S4:E2 "The Angel Maker"

Background: The BAU is called in to investigate a murder that links back to a serial killer that was executed the year before.

A copycat killer takes off where a serial killer had left off.  The BAU was able to link the murders to a serial killer who had been executed due to the detailed replication of the murders. The victims died from blood-forced trauma to the head, most likely from a hammer.  Then the victims were sexual assaulted postmortem; for the copycat this meant placing the original killer's semen on the bodies.  Following this, a constellation was stabbed into the victims abdomen, most likely with a screw driver.  When the killer left the houses of the victims, both the original and the copycat, all the windows in the house were opened.  Lastly, there was never forced entry in these murders, suggesting that the copycat killer was looking for easy targets.

The BAU soon find out that the copycat killer was obsessed with the initial serial killer.  In fact, the

copycat killer was in love.  The copycat killer, who was a women, was a major groupie of the serial

killer, she eventually fell deeply in love with him, and would do anything in her power to finish what

he started.  She was his "angel."  In fact, at the end of the episode she... Sorry, you will have to watch the episode and see for your self what happens:)


Anyways, I would like to touch on the topic of obsession, as it seems to be the most important aspect of this entire episode.   According to Psychology Today being obsessed can be someone who is "lovesick" and "cannot eat or sleep," they may go as far as "to harass and stalk" the person that they are obsessed with. Obsessed people will do anything to please the person they are obsessed with as well.  Many individuals suffer from romantic obsession, as in this case.  Chasing a love interest may be an unconscious urge inherent to perpetuation of the species, but it may become intrusive when the pursuit goes too far as well.  In this case, the "copycat" was obsessed romantically with the initial serial killer and believed that she had to finish what he had started.  This was one of the ways she was able to get close to him after he had died.  She also went as far as taking his remains out of his grave and keeping them at her house. Gross!  She was so fixated on this man...  Obsession is like a disease.  Once obsessed, there is no escaping.  In my opinion this girl was psycho. Obsessions can turn into cases of a compulsive personality disorder if the person does not get help soon enough too. A person can get help from psychologists for disorders such as these, but obsession is something that is extremely difficult to overcome, even with help.

    

https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201501/obsessed

Doubt S3 E1

At an all-girls school in Flagstaff, Arizona, three women were already murdered when the BAU arrived. All the victims arms were crossed, which is a sign of remorse, and that the murderer wants the victim to rest in peace. The night the BAU arrives on campus, another girl is murdered. Her corpse shows no signs of fighting back, yet she was holding a mace. This indicates that the victim knew and trusted her killer, and that he is most likely part of the campus. The director of the college wants to evacuate the school for the protection of the students, and the BAU fears that this will only encourage the killer’s murdering spree. They are increasing the amount of security and surveillance in order to lower the chances of another murder. 

Profile: The un-sub is someone with high access to the college and community. He was able to kill and be unseen even in a highly trafficked and survived campus. He is a "spree-killer" because he has killed 4 women in three days (something has most likely set him off in the past few days). He has only killed white brunette women, so the stressor most likely involves a women in his life who fits the same description. (Wife, mother, girlfriend) The un-sub may feel emasculate, and rejection may be a common theme in his life. The un-sub displays a great amount of anger, and stabs his victims repeatedly, even after they're dead: seconds later he feels remorse. It is possible that he feels guilty because the victims trusted him.

 The BAU soon finds out that the un-sub is a member of the campus security, because markings on the dead women came from a Taser (the campus police are not allowed guns). Garcia, the computer analyst for the BAU, looks for any security guards who attempted to join the military, but failed. One campus officer Nathan Tubbs did, and was declined because he failed his psych evaluation. He was one of the only officers to show up to all the crime scenes, even when he was not on duty. Nathan Tubbs also recently lost custody of his daughter after a divorce with his wife. The police break into his apartment and find newspaper clippings of all the killings and knifes. Nathan isn’t on the schedule to work, yet is patrolling around and finds a student walking alone. He offers to drive her to her car because "it is his duty to keep her safe". The BAU solve that he is the killer, and find him and the girl in the car before he could harm her.

