Minnesota Youth Charged With Murder

Minnesota Youth Charged With Murder

Analysis of Ratzlaff case according to principles of Psychology of Mind (POM) theory

In April 2006 Jeremiah Ratzlaff, a 16-year-old youth from Minnesota, was charged with murdering his father. Psychology of Mind (POM) theory, which proposes that all people have innate wellness and the potential for healthy functioning, is used to investigate the etiology of this offence, predictive factors and prevention strategies to prevent this type of crime, as well as possible criminal justice responses to this offence.

Criminal behavior is described and understood using theoretical models. These models are based in concepts that attempt to explain the root causes of deviance and how they are further expressed through certain actions. It's difficult to understand or gain perspective on what could drive a person to commit a crime as heinous as murder. In spring of 2006, a 16-year-old youth, Jeremiah Ratzlaff, was charged with murder. Allegedly, Ratzlaff shot his own father in the back of the head, hid his body and further spoke to a friend regarding plans of burning the body (Stodghill, 2006; Stodghill, 2006). The youth expressed to a friend that he and his father got into and argument which escalated to his father pushing him around. Ratzlaff then went and retrieved a sawed-off shotgun from inside the house and shot his father in the head. He then placed the body in a brush pile close to the family's property and intended to return later and burn the body. How can behavior like this be explained? How is it possible for a person to reasonably believe that this sort of deviant behavior is a right, justified response to any situation?

Theorists utilize several different approaches to understand criminal behavior, and many are based in the fundamental principle that humans are either a) innately good or b) innately bad. Although this may seem over simplified, most theories uses this as a basis to explain behavior and its possible causes, the role of environmental factor, as well as predictive factors and possible treatments and interventions to curb problem behaviors.

Psychology of Mind (POM) theory can be used to explain all forms of criminal and delinquent behavior through the logic of certain principles, and an accurate advanced understanding of these principles could contribute immensely to the field of criminology (Kelley, 1996). POM encompasses the three major principles of mind, consciousness and thought.

Mind, according to POM, is the ultimate source of experience. It is the source of the offender's thoughts, the offender's emotions and perceptions, as well as ability to have sensual experiences of the outside world (Kelley, 1996). Kelley (1996) offered the analogy of a movie projector to describe how an offender's thoughts are essentially projected from within to create an experience of life. Mind creates how we think about things, and it operates before thought. Therefore, it is conceptually impossible to have an intellectually complete or accurate model of mind. In regards to criminality, POM defines the mind of an offender as a neutral projector of all thoughts, which in its natural state is designed to function in a way that promotes health, intelligence, wisdom, and high self-esteem (Kelley, 1996).

Consciousness, the second major principle involved in POM, is defined as an offender's ability to be fully aware of an external reality (Kelley, 1996). This is the principle that uses the senses to bring thoughts to life, where thoughts are converted into experience. In the movie projector analogy offered by Kelley (1996), consciousness would be the light in the way that it is the power that makes images created by thought appear as a reality to the senses. The mind orchestrates thought and consciousness for the production of an experienced reality.

The third and final principle involved in POM theory is thought. Since mind and consciousness are both constants according to POM theory, thought is the only variable in psychological functioning (Kelley, 1996). In regards to the movie projector analogy, thought would be the film whose images come into existence when light (consciousness) is shone through it (Kelley, 1996). Moreover, POM sees thought as a natural life function, the ability of an offender to create images within his own being. Thought is a continuous process that is the source of moment to moment, changing life experience (Kelley, 1996).

There are two distinct, observable modes of thinking that dictate how thoughts are generated and used by offenders (Kelley, 1996). The first mode is called original or unconditioned thought, which is a rational, innate, insightful thought process. This is the source of common sense, psychological health, positive change and perspective (Kelley, 1996). This is the thought process which seems to be natural and unnoticed by most people, whereby people experience practical ideas and insights about their lives and gain greater understanding and perspective (Kelley, 1996). This represents the way the mind was intended to function, and learning occurs mostly through a process of realization and insight. Furthermore, original thought allows unconditioned modes of learning through insight to dominate (Kelley, 1996).

The second mode of thinking recognized by POM is conditioned or reactive thought (Kelley, 1996). This process involves the application of conditioned learning to circumstances, and it is a noticeable process that requires deliberate effort. The main goal in the utilization of this process is to forcefully find solutions and understandings based on a familiar personal frame of reference. Objectivity, creative ideas, and clarity do not come into play with this thought process, which is conditioned and results in experiences that are redundant and predictable (Kelley, 1996). This mode of thinking is what is generally considered by most to be "thought" since it is how we learned to deliberately use our mind (Kelley, 1996). The understandings gained through conditioned thought are based more on the apparent and interpretation rather than objectivity and insight (Kelley, 1996). The forms in which this mode of thinking takes are series of preconceptions, fixed attitudes, prejudices and expectations. The thought system of an offender predictably takes external events and circumstances and organizes them into specific perceptual patterns that fit with a predetermined personal reference frame (Kelley, 1996).

