Violent Behavior: A Psychological Case Study

Tyrone, a handsome 17-year-old African American youth, was charged with killing two convenience store clerks in two separate robberies. The adolescent, acting alone, fired directly at the lone clerk in each of the stores, instantly killing both of them. Videotapes from store cameras revealed that neither clerk resisted the robberies. In fact, in the second incident, Tyrone shot the clerk immediately upon entering the store.

The state indicted the adolescent as an adult with multiple charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, and announced its intention to seek the death penalty. Prior to trial, a plea agreement was reached, wherein Tyrone avoided a possible death sentence by agreeing to plead guilty to two counts of seconddegree murder, and one count of armed robbery associated with a third armed robbery in which no one was killed.

Tyrone's arrest stunned the community in which he had lived for years. The boy had been raised for most of his life in a religious home by his grandparents, who were known to be stable people with traditional values. His grandfather was a hardworking man and provided well for his family. Tyrone had his own room at his grandparents' home and was essentially raised as an only child by grandparents who loved and doted on him. He lived a middle- to upper-middle-class life. The family lived in a beautiful home on about 5 acres of land, with a pool, tennis court, and basketball court. A boy who had a college fund set up for him and a lucrative family business to go into was robbing and killing people. The obvious question was “Why?”

Thorough assessment revealed a confluence of psychological factors that contributed to Tyrone's violent behavior. These explanations have their underpinnings in personality development theory, psychodynamic theory, learning theory, cognitive theory, and existential theory. In addition, Tyrone's case provides an excellent illustration of continuing areas of psychological investigation in the forensic area. These include theories suggesting that individuals with low intelligence, neurological impairment, and mental illness are more likely to engage in criminal behavior than are individuals without these risk factors.

Tyrone's personality development was low. Personality development theories posit that ego development proceeds in a hierarchical and invariant sequence of stages through which individuals progress as they master crucial interpersonal problems associated with each level. Tyrone had progressed through the early stages associated with infancy and early childhood development. He learned that people, unlike inanimate objects, could respond to him and that he could influence the behavior of others by applying certain formulas or strategies, such as saying “Please” when he asked for something. However, Tyrone had not reached the level of personality development in which he realized that he was accountable for his behavior and that he had choices, and he had not internalized a set of values by which he judged his behavior. Rather, he thought and acted like a much younger child. He behaved impulsively without regard for the welfare of others. In his worldview, people were objects to be manipulated. Wielding a handgun gave him power to get what he wanted. Consistent with his low personality development, he was incapable of feeling genuine remorse for his murderous actions and felt no empathy for his victims or their survivors.

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