The police psych evaluation says he had border line, antisocial, and sociopathic tendencies. While in custody, another murder occurs, by someone posing to be the serial killer. It turns out to be a girl on campus, Anna, who died her hair brown for Nathan Tubbs. Once he was released (because they had no evidence), Anna takes Tubbs to a courtyard where they can be alone. The girl is a recluse, antisocial, and often talks about suicide. Anna says she wants Nathan to kill her like the other girls because she is too afraid to commit suicide herself. Nathan refuses so she stabs him in the stomach, then stabs herself. Both end up dying, and while the result was devastating, the BAU knew that Nathan Tubbs would no longer be able to harm any more girls.

Extreme Aggressor S1, E1

"For heaven’s sake catch me before I kill more I cannot control myself"-The Lipstick killer 1945

In Seattle Washington a woman is looking to buy- a retro sports-car that is listed at a surprisingly low price. After the seller offers a test drive, she agrees, but he didn't want to sell her the car, he wanted to kidnap and kill her. The BAU gets brought into the case after four dead people were found and locals called the un-sub (unknown subject) the "Seattle Strangler". He keeps his victims for seven days then strangles them long after they are dead because he "enjoys it". When the BAU team arrives, they don’t want to view a suspect list to keep their perspective unbiased, and Gideon believes he is in his early twenties because of "beautiful arrogance". The victims were clothed which is a sign of remorse, yet the un-sub viewed women as disposable, which created a conflicting profile.

Profile: Un-sub is a white male in his late 20's. The violent nature of the crimes indicates a previous crime record, most likely petty theft. They categorize him as an organized killer, which means he is careful and smart. The un-sub is also psychopathic not psychotic and has good hygiene. All the murders involved rape, “but rape without penetration is a form of picquerism, which tells the BAU that he is sexually inadequate”. Psychiatric evaluations should show a history of paranoia stemming from a childhood trauma (death of family member), so he now he feels persecuted and watched. Murder gives the un-sub a sense of power: organized killers have a fascination with law enforcement, and will inject themselves into the investigation, which makes them feel powerful and in control. Because of this, Gideon knows the police already interviewed him.

Later, the police finds one of the un-subs, and go through his home in order to try to find the girl, and to better understand the killer. In his attic, there is a game called "go", considered to be the most difficult board game ever conceived, and he was playing himself on it. "Go" is a psychologically revealing game, and there are profiles for every player. Judging by the game, Spencer Reid is able to analyze that he is an extreme aggressor. In result of the conflicting profile, the BAU is able to determine that there are two different un-subs. In an attempt to find the second, they go to the jail in which the first un-sub was held to try to figure out if he made any friendships. While there, they talk to the security officer who always patrolled the area and he said "Half our job is protecting them from each other". The man’s name was Timothy Vogel, and he was the owner of the sports car used to abduct the girl at the beginning of the episode. They follow the car after it leaves the jail, but soon realize he tricked them, and was going to murder the girl and dump the body.

During a interview with the first un-sub, Hodge begins to talk about “reciprocity”: when the car dealer lowers the price as a favor, and the buyer feels obligated. He uses this as a comparison between the two un-subs and how they are manipulating and using each other as leverage.  

They realize the girl is being kept on a boat, and rush to the shipyard to save her. When they arrive, the second un-sub is threatening to kill the girl, but Gideon taunts him saying things such as :"I wouldn’t if I were you. If you kill the girl, you have nothing, kill me instead." or "What are you a lousy shot" and "I think you're a moron. You're at the gym five times a week. Not even Viagra helps. I wonder what they used to call you back in high school. Short stack? Tiny Tim?" With those words, the un-sub cracks and shoots Gideon in the arm, which gives the the police enough time to save the girl. 

