs to be psycho analysed in order to have more accurate profile and we can use this to prevent more criminals forming which in long term is going to save lives.

Jessica Hernandez Calderon: Dr.Hickey was my favorite Proffesor at CSU Fresno . He was the reason why I picked to be a sociology major. It was a trip down memory lane seeing him here !!!!!

Anna Wilder: Wow; I haven’t finished watching this yet but it’s really great – it’s so hard to find new material like this. This is probably my favorite type of true crime material, hearing the experts reflect. Great job

Matthew Soall: The police failed Dahmer's victims, then when those two officers, the ones who returned a victim to Dahmer, were suspended the Police union was able to get them back into their jobs and one was later awarded for his "good service".

David Caldwell: Ive never understood why Psychologists want to try and work out why a person could do such things to another human being. Im not classified with PHds, or Degrees in anything, but I can sum up why Dahmer did what he did. Its because he isnt right in the head, thats all we need to know, once a nutter always a nutter.

Rebecca Ann: Jeffrey was just never going to stop killing. I agree he would have eventually killed himself if he hadn't be killed. I think for Jeffery in his situation it was both nature and the lack of nurture that unfortunately helped developed him into who he became to be. That serial killer Larry Hall I think he is the person that the Black Bird series on Apple TV was based on.

jacqui8122: I know some people who are abandoned by their parents at the very young age but i see them succeeding in life they grow up as good people loving and able to live a normal life like anybody else

Clare: Listening to his wisdom was absolutely fascinating

xeno: it’s insidious how dahmer used living in a predominantly black/poc community to get away with being unnoticed by law enforcement.

Jessica Baldwin: Every time Jeffery's mother is mentioned they show a picture of his stepmother. Makes me doubt the rest.

michelle bowler: I couldn't do what this guy does hats off to you I'd probably need counseling and everything from what these people have done in their lives listen to this gives me shivers

Jocelyn Jones: he had that history of being abandoned by his parents mentally and physically and that transferred to him not wanting the men he encountered to leave

Zumina Rin: I have an autistic son and when he said "Parenting is important" it's true esp to those who are challenged kids i was in abusive relationship and got out of it because i didnt want my son to see and feel what i have to go through the nature of one's childhood plays a important role

grimm: “nature loads the gun, nurturing pulls the trigger” that’s an insanely smart way to put it

m8055: 20:16 - "Nature kinda loads the gun and nurturing pulls the trigger". Well said. We inherit some things.. but ultimately our extenal environment decides our fate.

B Amazing : This psychologist is excellent! The best take on Dahmer yet…

Hieu Nguyen: 20:16 — "Nature kinda loads the gun and nurturing pulls the trigger." Definitely words to remember when deciding how we handle other people.

CornholioPuppetMaster: I keep thinking about all the stuff that happened in my childhood and I honestly can’t figure out how I’m not a serial killer, I think I’m just lazy and I don’t feel like stalking people, finding weapons, disposing bodies.

dominique: This is a really interesting video. I love the high quality editing and the expertise of Dr. Hickey

Aysha Omar: Wow they did amazing with the series of Dahmer it felt so real and the cast were amazing

Sailor Rose The magical writer: My college writing professor talked about Jeffrey Dahmer in my English Comp II class and the theme of the class was monsters and monsters within. Professor Ward is also a true crime author under the pen name of J.T. Hunter.

BlueSkies: I think a lot of people are misunderstanding the psychologist here. He's clearly fascinated by psychology naturally, and yes, there's some "sympathy for the devil" thing here but only cause he understands why someone gets there. He's not saying Jeffrey Dahmer didn't deserve what he got, he just understands how he got there. Nature - mental illness and nurture - the parents not being the best, mixed into a perfect storm to create evil. Anyone could've been born into those circumstances (and yes, MOST people with mental illness and troubled childhoods don't murder people - but everyone is built differently - some are more prone to going "wayside" than others because of their personality and other outside factors like friends, strangers they run into, society, etc.). And anyone with bad habits should understand how hard it is to beat an impulse. His impulse was horrific. Instead of eating the cake in the pantry at midnight he harmed and murdered people. But it was still an impulse on the basic level. Him being a sociopath helped push him into being able to do such terrible things to feel love/attention/physical touch (yuck). That and not looking at the faces. (People turn away from and ignore other people's pain all the time - and try to justify it (not our business, etc.) - we just normally aren't the ones causing that pain - I say that when domestic violence is as high as ever - but such crimes are still in the minority - most people are okay people ultimately.) This murderer had an impulse most people would be able to resist if they ever had them at all (I don't want to know how many people out there seriously daydream about murder and zombie-fying people and such but resist successfully). The psychologist said he was evil but didn't hurt people - I understood that as him noting he did the zombie acid thing when the victims were unconscious and did not necessarily want to cause them pain. It was about keeping them, controlling them, so they wouldn't leave him as the guy said. Not causing them pain for the fun of it. It's technical stuff. But psychologists are taught to keep opinions mostly out of the study of a person. Now nobody could truly get into Dahmer's head, but it doesn't seem like Dahmer would want to lie to anyone about all that. After he was caught and they gathered all that evidence there was no point. And it seems Dahmer, because he wasn't a psycho (by the technical definition) recognized he shouldn't be allowed near others - he knew it was wrong - but his impulses took over (again, most people can control extremely bad impulses, but some aren't built that way). He told his story to explain why he did it, but not as a plea for mercy. He enjoyed the results of what he did and didn't say sorry but he still knew he was dangerous. Maybe just to end his misery he took the coward's way out so it seems, but it also made sure he couldn't do those things ever again. Killed 2 birds with 1 stone.

