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declared that he certainly had ever done things which he regretted, but those things were nothing like what the reporter referred to, which were the crimes. He wanted to
make people believe in him and deceived them to change their perception towards him.
Data 25
Ted Bundy : There is no way in the world that killing me is going to restore
those beautiful children to their parents and correct and soothe the pain. Appendix ii, no. 49, line 10-12
Ted’s motive by stating the statement above was to let people know the fact that there would be no point in killing him, because it would not bring back
everything that had been lost. He wanted to make people become aware once again his death execution would never restore the victims. He intended for people to see
and fully realise that probably killing him would not be beneficial, considering that it would also not soothe the pain of the victims’ parents.
4.2.2. To Attain Feelings of Power and Superiority
As elaborated in Chapter II, manipulators often demonstrate that they are full of power and possess superiority in order to be acknowledged and validated. Braiker
2004:55 states that manipulators basically are people with the opposite personality. They are people with inferiority and low self-esteem, therefore they hide these
feelings in disguise and appear as bold and confident people. This language manipulation motives underlies 3 statements of Ted Bundy.
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Data 2
Reporter : Are you angry? Appendix i, no. 7
Ted Bundy : Sure, I get very, very angry and indignant. I don’t like being locked
up for something that I didn’t do. I don’t like my liberty taken away. I don’t like being treated like an animal. I don’t like people walking and
ogling at me like I’m some sort of weirdo, because I am not. Appendix i, no. 8
The conversation above took place in 1977 when Ted denied the accusation that he had killed several girls. He had been caught and put in jail to undergo a trial.
In his statements above, he stated that he got very angry and indignant because of the treatments that he got. By saying “I don’t like being locked up for something that I
didn’t do. I don’t like my liberty taken away. I don’t like being treated like an animal. I don’t like people walking and ogling at me like I’m some sort of weirdo, because I
am not.” he expressed that he deserved none of the treatments people did towards him.
By stating, “Sure, I get very, very angry and indignant.” he wanted to show that he possessed superiority, aside from the fact that he was a prisoner. He
attempted to show that he could react over the bad treatments that he got, because according to his opinion, he was supposed to be a free man.
Braiker 2004:55 states that the manipulator’s strong need to exert and demonstrate power and control over others arises from the underlying strong need to
compensate for feelings of inferiority and inadequacy. Ted, who was suspected of the murders, definitely felt like he was cornered by the society. Therefore, he used the
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term “very angry and indignant” to demonstrate that he had the strong emotions, which was to compensate for his feelings of inferiority.
Data 10
Ted Bundy : I’ll tell you, as long as they the officers attempt to keep their
heads in stand above me, there’s gonna be people turning up in canyons, there’s gonna be people being shot in this city, because the
polices aren’t willing to accept what I think they know, and they know that I didn’t do these things. And the men who kidnap children
are just gonna continue to be free, and not only her but every other young woman is going to be threatened by that person or persons.
It’s happening today and it’s gonna happen in the future. Appendix i, no. 5
The statement above was stated in 1977 as well. Ted insisted that he was not the killer of those girls. He claimed that he was not responsible for the murders. In
fact, he turned the table by intimidating people. He said that there might be a possibility of the real killer to kill more people. He asserted that the law officers were
supposed to chase the real killer, rather than focusing on him, who was not guilty according to his belief.
The act of intimidating people by stating “I’ll tell you, as long as they the officers attempt to keep their heads in stand above me, there’s gonna be people
turning up in canyons, there’s gonna be people being shot in this city...” shows that he was trying to achieve the feeling of superiority over other people. He knew very
well that people were most likely to feel afraid by the fact that his statements might
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be true. He used this way to hide his own feelings of inadequacy. On the contrary, he attempted to display himself as someone who was confident enough to say that he
was not guilty and even intimidated people as an outcome.
Data 20
Dr. Dobson : How did it happen? Take me back. What are the antecedents of
the behaviour that we’ve seen? So much grief, so much sorrow, so much pain for so many people. Where did it start? How did this
moment come about? Appendix ii, no. 5 Ted Bundy
: That’s the question of the hour, and not only people much more intelligent than I have been working for years. I, myself, have been
working for years. I’m trying to understand. Is there enough time to explain it though? I don’t know. I think I understand what
happened to me to the extent that I can see how certain feelings and ideas developed in me to the point where I began to act out on
them; certain very destructive and very violent deed. Appendix ii, no. 6
In the conversation above, Ted expressed how he had worked hard to understand what happened to him, in terms of how he was capable of doing such
horrible crimes. He implied that he had put a lot of efforts in order to understand his own behaviour. By saying so, his motive was to show people that he possessed some
kind of superiority, because he had been working to figure things out. Through his statement above, he implied that he was an influential person
who also played a role in investigating how his behaviour was shaped. Braiker
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2004:55 states that manipulators often hide their weak feelings in order to appear as a person with bold self-confidence. This is proven in Ted’s case, as he was trying to
create a persona that he was a person who was influential in breaking the mystery of his own behaviour.
4.2.3. To Feel in Control of Manipulator’s Own Emotions
