Analysis of Dr Hannibal Lecter: Comparing and Contrasting of Two Practice Theories - Case Study Example

Cory D Cobern Case Analysis of Dr Hannibal Lecter: Comparing and Contrasting of Two Practice Theories George Mason Case Analysis of Dr Hannibal Lecter: Comparing and Contrasting of Two Practice Theories The Client: The client chosen for this report is a character named Dr. Hannibal Lecter from the movie trilogy, The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Red Dragon (2002) and Hannibal (2003). Though all the movies portray the same character at different stages of his life, the primary focus for this paper will be Hannibal Lecter as depicted in the movie, The Silence of the Lambs. The following assessment is based on the facts about the character as presented in the movie but on certain rare occasions, slight modifications has been made to make the case fit for inclusion in a social work context. For example, the character in the movie is lodged in a maximum security prison but in the assessment this aspect has been ignored. Dr Hannibal Lecter hails from an aristocratic family and is a renowned psychiatrist and a sociopathic killer, who is also known to have cannibalised some of his victims. The members of his family, including parents and a younger sister, were killed by some deserters, who were hiding from the soldiers of allied forces in the aftermath of WW-II. They executed the parents first and then locked the children up in a shed in the ranch. It was a harsh winter and they were not having any food, except for a deer that they hunted. In their efforts to stay alive, they killed and cannibalised the girl. The six year old Hannibal had witnessed this gruesome act, which has shocked and traumatised him. Subsequently, he tracked down his sister’s tormenters and killed all of them. He was a very talented person and pursued studies in medicine, to finally become a psychiatrist. Due to the childhood trauma, he developed sociopathic tendencies and an obsessive abhorrence for uncouth men. Thus, he killed some of his patients and cannibalised them. He had several years of prison term and is recently released. Introduction (Identification and Definition of Theories): Two theories selected for the case analysis of Dr Hannibal Lecter are Crisis Intervention Theory and Case Management Theory. Crisis Intervention Theory has “surged as a specialized field” in recent years with increased instances of violence and it focuses on addressing the effects of the crisis through systematic intervention strategies (Dass-Brailsford, 2007, p.960). Several models of intervention have been devised under this theory, of which “Gililand’s Six Step Model” and “Robert’s Seven-Stage Model” are most popular (p.101-102). Case Management Theory, on the other hand, has a “long history” in the field of social work and “human services” (Blakely & Dziadosz, 2008, p.106). It focuses on a “collaborative process” to assess, facilitate and plan various “options and services” to meet individual client’s needs by communicating and making the resources available (p.106). Broker Model, Clinical Model, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Intensive Case Management, Strengths Model, and Rehabilitation Model etc and the main models of intervention under this theory (p.107). In the case of Dr. Lecter, both these theories are considered appropriate for his case assessment as well as intervention. Application of Crisis Intervention Theory to Case Assessment: A crisis occurs when people encounter problems that are beyond their means to resolve, which entails increased tension, anxiety and “emotional unrest” (Dass-Brailsford, 2007, p.94). Crisis Intervention Theory postulates three stages such as initial shock to the event that causes crisis, reaction to it through “problem-solving skills” and subsequent tension or anger when such problem solving skills are absent (Hepworth et al, 2013, p.400). In the case of Lecter, who has been a small boy during the initial crisis, adequate problem solving skills have not been present and, therefore, his tension mounted to extreme anger. Thus, the situation became so intolerable for him that he found it difficult to control his feelings in the absence of necessary coping skills and, thus, the event left indelible traumas in him. Dr Hannibal Lecter’s problems mainly stem from his thoughts that his family, especially his sister has been dealt very badly by uncouth men, represented by the deserters who killed the entire family and cannibalised his sister. The act of cannibalism has had specifically traumatized him as can be discerned from his behaviour of cannibalising his victims. However, the tragic occurrences of his childhood, which traumatised him, have never been recognised or addressed, which aggravated his condition and his behaviour attained monstrous proportions. The trauma inflicted on him by the deserters and his resultant crisis situation has bred in him a notion that the society is full of uncouth men, who need to be punished for their crude attitude towards the society, especially females and children. As a minor, Lecter is “more vulnerable” to traumatic experiences and, therefore, the crisis became disastrous for his outlook and character (p.401). An assessment of his subsequent behaviour reflects the manifestation of his crisis, as a consequence of his childhood experience at the hands of the barbaric deserters, on many levels. First of all, it clearly becomes evident from his strong abhorrence for the uncouth men that he encounters later in his life, some of whom have been his patients. He hated Mason Verger due to the fact that as a youngster, Verger had abused his own little sister. This hostility, which is a result of the crisis in his own life that involves his kid sister, drives Dr Lecter to eat Verger’s lips and part of his face. His despise for crude men also becomes evident from the way he hates Miggs when Clarice tells him that he has misbehaved with her. At this stage it was not his personal affection for the FBI agent that generates the anger but his abhorrence for crude behaviour, which is a product of the crisis situation he has encountered as a child. It also transpires from the case of Lecter that the crisis situations for him does not end with the childhood trauma, but keeps repeating as he