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JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE / September 1986 trauma, the child’s perceptions and patterns of interpersonal relationships may be altered. For example, the child may show hyperaggressive behavior by striking out at parents or repeatedly assaulting a favorite pet. The second factor contributing to the formative events component of our model is developmental failure. For some reason the child does not readily attach to his adult caretaker. This is the child who does not listen or respond toany limit setting and who often is described as aloof, cold, and uncaring. As a result of this negative social attachment (bonding), the caretaker has no influence initially over the child and later over the adolescent. In cases where the child has been psychologically deprived or neglected, he may feel a diminished emotional response. Interpersonal failure, the third factor in this model component, is the failure of the caretaking adult to serve as a role model for the developing child. There are various reasons for this failure including the caretaker being absent or serving as an inadequate role model (e.g.,a parent with problems of substance abuse or an abusive parent). The child May experience a violent home environment where he sees aggression (drunken fights) associated with sexual behavior of adults. (3) Patterned Responses The patterned responses component of the motivational model includes two subcategories: (1) critical personal traits, and (2) cognitive mapping and processing. These subcategories interact with each other to generate fantasies. Critical Personal Traits In the normal growth and development of a child, positive personality traits of warmth, trust, and security help establish the child's relationships with others. These critical traits, in combination with an effective social environment, allow the child to develop competence and autonomy. In the murderer group, there was a propensity for the 36 men to develop negative rather than positive personal traits. These negative personal traits interfere with the formation of social relationships and the development of an emotional capacity within the context of human encounters. Increased social isolation encourages a reliance on fantasy as a substitute for human en- counter. In turn, individual personality development becomes dependent on the fantasy life and its dominant themes, rather than on social interaction. Without human encounters and negotiations, there is failure to develop the corresponding social values, such as respect for others’ lives and property. The personal traits critical to the development of the murderers in our study include a sense of social isolation, preferences for autoerotic activities and fetishes, rebelliousness, aggression, chronic lying, and a sense of entitle- ment. The offenders’ chronic lying underscores their lack of trust and com- mitment to a world of rules and negotiation. Rather, distrust and a sense of 52 S