Introduction
To conduct a case study, I selected a fictional character, Loki from “The Avengers” franchise. This character, even though he is a part of a fantastic world, allows to examine significant behavioral problems and develop a hypothetical treatment plan.
Background Information
The examined client, Loki, is technically an alien from the planet of Asgard, whose inhabitants are known as gods. Loki is described in legends and known by his acquaintances as an evil god, which is based on his typical behavior. Loki mostly preoccupied be constructing plans on conquering the world and sometimes tries to embody these plans. Such attempts have nearly ruined his family relationships and lead to his imprisonment several times.
Among the primary issues affecting Loki’s mental health are the difficulties that he experienced in his childhood. He has felt inferior to his brother, Thor, who had the qualities valued in Asgardian culture: physical strength and luck in a battle, which Loki did not have. For this reason, he felt alienated, despised, and less valued by his parents than Thor. As a young adult, he learned that he is an adopted son, which worsened his relationships with his parents.
In addition, Loki has been through an imprisonment in a supermax facility. After his release, the anger attacks began to occur more frequently than before, as well as anxiety attacks. Distrust and suspicion towards people are also the results of imprisonment.
Loki is considered a person, who is constantly stressed out and unlikely to communicate in a sincere way. His acquaintances often feel repulsed by his mood swings and sudden bursts of aggression. Upon the start of the case management process, Loki has denied the excessive intake of alcohol and any intake of drugs.
The medical information about Loki is currently unavailable due to the fact that he has an extraterrestrial origin. He is currently under various medical examinations and tests, which are to determine if he can undergo any medical treatment.
A cultural component may affect the treatment as well. In Asgardian culture, only physical damages are recognized as medical problems, and it is not common to believe that mental problems need treatment. The fact that Loki is affected by this view makes the treatment more complicated.
Current Behaviors
At the moment, Loki is concerned about his addiction with evil plans and alienation from family, as well as friendlessness. As it was mentioned above, Loki is demonstrating frequent mood swings. He often goes through anger attacks, during which he breaks things and screams at other people. While having an anxiety attack, he feels like people around him are planning to imprison him again. Loki feels uncomfortable and distrustful when someone tries to help him.
Current and Future Treatment
The current treatment plan for Loki includes a cognitive behavioral therapy to manage his anger disorder and social anxiety (Erwin, Heimberg, Schneier, & Liebowitz, 2003). His therapist has mentioned that no less than 12 sessions are necessary and that the gap between sessions should be around 2 weeks. The therapy is supplemented by online communication between Loki and the therapist since the latter believes that such type of communication is preferable for the client. In addition, he has recently applied for rehabilitative services for ex-inmates. Even though these services are not developed for the former supermax prisoners, they seem to be beneficial for the progress of the treatment. The prospective treatment will include the use of antidepressants (particularly fluoxetine) to manage Loki’s mood swings unless medical tests prove Loki to be intolerant to terrestrial drugs. Aside from it, I have recommended that Loki joins some community service organization or even attend academic classes to communicate more frequently once the therapy produces results, and his social anxiety weakens.
Theoretical Explanation of the Case
According to Zervas and Sherman, parental favoritism or alleged favoritism has a strong negative impact on the self-esteem of the less loved child (1994, p. 32). In addition, the fact that Loki does not possess the qualities necessary for an Asgardian man lead to parental disapproval, which also had a negative influence on his self-esteem, making him feel unwanted and worthless (Kernis, Brown & Brody, 2000, p. 244-245). It is known that traumatic childhood makes a person more likely to demonstrate criminal behavior as an adult (Masten & Garmezy, 1985, p. 3), which is true in Loki’s case. The conflict with law caused his imprisonment in a supermax facility. Imprisonment itself leads to numerous mental issues; supermax imprisonment has an even harsher effect. The study conducted by C. Haney suggests that ex-inmates, who have been imprisoned in a supermax facility, face such problems as anxiety attacks, social anxiety, sudden panic, anger attacks, and others (2001, p. 130-131). However, it is possible that Loki had been inclined to social isolation and sudden anger attacks before, and the incarceration has made the problem worse. Like the majority of ex-inmates, Loki is facing problems with communication and social life after his release (Haney, 2003, p. 59).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the client is facing typical post-release problems in combination with the outcomes of a traumatic childhood. The treatment includes a cognitive behavioral therapy and inmate-oriented rehabilitative services.
References
Erwin, B.A., Heimberg, R.G., Schneier, F.R., & Liebowitz, M.R. (2003) Anger experience and expression in social anxiety disorder: Pretreatment profile and predictors of attrition and response to cognitive-behavioral treatment. Behavior Therapy, 34(1), 331-350.
Haney, C. (2001). Mental health issues in long-term solitary and “supermax” confinement. Crime & Delinquency, 49(1), 124-156.
Haney, C. (2003). The psychological impact of incarceration: implications for post-prison adjustment. In J. Travis & M. Waul (Eds.). Prisoners once removed: the impact of incarceration and re-entry on children, families, and communities (pp. 33-66). Washington, D.C.: Urban Institute Press.
Kernis, M.H., Brown, A.C. & Brody, G.H. (2000). Fragile self-esteem in children and its associations with perceived patterns of parent-child communication. Journal of Personality, 68(2), 225-252.
Masten, A. & Garmezy, N. (1985). Risk, vulnerability and protective factors in developmental psychopathology. In F. Lahey & A. Kazdin (Eds.). Advances in clinical child psychology (pp. 1-52). New York City, NY: Plenum.
Zervas, L.J. & Sherman, M.F. (1994). The relationship between perceived parental favoritism and self-esteem. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 155(1), 25-33.