Psychological in The Woodsman Movie - Case Study Example

Psychological Case Studies in the Movie, The Woodsman Case Study: Walter Background information: Walter was in prison for child molestation for 12 years. He attempts re-integration into society under supervised parole. He has been given a job at the local sawmill as a favor from his father’s boss. Walter has found an apartment opposite a grade school where he oversees the children’s playground. He sees a therapist regularly to monitor his pedophiliac tendencies and to keep it in check until he is fully healed. He has met a woman at work, Vickie, who becomes personally involved with him. She became drawn to him despite is unsavory past. She revealed to him that she was a victim of incest by 3 brothers in her childhood. History of problem Walter’s pedophilia had its roots in his childhood when he and his younger sister took naps together. At age six, he revealed to his therapist that he just loved smelling his sister’s hair. It is presumed from the actor’s non-verbal communication that there was some sexual arousal on his part towards his sister as they grew older. In one therapy session, his therapist asked him what the first thing came to his mind when he heard the words “girl” and “pretty”, and Walter said the words reminded him of his sister. From his first sexual attraction at a very young age, he has been attracted to young girls aged 13 and below. His abnormal behavior led him to become a sexual offender to them. Clinical Observation Being incarcerated for 12 years, Walter had no opportunity to vent his sexual desires for young girls. As part of his parole, he sees a therapist to help him manage his mental disorder, now that he is out in the world and is vulnerable to relapse. In the movie, he is withdrawn, sarcastic and hostile in his therapy sessions. At first, he resisted to open up to his therapist and even refused to start a journal, reasoning that the journal could be used as evidence against him. As therapy progressed, Walter began to reveal his experiences and struggles against his Pedophiliac tendencies. The therapist was open and non-judgmental which encouraged Walter to open up some more. The therapist had a breakthrough with him when he asked Walter to close his eyes and think of the first thing that comes to mind when he hears the words “girl” and “pretty”. Walter shared with him his early recollections about his sister, and how they took naps together in his bedroom. The therapist took the opportunity to ask him about the other young girls he got attracted to. Walter began to tear up, and become defensive, saying he never hurt any of them. Subjective symptoms Walter lives in front of a grade school. He often watches the children play in the yard through his window. He becomes suspicious of a man who stalks young boys, offering them candy and a ride. He knows he is up to no good and most likely a pedophile like himself. Walter himself is attracted to young girls. In one instance, he followed some young girls in a mall. Before he could do anything, he lost them. It was then he realized that he was not fully recovered from his Pedophilia. Walter has also been suspicious of his brother-in-law’s love for his daughter. He was skeptical of how much he loves his daughter and believes he has feelings for her other than paternal. The closest he has come to becoming a pedophile again was when he befriended a little girl he follows named Robin. He asked her if she wanted to sit on his lap. He was taken aback at her reaction and shared to him her father also asks her to sit on his lap. Her tears told Walter that she was sexually molested by her own father. Realizing that, he lost his desire to molest her and took pity on her instead. He was surprised at how she gave him a hug before she left. Walter saw the man stalking young boys let off a little boy from his car. Angered by his suspicions that there was this other man who posed danger to children, he attacked the man, pouring out all his repressed anger in every punch. It was like the vision in the movie of the insane man punching the imaginary woodsman who represented himself. History of treatment According to DSM-IV, Pedophilia is treated with cognitive-behavior therapy. For some patients, therapy is coupled with medication such as Anti-androgens and selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, unlike the successful treatment for most other mental illnesses, Pedophilia is usually chronic and lifelong and the patient is prone to relapse. DSM-IV emphasize a relapse-prevention model for pedophiles. One sign of hope is that both the fantasies and the behaviors often lessen as the patients grow older (American Psychiatric Association, 1997). Medical treatment In the case of Walter, no medical treatment was necessary nor was shown in the film. It was only psychotherapy that he needed. Diagnosis (DSM IV) Walter is diagnosed as having Pedophilia, a mental disorder described by the American Psychiatric Associations, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV). This mental disorder is categorized in the DSM-IV as one of the several paraphilia mental disorders. “The essential features of paraphilia ("sexual deviation") are recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behaviors