forensic psych final

who was John Hinckley trying to kill?

Ronald Reagan

Why did John Hinckley want to kill Reagan?

Wanted to get the attention of Jody Foster

What was the outcome of the trial of John Hinckley?

Found not guilty by reason of insanity

What are the types of mass murder?

1. Disciples

2. Pseudocommando

3. Set and run

4. Family annihilators

5. Disgruntled employees

ischemic stroke

caused by a blood clot in the brain

Hemorrhagic stroke

When an artery in the brain ruptures causing pressure in the brain

Lasting affects of a stroke

Depression

Anxiety

Fatigue

Cognitive impairment

Memory and communication trouble

Weakness

Paralysis

what is a TBI

A forceful blow to the head resulting in injury

Penetrating TBI

when an object pierces the skull and enters the brain tissue

Non-penetrating TBI

an external force that is strong enough to move the brain inside of the skull

Signs and symptoms of a TBI

Physical:

Headaches

convulsions/seizures

Blurred vision

Unequal pupil size

Clear fluid from the nose or ears

Nausea and vomiting

Loss of consciousness

Mild to severe confusion/disorientation

Problems with memory, concentration, and decision making

Change in sleeping patterns or waking up from sleep

frustration/irritability

lightheadedness/loss of coordination

Ringing in the ears

Unpleasant taste in the mouth

What exactly does a TBI do to your brain?

Diffuse axonal injury

Diffuse axonal injury

causing widespread shearing and tearing of nerve fibers (axons) throughout the brain, disrupting communication and leading to coma, long-term disability, or death, often with symptoms like memory/thinking issues, behavioral changes, and physical deficits, diagnosed via MRI/DTI, and treated with swelling reduction and extensive rehabilitation

concussion

A more mild form of a TBI; any blow to the head that causes the brain to be violently shaken

Hematoma

Bleeding coming from inside of around the brain from a ruptured blood vessel

4 types of hematomas

Epidural: bleeding between skull and dura mater

Subdural: bleeding between dura and arachnoid mater

Subarachanoid: bleeding between arachnoid and pia mater

Intracerebral: bleeding into the brain itself

Anterograde amnesia

when your brain can't form new memories from what you're experiencing right now

retrograde amnesia

when you have significant memory loss

personality disorders

Cluster A: odd behavior

Cluster B: dramatic behavior

Cluster C: high anxiety

Cluster A

paranoid personality disorder

schizoid personality disorder

schizotypal personality disorder

Cluster B

antisocial personality disorder

narcissistic personality disorder

histrionic personality disorder

borderline personality disorder

paranoid personality disorder

Experience a paranoia so intense that experts claims it is not based on reality

Causes people to be highly suspicious of everyone around them

May sincerely believe that everyone is actually out to harm them

Schizoid personality disorder

Have problems forming relationships with others

causes people to be very detached from others

They prefer to be alone most of the time and are not always moved by emotional connections to others

Are in touch with reality but they rarely seek help for their disorder

They may feel okay with not having close relationships with others

antisocial personality disorder

The condition in which people blatantly disregard the rights of others through the impulsive manipulative or downright criminal behavior

2 types: impulsive reactive or planners

Most serious cases usually include psychopaths

They are aggressive

They lack remorse and they use deceit to get things that they want

Narcissistic personality disorder

Have no regards for the feelings of others

This disregard is paired with an arrogance not based on reality

Believe that they are highly special and they're unique

Should be regarded as more important than other people

This belief fuels their tendencies to manipulate others and even break the law to get what they want

Histrionic personality disorder

may excessively seek out attention

They are the life of the party and most people believe that they're just charming and outgoing

This behavior stems from a constant need to be accepted and validated

often categorized by seductively or overtly emotional behavior

If the person does not get the acceptance and validation that they crave they may get passionately upset or display dramatic behavior

Leads people to believe that relationships are stronger and more meaningful than they might actually be

Borderline personality disorder

Similar to paranoid personality disorder

Often categorized by mood swings for other erratic behavior

May engage in especially risky activities or be especially aggressive towards others

may experience mood swings but their disorder mainly stems from negative effects with their relationships

avoidant personality disorder

Are also very concerned with their reputation and how others think of them

But instead of constantly seeking validation by being outgoing or the life of the party, people with avoidance personality disorder tend to retract

They're unlikely to take risk or put themselves out there due to fears that they might be rejected or shamed

Aren't just shy

Obsessive compulsive personality disorder

Are driven by a desire to be perfect

They want to abide by specific rules and they become obsessed with making lists and organized details

These organizational tasks may get in the way of forming relationships with others or understanding the objective of any activity

are not under the control of impulses or behaviors

Become preoccupied with perfection and may lose sight of what they were actually doing in the first place

Dependent personality disorder

Adults who do not outgrow these fears will develop dependent personality disorder

They rely on others so much that they have a difficult time functioning independently

Every decision from where they should live to what they should wear can only be made after excessive validation and input from others