“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness." –Joseph Conrad

Season 4 Episode 22: "The Big Wheel"

           In this episode of Criminal Minds, the officer team tracks down a serial killer who targets white, blonde women in their early thirties. The killer records each murder with a video camera that is hidden in his glasses, and sends them to the police with the message “Help Me.” By watching the videos, the officers are able to conclude that the killer suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. OCD is defined by http://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/obssessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd.htm as “an anxiety disorder characterized by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive, ritualized behaviors you feel compelled to perform.”

            The killer, (Vincent), displayed many symptoms throughout the show that are linked to OCD.  He would turn door handles exactly two times before opening each door, he would make sure his bed was perfectly made and his room was spotless before leaving the house, he would have all of his food pre-made the night before and cut into perfect triangles, he would wipe public door handles and sanitize them before touching them, and he would not step on the cracks in the sidewalk while he was out walking. He is also very afraid of germs – he wrapped his steering wheel in plastic wrap, uses hand sanitizer frequently, and uses a bar of soap only once, then throws it away - he has an entire cabinet full of about 100 bars of soap in his bathroom. He would commit a murder exactly every 12 months, and would target white, blonde women by stabbing them with a large knife that he always carried around with him. Many people didn’t suspect him at first since he seemed shy, quiet and harmless on the outside. The officer team was able to finally track him down after speaking with a blind 10 year old boy whose mother was murdered. This boy was actually Vincent’s mentee, since Vincent helped out with youth in the community. After further thought, the boy was able to realize that Vincent was the one who murdered his mother, since Vincent starting acting very strange around him ever since the police started looking for serial killer that fit Vincent’s description. In the end, Vincent was finally caught by the officer team, and was put in jail. Vincent knew that what he was doing was wrong, but he was unable to stop himself because his OCD was getting too strong to ignore – that’s why he wanted the police to stop him, and pleaded for their help by sending them videos of the murders.

Fear and Loathing, S2 E16

“From the deepest desires often comes the deadliest hate.” -Socrates

The BAU goes to a suburb on the edge of New York City to investigate a serial killer who has been targeting young black girls. It is believed to be a hate-crime because the city is only 8% black, and his victims are extremely specific. Swastikas were painted on all the victims’ faces, and each girl was stabbed post-mortem which indicates sexual homicide. (The swastikas were used to distract the police from the true motive of the murder). All of the victims were passionate about singing and were overall good students and good children. After analyzing the data of the victims, the BAU is able to produce a profile: The un-sub is a black man, most likely between the ages of 30-35. They know he is black because of his victims (people often kill within their own race), and he is a smooth talker with a high-intelligence, and is involved in the music industry. The local police are hesitant to release the profile because it will only create more tension between whites and blacks.

After releasing the profile to the community, a young black girl steps forward saying that a man came up to her after church choir practice saying that he owns a recording studio and would love to hear her sing more. This specific black girl said it was obvious that he was lying about his intentions, and that she knew who he was before he introduced himself. Soon after the release of the profile, a missing persons report is made for another young black girl. The perspective then cuts to the missing girl, Allie, who was singing in his studio. He compliments her, says her voice must be sore, and then offers her a bottle of water. After drinking it, she becomes extremely dizzy because the water was spiked with drugs, and he begins to attack her. In attempt to fight back, Allie kicked him where it hurts, and ran like hell. She makes it into the street but is unable to move fast or talk coherently because of the side-effects of the drug. The BAU soon finds Allie and takes the serial killer into custody charged with the murder and abductions of the girls. Overall, his specific case highlights persuasion, segregation, and the use of drugs.

S3:E8 "Lucky"

Background: In this episode, the BAU focus their attention on a cannibalistic serial killer.

