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A Psychobiography of Robert Hansen:
The ‘Butcher Baker’
By Paul Fouché, Codi Rogers & Pravani Naidoo
Department of Psychology
Faculty of the Humanities, University of the Free State, P O Box
339, Bloemfontein, 9300
fouchejp@ufs.ac.za
Papu Congress: Sept 2017
PHOTOGRAPH OF ROBERT HANSEN
ABSTRACT
Serial murder has received increased attention in recent decades as a result of its
progressively frequent occurrence. Despite this, relatively few academic psychological
analyses of the minds’ of murderers have produced in-depth understandings of the
longitudinal intrapsychic-functioning of these individuals. This study entailed a
psychobiographical single case study of infamous serial murderer, Robert Hansen (1939-
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2014) who made the strip-club district of Anchorage, Alaska his hunting grounds for 12
years. Hansen was selected by means of purposive sampling as the subject of this case
study, based on interest-value and because of his bizarre modus operandi as a serial
murderer. The Schahriar Syndrome Model by Claus and Lidberg was utilized as the
model against which Hansen’s life was investigated. This model highlights five main
primitive psychic mechanisms that are present in the functioning of serial
murderers,namely: (a) omnipotence, (b) sadistic fantasies, (c) ritualized performance, (d)
dehumanization and (e) symbiotic merger. Five significant historical periods of Hansen’s
life were identified which assisted in extracting and analyzing significant evidence from
the data sources, using Alexander’s psychobiographical model of salience. A conceptual
psycho-historical matrix was also applied to organize and integrate data. The findings
indicate that Hansen exhibited all five primitive psychic mechanisms in his functioning
during various life-stages. This psychobiography supports the relevance of Claus and
Lidberg’s Schahriar Syndrome Model for understanding longitudinal intra-psychic
mechanisms involved in serial murder.
RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH AIM
The aim of this study was to uncover and reconstruct the life of Robert Hansen across his
entire lifespan. The Schahriar Syndrome Model (SSM) for Serial Murder (Claus &Lidberg,
1999) was applied to his life to furnish the models’ five primitive psychic mechanisms
against the longitudinal background of Hansen’s life.
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HANSEN AS PSYCHOBIOGRAPHICAL SUBJECT
Hansen was chosen as the subject of this psychobiographical study,using non-
probability purposive sampling. Hansen (1939-2014), a notorious Alaskan serial
murderer, was chosen as the single case whose life history was reconstructed in this
psychobiographical study. Hansen has been the subject of fascination for decades since
his capture in the early 1980’s with several articles, books, films and documentaries
detailing his incongruous life being released.
RESEARCH DESIGN & METHOD
This psychobiographical study can be described as a qualitative single-case research
design within life history research (Yin, 2014). Life history research is a qualitative
research method that is often used to gather rich, descriptive lived-experiences of
individual cases over a period of time (Ssali, Theobald,& Hawkins, 2015).The research
design could be defined as a single-case psychobiographical study over the course of
an entire lifespan (Fouché, 1999). The research method in this psychobiography is
qualitative-morphogenic in nature. In effect, a conceptualization of individuality in both the
idiographic (unique) and nomethic (general) paradigms is evident (Elms, 1994).
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES
The data were comprised generally of primary and secondary biographical materials. A
comprehensive search of the World Wide Web, the search platform of the University of
the Free State library as well as EBSCOhost was monumental in gathering published and
public information on Hansen’s life. Two main published biographies on Hansen including
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Fair Game (2012) by Bernard DuClos and Hunted on Ice (2013) by Reagan Martin were
invaluable in this study.
DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSES
The first strategy focused on the theoretical approach and research aim to identify and
focus on salient information in the collected material.This required asking the data
questions that answered both the aims of the study and the content of the model utilized.
The second strategy was to develop a descriptive framework to organize and integrate
case information. This explicit analytic technique reveals itself in a conceptual matrix that
further facilitates data extraction.
IRVING ALEXANDER’S MODEL OF SALIENCE
Irving Alexander’s (1988; 1990) model of salience for organizing, prioritizing and
analyzing biographical material was utilized as an approach to extract significant themes
from the data.
