Chapter Three

Human behavior in crime through fictional realities

Human behavior in crime fictional realities refers to the portrayal and examination of

criminal behavior in fiction works encompassing films, books, video games, and television

shows (Cornet et al., 2020). These fictional realities provide insights into numerous aspects of

human behavior connected to crime, comprising the stimulations behind illicit acts, the

psychology of culprits, and repercussions they face (Cornet et al., 2020). One of the main

purposes of researching human behavior in crime via fiction is to entertain and engage

audiences. Fictional works frequently generate fascinating narrations that enable audiences to

experience the enthusiasm and suspense of unlawful activities from a safe distance. These

narratives offer a form of illusion and allows people to examine the darker aspects of human

nature without directly experiencing them in actual life.

Additionally, fictional realities can act as a medium for exploring and comprehending

real-world unlawful behavior. Through investigating into the minds of fictional offenders,

creators can enlighten on the multifaceted factors that cause illicit acts (Moriconi et al., 2020).

This examination may include evaluating the impact of economic, social, and psychological

factors on criminal conducts and the influence of personal encounters and upbringing. Moreover,

fictional realities can question societal perspectives and stereotypes around crime and culprits

(Moriconi et al., 2020). The fictional realities can refine characters who involve in unlawful

activities, emphasizing the multidimensionality of their individualities and the situations that

took lead them to an illegal path (Koto, 2021). This depiction promotes empathy and insight,

inspiring audiences to cross-examine their pre-conceived concepts regarding criminal behavior.

Nevertheless, it is significant to acknowledge that fictional portrayals of crime should not viewed

as a precise depiction of actual-world criminal behavior. While they might draw motivation

from-life incidents and psychological theories, fictional realities regularly prioritize

entertainment value over pragmatism (Cornet et al., 2020). Hence, it is vital to approach these

representations with a critical outlook and avert generalizing them to real-life circumstances.

The first of the selected works is a novel by Robert Bloch “Psycho” which we shall take

then understand through psychological approaches that then will help us understand the crime or

criminality behind the main character of this book. As we also dive into psychological aspects of

the character of Norman bates, I want to introduce a form of literary criticism that is called

psychoanalytical criticism (Barry 2017: 96–100). This form of criticism infuses psychoanalytical

techniques in analyzing and interpreting texts. This form of psychoanalytical therapy can be

described as the stream of consciousness where the patient is talking freely to bring upon the

surface disorders or issues in the mental of the individual. So, as we are dealing with a mind of a

character and his innate, we use an approach of psychoanalytical criticism to help reach the

actions of Norman. Using this technique will seek to analyze the character of Norman Bates and

as a criminologist reads the novel, he will begin to see a character that is very disturbed and then

further understand what it is like to connect with this character through his though process or the

events that take place within the novel.

As mentioned previously, the point of the criminologist is to expand his imagination

using literature in order to become the best version of a well-equipped criminologist using his

artistic imagination in analyzing the character or criminal in the case of criminology.

(Wortley 2011: 17) mentions that some of the theories in psychological criminology actually

influence the life of the person over his life span that makes him an offender, and some are at
birth. We set out to discover also if Norman was influenced during his life, or he was the person

he was from birth. Why is this important for my research is it because in criminology, as a

researcher in the field of criminology it is in the interest of the criminologist to set and discover

differences between individuals categorized as offenders against non-offenders (Wortley 2011:

17). In the novel we also set to discover the personality of Norman Bates, and through this

personality we figure out from the narrative we discover psychological characteristics in Norman

that shows us the ways of thinking, and emotional responses of Bates and as a researcher in

criminology who applies these approaches of psychological criminology theories to novels will

have acquired honed thinking skills and critical, psychoanalytical skills, that make up his

criminological imagination seeking to discover a criminal act if may described that society

pressured him to act in such way then funneling his actions into an artistic expression in the

world of fiction and not in real life but for the criminologist to criticize this expression and

analyze why this happened to understand the factors.

In criminal psychology, psychologists detect the behaviors of criminals through the

psychological process or neurological & biological traits of a person and then shift this to the

tendency of the individual in committing a crime (O’brien and Majid Yar 2008). In

psychoanalytical theories, and the field of Frued, psychoanalyst criminology previews the

individual in having sexual desires and destructive behavior that are built up in the mind and then

it needs to be controlled or projected in the right way or in case of not being able to then results

will be aggression which then the individual won't be able to put a stop to such behavior

concluding with a crime or murder in the case of Norman Bates (O’brien and Majid Yar 2008).

