Social Psychological Theories: Charles Manson Case - Essay Example

? Social Psychological Theories: Charles Manson case Application of Social Psychological Theories There are many mysteries in the social life. Many events in the society lead to people to wonder why and what causes them to happen. Actions such as benevolent generosity, fanatic beliefs, defiance and aggressiveness are a common occurrence in the society. This is where social psychology becomes useful. Social psychology involves using scientific methods to study how other people in the society influence the behavior, feelings and thoughts of others. Using this scientific study, social psychologists determine the reasons that lead people to influence each other, and the results that this influence have on their behaviors (Chadee, 2011). The case of Charles Manson is an example of defiance and aggressive behavior in the society. To understand the circumstances behind the actions of Manson, social psychology theories can be used to great results. In order to put judgment on his criminal, defiance and sadistic behavior, the reasons why he committed these acts has to be determined. Social psychological theories can be used to answer fundamental questions in the Charles Manson case. These questions include; why did he commit the crime, what are the basic causes of his violent and aggressive behavior, were his actions motivated by self-interests, and what events led to the crimes (Mark & Buunk, 2008). Social psychological theories help to determine the motives behind the Manson case. Motive is the psychological part of a person that arouses the person to do a certain act. In applying social psychological theories in Charles Manson's case, primary considerations should focus on childhood background factors. These factors may have caused aggressiveness and defiance. The theories help explain how different factors in his life affected his eventual behavior. Charles Manson was born on 12 November 1926 to a sixteen year old woman called Kathleen Maddox in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother who had run away from home at age fifteen was a criminal, promiscuous and had an excessive drinking habit. Her way of life meant that she failed to take care of her son. A large part of Charles Manson’s childhood took place in a relative’s home and other correctional homes for young boys. Manson’s had unsettling childhood. When he lived with his grandmother, he acquired tough religious doctrines that had in the first place made his mother flee from home. When living with an uncle, Manson dressed like a girl because the uncle felt that Manson had feminine characteristics. This unsettling childhood life meant that Manson had no consistent adult behavior that he would take after (Manson & Emmons, 1986). He reunited with his mother upon her release from prison. However, this reunion did not last long. His mother decided to abandon him due to her boyfriend’s demands. At this point, his mother failed to get a children’s home for him; his grandmother had also rejected him. He turned to stealing in pursuit for his own possessions. During his school life, Charles Manson became a loner and mastered in manipulating other people. Manson only did something to a person if he anticipated something in return (Seid, 2008). His arrest came in 1951 for driving a stolen vehicle. During his first year in prison, he earned eight assault charges. Manson had several spell in prison; 1951 to 1958 and 1960 to 1967 (Manson & Emmons, 1986). Charles Manson used his skills of manipulation by taking parts of religious doctrines and making his philosophies. He used Beatle’s release “Helter Skelter” to predict a war between blacks and whites to bring Armageddon. He gave his followers a false hope that they will survive the war by going to an underground city in Death Valley. When his predictions failed, he sent some of his followers to kill as a way of showing blacks how to bring Armageddon. This led to a series of murders including the killings of; Sharon Tate, his unborn child, other visitors, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. He came under arrest, charged and found guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He received a death sentence. Later in 1967, the abolition of the death penalty in California led to the lifting of his sentence. He is currently serving a life sentence in California’s Corcoran prison (Seid, 2008). There are several theories of social Psychology that can be used to explain the case of Charles Manson. The Labeling Theory First time offenders think that the society labels them as bad people. Because of the way society reacts and labels them, these people start seeing themselves as bad and end up engaging in more criminal activities. Recently it has come to be understood that more emphasis should be placed on the effects of informal labeling by parents, relatives and close friends. This labeling has a huge impact on the behavior of subjects. The labeling theory can be used to explain Charles Manson attitude and advancement of his criminal activities. Manson’s criminal acts started as early as nine years old. Because of this, he created a reputation of being bad. People around him labeled Manson as “trouble” in his various neighborhoods. He stole and burned toys belonging to classmates in some instances. People alerted the authorities of the incident. Although Manson did not receive a jail sentence for this, it was his first encounter with the law. Charles Manson received fewer acceptances than rejection from his mother and other relatives (Holin, 2013). Sometime, Manson was labeled as the “Ringleader” of an escape attempt at a correctional home for young boys. Manson had planned and masterminded the escape of thirty five boys from the facilities at the age of thirteen. The newspapers published the story alongside Manson's picture and the label “Ringleader”. In another case, Manson got accused of threatening a boy with a razor blade to forcing him into having homosexual sex with him. He denied the accusations. In an interview, Manson confessed of having the homosexual encounter with a fellow delinquent, terming it a consensual act from both of them. The two had an agreement that in case the issue came into public, he should say that Manson had threatened him with a blade and sodomized him. This incidence led to Manson perceived as a violent sodomizer. Later he lived up to this label by forcing himself on another boy. Charles Manson said that if someone is accused of a crime he did not commit; he may eventually stop fighting it, and opt to live up to the accusations. General Strain Theory This theory originates from the work of Durkheim. The