This episode starts out at the Hazelwood Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Florida where a seventeen year old boy is being released. The doctor in charge strongly suggests that the hospital should not release this patient who is sadistic and delusional.  Unfortunately, according to the law, he has to be released because he is turning 18 years of age.  The doctor worries that this patient will go back to his old ways.  The doctor is right and the kid, many years later, turns out to be a cannibalistic serial killer that the BAU has to track down.  Floyd Fallin believes strongly in Satan and his beliefs encourage him to kill.  His victims, if they are found, all have pentagrams cut into their bodies.  This is his mark.  Most of his victims, however, are not found.  This is because he kept them to eat.  The original body that gained the interest of the BAU was only a partial (missing the trunk and bottom limbs).  Upon examining, the pathologist found ten fingers in the victims stomach.  Floyd Fallin had forced his victim to eat these fingers, as a message.  All ten fingers were index fingers, which was his way of saying, "this isn't the first person I have killed." All in all, this is a sick and disturbing episode to watch.

Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh or internal organs of other human beings. Cannibalism is used typically as a scare tactic in times of war.  It is highly illegal and a horrifying concept to think about. It is one of the ultimate, unspeakable taboos out there today.  Floyd Fallin would be considered a spiritual and ritualistic cannibal.  He believed that the powers and spirits of the dead would be transferred to him by eating their flesh.  Eating human flesh produces a euphoric state which activates the pleasure center of the brain's of cannibals such as Floyd. Floyd Fallin also falls under the category of a criminal cannibal, which is obvious as well.  He felt powerful eating the flesh of another human being and repeated this act of killing and eating humans several times.  Floyd Fallin in unable to fit into society or function normally.  This explains his bizarre acts and beliefs.

http://www.crimecasefiles.com/blog/2011/10/the-psychology-behind-cannibalism/

Season 2 Episode 14: "The Big Game"

 

          In this episode of Criminal Minds, the officer team pursues a religious killing team in Atlanta that sets up computer webcams to record their murders to post them on the Internet. This team of killers is known for calling 911 at the scene of the crime right before they commit the murder. After listening to the recorded 911 calls, the officers find it strange that one person on the team seems to be afraid and apologetic for the murder they are about to commit, while another stronger voice who identifies as “Raphael” seems to yell at the other man and say that it is “God’s will” to kill these sinners.
         After extensive research and investigation, they find that it is not a team of killers responsible for these murders – but rather a single person suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. This man, known as Tobias Hankel, had a very difficult childhood. His father was a religious preacher who constantly abused him – he would hold Tobias under water in attempts to drown him, hit him, and even burn him with hot metal crosses to brand him with the symbol of Christ. Even though his father abused him, Tobias still loved and honored his father. After his father died, Tobias believed it was his responsibility to keep his world alive – which is possibly why Tobias developed two different personalities (his own personality and his father’s). Raphael would command him to kill people he believed were sinners, such as wealthy people or people who were dishonest. He would break into their house and slaughter them like an animal – Raphael’s way of religious sacrifice. After the murder, Tobias would feel extremely guilty and pace back and forth whispering “What did I do, what did I do! They didn’t deserve that, it’s not what God wants!” Raphael would quickly break through, yelling “Stop talking nonsense, those sinners got what they deserved!” This type of internal conflict would happen quite frequently with Tobias. Later on in the episode, he actually kidnapped Spencer (one of the officers) and tortured him. Whenever he would talk to Spencer, he would constantly switch between personalities – sometimes he would be the kind and compassionate Tobias, and other times he would be the controlling and sinister Raphael. One minute he would be apologizing to Spencer for the way his father was treating him, and the next Raphael would start torturing and beating him again. According to (http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/neurological_institute/center-for-behavorial-health/disease-conditions/hic-dissociative-identity-disorder), “DID results from extreme and repeated trauma that occurs during important periods of development during childhood. The trauma often involves severe emotional, physical or sexual abuse, but also might be linked to a natural disaster or war,” which would explain how Tobias’s abusive past is linked to the development of his disorder. 

