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The strengths and limitations of attachment theory
Attachment theory and its limitations
Attachment theory and its limitations
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Anthony Sowell was born on August 19, 1959, in the middle of Cleveland’s industry boom, but in the 1970s it quickly started to fail. Sowell was raised in poverty stricken East Cleveland by his single mother, Claudia Garrison. Sowell was one of seven siblings, being raised by Garrison along with one of Sowell’s sister’s seven children. One of Sowell’s nieces who goes unnamed accounts her and her twin sister being forced to strip by Garrison and would whip with an extension cord until then bled. Sowell and his brother who went by the name “Junior” on multiple accounts watched the abuse happen. Sowell states in testimony that he got abused as a child and that this played a part in his reckless behavior. Per his niece, he was never abused but was one of the abusers. At the age of 10, she started to develop more than other girls and Sowell took notice. He on one account on when it all started forced her to undress and he began raping her, at the age ten she …show more content…
was being raped almost daily by Sowell who was 11. Soon after other boys in the house being rapping her including her brother. No charges were ever made. Sowell at age 19 joined the military to escape the poverty and after he found out that he was short credits to graduate. He spent seven years in the USMC before being honorably discharged. He obtained his GED and training to be an electrician; he also received many honors and medals while serving on of which was “Good Conduct Medal.” Sowell got discharged on January 18, 1985, but it wasn’t until sometime in 1989 that he made his first attack on a woman after leaving the military. In 1990 Sowell was sentenced to 15 years in prison for kidnapping, rape and attempted rape. His victim was a three-month pregnant lady who went and entered Sowell’s home willingly. It was not until when she tried to leave that he became violent. She reports that he bonded her hand and gagged her with a rag. He was released in 2005 and was considered to have a low-risk to offend. He began dating Cleveland’s Mayor niece, Lori Frazier. Some sources say it's believed that Frazier was living with up until sometime in 2008, but per Frazier, she moved out in 2007. She lived him with and remembered noticing a horrible stench but had been told it was a family member who also lived in the house then after they moved out was told it was from the sausage factory right next door to Sowell’s house. Between mid-2007 to mid-2009 at a string of women went missing from the East Cleveland. Sowell’s first victim Crystal Dozier is believed to have been killed in May or June of 2007. One year later in 2008, he killed Tishana Culver and four other women. One of his victims was able to get away and flag down police, with a police warrant Sowell was arrested and taken to jail. He was later released by “a city prosecutor decided there was not enough evidence to prosecute him” (BLOG). In early to mid-2009 he killed another four women and in late ’09 two women come forward about being attacked by Sowell which were the two to crack the nut. On September 22nd of ’09, a woman reported to police that she was strangled and raped by Sowell her case was forward to sex-crimes detective, but never showed up for her interview. October 20th an ambulance was called for a naked woman falling out of the second-floor window at Sowell’s house. The lady refused to take to police and make a statement. October 27th the woman from the Sept. 22 attack agreed to meet with detectives who from their interview was about able to a day late obtain an arrest warrant for Sowell. On October 29th Police arrive at Sowell’s for the arrest, but no one was home when they began entering they found two bodies, turned around and called homicide into the scene. Sowell victimized more women, and more missing police reports on these women started to pile up with nothing being done. The community had to come together to help search for their missing loved ones even while more women went to the police with similar cases as Gay. There was a break in the system in the fact that Sowell was a registered sex offender and all these cases “allegations” coming up against him but had been dismissed because of the type of women coming forward who survived his attacks. The whole situation was finally cracked when a woman said she got raped and he stole from her. Now with a warrant police went to his house to find he was not there and opened the door to find two dead bodies on the living room floor. The first officers backed out and called a homicide. From there they are slowing found all that ended up being 11 women. His surviving victims found relief that finally he was caught, but when they heard 11 women totaled had been killed by him, they were hurt. Gay believes that if police would have taken her seriously when she called for help and