It's probably hard for people with this disorder to go to work or even completely daily tasks alone

causes of sleepwalking

Genetics

Environmental factors

Sleep deprivation

Chaotic sleep schedule

Stress

Alcohol intoxication

sedative/hypnotics

Neuroleptics

Stimulants

Antihistamine

Abnormal heart rhythms

Fever

Gastroesophageal reflux

Nighttime asthma

Nighttime seizures (convulsions)

Sleep apnea

Psychiatric disorders

Posttraumatic stress disorder

Panic attacks

Dissociative states

symptoms of sleepwalking

Glazed, glassy eyes

Blank look

Opening eyes during sleep

Sitting up and appearing awake during sleep

Saying things that don't make sense

Walking during sleep

Performing detailed activities during sleep

Inappropriate behavior such as urinating in closets (more common in kids)

Screaming (when sleepwalking occurs in conjunction with sleep terrors)

Difficult to wake up during an episode

types of stalkers

1. rejected

2. intimacy seeking

3. incompetent suitor

4. resentful

5. predatory

rejected stalker

Motivation: The breakdown of a close relationship, such as an intimate partner leaving.

Goal: To reconcile with the victim or seek vengeance for the rejection.

Behavior: This is a common type, and the stalker may acknowledge a mix of desire for reconciliation and revenge.

intimacy seeking stalker

Motivation: Loneliness and a desire to form an intimate relationship.

Goal: To create a relationship with a victim, often a stranger or acquaintance, with whom they believe they are destined to be together.

Behavior: Often driven by delusions, such as erotomania, and may be unperturbed by legal sanctions.

incompetent suitor stalker

Motivation: Loneliness, sexual desire, or an inability to form relationships through normal means.

Goal: To form a relationship with a victim, but unlike the intimacy-seeking type, they are aware their advances are not welcomed.

Behavior: Their stalking is often seen as clumsy or "incompetent" attempts to court the victim.

resentful stalker

Motivation: The belief that they have been mistreated, humiliated, or wronged by the victim, who may be a stranger, acquaintance, or colleague.

Goal: To get revenge and "even the score".

Behavior: Often involves threats and property damage, and may be linked to workplace grievances.

predatory stalker

Motivation: Sexual gratification.

Goal: To prepare for a sexual assault.

Behavior: They stalk to gather information about the victim's vulnerabilities and typically offer no warnings. This is the least common type

Erotomania

when you think someone is in love with you but they're not. It may be a person you've never met. They might even be famous, like a politician or an actor. You can be so sure of this love that you think you're in a relationship with this person. You may not be able to accept facts that prove otherwise

splitting

a defense mechanism where individuals, especially those with personality disorders like Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), view themselves, others, or situations in extreme "all good" or "all bad" (black-and-white) terms, failing to integrate positive and negative qualities into a cohesive whole

john robert bardo

an American murderer serving life imprisonment without parole after being convicted for the July 18, 1989, murder of American actress and model Rebecca Schaeffer, whom he had stalked for three years

james lange theory

suggests that physical changes in the body happen before the experience of the associated emotion

social learning theory

suggests that much learning occurs through observation. Instead of relying only on direct experience or trial-and-error, we watch what other people do, notice the outcomes, and use that information to guide our own actions.

frye standard

a legal rule for admitting expert scientific testimony, originating from Frye v. United States (1923), which requires that the scientific principles or methods used by an expert must be generally accepted as reliable in the relevant scientific community to be admissible in court

daubert standard

a set of criteria used by U.S. federal and some state courts to determine if expert witness testimony is reliable and admissible, requiring judges to act as "gatekeepers" to screen out junk science by evaluating factors like testability, peer review, error rates, and general acceptance, ensuring only relevant and scientifically sound evidence reaches the jury

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)

progressive brain disease linked to repeated head trauma, causing symptoms like memory loss, confusion, depression, aggression, and eventually dementia, diagnosed definitively after death via brain autopsy

tender years doctrine

a 19th-century legal principle in child custody cases, favoring mothers for young children ("tender years," typically under 7), based on the idea that mothers are inherently better nurturers, stemming from the mother being the primary caregiver

repressed theories

posits that the mind unconsciously blocks distressing memories, desires, or traumatic experiences from conscious awareness to protect the self from pain, often stemming from conflicts between the id, ego, and superego

adversarial system

two opposing sides (prosecution/plaintiff vs. defense) present their cases before a neutral judge or jury, who decides the outcome based on the evidence and arguments presented by each party

Waneta Hoyt

an American serial killer who was convicted of killing all five of her biological children

Judy Neelley

an American convicted murderer known for the high-profile 1982 kidnapping, torture, and murder of 13-year-old Lisa Ann Millican and the murder of 23-year-old Janice Kay Chatman. She and her husband, Alvin Neelley, committed a violent crime spree across Georgia and Alabama.

Felicia Morgan

convicted of first degree intentional homicide while armed, five counts of armed robbery, and one count of attempted armed robbery