For detecting the individual there are theories of the personality which seek to classify

individuals and place them in categories (O’brien and Majid Yar 2008). That will ultimately help
in detecting crime through the use of psychoanalytical criminology and the use of psychology

and in the novel of Bloch we set to discover through the use of psychoanalytical criticism and

analyzing the personality of Norman to understand his mind and just like a criminologist

researching the factors of a crime happening or happened in order to widen the scope of the

criminology we dive ingo Normans behavior and psyche. So, when placing the individual in a

category the results detect likely behavior coming from this personality type.

One of the things we can notice in the novel as we read it is that Norman is connected to

his mother and through that connection, we see Norman having feelings in relation to his mother

that is way more than needed. So, we then start to see clearly that he wants to be in a relationship

with his mother sexually and that is explained through the jealousy he possesses over her and

through trying to explain the Oedipus complexity to her, he shows intentions to be close to his

mother. Norman was deprived from his sexual motives because his mother shaped him to be this

way, so Norman had repressed his sexual desires causing him to repress this urge to do so. As

(Schultz and Sydney Ellen Schultz 2017) describes, repression “operates on memories” and in

the case of Norman he repressed such feelings of his sexuality causing him to become impotent.

“No, you wouldn't. Not _you_. Because you're impotent. That's the word you couldn't

remember, isn't it? Impotent. The word the books used, the word Mother used, the word

that meant you were never going to see her again because it wouldn't do any good”.

From this excerpt of the novel, we see that Norman is “impotent” repressing his sexual drive

being afraid to interact with the opposite sex due to memories or previous interactions which led

him to become this way and to keep in him the feeling repressed. The memories Norman had

with his mother that may had a hand in shaping him this way in no longer accepting his sexual
desires as a natural human need or want can be traced to a part of the novel in a scene where his

mother scolds him because he was in front of the mirror looking at himself.

“One time Mother caught him at it and hit him on the side of the head with the big silver-

handled hairbrush. She hit him hard, and it hurt. Mother said that was a nasty thing to do,

to look at yourself that way”.

This act towards Norman made him afraid to have such feelings and to think of sexual desires as

sin, causing repression which lets a build-up in him that causes aggression (Schultz and Sydney

Ellen Schultz 2017). So, when developing this mechanism to not feel the sexual urge because of

a past memory that is repressed making him anxious and then we look at an excerpt from the

novel that explains the frustration of not being able to understand the sexual desire that has arisen

within him.

“She was swaying back and forth, back and forth, and now the mirror was wavy again and

she was wavy, and he couldn't stand it, he wanted to pound on the wall, he wanted to

scream at her to stop because this was an evil, perverted thing she was doing and she must

stop before he became evil and perverted too”.

The scene of Norman watching through the peek hole in the motel while Mary is looking at

herself in the mirror, Norman becomes frustrated with himself not knowing to deal with the

repressed feelings and sexual desires that accompany that because his mother inserted in his life

that this was a wrong thing to do and feel through events that took place when he was young

which takes us to the next point of projection. As we said that Norman feels anxiousness, so he

tries to deal with this by projecting his feelings towards another person, then his feelings of

aggression are also put on to this person. (Schultz and Sydney Ellen Schultz 2017) describes
projection because of repressed impulses and it is then projected to someone else, such as

feelings of lust, aggressiveness and so on to be the owner of another person and in matter of fact

it is the individuals' own feelings to feel safe and lessen the frustration.

“That's what the bitches did to you, they perverted you, and she was a bitch, they were all

bitches, Mother was a..”.

As we can see that Norman couldn’t deal with his own sexual desire and lust for a woman then it

resulted to aggressiveness of his own only to be projected at Mary and the only reasons, he came

up with is that she was perverted and sinister for doing this “because she was teasing him” and in

matter of fact he was only frustrated due to his mother’s teachings and shaping since he was

young (O’brien and Majid Yar 2008). This turned him to become aggressive and call her “bitch”

and couldn’t deal with his attraction towards her even though he was lurking and looking

through a peek hole and thinking she was the one trying to seduce him. This also shows us how

Norman can be manipulative.