that generally involve nonhuman subjects, the suffering or humiliation of oneself or ones partner, or children or other non-consenting persons.” (American Psychiatric Association, 1997)) Walter has been sentenced to prison for 12 years because of this mental disorder. He has sexually molested several young girls. Due to this, he has been estranged from his family, especially his sister, who was his first object of sexual desire, and his niece, who is currently a prepubescent child, the target age of most pedophiles. Treatment plan Walter has regular therapy sessions where his thoughts, feelings and behavior are discussed and processed to help him manage his psychological disorder. He needs to be cooperative and supportive in order for treatment to be successful. Being honest and open with his therapist would do him much good as he acquires skills in overcoming his abnormal thinking and behaviors. He is into therapy as long as he needs it, until he can manage his illness on his own and not pose danger to himself and to society. Recommendation   It is recommended that Walter avoid being with young girls until he is strong enough to resist his sexual urges for them. Staying away from temptation is the first step to recovery. That would mean moving to another residence where he has no access to young girls. It will also do him good to make friends with other people aside from his girlfriend, Vickie, and engage in a hobby any other preoccupation to veer away from his lustful tendencies for young girls. Continuing therapy until he can manage his psychological disorder on his own is also highly recommended. Case Study: Vickie Background information Vicky is a beautiful yet angry woman who works in a male-dominated workplace. She is often the object of men’s hoots and disrespectful comments. She handles these by maintaining an angry façade and fighting the men off with her vulgar language and aggression. She knows how to protect herself, so men just back off. She became drawn to co-worker, Walter, who is the first man who asked her if she was alright. It is a rare thing for her, as she sees men as hurtful. She became personally involved with Walter, and even opened up her deepest secret to him. She did not stay away from him even when she learned that he was a convicted pedophile. She claimed that nothing shocks her anymore. History of problem Vickie shows no prevalent problem except for her tough attitude that helps protect her from men’s unwelcome sexual advances. She was an only girl in a brood of four. Her three brothers sexually molested her, leaving her with psychological scars. She says she still loves them in spite of what they have done to her. She seems to be a very strong and stable woman who has overcome her childhood trauma. Clinical Observation Albach & Everaerd (n.d.) posits that victims of childhood incest had very similar symptoms as victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD). The only clinical observation of Vickie’s psychological problem in the film was her outburst at a man poking her jokingly and being foul-mouthed. Subjective symptoms Apart from her angry disposition, Vickie seems to be a generally stable character in the film who has overcome her childhood trauma of incest. History of treatment The film did not show any evidence of treatment for Vickie’s incest trauma. Medical treatment The film did not show any evidence of medical treatment for Vickie’s incest trauma. Diagnosis (DSM IV) The American Psychiatric Association admits to finding difficulty in envisioning a DSM-IV diagnosis for incest that does not recognize that incest is a trauma involving relational dysfunction. Since incest is linked to other disorders related to stress, it has been suggested that it fall under “disorders of extreme stress not otherwise specified (DESNOS) (Spitzer et al, 1989, as mentioned in DSM-IV Sourcebook, Vol. 3). Incest is a traumatic experience involving sex between blood relatives. In the case of Vickie, her brothers sexually violated her as a child. Treatment plan Incest victims should go into psychotherapy both as an individual and as a family to be able to overcome the trauma and live a normal life. Extreme symptoms may need medication to manage the stress. Recommendation   The character of Vickie, even if she is a victim of incest, seems to live a normal life and is able to cope with the stresses she encounters daily. She does not need therapy or medication as she seems to have overcome her childhood trauma. References Albach F, & Everaerd W. (n.d.) Posttraumatic stress symptoms in victims of childhood incest. Retrieved on December 9, 2009 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1410189 American Psychiatric Association (n.d.) DSM-IV Sourcebook, Vol. 3. Retrieved on December 9, 2009 from http://books.google.com/books?id=Q6xkh3QdyGEC&pg=PA849&dq=DSM +diagnosis+of+incest+victims&cd=1#v=onepage&q=DSM%20diagnosis% 20of%20incest%20victims&f=false American Psychiatric Association (1997) Pedophilia. Retrieved on December 9, 2009 from http://members.shaw.ca/pdg/pedophilia_is_defined.html Dash Films (2004) The Woodsman movie. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), (1994) American Psychiatric Press, Inc., Read More