Case Study 4: Joran van der Sloot
A sexual deviant is an individual who is capable of finding pleasure in sexual activity that is abusive, unnatural or rather abnormal (Clinard & Meier, 2011). This, in other words, is an individual who acquires pleasure by enjoying pain as the excitement. From this rationale, it is apparent that sexual deviant is an accurate term that best describes Van Der Sloot. In that, despite the fact that he was literally causing pain to others he would, in turn, establish pleasure in his violate sexual activity based on the hurting of others. This is an abnormal behavior which is against the socially accepted conducts.
Joran Van Der Sloot turning point into the deviant behavior can be acquired from several grounds based on his conduct both in Peru and Aruba. However, despite the several points, one major one that influenced his engaged in the deviant actions was the fact that he was a privileged child. He was allowed to spend 5,000 dollars as his credit allowance under his father’s name and authority. This offered him the opportunity where he would spend without any kind of limitation. Being privileged implied that he was entitled to almost every right and this separated him from the actual world where he never got to understand about others feelings. The presence of momentary and freedom allowed allows one to act without any consideration of moral or even legal consequences (Helfgott, 2008). In addition, from an unknown source, the police were informed that he had acquired the reputation for raping girls after slipping drugs in their drinks to enable him to take advantage sexually. The third point was after he had posted messages on the online platform asserting that he was Holloway Natalee’s killer. The horrific details that he gave regarding Stephany Ramirez and Natalee’s murder denotes an additional turning point. He claimed of killing Ramirez on the ground that she had established some murder tying details in his regard.
I believe that Joran’s privilege of birth permitted a murderer to walk free amongst other citizens. This is because based on his privileges he was well connected and therefore he was being guarded against facing any legal consequences for any of his deviant actions. Sexual deviant offenders based on research shares some similar characteristics that can be essential in understanding their actions (Clinard & Meier, 2011). The two sexual deviant characteristics that suit Joran are the lack of empathy to the victims and poor self-management and coping capabilities. Joran as a sexual deviant and murderer demonstrated empathy shortages. This concept normally incorporates putting oneself in a different person’s position in literal speaking or the general capability to sense what the victims might be feeling. Joran lacked the empathic ability in general, as he acquired pleasure in their own suffering and failed to account for their feelings. It is rather abnormal for an individual to acquire pleasure from sexual abuse which demonstrates his lack of empathy.
In addition, when looking at his actions it is apparent that he lacked healthy coping skills. In that, he had difficulties in the appropriate management of emotions. Individuals that are highly impulsive and have the tendency of not thinking carefully in regard to the consequences of their actions prior to acting and had difficulties in resisting their sexual urges and defies people sexual on several occasions (Ward, Laws & Hudson, 2003). His proper coping skills and the thoughtless conduct led to him killing victims of his sexual deviance without accounting for their well-being or his actions. Based on the warning signs that were demonstrated in his behaviors and through parental supervision Joran would have acquired clinical intervention which would have prevented the predominance of deviant and his life’s legal outcome.
The two major reasons that are contributing to societal attitude transformation in reference to the sexual behaviors that are deemed as acceptable include lifestyle changes and the influence of modernity. Due to the changes of lifestyle individuals now exists on individualism rather than communal basis and thus personal choices are no longer judged based on societal norms. Based on modernity which is associated with sexual orientation every individual based on the constitutional ground is entitled to sexual choice without being judged by either cultural, social or even religious standard. These changes have resulted in the general rise of sexual crime based on the freedom of choice and the shortage of moral guidelines. Legal freedom offers justification to various behaviors that were previously considered as deviant (Laws & O'Donohue, 2008). In this context, the rate of sexual deviance in the United States is rapidly increasing.
Conclusion
Sexual deviance is a crime because it is an action that is against both legal as well as social standard. However, socio-economic and legal privileges are the major contributions to the rise of the behavior which has, in turn, led to the change of attitude held by the public. Joran lacked empathy and coping skills which who have been resolved medically before the behavior become a dominant one.
References
Clinard, M. B., & Meier, R. F. (2011). Sociology of deviant behavior. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Helfgott, J. B. (2008). Criminal behavior: Theories, typologies, and criminal justice. Los Angeles: SAGE.
Laws, D. R., & O'Donohue, W. T. (2008). Sexual deviance: Theory, assessment, and treatment. New York: Guilford Press.
Ward, T., Laws, D. R., & Hudson, S. M. (2003). Sexual deviance: Issues and contreversies. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