The mind of a criminal inflicts damage on society, and then the criminal acts on his impulses in

his mind. Part of understanding crime aside from analyzing and interpreting society or looking

into places such as crime factors caused by a certain motivation is to investigate the mind of the

criminal (O’brien and Majid Yar 2008). When understanding the mind of the criminal, one can

see more into the crime and try to come closer to the reasons for committing a crime. So, to

understand crime from a social standpoint criminologist seek psychology to figure out the

behavior or conduct of the individual through understanding & picking out the individual from

the place they are in and then seeking to understand the innate (O’brien and Majid Yar 2008).
The way that I decide to approach this novel is to try to identify how we can use such novel to

make use of expression in literature and analyze this novel using the technique of

“Psychoanalytical criticism” to try to shed light on crime and how might we utilize this into the

studies of criminology by extracting from the novel (Shi, 2013). By doing close readings then

understanding Norman’s mind through psychological criminology and as a researcher in the field

of criminology gain insight from a piece of literature in order to enhance the way criminologist

usually tackle academic books and move away from them to using the Arts & Humanities as a

way to discover crime & criminality then expand horizons of a criminologist imaginative

thinking. When we apply the method of Psychoanalytical criticism to the text, we also get a

process known as “Iser’s Reception theory” (Shi 2013). In this theory both the function of

psychoanalysis and reception works in favor for each other when reading a text, as the researcher

in criminology reads a text he then begins to fill in the gaps, discovering the narrative and

delving into the mental of the character in hand creating connections from the setting and actions

of the character at a specific environment analyzing the structure from a standpoint of

criminologist rather than a literary scholar but by applying methods of psychoanalysis and

reception theory through literature he begins to understand his work through fiction.

(Shi 2013) mentions that the reception theory of Iser, is about how the reader relates to the text

and any person then can start bridging gaps specified to his but with a crime researcher, the main

focus of is directed or can be narrowed to the novel of Robert Bloch, Psycho which is the mind

and responses in order to understand the crime that happened in the novel and to see if this may

have occurred from the environment or was it through birth and how does a criminal act and

placing him in criteria and discovering his psyche through methods of literature while applying

also methods of criminology.

By discovering Norman Bate, I seek to discover his psychological thinking throughout the

narrative and oversee his character in the novel. I want to discover how does the character think

and the function of his internal dialogue and try to figure out anything that might add to him

being the character he is and see if anything in his environment shaped him to be like this or

added to his mental state (Barry, 2017). Part of the exploration I set to do in the novel is through

discovering the characteristics of Norman & how he is portrayed throughout the novel (Barry,

2017). The character of Norman Bates is a very interesting one, especially in the relationship he

has with his mother which can be seen as odd and weird. Norman is very possessive over his

mother, and he can be very fond of his mother to extreme limits. In the novel Norman talks to his

mother about a theory of Frued’s which is about the need or desire of the child to have a sexual

relationship with the mother instead of the father doing so (Barry 2017) and in the novel Norman

begins to show a side of his brain on the sexual desire with his mother whom he is very

possessive over

"But I was only trying to explain something. It's what they call the Oedipus situation, and I

thought if both of us could just look at the problem reasonably and try to understand it,

maybe things would change for the better."

When a person looks to his mother in a sexual way or in a relationship to someone who he likes

and wants to be with and in the case of Norman it is his mother who he wants her in her

possession then feelings of jealousy accompany these sexual desires & when Norman finds out

about his mother’s relationship with Considine he builds up feelings of pain and hatred towards

them. These feelings usually accompany any sexual desire then are projected to the individual on

the other side or as Anna describes (Freud 2018). With that in mind then Norman commits the

murder of both his mother & Considine from the feelings he possesses for his mother. In any
other scenario it would be a lover and the partner whom might commit such heinous crime but

gere because of the Oedipus Freudian classical theory and applying psychoanalytical criticism to

the novel we discover the resentment of feelings of Norman that even if the father figure was

there he would then try to remove him from the picture but another male lover with his mom and

such as Hamlet (Barry 2017) Norman shows his resentment through the act of committing a

crime by posing them both after walking in on his mother whilst she was having a sexual

relationship.