CONCEPTUAL PSYCHO-HISTORICAL FRAMEWORK/MARTIX
The researchers developed a conceptual matrix for the categorization of data which
assisted data analyses. This conceptual matrix, presented in Table 1, was developed in
accordance with the framework of the Schahriar Syndrome Model (SSM) that was applied
in this research study.The Psycho-historical Matrix of Primitive Psychic Functioning of
Robert Hansen over his Historical Lifespan was designed to categorize data according to
the framework proposed by the SSM across Hansen’s five major life stages. In Table 1,
the vertical column on the far left highlights the five main periods of historical development
in Hansen’s life. The five primitive psychic mechanisms as proposed by Claus and
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Lidberg (1999) that form the basis of the SSM which is thought to be included in every
serial murderer’s functioning is found on the top of the matrix.
Table 1: Psycho-historical Matrix of Primitive Psychic Functioning of Robert
Hansen over his Historical Lifespan
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
THE SCHARIAR SYNDROME OF ROBERT HANSEN
Omnipotence
Claus and Lidberg (1999) held that a serial murderer’s actions may be as a result of his
striving towards the establishment of the infantile omnipotence. This insatiable desire “to
Periods of
Historical
Development
Schahriar Syndrome Model by Claus &Lidberg
Primitive Psychic Mechanisms
Omnipotence
Sadistic
Fantasies
Ritualized
performance
Dehumanization
Symbiotic
Merger
The
overworked/
resentful child
(0-12)
The rejected
loner
(13-20)
Sadist in the
making
(21-31)
Trophy
Hunter
(32-44)
Questioning,
incarceration
and death
(45-75)
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regain lost power” may be as a result of early lack of autonomy or control (Hale, 1993, p.
39). Therefore, Claus and Lidberg (1999) proposed that infancy and childhood are
perhaps the most significant formation years to consider when investigating omnipotence.
The overworked/ resentful child (0-12)
Hansen was born into a strict, austerely religious and devoutly conforming family in a
small Iowan town in 1939. Literature on Hansen’s early childhood years are not
particularly comprehensive but they do highlight that he was a child who was often highly
ridiculed by his “hard-nosed authoritarian father” (DuClos, 2012, p.94) and as a result
Hansen never felt particularly autonomous or learnt to exert himself (Martin, 2013). He
was a sickly and small child (Panache, 2016) who often worked extremely long hours at
his family-run bakery ruled with an iron fist by his domineering father (Martin, 2013;
Panache, 2016). During this time, Hansen often felt powerless under his father’s harsh
control and his mother’s acquiescent attitude of the situation (DuClos, 2012). Hansen
later expressed great resentment for the long work hours at the bakery and signified that
he often felt alone and caged in (DuClos, 2012). Hansen was the polar opposite of what
one would refer to as all powerful during this phase of his life. He was under the absolute
control of his domineering father for much of his early years which ultimately had an
enormous effect on his later functioning as a serial murderer. His ‘yeah-saying’ mother
also played a marked role in his later development, providing Hansen with the perception
that women are weak and easily subjugated.The emotional abuse endured by Hansen
laid the foundation for the overcompensating that would come decades later when he
would control his victims.
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The rejected loner (13-20)
By the time Hansen was 13, he was a loner in school with very few friends (Bihary, 2011;
Krajicek, 2014). Hansen became classified as the ‘all-American nerd’ (Martin, 2013, p.
50). He was a painfully shy teenager with a severe stutter that made it impossible for him
to socialize. In addition to this, Hansen suffered with a severe case of acne that further
devastated his confidence (DuClos, 2012; Panache, 2016). During his junior and high
school days, Hansen could hardly control his speech at all and he eventually came to
hate school (DuClos, 2012). Hansen felt mocked and humiliated by girls who he would
talk to (Greig, 2005). He was teased and bullied relentlessly for his unrestrained speech
impediment and his pockmark riddled face (Lundberg, 2000). As a teenager, Hansen was
also forced by his parents to use his right hand for everything despite being born naturally
left-handed (Martin, 2013). This further exacerbated the powerlessness and vulnerability
that Hansen experienced. Hansen was not a strikingly powerful figure during this stage
of his life. He viewed himself as inadequate and inept. In later years, Hansen gave a
fascinating self-diagnosis of his pathologies. He attributed his homicidal tendencies to his
tortured adolescent years were he was constantly mocked, humiliated and rejected by his
fellow peers, especially girls (Krajicek, 2014). During two major phases in Hansen’s life a
recurrent theme is evident – feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness. Upon graduating
high school, Hansen enlisted in the army reserves and was sent to New Jersey. There he
had his first sexual encounter with a prostitute (Martin, 2013). Hansen started to frequent
prostitutes around this time and found that he didn’t like “quickies”. In Alaska, he decided
he would rather “take control of the situation” (DuClos, 2012, p.97).