theory states that, when a person fails to achieve set goals of great importance in the society they will turn to criminal acts in order to be successful. The society places a lot of stress on financial success. It is not the only society that puts stress on people. Individual expectations of how his or her life should be compared to how their life is, puts a lot of strain on them to improve on their situation. Vehement desire for success can also be caused by individuals comparing themselves to their more successful peers and friends. People usually want to narrow the gap between them (Holin, 2013). If a person feels that their current situation arises due to unfairness in the society, he/she may turn to crime and unlawful activities as a way of making things fair. The effects of strain on individuals depend on the amount of stress put on them. High strain results to huge strain and depression. Not all people react negatively to stress. The person’s character and personality will determine how they would respond. In the case of Charles Manson, a lot of factors put considerable strain on him. In his childhood time, Manson’s different guardians had a lot of financial constraints and had minimal access to resources. He never had access to gifts like other children during celebration days like Christmas. This resulted to his vehement desire to stealing and burning other children’s toys. Manson experienced financial difficulties when his mother abandoned him for a boyfriend (Mark & Henk, 2007). It is evidenced that the strains Manson experienced created an empty feeling and a feeling of resentment. This culminated into his devious and criminal acts. Constant reminders of failure to achieve valued goals tend to push an individual to forcefully achieve those goals. A huge part of his life took place in jails, prisons, foster homes and reformatories. Another failure in Manson’s life transpired when he failed to prosper in his music career. After learning to play the steel guitar in prison, Manson became so obsessed with music. He composed and wrote original songs. He believed that, upon his release from prison, he would become a great musician. On his release, he pursued this dream to little success. Through his connections with the Beatles, he produced and released one song. Manson believed that, Terry Melcher would help him advance in his career, but this never transpired. He ended up blaming Melcher for his failure in accomplishing the music dream. Upon his fiasco to become a famous musician and have many followers, Manson turned to criminal activities. He started “the family”, playing the roles of the leader and inspiration. He had mastered the skill to manipulating people. He gathered a huge following that believed in him and would do anything he commanded. Social Learning Theory According to the Social learning theory, social interactions can lead to the development of aggressive behavior. The acquisition of Aggressive behavior and responses remains similar to the acquisition of social skills i.e. through social interactions. Social interactions can either be through direct experiences or observations. In this theory, observational processes of learning explain how people become aggressive. It also provides useful grounds for describing and understanding the expectations and believes that guide social actions. Through interactions with others, people learn criminal behaviors and attitudes. The bad attitudes and poor behavior fuels criminal activities in an individual (Holin, 2013). Persons associated with criminals have high chances of engaging in crime unconventionality. The impact that this exposure to criminal elements would have on an individual, depends on the frequency, intensity, duration and priority given to the association. Interaction with people perceived as role models shape a person's attitude and feeling towards crime. Rewards instead of punishment, for crimes, can also lure someone to in devious and unlawful activities (Mark & Henk, 2007). In the case of Charles Manson, he learned criminal and devious behavior from the people around he lived with since his tender age. At age twelve, he had attended Gilbert’s Home for reforming young boys. Here, he acquired skill on how to escape the law. In his confession, Manson said that he had an exposure to a lot of things that average children do not get at that age. Throughout his life, he interacted with the law breakers and law enforcers. During his time in the “schools” and “homes”, Manson manifested defiance, arrogance and disrespect. He did this in order to prove himself to the other boys (Mark & Henk, 2007). When living with one of his uncles, one supposed to act as a role model, the uncle made him commit crimes on his behalf. The uncle, a disabled war veteran, lived on disability social security benefits. He planned all the crimes and sent Manson to commit them on his behalf. At the Indianapolis school of young boys, four boys abused and sodomized him, but the authorities took no action to make the situation better. Manson also received mistreatment and abuse in the other homes and school that he subsequently resided. In an interview, Manson said that when he was young, his heroes were not the famous sports figures or movie stars but the criminals who committed the biggest crimes and still knew how to handle the consequences. Manson loved and wanted to be part of these people’s devious violent criminal lifestyles (Holin, 2013). During his escapades, he met Frank Costello a dangerous New York gangster. Manson admired and respected him greatly. Manson earned several sentences to prison. There, he associated with other criminal elements sharing and exchanging their experiences in crime. This shows that throughout his life in reformatory homes, schools and the prison sentences, Charles Manson had great lengths of interactions with elements that had a positive perception of crime. This understanding shaped him into the devious and notorious criminal that he became. The theories of social learning are very vital in learning how ones character is shaped. Some interactions influence a person’s life positively while others pose a great damage. In cognitive dissonance theory, people seek a lot of consistency with their lives. Discomfort, doubt and guilt foster change in a person’s attitude. In any interaction, either with people or environment, a person gets behavioral commitment. The reasoned action and social learning stipulate that behavior dynamics influence personal conducts. This affects a person’s conduct in the society. References Manson, C., & Emmons, N., Manson in His Own Words. (1986). New York: Grove Press. 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