“Norman poisoned his mother and Considine with strychnine. He used some kind of rat

poison, served it to them with their coffee”.

“Norman had walked in on his mother and Considine together in the upstairs bedroom”.

When dealing with this character there is a major influence in his life that might be a reason why

Norman is Norman, and that person is his mother. Norman’s mother is a person who might

gaslight him in ways that can subconsciously affect him in being pressured and not dealt with the

right way, after all the character of Norman is a burdened character or mentally unstable.

As we can see in the openings of the novel, we can see a scene of Norman enjoying a book that

is gruesome and he savors it. We can understand a lot about this by only reading but I wish to

explore more about this character and see his motives and how actual serial killers that are

burdened just like him behave and act (Barry, 2017). By using the novel as a lens to try to depict

criminology in fictional worlds, I will try an attempt to analyze the criminal and see if the

criminal is affected by society or is it an innate act pondering outside of him due to mental

illness. In this attempt I will try to profile the criminal. In the opening scenes of the novel the

character is presented to us reading a book that is about the incase rituals and lives, it was “The
realm of Incas” in the book a scene of a victory where the people would gather in circles and

dance to the victory and the enemy’s body would be lying around and the skin would be flayed

and used as a drum (Freud, 2018). The scene was very disturbing, and the ritual was gruesome

yet Norman the character was very pleased, smiling and that brings thoughts to a disturbed

mentality that he would actually care for such thing and enjoy or savor. It is very interesting

historical information on how the old world used to act but never satisfying to a person the scene

of blood and depictions of a stomach cut open (Barry, 2017). Then we start to have a little

understanding of the character but discover deeper mental aspects of a criminal. As he was

immersing himself in the scene of men dancing around and flaying the skin of an enemy laying

his stomach open to be used as drums blood throbbing he was interrupted by his mom’s

footsteps. The scene of the mom entering the room and him trying to continue without

acknowledging her then they get into a heated argument. At first the argument was about why he

hadn't been in the office where he should be and not opening the sign lights, escalating to an

argument that was about not selling the motel she had owned and moving to the new road that

was built to attract more customers was Normans comeback to her when nagging him (Barry,

2017). The mother went on to tell his son you are still 40year old living with me and not taking

initiative to move on with your life and not having any “gumption” for finding a job nor a girl.

Norman replied that she wouldn’t let him and she said” if you were half a man, you would gone

your way” (Freud, 2018). Now considering that this kind of mental abuse or words to a person

psychologically affect a person making him unstable in his personality, then from that we get a

kind of human that is slowly penetrated by his own close circle, family, then what would he be

like towards society and strangers? Now his mother was scolding him using words such as boy

and even though he was a 40-year-old man that stirred something in him “drums that would
throb just like the Incas”. Aside from this at a point she would mention the books that he would

snuggle up and only read as filthy even though he used to do this every day since he was a child,

and she would describe his books filthy. Mentioning that he would reply that “psychology isn't

filthy”.

At a point there was this interesting fact of him trying to explain the Oedipus situation or

complex which in fact was established by the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud to his mom and the

complex can be explained in that the child would be having possessive sexual desire towards the

mom if he was a boy and vice versa. His mom hated that he would open topics to her like that as

if he was a freak (Barry 2017: 96–100). Now paying attention to details like this makes me

realize that yes, the mother would play a part in making him the disturbed character that he is but

then I would also believe that it was more innate rather than only his mom’s contribution to

making him the person he is. Now slowly we start to build a profile for the character of Norman

bates. The mother would also access some traumas he had in the past about the children bullying

him telling him that “you’re a Momma’s boy” and she would support that and tell him that you

are also a “big, fat, overgrown Momma’s boy”. Norman felt like he was imprisoned, being the

40-year-old, he is living under the roof of his mother being bullied by his close one (Barry,

2017). That goes to tell me that any human being treated in this fashion will certainly develop

problems and negative attributes towards people and society like a kind of hatred or almost

become numb to people where his emotions won't be there and then that’s how criminals are

born (Freud, 2018). Then we start to see some reasonable thinking from Norman, calming

himself down when his mother kept teasing him for a reaction and she would mention that deep

down you would like to “kill me” then the scene gets interrupted by a car driving in to the motel

as Norman tried to control his reaction into a reasonable one saying that if he kept listening to his
mother, he would be sick just like her and that shows me that Norman is yet Afterall might be

sane.

