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Burgess et al. / SEXUAL HOMICIDE develop positive empathy, and to control impulses. Furthermore, there is no challenge to their beliefs that they were entitled to act the way they do. The men either as children or adolescents feel estranged from people. Although that does not mean that superficially they cannot relate to people, it does indicate that in terms of socially effective learning, they have major deficits. They are loners; they are self-preoccupied. Either by daydreaming or fan- tasies, they become absorbed in their own thoughts. (5) Feedback Filter Given the detailed and repetitive thinking patterns of these murderers, itis not surprising to learn that the murderer reacts to and evaluates his actions toward others and toward himself. These reactions and evaluations influence his future actions. We term this reacting the feedback filter, because it both feeds back into the killer’s patterned responses and filters his earlier actions into a continued way of thinking. Through the feedback filter, the murderer's earlier actions are justified, errors re sorted out, and corrections are made to preserve and protect the interna: fa. y world and to avoid restrictions from the external environ- ment. The mur -rer experiences increased arousal states via fantasy varia- tions on the violent actions. Feelings of dominance, power, and control are increased. The murderer develops increased knowledge of how to avoid punishment and detection. All this feeds back into the patterned responses and enhances the details of the fantasy life. For example, one ui the murderers reported how he sat in prison ruminating on his fantasies regarding killing women and dismembering their bodies. As time went on, he became much more excited by his thoughts of disposing of the victims’ bodies and tricking law enforcement agents. In this peculiar evolution of events, he now experi- enced himself as more involved in the social world. Model Summary When adolescent and adult criminals are studied in terms of the contri- bution of past events to their criminality, emphasis previously has been on the event itself rather than on the subject's response and reaction to the event. In part, psychological models of motivation for sexual murder have focused on models of displacement of rage and frustration from primary caretakers in the lives of sexual murderers. Although these symbolic artifacts may operate, a more direct understanding of the potential for violence and criminal be- havior resides in the fantasy life and basic cognitive operations of murderers. A context of justifying socially abhorrent acts provides support for the murderers’ aggressive, violent fantasies. This structure, limited to its sensory arousal capacities, maintains and perpetuates the destructive acts. 55