FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY CASE ANALYSIS

Forensic Psychology Case Analysis Student’s Name Institution of Affiliation Course Name & Code Instructor’s Name Date Forensic Psychology Case Analysis Biographical Summary As a forensic pathologist, one of my main tasks is to perform a criminal investigation to establish whether there are psychological problems that could have caused criminal behavior. Even though there have been many criminal cases in the past, I will be analyzing Jodi Arias, who was convicted for killing her boyfriend, Travis Alexander, Omar Mateen, who was a PULSE nightclub shooter, Elizabeth Smart, who was a victim of abduction and prolonged confinement, and Derek Chauvin, the law enforcement officer who was convicted for the murder of George Floyd cases. Jodi Arias was born in Salinas, California, on July 9, 1980. Like most children in that era, she was raised in a strict religious household. She had previously dropped out of high school even though she later joined and secured a general education diploma (GED). She worked different jobs, such as a salesperson and a server. She had created a reputation for changing employment because she could not form stable professional relationships. She had many relationships before dating Travis Alexander. Her relationship with Alexander was characterized by manipulation, conflict, and intense emotions. Even though she has not been diagnosed with psychological disorders, she has exhibited narcissistic traits such as a lack of empathy toward other people and a need for admiration and attention. Omar Mateen was born on November 16, 1986, in New Hyde Park, New York. His family had Afghan heritage, and he was raised in a Muslim family. He had trouble with education, which prompted him to be transferred to different schools. He was working as a security guard for years up to the date of his shooting. Mateen had abusive behavior, which was evident during his two marriages. There have been reports that his unstable behavior and anger management problems could be a result of mental health issues. Elizabeth Smart was born on November 3, 1987, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Like most children in the 20th century, she was raised in a religious family. She was enjoying being around her family and engaging in church activities. She was also an outstanding student and an accomplished harpist. However, on June 5, 2002, she was abducted by Wanda Barzee and David Mitchell when she was in her bedroom. They held her captive for nine months, where they physically and psychologically abused her. Derek Chauvin was born to a working-class family in Oakdale, Minnesota, on March 19, 1976. He studied his high school at Park High School. He then joined Inver Hills Community College and Metropolitan State University, where he secured a degree in law enforcement. In 2001, he was employed at the Minneapolis Police Department, where he worked for approximately 19 years. There is no public information regarding his psychological or medical issues. He was married and had a private life where he had few known incidents before using excessive force on George Floyd, which caused his demise. Introduction One of the factors that causes violence and criminal activities is narcissism. One feature of narcissism is a sense of self-importance where they feel they are more important than others (Golec de Zavala & Keenan, 2021). The other feature is their chronic need to look for validation from other people. They also show high entitlement and arrogance in most of their actions. They also exploit other people for their gain. In other cases, they have proven a lack of empathy for other individuals despite preferring to be treated with care. They have also been proven to be envious or believe other people are jealous of them. Narcissism has been evident in Jordi Arias's case for murdering Travis Alexander. Narcissism is a condition that consists of self-centeredness and selfishness where the person has entitlement, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy. Narcissism is usually associated with violence whenever a narcissist feels that their self-esteem is threatened, such as through being rejected or humiliated. Jordi Arias showed a series of narcissistic traits in her relationship with Travis Alexander. For example, she had patterns of obsession, possessiveness, and extreme reactions to minor issues. On the other hand, hate crimes have been associated as a factor leading to crimes. Hate crimes are referred to as criminal activities that involve violence that is caused by prejudice to other groups or individuals due to their ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion. The Omar Mateen shooting at the Pulse nightclub is associated with hate crimes. For instance, since the Pulse nightclub has been referred to as the LGBTQ+ venue, there is a high likelihood that his hate towards the LGBTQ+ community could trigger his shooting. The Stockholm syndrome is another condition that has been common in abduction cases. Stockholm syndrome is known as a psychological response where the hostage experiences a psychological bond with their captors, which makes them start having positive feelings towards them where, in some instances, they can even defend them. Elizabeth Smart's extended time in captivity and how she interacted with her captors shows signs of Stockholm syndrome since, despite having opportunities to run away, she did not run away. The use of excessive force by the law enforcer is evident in the Derek Chauvin case. Excessive force is when government officials apply more than the minimum amount required to diffuse the situation or protect themselves and others. The use of excessive force is evident in this case since Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for over nine minutes even though he was not resisting arrest. This feature has made this case to be used as a symbol of the use of excessive force by the police. Summary of the Current Scholarly Research Narcissism and Risk for Violence One of the factors that causes violence and criminal activities is narcissism. One feature of narcissism is a sense of self-importance where they feel they are more important than others (Golec de Zavala & Keenan, 2021). The other feature is their chronic need to look for validation from other people. They also show high entitlement and arrogance in most of their actions. Moreover, they exploit other people for their gain. In other instances, they have proven a lack of empathy for the other individuals despite preferring to be treated with care. They have also been proven to be envious or believe other people are jealous of them. Different sources have proven narcissism in Jordi Arias's case. For example, she showed a high degree of self-importance. This trait was evident since she regularly represented herself as the victim, and others misunderstood her (McGrath & Turvey, 2018). She regularly highlighted that she was a victim of domestic violence as a child and also suffered it at the hands of the victim. When making these claims, she was demonstrating a sense of superiority that she could manipulate other people to believe her, which is a common trait of narcissism. The other feature that the individuals possessing narcissism features is they lack empathy. Despite murdering Travis Alexander, Arias showed less to no genuine remorse. For example, two years after the murder, she claimed that Mr. Alexander was killed by two masked men who broke into their home (Sarteschi, 2017). During this period, she was offering brutal murder details with detachment, showing a lack of empathy toward Alexander. Furthermore, most of her responses were insincere and manipulative whenever she started showing emotional responses. For example, she later changed that the intruder story was a fabrication and admitted that she committed the crime as a form of self-defense. The other narcissistic feature that she showed was a constant need for admiration and attention. For example, despite being in custody, she sought media attention and offered varying interviews (McGrath & Turvey, 2018). These interviews aimed to have a spotlight that she could use to manipulate the public to start favoring her. Moreover, her narcissistic traits were evident when she tried to seek admiration and sympathy from the public and the jury by trying to represent herself as the victim rather than the perpetrator. Her history of manipulative behavior could have been one of the reasons that caused her to murder Alexander. For example, she was obsessive and jealous in the relationship (Swart & Walker, 2016). These signs were evident in how s...