Moving along from discovering bits of Norman’s character, we reach a special scene in the book.

After reading we start to understand that Norman might be normal and a smart person who is just

pressured by his mother. We get a scene where there's a lady who drives up to the hotel and

Norman is there to escort her in but then after settling for the motel and whatnot, Norman

decides to invite her up to have some dinner and coffee (Saleh, 2013). They do sit down and

Norman’s starts to talk to the lady and becomes embarrassed from her and he keeps telling her

about the burdens of him with his mom. The lady suggests that he should send his mother off to

an institute of crazies. The way Norman describes his mother is a way that would make us think

that he is not the victim, rather she is a hero caring for him and he had a hand in making her the

way she is. Now this point is important because as a human who is self-aware, we usually tend to

become comfortable psychologically (Barry, 2017). So did the lady or as described by the

narrator “7 feet tall”. When she intrudes into Norman’s conversation he stands up and becomes

very irritated and says that he would never send his mother to such a place, and he would care for

her only then would he switch quickly to a smiling face. Then the lady leaves and Norman

escorts her to her room, and as they go, she realizes that he never touched a woman which makes

her think that she is safer with this person (Freud, 2018). Where the whole thing happens is in the

next scene where she gets comfortable and starts getting ready then takes a shower, she

recognizes a face behind the curtains and then its Norman killing her. Now as we go on further to

explore the innate nature of Norman and his environment, we start to build a case and then we

can start to profile Norman through the lens of criminology. By using this method then we can

start seeing the use of fiction in criminology by giving the criminologists a playground, and that
can give the ability to stretch theories of criminology and for it to be utilized in novels (Saleh,

2013). That is of course one way, the other way would be that criminology supplementing

literature, how? It is in the way of creating more critical novels that are informative towards

actual criminals using real criminology that wouldn’t be mixed up with mainstream media or

literature to create a canon of works that can be then used in the studies of crime and law (Saleh,

2013). Especially when building a case to catch a killer who the institution responsible for

catching the killer, they ultimately rely on a forensic psychologist who will be able to build a

profile to catch a killer. So then this is our job to try to fit Norman into a profile by discovering

his psychology and innate behavior and see the role of a novel in portraying the actual killer in

the real world. The world of fictional reality can be insightful in the way it is portraying the

character of Norman bates. Of course, in the world of stories there are always plot twists, and so

the plot twist here is yet to be discovered (Freud, 2018). So, in the plot twist the criminologist is

still looking for the evidence and putting the pieces together so that he can have a better view of

the whole story and the events that took place. But here in the novel what takes place is

something different, the story unravels itself for us and all what we must do is to be patient to

figure out who the killer is (Barry, 2017). Reading from the beginning we can tell how the story

might take its course but now what we have to figure out is the elements of literature

supplementing criminology theory and how? Well, when we get criminologists to start to read

fiction and utilize it in the way as if it were. So, criminologists have a chance to practice

researching without a actual crime occurring in real life which in this way no one is hurt and

there is the capability for criminologists to exercise their skills through using literature and

fiction.
 The next crime fiction novel I will incorporate is “Black Dahli” by James Ellroy. I will

integrate various scenes of the novel to examine numerous themes in the field of criminology

which encompasses criminal psychology, law implementation strategies, and social issues

connected to crime (Di, 2020). ‘Black Dahlia” is a renowned crime fiction novel that investigates

into numerous themes connected to criminology. The crime fiction novel was set in Los Angeles

in the 1940s, and it examines the notorious unsolved assassination of Elizabeth Short, referred to

as Black Dahlia (Di, 2020). The crime novel investigates into the dark underbelly of the city,

intertwining actual-life incidences with fictional elements. In the novel, James Ellroy offers a

fascinating narrative that can provide valuable perceptions to criminologists. For instance, the

author states “The Black Dahlia case was the kind of thing that drove men crazy. It had all the

ingredients: a beautiful victim, a sadistic killer, and a mystery that defied solution.” (McGregor,

2021). The above quote is an explanation of the Black Dahlia case, which was infamous

mysterious murder that happened in Los Angeles in 1947. It implies that this specific case had a

captivating impact on individuals, mainly men, because of its intriguing aspects.