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Sadist in the making (21-31)
At the age of 21, upon returning to Iowa, Hansen decided to burn down his school’s bus
garage to exact revenge on his school (DuClos, 2012; Greig, 2005; Martin, 2013).
Hansen’s power-hungry side was starting to manifest. Hansen was sentenced to 3 years
in a state reformatory after this incident and once again his power, control and freedom
was stripped from him. Upon release, he once more began working for his imperious
father and soon he met a young woman and married her. Around this time, Hansen’s
voracious urge to steal unnecessary items hit the roof. He became addicted to the thrill
of walking into a store and taking any item he wanted without paying for it (DuClos, 2012;
Martin, 2013). DuClos (2012, p.158) highlighted that Hansen came close to ‘ejaculating
in his pants’ when he stole items. Hansen was often arrested for shoplifting, but never
charged with any of these crimes (Martin, 2013) which further intensified his feelings of
omnipotence. Hansen, now known around town for being quite familiar with the inside of
a police station decided to relocate to Alaska. There he settled into a quiet lifestyle with
his wife and welcomed two children into the world in quick succession. Around this time,
Hansen became an increasingly skilled hunter and broke several records for taking down
the biggest dahl sheep. Perhaps Hansen used hunting as a way to exert his new-found
control and power over any creature (Alaska: Ice Cold Killers, 2012).While Hansen was
able to mask his primitive urges quite well under the façade of a hard-working baker and
family man, the nature of his crimes would soon intensify.
Trophy Hunter (32-44)
On November 15th, 1971, Hansen was no longer satisfied with committing petty crimes.
Hansen made eye contact with a young woman, Susie Heppeard at a stop sign and in
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that moment decided he would kidnap her (Bihary, 2011). Years of committing crime with
little repercussions had made Hansen grandiose, believing he could get away with any
crime. Hansen followed the young woman and unsuccessfully attempted to kidnap her
with a gun. Heppeard identified Hansen as her attacker. Hansen was court-ordered to
see a psychiatrist, Dr. Ray Langdon, but ultimately got away with his first serious offence.
Hansen, a previously insignificant individual was becoming more brazen in his approach
and 6 days before Christmas in 1971 Hansen kidnapped and raped 18 year old, Barbara
Fields (Martin, 2013). After the assault, Hansen drove Fields to a secluded area to look
at a cabin where he had taken a girl to the weekend before (Martin, 2013). Serial rapists
and murderers often go back to the scene of a crime to relive the excitement (Nel, 2014)
and also to secure souvenirs of victims clothing or jewellery. Hansen eventually released
Fields. Three days later, the body of a young woman with her hands tied behind her back
was discovered close to the isolated location where Fields was raped and Fields decided
to press charges (DuClos, 2012; Martin, 2013). At Hansen’s trial, Dr. Langdon reported
that Hansen experienced periods of dissociation and recommended that he receive
counselling and be put in a work release programme (DuClos, 2012). Hansen had fooled
his psychiatrist and the system yet again. He was becoming increasingly narcissistic,
antisocial and even more disturbed. All the while, his wife, supported him. Hansen started
prowling the tenderloin district of Anchorage in search of ‘bad girls’ that he could rape and
murder (Krajicek, 2014; Lundberg, 2000; Panache, 2016). Hansen raped and released
women who complied with him. Several others, who he could not easily control and
impose his will on, he would torture and rape, fly them out into the Alaskan wilderness
and then he would release, hunt and kill them (Bihary, 2012; Coppock, 2008; DuClos,
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2012; Greig, 2005).In some ways, it can be said that Hansen was regaining his lost power
that had never been afforded to him. During the 12 years that Hansen was kidnapping,
raping and murdering women he felt completely omnipotent, feeling all powerful.
