Clinical Case Study of Seung-Hui Cho

Clinical psychology includes the study and application of psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well being and personal development. This is a modern approach to developed to handle cases involving chronic and extreme human behavior abnormality that are caused as a result of mental depression and other notable factors related to the process of human development and existence. These factors could be biological psychological or social.

Clinical psychology could be applied to the case of Seung-Hui Cho regarding his abnormal behavior and conduct (Elliot, 2000). The victim of the above case is a young potential man who has because of unrewarding environment that surrounded his life, had to go through traumatic experiences that made him become despondent towards life and people in particular. According to the case the society in which Seung-Hui is existed failed to recognize his contribution in life causing him to even become less active and even withdraw from normal human activities like pleasure, leisure and social companionship. Various factors have caused the abnormality in the behavior of Seung-Hui.

The biological factors that have contributed to these are genetic influences, hormonal responses, mental development and neurochemicals. Every human being is under the control of hormones especially those hormones which contribute to courage and fear. Biologically, Seung-Hui was ever afraid of a number of things. This could be as a result of inadequate production of hormone adrenaline that usually initiates courage in humans. Neurochemicals also could have contributed to the antisocial behavior of the victim. Neurochemicals are largely responsible for the activation of behavioral patterns and tendencies in specific areas of the brain (Elliot, 2000). For example hormone serotonin is responsible for personality traits of aggression, anxiety and development of brain and a disorder any this hormone could lead to an increase in aggression and impulsivity. Thus based on the above the victim could have suffered inadequacy of these hormones leading to emergence of obscene behavior.

Get Help With Your Essay

If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help!
Find out more about our Essay Writing Service

Psychological factors that could have contributed to the above incidence are sexuality, unconscious mind and humanism. Every individual has to pass through stages of sexual development and awareness. Sexuality is always a product of sensuality where an individual becomes full aware of all the things surrounding him or her. This always shapes personality and perception towards all things and people. When an individual fails to full develop right sensuality with the immediate surrounding, he or she will have to withdraw from normal life affairs. The mind of a human has powers which will also depend on the environment and the early childhood development process. When we thrust into the world we are all accustomed to creative thinking that helps to shape the mind. This is largely based on the immortality and sanity of any being. Thus despite all the concerted efforts to change the behavior of Seung-Hui, there were no fruits since he even reverted to doing this which could not be understood by anybody.

Humanism also as a pertinent factor of psychology has some contribution to the behavior of any individual. This includes freewill, personal growth, self identity and alones. Individual freewill is based on the choices made by an individual without any coercion or influence. These choices depend up on the sanity of an individual (Weaver, 1993). Thus when Seung-Hui voluntary decides to prove his worth by writing his articles and books, nobody takes time to appreciate him. This lack of recognition causes internal resentment in him which makes him to result into vengeance as an alternative satisfaction. The personal development for the victim is inhibited limiting his self identity because of lack of social partnership with the environment. This is what contributes to alones and self pity in Seung-Hui Cho.

Social environment has also contributed to the behavior of the victim of the case. Family upbringing as a social pillar to the development of any child was not awarded to Seung-Hui. Since his parents were ever working hard to bring up Seung-Hui and his sister it seems he lacked enough parental care and support. Similarly the peers of the victim do not associate with him making him to become a dejected person; opting to revenge their actions. The education system is supposed to contribute towards the development and growth of an individual. However this does not happen in the case of Seung-Hui Cho. His university professors turn out to be his critics thus arousing even more resentment and vengeance.

Based on the above factors we can use clinical Psychology as an approach to change the behaviors of individuals faced with this scenario. Central to its practices are psychological assessment and psychotherapy, though some clinical psychologists may engage in program development and administration. Some psychologists may also engage in clinical management of patients with brain abnormalities. The work performed by clinical psychologists might involve a formal relationship between a trained professional and the client usually an individual, couple, family and small group. On applying clinical psychology, a professional will first of all aim at exploring the nature and all the necessary causes of the psychological problems and encourage new ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. Various techniques could be used such as, psychodynamic, neuropsychology, cognitive psychology and systems basically family psychotherapy.

Clinical psychology is a holistic approach that encompasses all dimensional factors related to the behavior of an individual. Psychodynamic therapy will involve the affected individual being exposed to a number of environments and attitudinal factors such as perception towards certain issues, affecting an individual (Freud, 2000). The trained individual will have to engage an abnormal individual to a series of adaptation within a given time frame up on which the behavior will start to change. Neuropsychology as a technique of clinical psychology will involve the affected individual going through a series of brain and mental change through use of treatment, hormones and conditioned training. Most people who developed abnormal behavior like Seung-Hui are put in a confined area where neurotherapy is carried out.

Abnormality in behavior is caused when there is an absence of one or more corrective brain and bodily mechanisms. This tends to limit the level cognitive in an individual. Thus with clinical psychology a trained professional will be aiming to find which of the factors could have triggered such behaviors then spelling out the corrective measures can be applied (Weaver, 1993). For example a victim with abnormal behavior will be given regular tests regarding mental activity and functionality which will determine the victim’s response to real life situations. By recognizing the missing factor and then administering a corrective measure, clinical psychology could help bring out normal behavior in people with such abnormality.

Another approach likely to be adopted by clinical; psychologist is a family therapy where married couples are taken through a series of biological, social and psychological orientation in order to bring about change. An example will involve the whole family of Seung-Hui Cho underwent regular family therapy to change their original way of life. This is what can help create optimistic families where all parental love and care are provided to help bring up off springs that are social biologically and psychologically sound. In normal practice clinical psychological adaptation is one of the fundamental way and approach of correcting behavioral abnormalities thereby building a society of normality care, companionship and Consideration, thus this is the only way forward likely to build positive minded people from the already hopeless beings like Seung-Hui Cho.