First, the quote states a “beautiful victim” implying to Elizabeth Short, the young woman

who was viciously murdered. The idiom “beautiful victim” implies that the physical appearance

of Elizabeth Short played a role in catching public attention and creating interest in the case (Di,

2020). Moreover, the quote mentions a “sadistic killer” showing that the nature of the crime was

primarily cruel and horrific. This element of the case possibly added to its disrepute and the

captivation around it. Also, the quote mentions the case as a “mystery that defied solution.”

(McGregor, 2021) The circumstance that the assassination remained baffling despite wide

investigations and media coverage contributed to its lasting allure. The mysterious nature of the

case left space for theories, speculation, and the imagination of the ones who followed it (Di,
2020). In general, the quote accentuates the fascinating nature of crime cases, mainly those that

encompass aspects of beauty, brutality, and unresolved mysteries. It implies that such cases can

have a deep on the communal imagination and create extensive interest and captivation.

Furthermore, in the novel James Ellroy contends “crime fiction allows us to explore the

darkest corners of the human mind, to understand the motivations behind criminal behavior, and

to question the boundaries between good and evil.” (Comyn, 2020) The above quote underscores

the importance of crime fiction as a means to research into the depths of human psyche and

acquire understandings into criminal behavior (Comyn, 2020). Through submerging ourselves in

crime fiction, we get to examine the darkest corners of the human mind, undo the complex

inspirations that drive people to commit criminalities, and consider the indistinct lines amid

moral and evil (Comyn, 2020). In this case, crime fiction acts as a platform for evaluating the

intricacies of culprit behavior and comprehending the complex factors that lead to it. Via the

narrations and protagonists depicted in such crime novels, we can attain a profounder insight of

the psychological, environmental, and social influences that shape offenders mind.

Regarding James Ellroy’s crime fiction novel “Black Dahlia” there are various themes

that can be explored within the context of criminology. The first theme in the novel relates to

criminal psychology, whereby ‘Black Dhalia’ crime fiction novel investigates into the

psychological factors of criminality, encompassing the stimulations and behaviors of

lawbreakers (Larke, 2023). Criminologists can evaluate the characters, psychological profiles,

their reasons, and the effect of their actions on victims and community. In Ellroy’s novel “Black

Dahlia”, the concentration is on comprehending the psychological aspects that drive criminal

acts (McGregor, 2021). Criminologists can analyze the protagonist’s psychological profiles to

attain understanding of their inspirations, thought processes, and behavioral series. Via
examining these elements, criminologists can better comprehend the fundamental causes of

crime and develop policies to avoid and address illegal behavior efficiently.

The next theme is on law enforcement policies, where the novel delves into the

challenges encountered by law implementation agencies in resolving intricate crimes.

Criminologists can evaluate the exploratory techniques utilized by the crime characters, the

efficacy of these policies, and their significance to real-world law implementation practices

(Erdman, 2022). “Black Dahlia” offers a chance for criminologists to evaluate the investigative

approaches applied by law implementation agencies in the novel (Erdman, 2022). Through

researching these policies, criminologists can assess their efficacy in resolving difficult crimes

and their pertinence to real-world law execution practices. This evaluation can assist recognize

areas for improvement in regulation implementation strategies and lead to the advancement of

extra effective and efficacious investigate techniques.

Furthermore, in “Black Dahlia” the author presents a resolute and corrupt portrayal of

society, whereby crime and fierceness are prevalent (Ashman, 2022). Ellroy portrays a city

plagued by planned crime, police deceit, and a justice system that is regularly inefficient and

faulty. The characters in the novel, comprising police officers and culprits, are ethically vague

and propelled by their personal agendas. Similarly, the novel examines the influence of crime on

society overall (Larke, 2023). The book portrays Los Angeles as a city, where illicit activities are

an ever-present realism. Moreover, it exposes the seedy underbody of LA, disclosing the link

amid organized crime, police dishonesty, and the abuse of vulnerable people. Via this lens James

Ellroy presents a miserable and pessimistic perception of the society, where wrongdoing and

corruption are deeply entrenched.