not been made a joke of her, she felt most what happened would have been avoided. Sowell was sentenced to death row on September 14, 2011, and has yet to put to death. Homicide detectives on the first day found the two bodies in the living room, and a shallow grave in the basement was found. Day two of searching the house bodies three, four, five, and six were found. Sowell was found on day three of investigation not too far from his house. On day four, five more bodies and a skull were found. After forensic, it was concluded that “Eight of the victims had been strangled. Two of the other victims died due to homicidal violence. The cause of death has not been determined for the 11th victim” (STRANGULATION). Cleveland police were assisted by the FBI in the investigation. According to Cleveland News at pre-trail on December 9th, Sowell waived his right to a speedy trial and pleaded not guilty because of insanity. Which his attorneys later requested for it to be put on hold until they can reexamine him, and it ended up being changed to just not guilty. The trial was set to start for almost a complete year after being caught, but Sowell’s attorneys repeatedly asked for more time to go through videos and scheduling conflicts. The trail was pushed off for another year and began June 6th, 2011. According to Cleveland new “Sowell, 51, was convicted last month of 82 charges, including aggravated murder, abusing a corpse and tampering with evidence in the deaths of 11 women whose remains were found two years ago in and around his home in Cleveland's Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Jurors also found him guilty of attempting to kill three others who survived” (Cleveland). Throughout stages of Sowell’s life and life events, he can have a multitude of different theories that can apply to him.
The first theory he would fall under is the attachment theory. Attachment theory by definition is “a social-psychological perspective on delinquent and criminal behavior holding that the successful development of secure attachment between a child and his or her primary caregiver the basic foundation for all future psychological development” ( BOOK ). Sowell was never able to create a secure and trusting attachment with is mother Claudia Garrison, because he witnessed his two nieces get abused by his mother growing up. He could not find trust and security within her when he sees her treating his nieces in such an awful way, along with a statement made by him that he too was a victim of his mom’s abuse. Although others in the house say, he was one of the kids to be spared in the maltreatment by observing it he learned how to treat his niece leading into the second theory Social Cognition
Theory. According to the book, Social Cognition Theory is defined by the perspective that people learn how to act by observing others. Sowell growing up witnessed Garrison treating his nieces poorly, and in turn, the only way he knew how to treat his nieces was the way Garrison addressed them. As he got older, he continued to treat all women the way he retreated his niece and the only way he was showed how. Since Sowell was never told or caught on what he was doing to his niece and that it was wrong he never has a morality conflict with it. After leaving the military and getting caught with the 1989 attack on a pregnant woman, he was found guilty on kidnapping, rape and attempted rape and sentenced to 15 years and upon release, he had to then register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Through that, he gained a label within society bring the third theory. Label theory is defined as “an interactionist perspective that sees continued crime as a consequence of limited opportunities for acceptable behavior that follow from the negative responses of society to those defined as offenders…” (BOOK). Sowell could have had people in his neighborhood and the city he lived him treat him differently for the label he had of being a sex offender. Although it wasn’t until after him and Lori Frazier broke up when he began to attack women again.
Anthony Sowell was born on August 19th, 1959 (Cleveland Municipal Court). Anthony also known as “Tone” was living at 12205 Imperial Avenue on the third floor (House of Horrors). “As a child Sowell experienced endless physical abuse from his mother and his grandmother”, testified Leona Davis. (International Business) Also, Davis who was Sowell’s niece stated that “Sowell’s mother, Claudia Garrison, would strip the children naked, tie them to poles or banisters and whip them, sometimes with electrical cords.” (International Business) Anthony’s mother was also known for beating them with her high heels as well. Due to Anthony having a horrible childhood and lack of a father, Sowell took the wrong path, including drugs and alcohol. In 2005 prior to moving back to Cleveland, Sowell served 15 years in prison for raping a pregnant woman (International Business). Based on the testimonies given in court, Anthony Sowell came from what you would call a very nurturing background.
