Abnormal Psychology 2300

The Diagnosis of Edward Gein

Rainy River Community College

Delaney Peters

13 November 2013

Edward Theodore Gein was born to Augusta and George Gein on August 27th, 1906 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Edward had an older brother named Henry. George Gein was a violent alcoholic who was frequently unemployed. Augusta on the other hand followed to a different beat she was a very religious individual whom had very harsh opinions on other women. Often times, Augusta would refer to other woman as prostitutes and instruments of the devil. According to Dr. George Arndt, a psychiatrist that studied the case of Edward Gein, Augusta’s obsessive and negative perspective on women rubbed off on her children, more specifically on Edward. She reserved time every afternoon to read her children verses from the bible, usually selecting graphic verses from the Old Testament dealing with death, murder and divine retribution. Without surprise, Edward himself became a target for bullies. Classmates and teachers recalled off-putting mannerisms, such as seemingly random laughter, as if he were laughing at his own personal jokes. Despite his poor social development, he did surprisingly well in school and was often viewed as an average academic student. Many sources cite that Edward’s mother Augusta often beat her children because she was convinced that they were going to become just like their father, a drunken failure of a husband. Augusta operated a small grocery store and eventually purchased an isolated farm on the outskirts of the small town of Plainfield, Wisconsin. This location soon became the Gein family’s permanent residence. At this time Plainfield, Wisconsin was a normal and typical small town that had a population of about seven hundred people. Throughout adolescence the Gein brothers remained