meets evil men such as Miggs, Verger and Kindler. Thus, his abhorrence for the uncouth becomes stretched beyond the deserters, to involve several men that he considered as evil, in response to crisis situations created on each encounter with such people. Ultimately, he assumes the responsibility to punish not only those who killed his family and cannibalised his sister but everyone who creates such crisis situation later on in his life. Thus, every occasion when he comes across men who have the potential to cause similar crisis that he confronted in his childhood, he perceives threat and reacts violently. Overall, the “context, circumstances, and the nature of the problem” point to the aspect of crisis in the life of Dr Lector, as suggested by Crisis Intervention Theory, to be the causative element behind his behaviour (p.380). On the other hand, Lecter’s case also exemplifies some “notion of benefits” of the crisis, as contended many researchers, which can be evidenced from his talents in music, philosophy, creative skills as well as his professional acumen, which have been some of the most significant findings of his assessment (p.402). Application of Crisis Intervention Theory for Recommending Intervening Strategies: Based on the Crisis Intervention Theory, the intervention strategies of Dr Lector needs to focus on the assumption that a single framework cannot explain the “human response to trauma” completely (p.403). Thus, several contexts including cultural, environment and situational factors which contributed to his “crisis and crisis reactions” need to be understood before deciding the appropriate intervention methods (p.403). In the context of culture, Dr Lecter hails from a rich, aristocratic background and has grown up in sophisticated environment, where his family has enjoyed a high level of respect from the community. This makes him a cultured, polished and very polite person that respects others and treats them kindly, and he can never tolerate uncouth behaviour. Therefore, he always must be kept in a setting that offers a positive environment, to avoid any situation that reminds him of his crisis. Similarly, rather than focusing on his “crisis related deficits” the intervention needs to emphasize his “strength and resources” by providing him adequate vents for expressing his creative talents (p.403). Further, his intervention must be done initially by defining his problem, and ascertaining his perceptions appropriately by listening to him. He needs to remain in a safe place where he will not be harmed or cause harm to others who he may presume to be a threat due to their crude behaviour. The most significant aspect of the treatment of a client of Dr Lecter’s calibre is providing him with “social support systems,” as postulated by Lia, which include friends or relatives as well as “institutional programs” (p.406). In the case of the client, he has very limited friends such as Clarice Starling and Barney, a prison guard, and no relatives. Therefore, he requires other venues such as music, books, or intellectual indulgences etc to boost his positive energies. It also becomes relevant here that the client has to continuously encounter system failures as can be seen from various episodes in his life, including the foster homes, prison mismanagement by Dr Chilton, the attempt of Inspector Pazzi to sell Dr Lecter to Mason Verger etc, to mention a few. To reinforce his affinity towards social support system, he may be provided with an environment where he can experience the positive outcomes of such supports. In this context, his intervention should include the provision of quality living standards to not only himself but all the inmates of the facility where he undergoes treatment. The strategies for his intervention also need to recognise the importance of resources and communication in restoring his confidence. Application of Task-Centred Model Case Management Theory to Case Assessment: Task Centred Model Case Management Theory promotes an “action oriented” approach in which the intervention methods are implemented within a “limited time frame” (p.386). This model further relies on short but “focused contacts” and “conscious use” of time element for the solution of specific problems (p.386). It further focuses on problems relevant to “psychosocial factors” and strengthening the clients’ “self-efficacy” through their own efforts (p.386). In the case Dr Lector, the psychosocial problems stem from the trauma he has undergone as a child, due to which he abhors the uncouth men in the society. He also believes such people thrive in the society because of the failure of the social systems, especially criminal justice systems. Thus, his problem needs to be assessed from the perspective of cognitive restructuring that can enable the understanding of his fears and “irrational thought patterns” (p.386). Though the client does not deliberately seek out uncouth people, many such people who live normal lives are present within the social system, and he stumbles upon them during the course of his everyday life. When he encounters them, the fear gets triggered in him, which motivates him to harm them as it offers him an irrational thought that he is cleansing the society of its filth. On the other hand, he seems to relish another perspective that he is avenging the raw deal to his family, especially Mischa. Due to his fear and irrational thoughts, as suggested by cognitive restructuring in the task centred model of case management, Dr Lecter pursues the pleasure of punishing people who he thinks are uncouth. Thus, it can be construed that the client’s problem derives from his unrealistic dread of crude men and irrational thoughts of avenging the killing of his family as well as his yearning to divest the society of evils. Application of Task Centred Model of Case Management Theory for Recommending Intervening Strategies: The task centred model of case management theory focuses on the fears and irrational perceptions of the client and, hence, the intervention strategies for Dr Lecter have to consider his controlling his emotion of fear as well as removing the unrealistic notions to derive the optimum outcomes. The client considers himself as a sophisticated and cultured individual, who has the notion that uncouth, crude individuals do not deserve