jam+psych+paper

Jordan Melander Nov. 23, 2010     Psych 100 Perkins August 1, 1966 was an immensely devastating blow in American history. It was the day after aching pain and hurt from what had occurred only twenty-four hours or less before. That day Charles Whitman should have been diagnosed with a DSM-IV mental disorder that is also known as the Anti-Social Personality Disorder. No sane normal human being would be okay with taking the lives of fourteen helpless lives. Only someone with Psychosocial and Environmental Problems would be out of their mind to fire a gun numerous times without the blink of an eye or any regret. Charles would be placed underneath Axis IV ( The Psychosocial and Environmental Problems) due to the fact that his life fit under almost all the examples. He didn’t have the best support from a primary group due to that most young men’s role model and support comes from their father who they strive to become like, but his father never really accepted Charles unless his actions came out in perfection. Being held under water almost near death and hit over and over does not send of quite a message of support. Charles definitely had social problems seeing that he tried to kill a fellow marine, and had to carry around a hand-gun since people became his enemies due to gambling. Obviously since he had gambling problems and didn’t and couldn’t pay back his debts he had economic hardships. Charles occupational and educational difficulties played hand in hand. When he was disowned from the marines he lost that career and not having the structured life made gave him too much freedom to screw up and he was eventually kicked out of college due to horrific grades. It definitely was a hard time to find a job without a degree, so could only get a low wage part-time job. While soaking up all of Whitman’s background information and events in his life, people could say he could be classified as having many different disorders. One of the disorders Charles most definitely would not have been diagnosed would be Schizophrenia, because he never mentioned hearing voices or having a second personality at all. Charles Whitman and all those precious lives could possibly have been spared if Charles had just gone to his psychiatrist that morning and for more visits to come, instead of vigorously climbing up that tower with the intent and sorrow success of murdering all those innocent bystanders, and his beloved wife and mother. Sadly, Charle's unexplainable mission was completed, but if not I do not think his GAF score from his psychiatrist would have been absurd. The Global Assessment of Functioniong for Charles if he had not shot those people would have been around a 42 give or take a few digits. Whitman started off his life with success and many acchievements, but the strive for perfection got to him. The symptoms around the number 42 were serious symptos that matched up with Charles such as his social problems, it didn't appear he had many friends especially due to that he had to carry a hand-gun around with him, and that he was let go from his career of being a Marine. Charles was having irrational and unusual thoughts going on in his mind. It was hard as stated earlier for Charles to find a job and was kicked out of school. He did not get along with classmates, and always complained of headaches. Charles did seem slightly violent it said that he was following the footsteps of his father as well beat his wife, and almost killed a marine. Murdering fourteen human beings and shooting at atleast forty-five just is really hard to let sink in. A human with normal behavior would have never gone through with such actions, would they? Charles Whitman did not live the normal All-American life. From day one he was challenged to be flawless and never mess up. This pressure followed him his entire life, and would eventually fall down on him in some sort or another. Killing fourteen doesn't really shock you then if he has been brought up thinking nothing is ever enough, so he took the perfect oppurtunity and slayed not just a couple but an eye-opening amount of people. It was an act that could not possibly be overlooked. Charles would be hit and witnessed his mother being beat by his own father, and then later on beat his own wife. Being around violence highly increases the chances of performing bigger more dangerous acts of violence someday, which charles came through with. Gaining weight, not getting along with others, gambling, losing your career, and being kicked out of school is a buffet full of hardships for anyone to deal with, and unfortunately Charles Whitman could no longer handle it on August 1, 1966. The day before he had written down that he had been having numerous irrational and unusual thoughts over and over. The fact that Charles as well had a tumor growing messed with his mind, because anyone who is sick is not their normal up to par self. I just best explained this in the Humanistic perpespective. Charles was stressed from all these multiple conflicts and demands going on in his life. He did have support from his mother, but really how much support can a divorced beaten woman give to her grown son? He barely had support from his Father it seemed and especially that he had been hit by him earlier. The stress of everything he needed to, but couldn't handle and the lack of reinforcement he was given was the best way to explain why his behavior occurred the way it did. Although the humanistic perspective seemed best to explain it did not explain for the rest of Charles Whitman's symptoms. Charle's had actions and symptoms that went right along in the Biological perspective. Loss of neurons due to stress is biological that would make someone act out which happened to Charles. He had been taking amphetamines that caused him not to sleep for many days at a time that increased the level of dopamine in his brain. Dopamine has been linked to depression which explains many of Charles acts and as to why he became having an anti-social disorder. It also is hard to escape from inherited characteristics from ones learned from experience, so it is hard to say that him becoming violent was due to his father. The idea that Charles was having unusual and irrational thoughts so close to before he went on a killing spree could possibly be explained by the cognitive perspective. Psychologists believe that faulty beliefs help form the disorders of people. Irrational thoughts obviously are not normal, and thinking you can go out and kill is definitely crazy in a thought process. This could also be thought through conditional disorders. That people learn to act in a certain way and accept it. Charles was in the Marines and was taught to pull the trigger without thinking and to kill kill kill. It is not possible to completely just turn that thought proccess off.

score ||  Instructor Comments: ||  Student Comments: || Any psychiatric diagnosis? ||  1 ||  ||  || Justification using DSM4  ||  1 ||  The instructions say to avoid use of Axis IV. ||  || DSM-IV GAF score on August 1, 1966  ||  0 ||  42 is too low. In the days leading up to the shooting Whitman was working and going to school and did not arouse any special concerns on the part of his wife, his mother, or his friends. His behavior on the morning of August 1 was even more relaxed and calm. ||  || explanation for Whitman's homicidal behavior  ||  1 ||  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> || theoretical perspective  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> 1 || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> || Additional factor  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> 1 || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> ||  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> 1  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">  || SUM of points = || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> 9 || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> Good work, Jordan. || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> ||
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 * diagnosis that does NOT apply || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> 1  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">  ||
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 * GAF justification || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> 1  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">  ||
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 * limit(s) of this perspective || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> 1  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">  ||
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 * //Followed directions//
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9‑10 points: Distinguished  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> 5‑6 points: Basic  || 7‑8 points: Proficient  || <span style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-line-height-alt: 6.0pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"> 0‑4: Unsatisfactory  ||
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