The theory that best fits the Casey Anthony case is the Psychological Theory of Crime. Although George Anthony and his son claimed that the allegations of them committing sexual abuse on Casey were untrue, her behavior mimics that of someone who experienced childhood trauma. Casey’s lawyer, Jose Baez, went more in depth about the abuse in his book Presumed Guilty, Casey Anthony: The Inside Story. David Lohr, a writer for the Huffington Post
David Berkowitz, otherwise known as the “Son of Sam”, was notorious for his crimes committed between 1976 and 1977 that ended the lives of six innocent victims and wounded several others in New York (“David Berkowitz Biography”, n.d.). At first, police did not make a connection between the murders because there was nothing unusual about them; all the victims were shot with a 40 caliber gun, not fairly unusual during this time or place especially since the killings were over an extended period of time. Police finally made the connection when Berkowitz began to live behind notes that were meant to tantalize authorities since they had yet to catch him (“David Berkowitz| Son of Sam Killer,” 2015). Often times, the psychological structure of a human
The dynamic of a typical Oceanian family is seen in the Parson’s children, who display no affection towards their parents. The children participate in activities condoning the mentality of the Party, such as watching the public executions of Thought Criminals and dressing up as spies, which, according to Winston is “not altogether a game” (24-25), which is seen when Parsons daughter eventually turns him in as a Thought Criminal. Instead of being a connection that nurtured family relationships, children born into the party have no learned loyalties to their parents, but instead have devotion to the Party. Orwell states that the purpose of a family ‘system’ “had become in effect an extension of the Thought Police” (136). In Big Brothers mission to eliminate all sense of love from the mentality of the Party members, the family is no longer a source of interpersonal love, but instead its purpose is to further enhance the Party’s
There is not one single theory or motive that causes one to commit a life of deviance. One who lives out a deviant life has interdependent motives such as the environment, access to means, and their upbringing. Fox Butterfield's work All God's Children outlines this notion through the depiction of the Bosket family and the focus on Willie. Four theories that are both interdependent on one another as well as motives for the deviant outcome of Willies life are the social disorganization theory, labeling theory, social process theory, and social control theory.
Boy Meets World was a 90s sitcom that ran an impressive seven seasons and eventually gained syndication. The television show follows lead Cory Matthews and his close friends, Shawn Hunter and Topanga Lawrence, as they go through middle school, high school, and even college. All three character reprise their roles in the sequel series, Girl Meet World, a Disney Channel production that follows the life adolescence of Cory and Topanga’s daughter, Riley. Shawn Hunter, the deuteragonist of the series, struggled through several personal and familial issues that made him one of the most complex characters on the show. He wasn’t a cookie-cutter picture of a young man; he got in trouble, he changed, he had a wavering sense of morality.
According to psychologist world, attachment theory states that a strong emotional and physical attachment to at least one primary caregiver is critical to personal development. For Jesse Pinkman, a character in the television series Breaking Bad, a strong emotional and physical attachment has yet to happen and it is evident that he has not fully developed as an adult. While watching the show, I noticed that I was developing a strong fascination for Jesse. My primary feelings toward Jesse were exceptionally vague. In the first three episodes it seemed that Jesse had no family, no friends, and no drive to become anything more than a money hungry dusty drug dealer. However by the end of the fourth episode we are introduced to Jesse’s family and
Criticisms of attachment theory have come mainly from the feminist schools of thought since the theory has been used to argue that no woman with a young child should work outside the home or spend time away from her baby (Goodsell and Meldrum, 2010). Children’s experience and development also depend on what happens after early years, whether bad or good later in life may change a child’s emotional development, e.g. lack of basic needs, diet, education, stimulation such as play might affect a child’s development (Rutter, 1981) Difference in cultures have to be taken into consideration as well. A study by Schaffer and Emmerson (1964) provided contradictory evidence from Bowlby’s attachment theory. They noted attachment was more prominent at eight months, and afterwards children became attached to more than one person. By one year six months only 13%of infants had one attachment. This study by Schafer and Emmerson (1964) concluded care giver can be male or female and mothering can be a shared responsibility. Social workers should therefore understand that parents are not totally responsible for the way the children develop. They did give them their genes and therefore do have some influence. Attachment theory also fails to consider the fact that the father and siblings, and other close relatives can also
