Psychological explanations: The Terri-Lynne McClintic case

Abstract

Research about early- and mid-childhood factors that lead to criminality has been studied across many countries and demographics. However, the rare occurrence of a Canadian woman participating in a rape and murder of a child has not been explored. This article will address the 2009 kidnapping and murder of eight-year-old Victoria Elizabeth Stafford, committed by Terri-Lynne McClintic and Michael Rafferty, as well as a discussion around the nonconformist perspective on human nature and social control theory and a psychological discussion around the formative years of McClintic’s youth. Within this paper, McClintic’s psychology will be explored from a nonconformist perspective, where it is shown that she lacks the social controls to restrain her from committing crimes. Specifically, early- and midchildhood factors offer insight into McClintic’s antisocial and deadly behaviour. The peer rejection by those at the many schools McClintic attended and early exposure to substance abuse by her adoptive mother, Carol McClintic, led to a higher likelihood of criminal and antisocial behaviour, as well as mood and anxiety disorders. While the exact factors that caused Terri-Lynne McClintic to murder Stafford remain speculative, understanding her childhood risk factors and their psychological effects offers insight into a unique and rare occurrence of the rape and murder of Victoria Elizabeth Stafford by Terri-Lynne McClintic and Michael Rafferty.