According to POM, the reason offenders commit crimes is because they are completely unaware of the screening and translating functions involved in thought systems (Kelley, 1996). This causes offenders to truly believe that their experienced beliefs, thoughts, and prejudices are in fact accurate representations of reality and not the subjective conditioned interpretations of circumstances that they actually are (Kelley, 1996). However, every offender is capable of the health unconditioned thinking that promotes understanding, perspective and psychological health, and prevention and treatment initiatives based on the principles of POM address these factors.

POM theory can be used to interpret and explain the murder case in which 16-year-old Jeremiah Ratzlaff killed his father with a gunshot to the head. The main principles of POM can give clarity to why this crime occurred and to what measures may be employed to predict and prevent the likelihood of crimes of this nature in the future. In addition POM theory may provide a foundational basis for treatment and criminal justice interventions for this crime.

Etiology

What factors led to Jeremiah killing his own father? Several different approaches could be use in attempts to understand the details of this case. Theories of criminology that postulate the causation of deviant behavior often blend philosophical underpinnings with political ideology (Gregory, 2004). POM theory, which focuses on the inherent existence of wellness and potential within all people, could be used to identify factors involved in the Ratzlaff case that caused this youth to murder his father. At the root of all deviant behavior, according to POM, are feelings of insecurity and certain mood states (Kelley, 1996). Insecurity predisposes offenders toward unhealthy conditioned or reactive thinking. The degree to which an offender engages in conditioned or reactive thinking is directly correlated with the experience of insecure feelings. This relationship is the root cause of all delinquent behavior according to POM. Furthermore, the more insecure that an offender feels, the more likely he is to respond to situations using maladaptive insights and information based on past experience. This response is most likely the expression of an urge for deviant behavior in order to somehow relieve insecure feelings, even if it is temporary. Feelings of insecurity and subsequent conditioned thinking are the main components underlying criminality, and when an offender is entrenched in this state, he feels that it is necessary to take whatever measures in order to validate or prove his own personal warped view of reality. This often results in a continuous cycle of deviant, criminal behavior (Kelley, 1996).

One could postulate that Jeremiah Ratzlaff was plagued with feelings of insecurity when he committed the crime of murder against his father. The insecurities he felt caused him to resort to reactive, conditioned thinking, which is generally maladaptive. This type of thinking would cause him to make decisions to behave in certain desperate ways that would validate his worldview. His worldview probably included the idea that his father was an awful person, and that violence would be the only answer to the problems and difficulties he experienced with his father. If his father had been violent with him, Jeremiah would have that experience to draw upon in order to solve problems. He may have seen violence as the only way out of the situation. Moreover, Jeremiah's extreme insecurity led him to be fully engaged in conditioned thinking, which compelled him to assert the validity of his worldview by any means necessary. In this instance, that meant resorting to murder in order to prove that he was right.

Where do these feelings of insecurity originate from? According to POM, insecurities are not a result of circumstances or life events. On the contrary, POM suggests that the source of insecure feelings exists within the mind of the offender and occurs as a function of different mood states (Kelley, 1996). The reason why a certain person may have feelings of insecurity in one instance but not in another, even under identical circumstances, stems from mood. When individuals experience an over-all sense of well-being, insecurities diminish. However, when individuals' moods drop, insecurities creep in and the tendency to resort to reactive, habitual thinking is highly likely.

Furthermore, POM theory suggests that moods combined with insecurities and conditioned thinking spawns a continuous cycle of maladaptive thought that results in maladaptive behavior. This phenomenon is considered to be at the core of all forms of criminal and delinquent behavior (Kelley, 1996). Due to low mood, an offender has feelings of insecurity which results in the reliance on conditioned thinking. This further activates automatic thought patterns and conditioned beliefs, which are generally faulty. This state of mind lends to the experience of a self-created negative perception of reality without the awareness of the psychological processes involved or how it could be remedied. The presence of this condition greatly increases the likelihood of criminal, self-destructive, or delinquent behavior (Kelley, 1996).

