International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation Volume 8 2025 104
earlier than the nonpsychopath offenders” (Hare et al.
1992:291–292). Manson’s childhood experiences with
law enforcement and the criminal justice system are
consistent with these findings. Manson’s first contact
with law enforcement occurred when he ran away from
the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana at age fourteen.
After running away, he supported himself through theft
and burglary, accumulating multiple charges. By the
time he was nineteen, he had been remanded to Father
Flanagan’s Boys Town, the Indian School for Boys at
Plainfield, the National Training School for Boys in
Washington, D.C., the National Bridge Honor Camp,
the Federal Reformatory at Petersburg, Virginia, and
the Federal Reformatory at Chillicothe, Ohio (Bugliosi
with Gentry 1974:136–140 Marynick 2010:365–366).
Hare posits that impulsivity is an indicator of
psychopathy. “Psychopaths tend to live day-to-day and
to change their plans frequently. They give little serious
thought to the future and worry about it even less. Nor
do they generally show much concern about how little
they have done with their lives” (Hare 1993:59). They
do not evaluate the merits of potential consequences of
their actions, but rather focus on achieving immediate
satisfaction, pleasure, or relief” (Hare 1993:58).
Manson’s impulsive behavior, often to alleviate
boredom or generate excitement, is highly indicative
of psychopathy. After assembling the Family, Mason
acquired a school bus and took multiple impromptu
trips across the western United States with his band
of followers. In 1968 alone, Manson and the Family
ventured from California to visit Washington, Texas,
New Mexico, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada (Gilmore
and Kenner 1971:54–62). Manson stated that he “just
wanted to get moving—to travel around. A road is the
best place to be on ...just keep moving from one place
to the next with nothing else in mind but just going on
the road” (Gilmore and Kenner 1971:54). By Manson’s
own account, he did not invest time in planning these
trips, instead traveling when “the urge would prompt
[him] to hit the road ...[H]e would leave for a day, a
week, or longer” (Manson and Emmons, 1986:98).
Despite the difficulties the Family endured, he enjoyed
escaping the city and heading nowhere “strictly for
the excitement of travel and meeting people and the
challenge of the unexpected” (Manson and Emmons
1986:99).
According to Hare, irresponsibility is a hallmark
of psychopathy. He posits that “[o]bligations and
commitments mean nothing to psychopaths” (1993:62),
and they do not consider that their actions may cause
hardship to others (1993:64). While psychopaths’
unreliability impacts every area of their lives, their
children are especially affected by their actions. “This
indifference to the welfare of children—their own as well
as those of the man or woman they happen to be living
with at the time—is a common [among] psychopaths.
Psychopaths see children as an inconvenience” (Hare
1993:63). While paternity is uncertain for many of
the children that were born into the Family, Manson
definitively fathered three sons: one with each of his
wives and another by a Family member. His first child,
Charles Manson Jr., was born to Rosalie Jean Willis in
1956, and his second child, Charles Luther Manson,
was born to Leona Rae Stevens in 1963. Both children
were born when Manson was in prison on separate
occasions, and both wives divorced him before he was
released. His third child, Valentine Michael [Brunner]
Manson, was born in 1968 to Family member Mary
Brunner (Bugliosi with Gentry 1974:141, 145, 164).
Though Manson never met or provided for Charles Jr.
Manson and Charles Luther Manson in any capacity,
Valentine Michael [Brunner] Manson, however, spent
the first year of his life living a nomadic existence with
Manson and other Family members. Shortly after his
first birthday, the Family committed the Tate-LaBianca
murders, and Manson was incarcerated permanently.
Despite fathering three children, Manson ultimately
failed to form any parent–child attachments (Bugliosi
with Gentry 1974:141, 145, 164).
The impulsivity and irresponsibility associated with
psychopathy manifests itself in a failure to make life
plans. Hart and Hare postulate that a lack of realistic,
long-term goals is an indicator for psychopathy (Hart
and Hare 1997:23). Throughout his life, Manson failed
to establish any legal or realistic goals he only expressed
interest in becoming a pimp, professional musician,
and world leader. While incarcerated in his early
twenties, Manson became intrigued by other inmates’
experiences with pimping and the lifestyle it provided.
He set out to learn everything about procuring from
his fellow inmates and, when he was released from
prison in 1958, set out to gather prostitutes to support
him (Manson and Emmons 1986:55–60). Manson
procured prostitutes for a period of two years until his
suspended sentence was revoked, and he returned to

ISSN: 2710-4028 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54208/0008 105
prison in 1960 (Bugliosi with Gentry 1974:142–143).
