The following is an excerpt from Richard Kuklinski’s BRACE Character Profile Psychological Autopsy.
http://www.braceanalysis.com/free_downloads/BRACE Character Profile Kuklinski Autopsy.pdf
SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS:
The current findings are consistent with those of forensic psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz who actually interviewed Richard Kuklinski (The Iceman Confesses, HBO America Undercover, 1992). Given Richard Kuklinski’s chosen profession of crime and his repeated self-exposure to high risk situations, which often culminated in his violent acts against others, it was particularly surprising to find such clear patterns of underlying fear other than that associated with Paranoid Personality Disorder (e.g., see Avoidant Personality Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder positive correlations). It is reasonable to conclude that Richard Kuklinski’s god-like desire for ultimate power and control (murder) was fueled in part by his underlying fear of being at the mercy of others. In combination, his paranoid and antisocial characteristics made him a particularly lethal criminal.
Richard Kuklinski’s fear and preemptive active avoidance of being under the control of others may well have been conditioned during his developmental years as a result of repeated abuse at the hands of his parents, the very people he needed most to trust for protection. As a young adult, he increasingly took on the dominant, controlling role, inflicting pain and suffering on others rather than being the victim (first murder at 14). In doing so, he further distanced himself from painful memories and experiences, taking control of his fear by directing his personal power against others. Making others suffer instead of him suffering transformed violence into a very potent positive reinforcer. In terms of learning processes, anything (violence) associated with the termination or decrease of pain and discomfort (fear) will acquire positively reinforcing properties (valued) --- i.e., it (i.e., violence) will be strengthened and more likely to occur again in the future under similar circumstances. One clear trigger for his violence was fear, any type of fear, any threat to his survival (witnesses). Additionally, violence was his primary means of acquiring money to support his idealized family life, giving violence another role to boost its progression in terms of frequency, intensity, and/or duration. Violence became his “good pleasure,” even a source of deviant humor. In addition to having the characteristics (in rank order) of a Paranoid Personality Disorder (r = +0.58), a prototypical 40-point Hare PCL-R Psychopath (r = +0.43), an Antisocial Personality Disorder (r = +0.36), and a Narcissistic Personality Disorder (r = +0.28), Richard Kuklinski has an even higher correlation with a Sadistic Personality Disorder5 (r = +0.76). Richard Kuklinski’s high risk criminal lifestyle matched the same level of excitation he had experienced as a child when anticipating being abused, only now it was a positive rush at the expense of the lives of others. He was a sophisticated hustler, deceiving his marks through positively reinforcing processes (flattery, sharing information, friendly presentation), until he killed them (eliminating witnesses) and stole their money (source of income). He thrived on his reputation and “respect,” willingly inflicting fear on others to motivate their cooperation and compliance (including family members). Ultimately, Richard Kuklinski deliberately and systematically chose his own pleasure and comfort (positive reinforcement) and his own avoidance of pain and discomfort (negative reinforcement) at the bloody expense of others.
My personal opinion,
Russell