A Psychological Case Study of Marilyn Monroe
Introduction
Norma Jean, most famously known as Marilyn Monroe was a famous actress in Hollywood that was one of the biggest sex symbols to come by in the 1900’s. Marilyn Monroe did not start out as an actress or one of the world’s biggest sex symbols, she began her career as a model. Monroe began work in a weapons factory in Burbank, California, where she was later discovered by a photographer. She was married to her first husband Jimmy Dougherty who was a marine. Jimmy had been deployed for some time and when he returned in 1946, Monroe had a fruitful career as a model, and she also changed her name from Norma Jean Baker to Marilyn Monroe in preparation for an acting career (Cinnamon,
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She wanted to be someone entirely different, the old saying “out with the old and in with the new” was her gospel (Cinnamon 2015). She gave up her old identity possibly because of how damaged, unloved, and insecure it was for a new start in which she now had control over.
Diagnosis
Marilyn Monroe had borderline personality disorder but during her time she was diagnosed with borderline paranoid schizophrenia which is a term that is no longer used. Borderline personality disorder is shaped by detrimental childhood experiences or brain dysfunctions. People with this disorder have a hard time balancing out emotions and experience inner and outer conflicts. They often yearn for loving environments or relationships and have a fear of being alone but due to their frequent and irrational mood swings they push people away (Flavin, 2014).
People with BPD often have rapid changes of themselves because they have an unstable sense of who they are. They see themselves in a negative view of being bad or do not feel like they exist. With an unstable self- image it can lead to a recurrent change in friendships, values, goals, and gender identity (Flavin,
People with Borderline Personality Disorder tend to view the world as simple as possible. People who view the world like this, confuse the actions of others. (Hoermann et al, 2005) Recurrent thoughts about their relationships with others, lead them to experience extreme emotional reactions, great agony which they have a hard time controlling, which would result in engaging in self-destructive behaviors. Diagnosing a patient with this disorder can be challenging which is why is it is labeled as one of the difficult ones to diagnose. (Hoermann et al, 2005)
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a disorder in which individuals display overall instability, major shifts in mood, unstable self-images or relationships, and impulsivity
416). It is easy to see how a person suffering from these biological abnormalities would exhibit the symptoms of BPD. The psychodynamic approach to understanding BPD cites need that are not met in childhood. In this theory, the caregiver is inconsistent. This inconsistency results in the child not being able to feel secure in the relationship (Boag, 2014). Children who are unable to develop secure relationships are taught that they cannot rely on people, and are therefore insecure in their interpersonal relationships. Cognitive theorists see personality disorders as developing from adaptive behaviors that they have formed that are considered over or underdeveloped in general society (Sampson, McCubbin, and Tyrer, 2006). In this theory people with BPD develop adaptive behaviors, often to inconsistent behaviors of parents (Reinecke & Ehrenreich, 2005). These adaptive behaviors are considered maladaptive, because they work to counteract the inconsistent behaviors of the caregiver, but do not work when the person tries to use them in their everyday life. In the humanistic model, psychologists maintain that people have an ingrained desire to self-actualize (Comer, 2014, p. 53). Children who are not shown unconditional love, develop “conditions of worth” (Comer, 2014, p. 53). These children do not develop accurate senses of themselves; therefore, they are unable to establish identities. Due to their lack of personal identity, they learn to base their self-worth on others. In socio-cultural theorists argue that BPD is due to a rapidly changing culture (Comer, 2014, p. 418). The change in culture leads to a loss of support systems. These support systems help to counteract many of the symptoms of BPD: little or no sense of self, anxiety, and emptiness. Many of these theories relate back to the experiences of people in their childhood. Children develop based on the treatment and security they receive from their caregivers. When there is inconsistent reliability, children
Some of the key components of BPD include self-harm, or suicidal thoughts and actions, dichotomous thinking, and low emotional granularity. People that present with reoccurring suicidal thoughts and actions, combined with a fear of abandonment, are commonly diagnosed with BPD. These two characteristics make BPD easily recognizable, but this diagnoses is often not used. The emotional volatility, recurrent crises, and self-injurious behaviors of those with BPD are often seen as willfully manipulative episodes, and not a sign of illness. (Gunderson, 2011) Yet, it is important to take these thoughts and actions seriously, as one never knows when someone may actually decide to end their life.
June 1, 1926 in Los Angeles, California Norma Jeane Mortenson was born. She never knew her father and her mother is Gladys Baker, Gladys has psychiatric problems and was placed into a mental institution. One of Monroe's earliest memories of her mother is Gladys trying to smother her with a pillow in her crib (“Marilyn Monroe.”). As she grew up, she spent most of her time in eleven foster homes and one orphanage. (“18 Things...Monroe.”). Until she was seven she was in foster homes until her mother got her back but soon after her mother was declared insane and had to go to a psychiatric hospital (Bradshaw, Lauren). While Monroe was in foster homes she was sexually
Marilyn Monroe is an icon that is idolized by many and had a great impact on pop culture. She didn’t have the best childhood and had a lot of up and downs in her life. Marilyn Monroe was born in California in 1926. She was named Norma Jeane Mortenson after a popular actress at the time. Her mother Gladys Baker was mentally ill, so she had to put Monroe in foster care. She lived in a foster home until she was seven years old. She had two other siblings from her mother’s first marriage. She never met them because her mom’s first husband took them to live with him in Kentucky.
Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jeane Mortenson. A devious soul but a pure heart, a black past, but a bright future; she became one of the most idolized figures in society. Norma was definitely not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and she never sugar coated her life to the media. She was straight forward which made her heavily known for her quotes such as “I learned to walk as a baby and I haven’t had a lesson since.” (Marilyn Monroe). This was the beginning to her life story as a hero. This may not seem inspiring or heroic to many by the lack of knowledge a person may have on Norma. In the depths of her quotes lay a deep, heartfelt life though. For this quote may seem sensational and comical to the ear, but Marilyn was transferred to many foster homes not really having a parent that would show her the way. What a good role model would do though, and what Norma courageously has shown society, is that when life knocks you down, get up and hit life back twice as hard. Norma Jeane Mortenson, married Jim Dougherty, and started working. Soon she created the character Marilyn Monroe, she dyed her hair blonde, wore short dresses, and she became the momentous and inspirational character that everyone saw through television, newspapers, and photos. She was one of the greatest actors, singers, and models of the nineteen forties and fifties. But like every hero they suffer and create their own demise. Jeane, Marilyn Monroe, is a shakespearean tragic hero, because like every hero she must fall.
Could you picture yourself being brought face to face with an individual who has a personality similar to a mind field? In other words where or when he/she will explode is never known. This type of personality disorder is called Borderline Personality Disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder is one of the most scariest and hidden disorders that have baffled our society as well as many health professionals for many years. The DSM IV defines borderline personality disorder as a “pervasive pattern of instability of self image, interpersonal relationships, and mood”. (Bliss, 1986) After reading the DSM IV’s definition, the true meaning of BPD still wasn’t clear. Excluding fancy words, the reality of BPD is simple-a person has a low opinion of self and a low opinion of all surrounding factors that self is forced to be involved with. Whether it’s relationships with lovers, friends, or family the perception of these facets is a negative one in the eyes of BPD patient. Although having such horrible thoughts and feelings towards loved one’s seems bad enough, the seriousness of this problem is that BPD patients don’t speak of their feelings, they keep them bottled up inside. As you know, you can stretch a rubber band pretty far, but sooner or later it’s bound to break. It’s this breaking that really brings out unbelievable rage towards self and loved one’s.
During their 30s and 40s, the majority of individuals with this disorder attain greater stability in their relationships and vocational functioning” (para. 5). Follow up studies show that after 10 years of going through outpatient mental health clinics about 50% of individuals no longer show behavior of BPD (LeMon, 2012).
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a very common personality disorder that is often confused with Bipolar disorder. Unlike Bipolar disorder which is when a person’s mood changes from depression to manic, borderline personality disorder is when a person suffers from unstable emotions, behavior and relationships with others and themselves. Individuals who suffer from severe BPD often have manic/ psychotic encounters. This disorder is very common in young adults, especially in women of every race and ethnicity. BPD was first added to the addition of DSM-III in 1980. Borderline Personality disorder can be linked to many other disorders such as depression, eating disorders, bipolar depression, schizophrenia and/or attempted or completed suicides. According to National Institute of Mental Health: about 85 percent of people with BPD also meet the diagnostic criteria for another mental illness. Medical Professionals take interest in this disorder because it is deep rooted and irregular unlike many other disorders. 1 in every 25 individual’s live with this disorder
An estimated 1.6%-5.9% of the adult population in the United States has BPD, with nearly 75% of the people who are diagnosed being women. Symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder include Frantic efforts to avoid being abandoned by friends and family, Unstable personal relationships that alternate between idealizations, Distorted and unstable self-image, Impulsive behaviors that can have dangerous outcomes, Suicidal and self-harming behavior, Periods of intense depressed mood, irritability or anxiety lasting a couple hours/days, Chronic feelings of boredom or emptiness, Inappropriate, intense or uncontrollable anger - often followed by shame and guilt, and Dissociative feelings. The three main factors that could cause this mental illness are Genetics, Environmental factors, and Brain function. This illness can only be diagnosed by a mental health professional after a series of interviews with the patient and family/friends of the patient. The patient must also have at least five of the nine symptoms of this illness in order to be diagnosed. The most common treatment for this illness is some form of psychotherapy. Some other treatment options are to prescribe medications and if needed a short-term
According to American National Biography, Marilyn Monroe was formerly known as Norma Jeane Mortenson. She was an American actress and model. Her mom, Gladys Pearl Baker was a flapper, and was unstable and was not ready for a child so she had financial problems with Marilyn Monroe. After Monroe's birth, Baker placed monroe with Ida and Albert Bolender. They raised their foster kids with a strict Christian perspective. When her mom felt stable enough and decided to take Monroe back and live in Hollywood, until she had a psychotic breakdown and was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. After her breakdown Baker spent the rest of her life in and out of institutions and
Borderline Personality disorder (BPT) is defined as “a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and marked impulsivity, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts.” (DSM, 2000) When diagnosing a patient with Borderline Personality Disorder a doctor must ask the patient numerous questions about his or her history and life. There is a criterion that a patient must have in order to be considered BPD. The patient must experience five or more of the following symptoms. They may go through frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment such as staying solitary or making threats towards themselves in order to guilt loved ones. People with BPD tend to be very sensitive to their environmental circumstances. They may feel anger and anxiety simply from a friend being tardy. (DSM, 2000)
As a young child, Marilyn had trouble making friends her age. The only friend she had was her dog Tippy. Everyday Tippy would eagerly await her arrival. One day when, Tippy is killed from an accident, Marilyn was startled by his death. This traumatic event affected her so much that she was inconsolable for weeks. This could have lead to Maslow’s safety need for protection. Individuals motivated by this need, include physical security, stability, dependency, protection and freedom from threatening forces (Feist & Feist, 2009). Young Marilyn believed Tippy was murdered by the neighbors, and now they are after her too. Her guardian at the time, found this to be disturbing (Taraborrelli, 2010). This explains why she was always seeking protection and needed to depend on others. This was the beginning of her anxiety. This explains why she was always seeking dependency from others.