Hansen’s power centre involved his trophy-filled den in his home and the wilderness in
Alaska where he was the hunter who was finally in control.
Questioning, incarceration and death (45-75)
Hansen’s hunting games eventually came to an end in 1983 when a young prostitute
escaped as Hansen was loading her into his private plane (Martin, 2013).Officers at the
Anchorage Police Department were aware that a serial murderer was making the
tenderloin district his hunting grounds and found that Hansen fits an elaborate and
detailed profile of what the serial murderer was like (Lundberg, 2000). Hansen’s sense of
omnipotence was starting to dwindle. A search was arranged at his residence and the
‘trophies’ of his victims were found. Hansen confessed to four murders where the
evidence against him was most incriminating. Hansen eventually spent the remaining 30
years of his life in prison entirely stripped of the things he so badly craved: power, control
and dominance.
Sadistic Fantasies
Sadistic fantasies refer to fantasies of inflicting either physical or psychological pain on
another that significantly arouses sexual or nonsexual pleasure within an individual
(Martens, 2011). Claus and Lidberg (1999) further argued that sadism and related sadistic
fantasies are a projection of one’s own unresolved primitive aggression.
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The overworked/ resentful child (0-12)
As child Hansen was never able to exert himself (Krajicek, 2014; Martin, 2013). By
Hansen’s own admission, much of his later resentment stemmed from his childhood years
due to his harsh home and work life (DuClos, 2012). While Hansen’s childhood provides
at least some insight into the origins of his bloodthirsty behaviors (D’Oro, 2015) there is,
however, no indication in any of the sources that Hansen had any sadistic fantasies during
this time of his life.
The rejected loner (13-20)
Hansen’s extreme stutter coupled with the twin turn-off of severe acne made it almost
impossible for him to function socially as an ordinary teenager (Bihary, 2011). His teenage
years only further aggravated the intense feelings of inadequacy (Martin, 2013). Years of
being rejected, mocked and ridiculed had taken its toll on Hansen with a resentment that
he was not able to control (Coppock, 2008; Krajicek, 2014). While there is no evidence
to suggest that Hansen had been harbouring vivid fantasies between the ages of 13-20,
the researchers speculate that due to the painful nature of his childhood this life stage
laid the foundation for the sadistic and violent sexual fantasies that Hansen would come
to hold.
Sadist in the making (21-31)
By the age of 21, Hansen’s was starting to nurse intense fantasies about doing things to
girls who had rejected him (Alaska: Ice Cold Killers, 2012; DuClos, 2012; Martin,
2013).Hansen was an unhappy person during this stage of his life. Hansen took to living
an active fantasy life as a way to escape the pain the he was experiencing in his everyday
existence (DuClos, 2012; Martin, 2013). The first circumstance in which Hansen crossed
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the threshold between fantasy and reality is when he burnt down the school’s bus garage.
Upon questioning, Hansen revealed that he had been fantasizing about getting back at
the school for a while (Greig, 2005). Hansen was starting to live out his sadistic fantasies.
Hansen revealed to psychiatrists at the reformatory after his incarceration for the arson
case that he often imagined doing vicious things to the girls who had rejected him (Greig,
2005; Martin, 2013). Hansen continued to live out these sadistic fantasies in years to
come. He became an expert marksmen and particularly skilled at hunting (D’Oro, 2015).
This stage merely escalated Hansen’s sadistic fantasies which then peaked when he
moved to Alaska.
Trophy Hunter (32-44)
In 1971, Hansen, now living in Alaska, had given into his sadistic fantasies. He deluded
himself into believing that a woman who smiled at him at a stop sign, was giving him her
approval to kidnap and rape her (Bihary, 2011; DuClos, 2012). His attempt was
unsuccessful and he was released from questioning on his own recognizance. He then
kidnapped and raped an 18 year old and was tried and sentenced to a work furlough
programme. In a later confession, Hansen told investigators that on the first night he was
released from the furlough programme, he drove to Fourth Avenue, watched the
prostitutes and again began fantasizing about how he would capture them (Bihary,
2011).Hansen, who so far had been satisfied with hunting dahl sheep and bears started
to imagine what it would be like to hunt more exciting prey, like prostitutes (Andrews,
2014; DuClos, 2012; Martin, 2013). Hansen was prescribed several medications which
he discontinued and his hunting games began. Hansen’s sadistic fantasies were likely
the driving force behind much of his behaviour, particularly his unusual method of
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operation. As a skilled hunter, Hansen likely fantasized about ‘the chase’ which involved
releasing, tracking and then hunting women in the wilderness.