 The writer’s depiction of judicature is critical and emphasizes its shortfalls. Ellroy the

systemic matters within law enforcement, including cover-ups, misuse of power, and the

prioritization of individual benefits over justice (McGregor, 2021). Moreover, the crime fiction

novel examines themes of racism, class divisions, and misogyny, enlightening on the societal

issues that cause the perpetuation of misconduct. In general, “Black Dahlia” provides a critical

insight on the society crime and criminal justice system (Erdman, 2022). It exhibits a world

where justice is subtle, and the lines between moral and evil are blurry. The writing challenges

conventional concepts of crime fiction and offers provocative analysis of the darker elements of

human nature and society at large.

Limitations of the Study

One limitation for the study on introducing American contemporary crime fiction into

criminology studies and curriculum is the possible lack of empirical prove and scholarly research

particularly focused on the connection of crime fiction and criminology. whereas crime fiction

has been extensively consumed and appreciated by readers, there might be inadequacy of

academic literature directing addressing its academic worth and its latent contributions to the

field of criminology.

The subsequent limitation could be the idiosyncratic nature of evaluating and interpreting crime

fiction. Since crime fiction is a type of literature, its evaluation can be impacted by personal

insights, prejudices, and individual interpretations. This partiality may pose problems in

establishing a consistent framework for integrating crime fiction into criminology education and

curriculum.
Moreover, the restricted scope of the chosen crime fiction novels, “Psycho” by Robert Bloch and

“Black Dahlia” by James Ellroy, may limit the generalizability of the results. While these crime

fiction novels align with numerous topics covered in the criminology curriculum, they represent

just a slight fraction of the vast body of American modern crime fiction. Thus, the conclusions

made from the assessment of these particular novels might not entirely capture the extensiveness

and variety of crime fiction as a whole.

Correspondingly, the possible moral implications of using crime fiction as a teaching device in

criminology studies should be contemplated. Crime fiction regularly depicts graphic violence,

ethically ambiguous protagonists, and disturbing themes. It is integral to guarantee that the

inclusion of crime fiction in the program, does not embellish real-world-criminality, but instead

promotes critical thinking, moral discussions, and a nuanced insight of the intricacies of illegal

behavior.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the dissertation has examined the introduction of American contemporary

crime fiction into criminology education and curriculum, and the latent for criminologists to gain

from crime fiction. Throughout the research, we have explored the aims, possible research

queries, and the role of crime fiction in the society, while similarly offering an overview of two

crime fiction novels, “Psycho” by Robert Bloch and “Black Dahlia” by James Ellroy. The

findings of the research have illustrated the crucial alignment amid these crime fiction novels and

numerous topics covered in the criminology curriculum. Both novels have offered useful

perceptions into criminal psychology, social issues related to crime, and law implementation

policies. Via examination of these themes, the novels have provided a rich insight of the

intricacies of criminal behavior and the problems experienced by those in search of justice.
 Moreover, the dissertation has emphasized the role of crime fiction in the society. Crime

fiction acts as a reflection of social issues, illuminating on the darker factors of human nature and

the repercussions of crime activities. Likewise, it offers a platform for examining ethical

dilemmas, psychological motivations behind criminal behaviors, and moral questions. the

justification of the thesis statement has been supported by exploration of education usefulness of

crime fiction and its possible contributions to criminology studies. Crime fiction provides an

exceptional insight that complements traditional educational techniques, offering a narrative-

driven examination of crime and justice. Through engaging with crime fiction, criminologists

can improve their perception of actual-world criminal phenomena, advance empathy for varied

perceptions, and cultivate an extra holistic tactic to their work.

While this research has provided useful insights, its is significant to recognize the

limitations experienced. The lack of empirical prove especially concentration on interconnection

of crime fiction and criminology poses a problem. Moreover, the subjective nature of evaluating

and interpreting crime fiction, the restricted scope of the chosen crime novels, and the possible

moral implications of utilizing crime fiction as a teaching tool should be contemplated. To

conclude, the incorporation of American contemporary fiction into criminology studies and

program holds great latent for enriching the academic experience and extending the insights of

criminologists, through adopting crime fiction as a useful resource, criminologists can attain

valuable perspectives into criminality conduct, law implementation policies, and the social

matters surrounding crime. More research and examination in this area are inspired to bridge the

gap amidst crime fiction and criminology, addressing the restrictions identified in this research

and promoting an extra comprehensive comprehension of the benefits and challenges of

integrating crime fiction into the field.