In understanding others, one must first understand our own family background and how it affects our understanding of the world. Conversely, family systems draw on the view of the family as an emotional unit. Under system thinking, one evaluates the parts of the systems in relation to the whole meaning behavior becomes informed by and inseparable from the functioning of one’s family of origin. These ideas show that individuals have a hard time separating from the family and the network of relationships. With a deeper comprehension of the family of origin helps with the challenges and awareness of normalized human behaviors. When interviewing and analyzing the family of origin, allow one to look at their own family of origin
The therapeutic process is an opportunity for both healing and restoration as well as discovering new ways of being. Although exposed to a variety of psychological theories, I narrowed my theoretical orientation to a relational psychodynamic approach, drawing on attachment theory and Intersubjective Systems Theory (IST). IST describes how the subjective experiences, both embodied and affective, of an individual becomes the manner of organization, or way of being, in which the person operates in the world relationally. It is through this process of transference and countertransference, the unconscious ways of being can become explicit and through the collaborative effort of therapist and client, new ways of organizing the relational world can
Upon my reading of the 1984 novel, I was fascinated by George Orwell’s vision of the future. Orwell describes a world so extreme that a question comes to mind, asking what would encourage him to write such a novel. 1984 took place in the future, but it seemed like it was happening in the past. George Orwell was born in 1903 and died in 1950; he has seen the horrific tides of World War II and. As I got deeper into this novel, I began to see similar events in world history built into 1984.
Early on in his essay, Orwell describes how the abuses and treatment he witnessed oppressed him '… with an intolerable sense of guilt,'; (Orwell,277). This is not some minor pang, or nagging worry. The shame pressed down on his shoulders with an unbearable weight. He also describes the injustices in detail, using vivid pictures like 'The wretched prisoners huddling in the stinking cages…'; (Orwell,277). This does not come from someone who condones such behavior. It stems from a troubled, remorseful soul.
Pinder (2008), writes that social-cognitive theory is when people’s knowledge derives from observing other people while they are interacting with each other and the experiences he/she goes through in life. For example, someone is observing someone how they react in a particular situation and what happens after that person reacted, with this information the person will remember what happened in its entirety and will use this to make decisions on future behaviors. This theory is applied in all of Gladwell’s book, for example, in chapter one you have Mr. Gottman who can find out , by observing, if a couple will be together after 15 years. All the concepts listed in Gladwell’s book from, thin-slicing, micro-expressions, priming, central location test and implicit association test can be attached in some way to social-cognitive
Attachment is described as the close emotional bond between two people and Attachment Theory (AT) generally concentrates on the early bonds in a person’s development as well as the effects that these bonds have on later socio-emotional development. While emphasis on attachment as an antecedent for future behavior and personality has decreased somewhat in recent years, it is interesting to note that the DSM IV-TR includes a “reactive attachment disorder” which it states is caused when extreme circumstances prevent proper attachment development.
These theories emphasize criminality as a learned or culturally transmitted process, and Sutherland posits that individuals become predisposed toward criminality because of an excess of contacts that advocate criminal behavior. They learn and accept the values and attitudes that look more favorably on crime, and whether people accept or reject is influenced by the looking glass self, the idea that the human personality as a social self, learned in the process of socialization and interactions with others. In the case of Rosa Lee, Rosa was the product of her upbringing in severe poverty and when she had children, she passed her values and interpretations of societal norms onto them; six of the eight of them adopted them. As the mother of 8 children, the main value she taught them was that any behavior was acceptable, whether it be prostitution or shoplifting. At only 11 years old she prostituted her daughter Patty out, who was already a recurring victim of sexual violence at that point, and Patty willingly accepted because she wanted to help her mom bring income into the house. Having witnessed first-hand what Rosa Lee did to survive, and being exposed to that lifestyle on a daily basis, those values were normal to her and all she