Questioning, incarceration and death (45-75)
During Hansen’s questioning, he was extremely open regarding his magical thinking of
prostitutes as ‘bad girls’. In his twisted fantasy, Hansen viewed these women as lower
than himself (Martin, 2013) and in some cases highlighted that he didn’t start out hating
his victims, but rather felt he was falling in love with them (DuClos, 2012). In Hansen’s
fantasy, it was all a game. If the women came up to him and offered him sexual favours
then she was no longer a ‘good girl’. She then deserved to die (DuClos, 2012; Martin,
2013). It is clear that Hansen experienced a wide range of sadistic sexual fantasies during
his young to middle adulthood years which ultimately lead him to rape more than 30
women while murdering upwards of 17.
Ritualized Performance
DeHart and Mahoney (1994) stated that ritualized performance in serial murderers acts
as a substitute for social interaction. Ritualized performance refers to acts performed by
the serial murderer at the scene of the crime that are considered to be excessive for the
committal of the crime (Schlesinger et al., 2010).
The overworked/ resentful child (0-12)
There is no evidence to indicate that the primitive psychic mechanism of ritualized
performance was evident in Robert Hansen’s young life at all. Hansen was in fact a late
bloomer in terms of his murderous tendencies and only committed his first murder at the
age of 32 (Panache, 2016).
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The rejected loner (13-20)
Hansen does not fit in the primitive psychic mechanism of ritualized performance between
the ages of 13-20 either. As a result, this section will be excluded from applying this
mechanism to Hansen’s life during this stage.
Sadist in the making (21-31)
At the age of 21 Hansen’s first crime, his fire-starting at the bus garage, in conjunction
with his kleptomaniac tendencies started to make him someone who was more brazen in
his crime committing. While Hansen was frequently involved in petty shoplifting, he was
still largely unorganized as a criminal and had not yet developed his trademark as a serial
murderer. Those behaviours would only emerge more than a decade later. As a result,
no ritualized performance is evident in this stage of Hansen’s life.
Trophy Hunter (32-44)
Hansen became infamous particularly because of his unusual and particularly torturous
modus operandi. Perhaps Hansen’s most notorious ritual was the fact that he preferred
to hunt his victims, which is exceptionally uncommon and which makes his case all the
more fascinating. Hansen hunted at least 12 of his victims in the Knik River Region, just
outside Anchorage (Krajicek, 2014; Lundberg, 2000). He would often stalk and lure fresh
prey, in the form of sex workers, from the bars and strip clubs of the tenderloin district into
his car. Once there, he would sometimes rape and release them on the premise that they
vowed to remain silent. Those who did not comply and who ‘deserved’ it, would be flown
deep into the Alaskan wilderness where he would track, hunt and kill them (Bihary, 2011;
Greig, 2005; Usborne, 2014).In Bernard DuClos’ (2012) definitive account of the rampage
of Robert Hansen, he highlighted how Hansen was classified by the FBI as an ‘organized
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serial killer’, one whose crimes are well planned, has a particular routine and who targets
specific victims- usually strangers. Hansen was also known to be in the routine of keeping
trophies or souvenirs of his victims, much like his aviation map with the ‘X’s’ sprawled
across it as well one of his victims, Andrea Altiery’s fish necklace, that was found in his
home (Coppock, 2008; Martin, 2013).
Questioning, incarceration and death (45-75)
Hansen admitted to 17 murders and led detectives to several bodies that had not yet been
recovered (DuClos, 2012). Although Hansen gave a chillingly detailed confession
regarding his 12 year murder spree he never answered why he had chosen the particular
modus operandi with his victims. Despite this, it is known that Hansen was comfortable
in the outdoors (Martin, 2013), free from social scrutiny and humiliation and from the pain
that he had experienced for most of his childhood and adolescence. The researchers
speculate that by taking victims into his familiar hunting grounds he was finally in control
and could exact his revenge on victims and make them feel as helpless and vulnerable
as felt in his earlier years.