Spencer Reid: Whata Lad

“I find that I do some of my best work under intense terror." –Spencer Reid

Spencer Reid was an eccentric genius working for the BAU (Behavior Analysis Unit). His early life, and all of his life for that matter, was extremely abnormal. Graduating high school at the age of 12, Reid had to mature, learn, and grasp social situations much differently than other children. He was often bullied and preferred the company of books rather than people for most of his childhood. His mother, a retired 15^th century literature professor, often read to him and taught him everything she knew about the world. Although she was always loving, his mother suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and soon Spencer Reid’s home life unraveled. His father left him and his mother because he was unable to deal with his mother’s illness, and Reid put her into a mental institution soon after because he was unable to care for her himself.

After obtaining three doctorates and two bachelor degrees before the age of 24, Spencer Reid got a job as a Special Agent in the BAU to continue his love for psychology and sociology. All of the cases he was a part of included people ranging from psychopaths, sociopaths, and sexual sadists. Reid’s greatest contributions to the team were often because of his eidetic memory in which he would recite bits of information vital to solving the case. With an IQ of 187, Reid’s social abilities were often questioned. “When you look at me, you jump to a particular set of conclusions. Its human nature to make assumptions based on appearance. It’s an outdated primal instinct born of our need to quickly assess our surroundings.” (Reid) Because of his deviant intelligence, Reid often missed social cues and became extremely fixated on subjects he was fascinated by. Overall, Reid was a genius with a passion for psychology who lived a selfless life helping those attacked by serial killers. 

Season 1 Episode 9: "Derailed"

           In this episode, Teddy Bryar, a delusional psychotic, hijacks a train in Texas and takes the passengers hostage. He sees a hallucination named “Leo”, who is always next to him and pressures him to shoot the passengers and police officers. This episode reminds me a lot of A Beautiful Mind, since Teddy shares a lot of the same characteristics as John Nash.  They are both schizophrenics, they both have delusional people that tell them to harm others (positive symptoms), and they both believe that they have a microchip in their arm that they try to get out. Police officers in the episode actually refer to John Nash, and say “Yeah, I saw the movie,” referring to A Beautiful Mind.

            Many other psychological terms are used during this episode, such as word salad and tardive dyskinesia. Word salad refers to a mix of random words and phrases, and tardive dyskinesia refers to involuntary, repetitive body movements. Teddy was experiencing both of these symptoms while he was holding the victims hostage. The police officers in the episode concluded that Teddy was suffering from schizophrenia, which is why they think that he pulled such an outrageous stunt. The hallucination that he was seeing because of his schizophrenia (the man named Leo), kept urging him to take the officer’s gun and take the passengers hostage. Teddy told the officers that they had one hour to take a microchip out of his arm, or he would kill everyone on board. This was an issue, however, because the “microchip” that Teddy was referring to was not real – making this a tough case for the officer team. This is very similar to John Nash’s case, since Nash believed that he had a secret chip implanted in his arm by the secret service. While Nash was in a mental institution, he tried digging it out, leaving his arm torn and bloody. In the end, they were able to get all of the passengers out of the train safely, and Teddy was brought to a mental hospital to treat his schizophrenia. This shows that many serial killers suffer from a mental disorder – such as schizophrenia, antisocial behavior disorder, or bipolar depression, which may be the cause of their psychotic behavior.

S2:E9 "The Last Word"

Background: In this episode Gideon, Hotchner, and their team must profile two serial killers in St. Louis, Missouri who are competing to outdo each other.  The "Hollow Man" murders prostitutes in the city and the "Mill Creek Killer"  kills middle-class women and hides them in Miller Creek National Park.

"Mill Creek Killer"

This episode is about two separate cases that are closely connected.  The "Hollow Man" kills his victims by shooting them.  The BAU infers that this means that the killer seeks power, but at the same time keeps his distance from his victims.  He kills to become famous like his "teacher," the "Mill Creek Killer."  The "Mill Creek Killer" couldn't be more different. His victims die of blunt-force trauma suggesting that he wants to be close to his victims.  He then buries his victims in the Miller Creek National Park, which is 1.5 Million Acres of land.  This suggests that he wants to be alone and private with his victims as well.  Both of these serial killers see themselves as artists.

