Robert Goren Law and Oder Criminal Intent and Carl Rogers Personality Theory
Carl Roger’s is a renowned psychologist that propagated the Personality Theory which explains the behaviors and characteristics of an individual. The argument shows that the formation of a person’ self-concept results from self-actualization behavior. He said that the self-actualizing characteristics determine a person’s personality. The self-actualization tendencies are as a consequence of the events and the environment in which a person grows up in, as well as the person’s genetic make-up. The environment provides the stimulus that prompts responses from the person. A repeat of the stimuli prompts the development of a self-concept. For any individual to develop self-concept, positive regards are essential. These can be either conditional or unconditional. The unconditional positive regard does not have preconceived value notions while conditional positive regard has notions on what should be done for a person to be successful or influential. People develop the self-concept based on the conditional positive regard.
Law and order: Criminal Intent, Robert Goren, nicknamed Bobby is one of the stars who helped understand the Personality theory as explained by Carl Rogers. Goren is a detective in the series who has helped solve many cases related to narcotics. He comes from a troubled family as his brother is a drug addict and a gambler, while his mother suffered from schizophrenia. These issues affected his work, for example, his brother was an addict while he was a narcotics detective. The knowledge of his brother’s problem affected his work output, and he struggled to hide it from his peers and help his brother. After successful serving in the narcotics unit at Brooklyn North, he was transferred to the Major Case Squad and was later partnered with a celebrated cop, Alexandra Eames.
Robert Goren uses unorthodox methods to grill his suspects. His colleagues dislike these methods, and that is the reason his peers at the Narcotic Unit refused to work with him despite helping solve many cases. Eames also disliked him for the unorthodox means he used but after seeing that they were always successful, she came to respect him. Suspects stood no chance under him. One of the reasons for his grilling and interviewing techniques is that he had previously served in the army. The military is known for ensuring that it got to the bottom if the things it investigated, regardless of the methods employed. The police force, on the other hand, relied on specific codes and tackles which Goren refused to apply. He nurtured the unorthodox methods and tackles while in the army, building a personality that worked for that particular job.
In one of his unusual behaviors, he goes undercover to expose abuse meted on prisoners. He was attracted to the plight of the prisoners and mentally ill patients because his mother was a schizophrenic. Instead of successfully exposing the prisoner abuse as he wanted, he fell for mind games and even gets suspended from active service. He, however, gets reinstated without undergoing a psychiatrist evaluation. The fact he has meticulous record contributed significantly to his reinstatement. However, a therapist examination would have been necessary to determine whether his abilities were affected by the time spent in the mental ward, and also, whether his family problems affect his work and judgment.
Additionally, it is clear that Goren suffers from childhood and paternal neglect. His father was a gambler who made their lives difficult by disappearing from their lives in his pre-teenager years. His mother, on the other hand, depended on him for care since his brother was a drug addict, and a gambler who was unable to look after himself let alone take care of his ailing mother. Therefore, Goren was forced to grow up at a very early age, and take care after those who ought to have raised him. It is, therefore, likely that he has some issues with his self, such as his real identity. Many of his feelings are bottled up and hidden behind a façade of a sober man, who has everything under control while in real sense, he does not. His family is damaged, and his brother is homeless, their father left them, and the mother is sick and dependent on him. The only thing that Goren has is his job, and it is not a wonder that he uses it to show that he is doing well. That is why he uses unorthodox methods in his investigations, interviews with suspects and even has a ‘blunt’ courtroom humor. All these point to the fact that Goren is not as stable as he appears, and would benefit from a psychologist. Besides, he lacks a male figure, especially a father figure to guide him through his life and help him adjust to his current life.
Also, it is clear that Robert suffers from the post-romantic Stress Syndrome. He admires and even loves Nicole Wallace. She is the only female that he has allowed to know him intricately; their breakup leaves him devastated as she is the only one with interrogative skills equal to his. Both make a great team and therefore, the breakup leaves him more damaged. He fails to trust and love any other female for the fear that the relationship is doomed to fail, just like his and Olivia. For someone with a background of abandonment as his, it is a wonder that he allowed Olivia to know him so well. It was a risk that he pays for by remaining tightly sheltered in his shell, never attempting to come out and lead a normal life. From Carl Roger’s Humanistic Personality theory, Roger had a difficult time growing up. His father abandoned him at an early age and forced to take care of his mother and brother. That is the reason he developed trust issues. Due to that, and the fact that the one woman he loved and trusted broke up with him caused him to go back into his cocoon once more.
Additionally, one of Goren’s methods of getting suspects to break in the interrogation room. His methods of breaking a suspect, so that he gets a conviction for a particular case are unorthodox and dreaded by even his workmates. That is the primary reason he was transferred from the Narcotics Unit to the Major case Squad despite his success at the Narcotics. Additionally, he was paired with a female cop, who a suffered similar loss as his because she had lost her husband. The two of them disliked each other for their hand-handedness but became fond of each other after proving themselves to each other. They even developed a brother-sister relationship. This is seen from Carl Roger’s View in his Humanistic personality theory. Their losses and similarities in behavior, whereby both are successful in their careers and respected, brought them closer. However, they both have trust issues due to the losses they have suffered in their lives. It is no wonder then they have to prove their capabilities if they are to work together. Goren was rejected by the fellow narcs due to his methods despite the success he brought the unit. Cops, on the other hand, kept of Eames. Therefore, the two were fit for each other, as they were also lonely, and had no other relations at work. Their personalities contributed to their success at work. Both use manipulation and other similar tricks to get the criminals they seek. Their character and the environment they had growing up, together with events and stimuli received contributes to the personality they currently exhibit.
Goren also suffers from what is known as the Narcissistic Personality Disorder. In his early days in the series, he tried to mask his real personality. He needed to get the police role hence had to act less quirky so that he would get the role. However, once settled and comfortable in his job, he changes to what were see. The Goren at the beginning of the show who is seen brooding is a bar, is different from the one we see in a courtroom examining suspects and witnesses. It is likely that we are yet to see the end of him; he may do something that is unexpected as he appears to remain a work that is yet to be fully built. According to, narcissistic personality emanates from the fact that he has not known consistency while growing up. He faced many challenges that demanded that he find ways of adapting to a situation. For example, at eleven years he had to look after his mother and brother after his father deserted them. Later on, he leaves his brother to care for their schizophrenic mother and joins the army in a bid to support his family. However, his brother neglects his duties forcing him to quit his service and relocate, find a job in the police department so that he could care for his mother. Before he adjusts to life in the force, he is moved from the Narcotic Unit to the Major Case Squad and has to build a relationship with Eames and still deal with the emotional turmoil that resulted from his break up with Olivia Wallace.
References
Ewen, R. B. (2014). An introduction to theories of personalities. New York: Psychology Press.
Gelso, C. J., Williams, E. N., & Fretz, B. R. (2014). Counseling psychology. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
Mayer, J. (2014, April 1). Five Advances in how Psychologists View Personality. The Personality Analyst, pp. 56-58.
SCHULTZ, D. P. (2013). Theories of personality. Belmont: Wadsworth.
