White Teenager Who Drove over and Killed Black Man - Term Paper Example

White Teenager Who Drove over and Killed Black Man Psychoanalysis Psychology includes a study of the various factors that trigger an action or inaction. The study delves into the world of murder. The study searches the psychoanalytic reasons for Dedmon’s murder of an African American. Psychoanalysis helps explain why persons, like Dedmon, kill other human beings. Part I. Kim Severson (2012) of The New York Times article White Teenager Who Drove Over and Killed Black Man is Sentenced to Life states that Deryl Dedmon, a white teenager has been senesced to life. He was found guilty of murdering an African American in a parking lot in Jackson, Mississippi hotel. The law states that the murderer must get the maximum death penalty. However, the victim’s family requested that the murderer’s life be spared. The victim’s family based their request their request on their religious culture stating that taking a man’s life should not be an alternative, even when a guilty verdict had been made by the Jury. The article shows a real life situation. The readers of the New York article would surely tremble in fear when they approach the area where the murder was committed. The news article indicates that a person who visits the murder site may be in danger of a gang war or other related killing environments. Part II. Jose Brunner (Brunner, 2001) discussed that Psychoanalysis, founded by Sigmund Freud, emphasizes the unconscious minds’ influence on the person’s behavior. Sigmund Freud insists that the human mind has three parts. The three parts are the id, ego, and superego. In a typical Psychoanalysis case study. The patient sits on the doctor’s coach. The person’s life and history is discussed to find historical causes of the person’s current behavior, especially why Deryl Dedmon intentional killed the African American. Some of the psychologists or psychiatrists theorize that the historical past or life influences the patients’ current behavior patterns. In addition, the case studies of other prior patients are used to as a basis for diagnosing the current patients’ state of mind, related to why Deryl Dedmon’s unlawful act of murder. In addition, psychoanalysis dictates that the conscious mind includes everything the person is aware of. Here, the mental process allows a person to think and talk in one way or another, depending on the situation. Under psychoanalysis, the conscious mind includes all processes inside a person’s awareness. The mental process allows the person to think in a rational path. Likewise, the mental process permits the individual to speak in a rational manner (Brunner, 2001). Under psychoanalysis, the Ergo is the part of the human brain that precipitates to the person’s personality. The Ergo ensures an individual doesn’t irrational act based only on the person’s unreasonable urges. The Ergo implements its instructions to bring balance, harmony, balance, moral, and idealistic in the community or group. The Ego is the part of the person’s personality (Brunner, 2001). The above psychoanalysis discussion clearly shows that a person’s past significantly influences the person’s current behavior. The following portion of a world famous poem shows: “If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.” (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080925175646AAAdZqx) In terms of scrutinizing the above poem, the poem clearly shows that a child who is being criticized for one’s actions during the growing up years will learn to also negatively criticize other people during their growing up and adult years. In addition, the above poem shows that a child who lives in a gang infested area, like some streets of New York, will learn to fight in order to survive in a “kill or be killed” environment. Further, the child who is constantly ridiculed will also learn to avenge one’s ridicule hurts by being shy or choosing to stay away from people, especially strangers. Shy people often do not participate in group discussions, especially when new in a group, class, or other gatherings. Lastly, the child who is constantly pestered by parents, brothers, sisters, and other relatives in a shameful manner will feel that one must continually harbor a guilt feeling during both the child’s growing up years and adult years. Part III. The above discussion provides a new insight. According to Judy Gammelgaard (2011) in the article Love, drive and desire in the works of Freud, Lacan and Proust states there are historical events that trigger a person to commit the murder act. One possible cause could be prior altercation between the Murderer, Deryl Demon and his victim. Seeing no one around, the murderer took his chance to avenge a prior fight with the victim. Gammelgaard Insists “Lacan adds the deceptive character of transference. From transference love the investigation continues to the contradictions Freud has described in Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality as love's affectionate and sensual currents. Lacan contributes the concept of desire, which must be distinguished from drive and love. The differentiation between desire, drive and love introduces the perspective necessary for a psychoanalytic reading of Proust's opus.” In addition, Jefferson Singer (2011) reiterated in the article states “In contrast to perspectives that locate therapeutic action in either altering implicit procedural memories or interpreting explicit historical content, we argue that psychological health emerges from effective integration of both memory systems, achieved through a combination of transference dynamics and analytic insight.” The two memory systems are relational theory of memory and self memory system. Prior memories trigger current actions. In the Dedmon murder case, Demon’s memory could have recalled a prior fight with the victim. The unconscious memory triggered the Demon’s killing of the African American victim. One possible reason is that Dedmon preferred killing the victim instead of the victim killing the African American. The article does not explain why the average person will not act the same way as Dedmon. One person may prefer avoiding the victim. Another person may try to make amends with the victim. A third person may ignore the presence of the victim. More articles are needed to make a more convincing presentation of the article author’s murder theory. According to the above information, Psychology incorporates a research of the different factors that trigger an action or inaction. There are factors that trigger an avoidable murder incident. The article does not explain the reasons for Dedmon’s murder of an African American. However, the psychology journals explain the reasons for Dedmon’s unlawful act. Clearly, Psychoanalysis concepts vividly explain why persons, like Dedmon, kill other human beings. REFERENCES: Brunner, J. (2001). Freud and the Politics of Psychoanalysis. New York: Transaction Press. Demon, D. (2012, March 22). Retrieved March 22, 2012, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/us/teenager-who-murdered-black-man-is-sentenced-to- life.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=murder%20&st=cse Gammelgaard, J. (2011). Love, Drive and Desire in the Works of Freud, Lacan and Proust. International Journal of Psychoanalysis , 92 (4), 963-984. Severson, K. (2012, March 22). Retrieved March 22, 2012, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/us/teenager-who-murdered-black-man-is-sentenced-to -life.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=murder%20&st=cse Singer, J. (2011). Reconsidering Therapeutic Action: Loewald, Cognitive Neuroscience and the Integration of Memory's Duality. International Journal of Psychoanalysis , 92 (5), 1183 -1205. Read More