After being released from prison in 1967, Manson
determined that he wanted to become a musician.
Family associate Greg Jakobson stated that Manson
“wanted to become a successful recording artist ...[n]
ot so much as a means to making money as to get his
word out to the public” (Bugliosi and Gentry 1974:225).
While he generated some interest from the recording
industry through his connection to Dennis Wilson,
“those who had shown interest in Manson’s talents
no longer found the time to review them. Charlie’s
‘hobnobbing’ and enthusiasm for getting ‘something
goin’ in the music business, had, finally amounted
to nothing” (Gilmore and Kenner 1971:80). When
Manson’s goal of becoming a professional musician
was not realized, he focused on his philosophy of
Helter Skelter. He believed that if he ignited the race
war with the Tate-LaBianca murders, the Family would
hide in the desert until “the blacks” achieved victory.
At that time, the white race would be destroyed, and
the Family would emerge to assume leadership. “[A]
ccording to the gospel of Charlie—as he related it to his
disciple Paul Watkins—he, Charles Milles Manson, the
fifth angel, JC, would then rule that world” (Bugliosi
with Gentry 1974:246).
Promiscuous sexual behavior is another hallmark
of psychopathy (Hart and Hare 1997:23). As an
adolescent, Manson’s sexual behavior was limited to
other teenage boys with whom he was incarcerated.
Manson reported similar sexual behavior while
imprisoned as an adult. He claimed that “[a] lot of stories
go around about forced sodomy and oral copulation
in prisons and reform schools. There is some of it
happening I mean, out-and-out rape. I experienced it
and I’m still ashamed to cop to it. Most of the sex is by
mutual agreement” (Manson and Emmons 1986:148).
By his own admission, Manson experienced both
forced and consensual sex while incarcerated. As a
free adult, Manson’s sexual behavior was frequent and
indiscriminate, even by the standards of the late 1960s
Free Love era. Manson’s sexual appetite was legendary,
according to Family members. They claimed he had
sex, on average, seven times a day (Sanders 1971:62).
He also preferred novelty in his sex life: “[u]sually he’d
have sex with a new girl a few times, then move on to a
new ‘young love’“ (Bugliosi &Gentry, 1974:274).
Manson also engaged in deviant sexual practices. The
Family engaged in orgies, wherein Manson would
direct the sexual activities of the group.
Within the context of the Family orgies, Manson’s
sexual behavior included acts of debauchery and
depravity.
Frequent, short-term marital relationships are an
indicator of psychopathy (Hart and Hare 1997:23).
Manson was incarcerated for most of his adult life,
experiencing approximately five years of freedom
between imprisonments before the Tate-LaBianca
convictions. During that time, he married and divorced
twice. His first marriage to Rosalie Jean Willis occurred
in 1955, within a year of his release from the Federal
Reformatory at Chillicothe, Ohio. When his probation
was revoked in 1956, he returned to prison, and she
filed for divorce, which was finalized in 1958. Manson
was released from Terminal Island prison in 1958,
and he married Leona Rae Stevens the following year.
He remained free until 1960 when his probation was
revoked, and he returned to prison. Stevens divorced
Manson in 1963. During the few years that Manson
was free, he was able to marry and divorce twice, a
pattern consistent with psychopathy.
Criminal versatility is an indicator of psychopathy.
According to Hare, “Many psychopaths wind up in
prisons or other correctional facilities time and again”
(1993:113). Their criminal behavior is frequent and
diversified, and interaction with the criminal justice
system is inevitable due to their antisocial behaviors
(Hare 1993:86). Throughout his life, Manson
committed a varied array of crimes prior to the Tate-
LaBianca murders, he had been incarcerated for most
of his adolescence and adult life. At the age of thirteen,
Manson also used these occasions to ‘eradicate
hangups.’ If a person indicated reluctance to
engage in a certain act, Manson would force
that person to commit it. Male-female, female-
female, male-male, intercourse, cunnilingus,
fellatio, sodomy—there could be no inhibitions
of any kind. One thirteen-year-old girl’s
initiation into the Family consisted of her
being sodomized by Manson while the others
watched. Manson also ‘went down on’ a young
boy to show the others he had rid himself of all
inhibitions. (Bugliosi and Gentry 1974:237)