Starstruck Star: If JD’ parents weren’t so troubled they could’ve seen the signs and gotten him help before becoming an adult. They needed to take care of his mental health and they neglected that aspect. He could’ve been involved with a therapist, have a support group and take medication. This is a tragedy all the way around.

A. A.: I find it interesting that his father had similar dreams and desires. It’s clear he was psychotic

Vaishnavi gosain: The most striking detail of the newly released series that stuck with me was the sleeping with the mannequin thing, that has to be an indication of necrophilic thoughts. It also makes me think of the concept of sex dolls can that also be an obsession of similar nature?!

dodirae: I think the beginning of Jeff's issues started with all the meds his mother took while pregnant.

moazzamlxxl: His parents destroyed his life especially his mother and then he destroyed lives of 17 families. Parents should understand that they should always make important decisions while keeping their children in mind. If you decide to have kids then they are your responsibility. I feel sad for him and all the victims.

Priyankar Chakraborty: We need more analyses like these. Deconstructing monsters is crucial to make sure we don't create them inadvertently. Thank you for the video

Debra Gill: I don’t believe he could dig up people at the cemetery, it would be almost impossible for only one person, after all we’re not talking about the days people were buried without a vault. I think he lied about that.

T SK: People always say animal cruelty in childhood is a common trait of serial killers but still no one do anything to stop them.

RC Music: I've experienced severe PTSD and a very bad childhood but at no point did I put people's heads in a fridge. This man was demonic.

Prime Cheese: It’s so strange how he really didn’t like the actual action of killing but in his sick head he had to do it when they wanted to leave

Mayte_J: Its very important for media to show professional and scientific facts, I really appreciate that, really good video and so fascinating insights to the mind of serial killers hopefully this helps to detect in childhood such traits to finally act on it as society.

BulletLinx: “We are ALL sexual beings.” Me, an asexual: am I…better than everyone?”

Meleda Stephens: His mother took drugs while she was pregnant, I believe that was a factor as well.

lemon snout: I'm surprised he didn't become a mortician based on his necrophiliac tendencies

Barbara: I have to say, there are things in this video that contradict everything else I’ve seen and heard about this story. Makes me wonder about the accuracy of this.

Alexandra W: Wow, so because a child thinks it's exciting or finds pleasure in setting things on fire, killing/experimenting/harming animals, as well as having any thoughts on harming people. This is not something you can "fix" or "treat". This also has nothing to do with his family or his upbringing either. I disagree with this man. This behavior isn't caused by neglect, he was born this way. I'm only 5 minutes into this video.

joayna sirolli: “I can’t speak for women” …but he could speak for psychopaths, sociopaths and necrophiliacs lol.

elisa zouza: He was definitely evil even if he had all his problems, I would not be empathetic towards a killer who has different intentions. Yeah his life was pathetic and he had abandonment issues but that’s not an excuse to murder young men

Laura R: It's so crazy how the mind works and if you don't seek help it makes you maad

Jae KiDd TV 508Hood News: I guess this is the video we were all wondering if we would ever get except it wasn't a serial killer telling us Hey that murder was done right its a psychologist but breaking down his mind an reasoning 4 killing!

Evening Enigma: I'm glad I decided to watch this before diving into the Netflix show because I had no idea how messed up this dude is

London M: He was my professor for sociology (Dr.Hickey)in college... lol he is an interesting person. Got a B+....

LaLa: “Nature loads the gun, but nurture pulls the trigger.” What a great way to put it.

mary: Incredibly fascinating how complex people can be

Gio Blankenburg: Yeah… opening a hole on people’s head and pouring hot water with acid to turn them into zombies is not “hurting” them at all.

AML: I'm so sorry but I don't think any of this can be explained away. Not one bit of it. Its not normal, In fact is quite frankly abnormal and Jeffrey and men like him, lacked a moral and spiritual compass. And that is as far as any of it goes, plus he was a coward, who probably couldn't take on another man in a fist fight. Instead choosing to drug victims and incapacitating them. So he could have an advantage of them. My heart goes out to the families of those men whom he targeted.

Emerald: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

DeerHaven: Dahmer was referring to the men he sought out as having bodies like "Chippendale" male dancers, not "Chip and Dale", the cartoon. Although Dr. Hickey's insight into the mind of Dahmer is thought provoking, it probably gets us as close as we ever will to the what or why of it all.

Jacob Bond: 14:55 not true, he fought with the two police officers. The lead detective confirmed in an interview

nikki ellis: I interviewed doctor Hickey senior year of high school, he is the best. Super nice and super knowledgeable