According to POM it is necessary to assume that Jeremiah Ratzlaff was experiencing lower mood states when he committed murder. It is possible, and quite likely, that Jeremiah suffered from a mood disorder, like depression or bipolar disorder, which results in extremely low moods. These low mood states caused the experience of insecure feelings, which subsequently led to conditioned thinking and the decision to engage in the criminal behavior of murder. Moodiness would explain why Jeremiah was pushed to murder his father in this instance and not in others, when it is most likely that he and his father had similar altercations in the past that did not result in extreme violence. Jeremiah's exceptionally low mood on this day caused him to have insecurities. These insecurities prompted him to conditionally react to the situation at hand by behaving in the most violent, extreme way possible in order to prove the validity of his worldview - essentially his father was wrong and he was right. Jeremiah was unable to reasonably assess the appropriateness of his reactive behavior due to the fact that he was unaware of the psychological processes underlying his decision making.

POM proposes that all individuals have a natural and innate capacity for healthy psychological functioning (Kelley, 1996). Youth are therefore not inherently predisposed to delinquent behavior by nature, unlike the ideas proposed by social control theory (Kelley, 1996). According to POM, all individuals are born with healthy attributes such as unconditional positive self-worth, common sense, intrinsic desire to learn, and satisfaction in understanding and socially mastering the environment (Kelley, 1996). Furthermore, due to these inherent qualities, self-esteem is considered by POM to be an effortless and automatic condition of being that does not require instruction, strengthening or development. In the natural condition of high self-esteem, thinking is unconditioned and responsive and lends to common sense, insights and peace of mind.

According to POM, the likelihood of deviant and criminal behavior increases in youth when low mood states lead to feelings of insecurity and the reliance on reactive, conditioned modes of thinking and decision making (Kelley, 1996). It is suggested by POM theory that making youth aware of these psychological processes may result in an understanding of the source of certain urges and a reduction in criminal behavior (Kelley, 1996).

POM theory would propose that Jeremiah Ratzlaff was not inherently destined for the criminal behavior he engaged in. The innately healthy psychological attributes Jeremiah possessed at birth were compromised later in life due to the development of conditioned, reactive thought patterns as a result of mood induced insecurities. This conditioned mode of thinking caused him to lose the high self-esteem he was born with. This lack of high self-esteem resulted in the loss of the ability for unconditioned, responsive thought, which meant a subsequent loss of common sense, loss of insight, and increased psychological disturbance. The ultimate result of this shift away from natural unconditioned thought was Jeremiah's decision to act upon urges and murder his father.

Some theorists that adhere to social containment theory of criminal behavior explain how delinquency results from certain inner psychological pushes and outer environmental pulls. It is argued that containment is necessary to adequately deal with these forces (Kelley, 1996). Emphasis is also placed by these theorists on a good self-concept, which is considered to be the most important and primary inner containment of behavior. POM theory does not view these pushes and pulls in the same light. According to POM, all of these concepts proposed by containment theory are constructs of personal interpretation that are created by each individual's thought mechanisms (Kelley, 1996).

POM theory would interpret the criminal behavior of Jeremiah Ratzlaff as a product of insecurities that result from conditioned interpretational beliefs. He was conditioned to believe, most likely through maltreatment, that his father was deserving of violence. These maladaptive interpretations and subsequent violent behavior occurred in states of low mood. Unlike containment theory, POM would explain Jeremiah's behavior as the result of habitual negative feelings that are reinforced continually through conditioned thought beliefs, rather than constant psychological drives and impulses. Also, the impact that environmental factors had on Jeremiah's behavior would also be seen as not constant, and as influential only when low mood state left him insecure and vulnerable to the effects of external situations or circumstances. Furthermore, in order for Jeremiah to behave due to internal urges or external influences, he must have believed that they were necessary, justified, and valid.

Prediction and Prevention

It may be argued that certain interventions could have been implemented that would have prevented the horrific crime perpetrated by Jeremiah Ratzlaff. In order for these intervention measures to be taken, predictors in Jeremiah's demeanor or behavior would have had to be identified. Psychology of Mind theory would indicate some directions in regards to prevention strategies, but predictors would need to be identified using a broader scope.

There are several variable social and psychological factors that may contribute to whether or not youth partake in deviant behavior (Winfree & Bernat, 1998). Traits and behaviors predictive of extremely violent behavior need to be identified in order for effective prevention initiatives to be implemented. Some predictive factors include childhood externalizing behavior (Liu, 2004), quality of relationships (Poulin, Dishion, Haas, 1999), negative school environment (Noguera, 2003), association with delinquent peers (Flom, Friedman, Kottiri, Neaigus, Curtic, 2001; Wong, 1999), teacher and peer labeling (Adams, Robertson, Gray-Ray, Ray, 2003), maladaptive family environments (Oxford, Harachi, Catalano, Abbott, 2001) parental suffering from affective disorder (Su, Hofman, Gerstein, Johnson, 1997), social skills deficits (Dishion, Nelson, Bullock, Winter, 2004), and alcohol abuse (Higgins, G.E. & Davis Marcum, C., 2005). The presence of any one or combination of these factors may indicate the necessity for interventions that would prevent the advent of violent, delinquent behavior.

