Sigmund Freud's Rhoda Penmark Is A Bad Seed

Throughout the 1950's, there were two theories by very popular psychologists. Sigmund Freud, known as the Father of Psychology, believed that people could be a "Bad Seed". The controversy was if a child can be born naturally good or naturally evil. While some believed that it was hereditary, a gene a child shares with their biological parents, others believed it was environmental, or where you grew up. While Freud's theory shocked the people, another theory rose. This theory was created by Abraham Maslow and was called "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs", a five level chart showing a person's biological, safety, love, esteem, and self- actualization needs And to explain where they are in social standards. Sigmund Freud and Abraham Maslow's theories

First, she does not show the usual emotions towards things. She does not show the typical manner of a ten or eleven year old child. For example, when Christine Penmark asked Rhoda about Claude Daigle's death, she said that it was exciting and that she did not care Claude was dead. Also, Rhoda takes extreme measures to get what she wants. Her need for things control her emotions and thoughts. For example, she attacked Claude because she did not win the penmanship medal, and when he threatens to tell the police, she killed him. Furthermore, when threatened, Rhoda does anything in her power to make sure they do not go through with their intentions. For example, when LeRoy said that he had the shoes Rhoda killed Claude with and was going to tell the police, Rhoda set him on fire. Her strange behavior shows that she might not be the perfect child that everyone assumed her to

First, it was shocking because it could be a hereditary gene that people could be born "evil". This gene could be passed down from parent to child and no one would know about it. For example, being a descendant from Bessie Denker, it could have made Christine a "bad seed" as well, but it skipped a generation and went to Rhoda. Also, the idea that children could be murderers was a shocking thought. Having a child you thought was innocent but having the possibility of them being a murderer would be a parent's worst nightmare. For example, everyone though Rhoda was a sweet, innocent, kind girl who turned out to be a murderer. Furthermore, it was a shocking idea that a child you adopted could come be a descendant of a murder. Not knowing anything about their biological family, anything could happen. For example, since Christine was adopted, she never conceived the idea that she could be related to a well known psychopath, Bessie