"Hollow Man"

Motivation: Motivation is the process by which activities are started, directed, and continued so that physical or psychological needs or wants are met. The motivation of these two serial killers couldn't be farther from the same. The "Hollow Man" is motivated by external factors (in search of power), where the "Mill Creek Killer" is internally motivated (emotionally).  Internal motivation, also known as intrinsic motivation, is a type of motivation on which a person performs an action because the act itself is rewarding or satisfying in some internal manner. External motivation, also known as extrinsic motivation, is a type of motivation in which a person performs an action because it leads to an outcome that is separate from or external to the person.


From this episode, it seems to me that the "Mill Creek Killer" was in search of an emotional connection with a woman that he had previously lost.  All of the women that he killed had similar traits, such as brown hair.  He would lure them in publicly and hide them in the National Forest.  He would later go back to the bodies.  He would comb their hair and put lipstick on their lips as if they were still alive. He has one sick mind.

The "Hollow Man" on the other-hand, was killing prostitutes.  He may have chosen prostitutes, figuring that they were lowlifes and not important to society.  While watching this episode it seemed that the BAU team made a huge effort for this case especially, to prove that even though someone is a prostitute, they are still human and all humans are important.  Anyways, the "Hollow Man" killed in search of fame.  He saw the Newspaper headlines about the "Mill Creek Killer" and wanted to be recognized too.  When he was not recognized he would go on killing sprees. That to me is one messed up mind.    

A Beautiful Mind

“Imagine if you suddenly learned that the people, the places, the moments, most important to you were not gone, not dead, but worse had never been. What kind of hell would that be?” –Dr. Rosen

John Nash was an illustrious mathematician known to be odd and antisocial. Despite his ingenious mind, he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and the images, people, places, and scenarios he saw, all created a distorted version of reality. During his delusional episodes, John imagined Parcher, his “supervisor”, who set him on a highly confidential mission to prevent a Soviet attack. Parcher made John’s paranoia and hallucinations increase and he often became violent and detached from society. While John Nash was never intentionally violent towards others, some schizophrenics over history have become extremely remorseless and brutal. One example is Ed Gien, who took corpses from graveyards to create trophies and murdered two women. He is known for being a sexual psychopath and is one of the most well-known murderers in the world. Although there is a great difference between the notorious Plainfield Ghoul Ed Gien and John Nash, they both had schizophrenia.

John Nash’s madness was also covered by the stress of his job and his unusual personality. “I would not dare to say that there is a direct relation between mathematics and madness, but there is no doubt that great mathematicians suffer from maniacal characteristics, delirium and symptoms of schizophrenia.” (Nash) Overall, John Nash was an innovative mathematician who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia but overcame it. Despite his condition, he is one of the most renowned thinkers who had a great impact on modern day economics and mathematics. 

What Motivates a Serial Killer to Kill?

What motivates a serial killer to kill? Are there any ways to spot a serial killer before they attack? These are all questions that people have wondered for years. A serial killer is defined as a person who murders 3+ people over a period of > 30 days, with an inactive period between each murder, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification. (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/serial+killer). When people hear that someone they know has committed a murder, they’re often very surprised that the seemingly “normal” person they knew could do such a thing. Many serial killers have the ability to behave in a way that arouses no suspicion. There are, however, a few signs that may help identify people who have the potential to become serial killers – such as extreme antisocial behavior, and use of violence towards living creatures.