to remain the society because of the cruelty such people meted out to his family, especially his kid sister. He expects each member of the society to be decent, civilized and respectful to one another, especially women. Therefore, he harbours fear and loathing for who are devoid of a sense of politeness and believes that such men do not deserve exist in a civilized society. The main strategy of his treatment should be removing his fear, which is unreasonable. To attain this, cognitive restructuring will be the most effective and practical method under the Task Centred Model. This model also enjoys the merit of being “sensitive to the experiences of diverse” people and, therefore, it may also fit well with the case of Dr Lecter, which is unique (p.387). This, model also systemises the whole intervention drive by restricting the goals to “three” and specifically delineating specific “numbers of sessions” to be decided in consultation with the client (p.387). In the context of Dr Lecter, this model will enable addressing each of his problems in a systematic manner. Thus, initial focus will be on the removal of his fear by placing him in a pleasant environment that will encourage his creativity and positive attitudes. This way, the intervention strategy can reinforce his trust in other humans, which will gradually eliminate his fear. The next strategy will be to restructure his cognition, to remove his notion that people who appear to be uncouth are a grave threat to the society. Providing him such an environment in the rehabilitation facility can foster mutual respect and affection among the inmates, which can gradually help the restructuring of his cognition and change his wrong notions. Comparison/Contrast of the Two Theories with Reference to Strengths and Limitations: While Social Exchange Theory involves the exchange of a commodity for another, either material or otherwise, Motivational Theory does not involve any exchange but relies purely on the motivation of a person to do something based on his or her emotion or notion. Similarly, in the case of Social Exchange Theory, there has to be a mutual feeling that the exchange will be beneficial to both parties or at least will not hamper their present status. On the other hand, in the case of Motivational Theory, this prerequisite is nonexistent and the motivation spontaneously derives from any of the person’s emotion or notion. With this understanding, I will also attempt to explore the strength and weaknesses of these theories in the context of assessment as well as intervention for the client, Dr Hannibal Lecter. Assessment: In terms of assessment, Social Exchange Theory has an edge over Motivational Theory because in the case of the former it is easy to understand that Dr Lecter has not acted according to the social norms because the society has not responded to his family appropriately. Thus, he fails to acknowledge the mutually harmonious relation with the society and begins to hate it for the evil it contains. On the other hand, he has derived material benefits from the society in terms of money from the practice and the professional reputation he enjoyed. However, he encounters uncouth men during his practice, which makes him kill them on assumption that these men have been transmitting bad values to the society and hence they deserve punishment for the evil in them. Thus, the behaviour of Dr Lecter is easy to understand in relation to this theory. A major weakness of this theory is the difficulty in understanding its implication from the perspectives of the exchange creating positive outcomes for both parties because in the case of the client there has not been any positive exchange but on the contrary the exchanges between Dr Lecter and the society have been negative and mutually damaging. In terms of the advantage of Motivational Theory, it has been easy to assess the client’s motivation for committing the crime on the basis of this theory. His whole motivation derives from the disastrous consequences of the failure of the social systems and thus he seeks to extract revenge on the society for the sufferings of his family especially his sister. This theory does not have any obvious weakness as it has been easy to understand the case from its perspective and the motivation of the client has been clear from his emotional needs and notions about the society. Intervention: From the perspectives on evolving intervention strategies, Motivational Theory enjoys an edge over the Social Exchange Theory because the motivational elements to facilitate the client’s rehabilitation are easier than the exchange factors. To reinforce a belief that the client can have something in exchange from the society will be more difficult than motivating him to something for the society. Further, motivational theory also focuses on his sense of social responsibility and devising interventional strategies on this premise will be easier than planning it on the basis of any exchange values. On the other hand, under the motivational theory, it will be difficult for the social worker to dissuade him from seeking the pleasure of punishing the people who transmit evil in the society as his belief his deeply rooted. However, by implementing appropriate tactics this difficulty can be overcome. Conclusion: Both Social Exchange Theory and Motivational Theory are appropriate in the case of the client to assess as well as devise the strategies for his intervention. While both theories have some minor weaknesses, implementing suitable strategies based on these theories can effectively address the problem of the client to a great extent. References Blakeley, T. J. & Dziadosz, G. M. (2008). “Case Management and Social Role Theory as Partners in Service Delivery.” Care Management Journals Vol.9 (3): pp.106-112. Dass-Brailsford, P. (2007). A Practical Approach to Trauma: Empowering Interventions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Hepworth, D. H., Rooney, R. H., Rooney, G. D. & Strom-Gottfried, K. (2013). Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills (9th edn). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning. Hardcastle, D. A., Powers, P. R. & Wenocur, S. (2004). Community Practice: Theories and Skills for Social Workers, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press. Read More