Dehumanization
Dehumanization amongst serial murderers is highlighted in the portrayal of their victims
as being subhuman by often perceiving them as animals, objects or machines (Zimbardo,
2009). Dehumanization is the capability that enables serial murderers to rape, torture and
murder their victims with no little or no feelings of remorse (Claus & Lidberg, 1999; Levin
& Fox, 2007).
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The overworked/ resentful child (0-12)
There is no evidence to support the primitive psychic mechanism of dehumanization in
this stage of Hansen’s life. In addition to this, limited information on Hansen’s perception
of his early childhood years provides us with insight that might indicate that
dehumanization was present.
The rejected loner (13-20)
In all the collected material there were no clear signs of dehumanization in Hansen’s
functioning during this stage of his life. While Hansen was frequently mocked, rejected
and made to feel inadequate, his ability to dehumanize only later manifested as he
became more consumed by his primitive desires.
Sadist in the making (21-31)
The evidence suggests that Hansen was likely not dehumanizing his victims yet between
the ages of 21-31, possibly because he had not yet committed his first murder. Hansen’s
ability to dehumanize his victims, likely started during the later phase of this stage of his
life. While Hansen was known to often personalize his victims during this stage, such as
the case with Barbara Fields, who he let escape after violating her (Martin, 2013) he may
have started to recognize that by dehumanizing his victims, he could live out his darkest
fantasies with little remorse associated with it. While Hansen raped several women
during this phase of his life, he released them all and this highlights that he was not yet
dehumanizing his victims by viewing them as animals.
Trophy Hunter (32-44)
Hansen was visibly able to dehumanize his victims during this phase of his life. This is
particularly evident in his ability to compartmentalize women and to take particular
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advantage when selecting his victims. Hansen viewed his victims as people who were
weaker than him (Martin, 2013) and explicitly highlighted that those he murdered were
‘bad girls’ and could die (DuClos, 2012). Hansen was also very clever when selecting
victims. Selecting women with unpredictable, transient lifestyles who were less likely to
be reported missing (Greig, 2005).Hansen’s method of murder which involved ‘hunting’
his victims further emphasizes that he viewed his victims as animals and was able to
depersonalize them. Hansen was however, as mentioned, very capable of personalizing
his victims as well. This is seen with the 30 known women that Hansen raped and then
released. Hansen would not murder ‘good’ girls like Susie Heppeard or Barbara Fields,
but he would murder prostitutes, exotic dancers and escorts because from his deluded
frame of reference ‘they deserved it’ (DuClos, 2012; Martin, 2013). As Hansen was a
known trophy hunter, investigators in Hansen’s case had often wondered if the women
Hansen murdered where in fact just ‘trophies’ for him to add to his already impressive
collection (Martin, 2013).
Questioning, incarceration and death
From 1971 when Hansen’s more serious crimes started, he never viewed his victims as
human. In his mind there was a very clear distinction between ‘good girls’ and ‘bad girls’
and all the women he murdered where bad girls (Andrews, 2014).After his last victim
escaped and Hansen was questioned about it, he notably stated that “you cannot rape a
prostitute” (Panache, 2016). This provides evidence for the explicit dehumanization
shown by Hansen toward his victims. As part of Hansen’s confession, he agreed to show
investigators where he had buried some of the bodies. During the helicopter tour of the
gravesites, Hansen frequently became exhilarated when pointing out burial sites. At some
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stages, he became so excited that he dropped to his knees to dig with his hands in the
snow for his victims (DuClos, 2012). This highlights the essence of the dehumanization
of Hansen. Hansen viewed his victims as animals, perhaps even trophies that he could
hunt and kill and get a thrill out of for his own selfish gratification.
Symbiotic Merger
Symbiotic merger occurs when the murderer aims to achieve a fusion or binding with his
victim (Claus & Lidberg, 1999). This can include physical intrusions such as sexual
intercourse and sodomy or the ingesting of blood or organs (Grubin, 1994).