Antisocial personality disorder is defined as someone who shows no remorse or guilt. Some signs of antisocial disorder may include: lying, aggressiveness, failure to conform to social norms, and irresponsibility. Another common indicator of a possible serial killer is the killing of animals. They may irritate, torture, or even kill cats, dogs, and other animals. Even after seeing the results of their actions, the person will show no form of regret or remorse. Serial killers enjoy having control over the life of another; and at a younger age, a small animal is the only type of creature that they are able to fully dominate. (http://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/early-signs) 

            Motivations involved in serial killings often include fear of rejection, power, and perfection. Many serial killers fear social rejection, and try to avoid painful personal relationships with another human being. After all, the serial killer cannot be rejected by a person whom they have dominated and killed. This leads into the next type of motivation – power. Serial killers seek to have complete power over their victims, since they get to decide whether or not the victim will live or die. Perfection is also a main motive to serial killers, since some killers seek to “improve” something. They often see a category of people, such as women or prostitutes, as “unclean”, and see the removal of those beings as improving the world. (http://twistedminds.creativescapism.com/psychological-disorders/motives/#sthash.hvxJuxvi.dpuf)

E14: "Riding the Lightning"

Background: In this episode Gideon, Hotcher, and their team interview husband and wife serial killers awaiting execution on death row.

Jacob and Sarah Gene Daaz went to jail, after an anonymous phone call, for the murder of 12 teenage girls and their son Rylee.  A thirteenth victim was found just days before their scheduled execution date. In the hours before the execution time, the BAU team conducts a series of interviews in a desperate attempt to find out about any other possible victims.

Jacob Daaz is a sexual psychopath, which means he needs to have total procession of his victims. Jacob, an only child, was physically and sexually abused as a child by his mother. According to "Psychology Today," psychopaths do not have any successful relationships due to the absence of emotional connection and true empathetic feelings towards others. This is due to reduced activity in the pre-frontal cortex and over activation of the amygdala. They do not trust or depend on other individuals as well.  For psychopaths, sex is not an emotional or intimate experience, but yet a form of control over the other individual.

Professor Adrian Raine, who first completed a scanning study on murders, has found evidence that childhood abuse can create killers by causing physical damage to the brain, the pre-frontal cortex especially.  Genes are a huge factor in violent behavior as well. There was a breakthrough in 1993  dealing with a family from the Netherands where all the men had a history of violence.  It was found that they all lacked the same gene.  This gene that they lacked is one that produces an enzyme called MAOA, which regulates levels of neurotransmitters involved in impulse control.  It seems that this genetic tendency towards violence, together with an abusive childhood, is the combination in with murders are made. I believe that it was Freud who said that early childhood plays a key role in development and these studies are proof of that.

For Jacob Daaz, having power and control over the young girls he killed was part of his fantasy. He was changed from his childhood experiences and possibly a genetic link to violence. In his messed up, psychopath mind, killing Sarah Jean to him was total control, and the completion of his fantasy.

Sarah Jean on the other hand, was not abused as a child.  Her father was a strict, military man but he did abuse her mother though.  There is nothing to suggest, in this episode, that Sarah Gene was a true killer and the BAU team soon discover that Sarah Jean is innocent.  The team was able to analyze certain behaviors of Sarah Jean's and link them to her innocence.  For instance, she had painted three pieces throughout her years in prison.  One had a picture of twelve roses, representing the 12 girls that were murdered ruthlessly by her husband.  The second picture was of a young boy, "Rylee," running free.  The last painting was of a river representing the biblical story of baby mosses floating down the river in a basket.  All of these paintings are clues to Sarah Gene's innocence. The first picture of the roses suggests that she did not know that her husband was killing these young teenage girls because she was only aware of the twelve bodies that were found.  The second and third picture suggest that Rylee was still alive, running free somewhere.  She never murdered her son Rylee, but instead protected him in a way that appeared as if he been killed.  According to Sarah Jean, "our children suffer from our sins" and she did not want this for Rylee.

Sarah Jean wanted to end her life in hopes that Rylee would never have to know about her existence. She was protecting him from Jacob and the life in which she lived in. She wanted the best life for her son, like any motherly figure would.

We could link this to Sternberg's Triangular Theory of love.  This love that Sarah Jean has for her son is full of both passion and commitment.  In Sternberg's theory this would be considered Fatuous Love. She loved her son very much and wanted him to have the best life possible and she knew for this to happen she could not be apart of his life.

