TEMPORALITY
OF CRIME**
Exploring the Psychic Function and Temporal Logic of Serial Violence
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**Page 2**
**CONTENT**
**PART 1**
PREDICT
SKIMMING
SCANNING
**PART 2**
INFERRING
SUMMARIZING
VISUALIZING
**PART 3**
QUESTIONING
CONNECTING
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**Page 3**
**WHERE
READING
BEGINS**
**PART 1**
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**Page 4**
**PREDICT**
ANTICIPATING THE SEQUENCE
OF CRIMINAL ACTS
I chose this case because some short videos caught my attention. I imagine the killer acted as a friendly or reserved neighbor to lure his victims. Additionally, I believe his tendencies might be related to some social or childhood trauma, and his crimes seem to confirm those traumas.
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**Page 5**
**SKIMMING**
GRASPING THE BROAD
TEMPORAL PATTERNS
This study analyzes the psychic function of crime within the subjective structure, focusing on the temporal variable of criminal acts. It distinguishes two dimensions: conclusive (crimes that provide a resolution) and suspensive (crimes that prolong anticipation for future actions). Using the case of Edmund Emil Kemper, the study examines these temporal dimensions from synchronic and diachronic perspectives to understand the logic of serial criminality.
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**Page 6**
**SCANNING**
IDENTIFYING KEY MOMENTS IN THE
CRIMINAL TIMELINE
Subject: Temporal dimension of crime in serial killers
Case: Edmund Emil Kemper
Type of crimes: Serial (young women) and episodic (grandparents, mother, and her friend)
Temporal dimensions:
Conclusive → crimes attempt resolution of a subjective conflict
Suspensive → crimes prolong anticipation of future acts
Perspectives:
Synchronic → individual crime analysis
Diachronic → progression over time
Logical moments (Lacanian):
Instant of seeing → sexual awakening and grandparents' homicide
Time of understanding → series of murders and sexual assaults, processing impossible impulses
Moment of concluding → mother and her friend's homicide, final resolution
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**Page 7**
**UNRAVELING
HIDDEN
PATTERNS**
**PART 2**
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**Page 8**
**INFERRING**
The temporal analysis suggests that each crime
serves a psychic function, either resolving inner
conflict or extending tension.
Kemper's sequence of murders illustrates that
sexual impulses, family relationships, and
unresolved conflicts influenced his criminal
behavior.
Conclusive and suspensive dimensions reflect a
pattern of inner psychological processing that
could inform criminal profiling and prevention
strategies.
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**Page 9**
**SUMMARIZING**
**THE INAUGURAL CRIMES**
"THE FIRST AWAKENING"
At the start of adolescence, Kemper killed
his grandparents. This act marks his
sexual awakening and the first encounter
with intense inner impulses, laying the
foundation for his later crimes.
**THE IMPOSSIBLE COMPREHENSION**
After release from psychiatric confinement, he
began a series of murders and assaults on young
women. Each act reflects an attempt to process
unresolved desires, creating continuous tension
and temporal suspense.
**THE FINAL RESOLUTION**
The killings of his mother and her
friend represent the conclusive
dimension. These acts close his inner
conflict and assert control over the
impulses driving his criminal path.
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**Page 10**
**VISUALIZING**
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**Page 11**
**LINKING
THOUGHTS AND
ASKING WHY**
**PART 3**
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**Page 12**
**FINAL**
**QUESTIONS THAT
ILLUMINATE THE DARKNESS**
**QUESTIONING**
Raises critical questions: What drives a criminal
to repeat acts of violence? How do unresolved
psychosexual impulses shape behavior? Could
earlier interventions have altered the trajectory?
Encourages reflection on the psychic function of
crime and the ethical responsibilities of society
and professionals.
**CONNECTING**
Relates the patterns found in Kemper's criminal
history to broader psychological and
criminological theories. Shows how each act,
whether episodic or serial, connects to his inner
conflicts, impulses, and unresolved desires.
Highlights links between temporal dimensions
(conclusive vs. suspensive) and their effects on
the progression of his criminal behavior.
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