The overworked/ resentful child (0-12)
The collected material suggests that it is likely that Hansen lacked a healthy symbiotic
relationship with his mother in his early childhood years. Hansen had an extremely
inconsistent childhood (Usborne, 2014) with a strict authoritarian father and a mother who
was completely opposite, oftentimes causing him to seek refuge with her (DuClos, 2012).
Profiling of serial murderers has suggested that such a parenting situation can lead to the
resentment and hatred of women in young male children (Mitchell &Aamodt, 2005).
Hansen was known to be extremely over dependent on his mother as a young child
(DuClos, 2012). Based on Hansen’s home situation, he was deprived of a healthy
relationship with his father and likely resented his mother as he was incredibly reliant on
her. As a male, Hansen likely begrudged his mother as he was so dependent on her and
therefore deprived of his father (DuClos, 2012).It is possible that this deprivation in early
childhood caused Hansen to feel overly inadequate, developing more of a
characteristically feminine ego rather than a healthy male ego. In order to relieve his
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feelings of inadequacy, Hansen would attempt to form a shared connection with his
victims later in life by raping and then murdering them.
The rejected loner (13-20)
As Hansen aged, it is likely that he never developed his own identity during the crucial
identity vs role confusion stage as proposed by Erikson (1958). Hansen’s identity might
always have been fixed as a dual-unit with his mother as a result of his over reliance on
her in childhood. Therefore, as he grew older Hansen searched for a shared identity with
his victims. While the primitive psychic mechanism of symbiotic merger is not particularly
evident in this stage of Hansen’s life, this stage highlighted Hansen’s need to form a
shared identity with his victims that would be present in the next two decades of his life.
Sadist in the making (21-31)
Hansen’s first rape of a woman, occurred when he was around 23 years old (Martin,
2013). During this stage of his life, he was possibly seeking a close connection with
women and wanted to achieve a fusion or binding with them- he did this by raping them.
Personality testing on Hansen during this phase of his life revealed that he had severe
heterosexual conflicts, both with a “desire for women and a fear that he will not be able
to relate to them” (DuClos, 2012, p. 159). Hansen achieved the primitive psychic
mechanism of symbiotic merger with his victims through forced sexual intercourse and
sodomy.
Trophy Hunter (32-44)
Hansen continued to display symbiotic tendencies during this phase of his life. He
frequently raped and released women (Greig, 2005) and in some cases raped, tortured,
hunted and killed them. The ‘Butcher Baker’s’ method to achieve unity with his victims
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still prevailed during this stage. He would either sodomize or rape his victims (Criminal
Minds, 2016). Hansen particularly enjoyed oral sex and would often force his victims to
perform sexual favours on him at gunpoint (DuClos, 2012). Claus and Lidberg (1999)
highlighted that a serial murderer who possesses symbiotic traits is extremely intrusive
and often takes private belongings from victims. This is the case with Hansen and it is
evident in the highly personal fish necklace that he stole from his victim, Andrea Altiery.
By raping or sodomizing his victims (DuClos, 2012) Hansen was able to get under the
victims skin and achieve a sense of fusion. Claus and Lidberg (1999) further argued that
when a serial murderer collects trophies or souvenirs from his victims this reinforces their
merged identity. Based on the collected evidence, the researchers speculate that Hansen
was likely an individual without a stable identity. As a result, he was in constant search of
forming a shared identity with another. His wife was not someone who he could form an
identity with, because she was a ‘good girl’. In order to feel satisfied, Hansen needed to
form a shared identity with ‘bad girls’.
Questioning, incarceration and death (45-75)
Upon Hansen’s capture, he was no longer free to seek out a symbiotic relationship with
his victims. As a result, the primitive psychic mechanism of symbiotic merger is not
present in this stage of Hansen’s life.
CONCLUSIONS
This study was particularly valuable as it informally tested the relevance and
applicability of the Schahriar Syndrome Model by Claus and Lidberg (1999). The
researchers’ findings yielded information that supports that SSM and can further advocate
for the use of the SSM when studying serial murderers. Ponterotto (2015) highlighted that
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psychobiographical research is a rapidly growing field of research and the researchers
are of the opinion that serial murderers are oftentimes excluded from these endeavours.
It can thus be suggested that serial murderers be strongly considered as subjects of future
psychobiographical studies.