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31714853

Criminal Minds

For this blog, we will be relating much of our findings to the T.V. show "Criminal Minds." Here is some background on the T.V. show "Criminal Minds," for your general knowledge.

Each episode is a case of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, which is an elite group of profilers who analyze the nation's most dangerous criminal minds in an effort to anticipate their next moves before they strike again.

If you are interested in watching this series, it is available on Netflix.  Newer episodes are available to watch at www.CBS.com.

Hope you enjoy!

"A Beautiful Mind" Reflection and Impact

“A Beautiful Mind” was an insightful story about a man named John Nash who achieved high academic success while battling schizophrenia. The movie depicted the everyday struggles that Nash had to face while teaching at MIT and taking care of a family. His vivid hallucinations often affected his personal life, leaving him feeling afraid and vulnerable. These hallucinations made him believe that he was working for the secret service on a confidential government project, and sometimes included intense confrontations with imaginary characters. My favorite part of the movie was when John went back to Princeton and received the Nobel Prize. This was my favorite part because it shows how Nash was able to overcome his mental disorder, and still achieve great academic success while battling schizophrenia. One of my favorite characters was Alicia, since she supported John throughout his battle with schizophrenia, and believed in his ability. I felt very engaged and interested throughout the movie, since I was never 100% sure what was real and what was a hallucination – it kept me and guessing and wondering. I would rate this movie very highly (9/10), since it was very thought provoking and insightful. It helped me get a deeper sense of what people with schizophrenia have to deal with on a daily basis, and the struggles that they have to endure. I went into this movie not knowing a lot about schizophrenia, but was able to come out with a better image of the inner workings of the mind of a schizophrenic person. By the end of the movie, Nash acquired the ability to ignore his hallucinations and continue with his work. Even though his hallucinations never went away completely, he found the inner strength in ignore what they had to say, and continue pursuing his passion of knowledge, which I found inspiring and insightful. 

A Beautiful Mind Reflection

Ron Howard’s highly awarded biographical film “A Beautiful Mind”  depicts the brilliant mathematician John Forbes Nash, Jr. who was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his early thirties.  This film follows Nash from when he first enters Princeton University as a young graduate student, to his late sixties when he accepted the Nobel Memorial Prize for his outstanding work in Economic Sciences.

Reality is a difficult subject to grasp for all.  Throughout this film Nash creates his own reality.  He lives in a complex world, full of abstract ideas and concepts, which only he can see.  These ideas may not be visible, however that doesn't mean they are nonexistent, especially in Nash’s mind.

Secondly, Nash’s complex world must be kept hidden from the rest of the world, as his “work” is highly classified.  Because of this Nash is not able to test reality, like a normal human being would. 

Eventually Nash’s life is filled with severe paranoia and hallucinations, both of which are positive symptoms.  This causes him to have many breakdowns which not only endanger himself, but his family as well.

Nash is encouraged to seek treatment, with the support of his loving wife.  He goes through a series of insulin-shock therapy lasting six weeks, followed by a series of medications.

This year in A.P. Psychology we learned about psychological disorders such as schizophrenia and the symptoms that are involved.  Schizophrenia involves disordered thinking, delusions, and hallucinations.  Delusions are beliefs that have no basis with reality and most commonly result in paranoia.  Hallucinations are perceptions in the absence of sensory stimulation.  These are all considered to be positive symptoms, which are excesses in behavior, thought, and mood.  Nash’s story is proof of these occurrences.

   

During class this year, we also studied the therapies involved in treating psychological disorders. In cases of schizophrenia somatic therapies are used. This includes drugs and medical procedures that aim to change the brain.  Electroconvulsive therapy, which was used in Nash’s case, is when an electric current is passed through the brain, to ultimately change the composition of the brain. This is the most effective treatment for schizophrenia, especially when paired up with medicine.  

A Beautiful Mind proves to show the effects of schizophrenia throughout.