Along with any of these factors, Psychology of Mind theory would suggest that lower mood states and conditioned thinking patterns may also be predictive of future delinquent behavior. If adolescents experiencing chronic low mood states could be identified, appropriate measures could be taken by parents or teachers to ensure that the youths' mental health improves and violent behavior is furthermore prevented.

Prevention initiatives in line with Psychology of Mind theory would focus in on the basic concept of thought recognition (Kelley & Stack, 2000). By making at-risk youth aware of their thought processes and the mood states that dictate them, they are given a sense of control over themselves and their behavior. Most widely known strategies for the prevention of adolescent deviance are based in the belief that there is some key component missing from the lives of these troubled youths and that this component must be provided to them in order for delinquent behavior to be prevented (Kelley & Stack, 2000). Unfortunately, these types of initiatives have not consistently resulted in prevention of problem behavior among youths. POM would argue that this lack of success is due to the fact that youths are not being empowered to use their inherent abilities to recognize their own moods and thought patterns and how they affect behavior. POM instead would promote an inherent wellness model of prevention that focuses on prevention from the inside-out (Kelley & Stack, 2000). This approach is based in the core belief that all people, including youth at risk for deviant behavior, have an innate ability to function in a way that is healthy, mature, and conducive to crime-free life. This naturally inherent capacity for healthy functioning, according to POM, is characterized by free-flowing thought, and individuals are prone to delinquent, deviant behavior when these thoughts are distorted by faulty thought habits (Kelley & Stack, 2000). Through prevention efforts, this intrinsic natural resource that has the potential to alleviate warped thought patterns that lead to deviant behavior can be "reawakened, drawn out, and applied to eliminate all adolescent health-damaging behavior (Kelley & Stack, 2000, p.550)."

Kelley & Stack (2000) suggested that there are two factors that seem to aid adolescents to take charge of their moods and thoughts, and therefore their perceived worlds. First, it is necessary to make youths aware of the way in which their reality is determined moment by moment. Making youths aware that their perceptions and their views of life result from thought processes allows them to begin to take control of their experiences and their behaviors. Initially, this awareness results in increased self-efficacy and the ability to have improved management of moods and behavior. Second, youths must be aware that these healthy, functional, responsive thought patterns are always present and accessible. This further allows individuals to relax with the understanding that it is possible to rely on modes of thinking that require no effort and are ruled by common sense and not prior learning or memories. This latter mode of thought results in maladaptive behavior. Moreover, Kelley & Stack (2000) express prevention efforts based in POM as follows:

If adolescents are exposed to concepts of mental health in ways that relate to their own experiences, as well as responded to in ways that engage their healthier states of mind (i.e., free-flowing thinking), and these interactions occur within the context of secure, supportive settings, the results will have a cumulative effect that will reverse the process leading to alienation and deviance (p.550).

Recommended criminal justice responses

According to the principles of POM, how would the criminal justice system go about processing Jeremiah Ratzlaff for committing the murder of his father? Many interventions used by the criminal justice system currently are based around adaptations of strategies for behavioral modification (Doucette, 2004). However, motivation within the offender to make healthy behavioral choices that are deep rooted and for the offender to take responsibility for behavior is unlikely when behavioral change is controlled by outside influences, such as therapists, parents or criminal justice personnel (Doucette, 2004). POM theory posits that outer-containments, such as supervision or restrictions that occur in prisons and programs, are essentially ineffective if the offender does not understand the reasons why or how these outer-containments could be beneficial (Kelley, 1996). An awareness of the principles of POM by both offenders and criminal justice personnel would drastically increase the effectiveness of outer-containments.

Psychological therapy would certainly be the most integral part of a criminal justice response to Jeremiah Ratzlaff's crime. This therapy would essentially educate Jeremiah about how his moods skew the way he perceives situations, himself and other people the way he does, and how these distorted ideas resulted in the crime he committed. He would be shown that he has the ability and the ultimate power to control how he perceives life, which would change his experiences for the better, and make it less likely that he would ever re-offend. Giving Jeremiah this sense of control over himself would reinstate the natural state of high self-esteem that innately lives within all people. This would result in perceptions of understanding, hope, and purpose for Jeremiah.