David Parker Ray was born in November 6, 1939 in Belen, New Mexico. He died in May 28, 2002, at the age of sixty two years. His death was as a result of myocardial infarction. During his life, Ray was linked with serial killings. Approximately fourteen to sixty killings were executed by him. He did his killing operations in the states of New Mexico, in United States. In March 22, 1999, he was apprehended.
The serial killer operated as from 1950 to March 22, 1999. Besides killing people, Ray was suspected of involvement in the torturing of women. His partners in crime also accused him of murdering several people although the evidence was not given. From the police department, he was suspected of killing about sixty people in the state of New Mexico, the town of Truth or Consequences. Parker was nicknamed “Toy-Box Killer”
The atrocious behavior of Ray could be attributed to his childhood. When he was still a child, the American serial killer lived together with his grandfather. He did not live with his father though he knew him. This is because his father had physically molested him. His behavior was also characterized by nervousness when he was around girls. As a result of his shyness, Ray earned himself intimidation from his age mates.
This seclusion experienced by Ray formed the foundation of his new lifestyle alcohol and drugs abuse while he was still a teenager. His teenage experiences did not stop when he was an adult. Instead, they made his habits to progress and turn even worse. The subjects of his frustration, the women who caused him to be sidelined, now became his targets. The serial killer now wanted to pay back and he retaliated by victimizing the women.
Many crimes were also executed by Ray. He had a torture chamber which he had named it as his “toy box” and was the root of his nickname. The torture chamber was homemade and was valued at $100,000. In this torture chamber, he afflicted and apparently murdered his victims. His chamber had different kinds of materials that were his tools of trade. These materials included surgical blades, chains, whips, saws, clamps, pulleys, straps, leg spreaders and saws. The residence of Truth or Consequences town in New Mexico felt the brunt of these tools as Ray, with reinforcement from many of his accomplices, continued to unleash their terror (Glatt 18)
Some other torture implements that were found in the torture room included many sex toys, homemade generator, syringes and illustrations of different ways for causing pain. The atrocity however was not to last forever. Ray saw an end to his atrocities one day on March 22, 1999. This was the day when one of his victims broke loose from the chains that had been used to restrain her in the torture room. The victim was called Cynthia Vigil. Cynthia Vigil escaped while Ray was out to his work. After managing to get the keys to the lock, Vigil unlocked the chains and after outwitting Cindy Hendy in the fight, she ran naked. After informing the police, David Parker Ray was arrested with Cindy Hendy (Glatt 20)
. Two victims were brought by the prosecution during the trial. A mother of one deceased victim was also brought. The victims described the horrific tortures they were subjected to by American serial killer and said that death penalty was not enough for the killer. Instead, they wanted him to be subjected to the same pain that they had gone through. After being held for two and half years to wait for trial and re-trial, Ray died eight months afterwards. He had been sentenced to two hundred and twenty four years in prison.
According to DSM-IV TR, the condition of Ray can be diagnosed medically. It is a mental illness which according to psychiatrists, have an impact in various aspects of one’s life. DSM-IV TR is used in this case for the evaluation. The approach is multiaxial. According to the Axis I of this approach, the disorders like pervasive developmental disorder, anxiety and adjustment, are responsible for serious impairment in someone’s life. Therefore, it is true that Ray had the Axis I disorders, considering his pervasive development.
When the disorders in axis I are overlooked, they persist and result in personality and mental retardation disorders. These new disorders are found in Axis II. The person with personality disorders experiences significant challenge in relating to the world. Such a person will have histrionic as well as antisocial personality disorder. Besides, a lack in interpersonal skills and self-care is another resultant condition. Ray’s life therefore, also had Axis II disorders as reflected by the challenge he had in relating to girls. The axis III disorders concerns the medical conditions like brain injuries and HIV/ AIDS. These may worsen the Axis I and Axis II disorders. From the history of Ray, his death was attributed to myocardial infarction. This may have contributed to his mental condition. (Sue et al 14).
The Axis IV on the other hand describes the psychosocial and environmental problems that affect Axis I or Axis II disorders. Such problems include divorce, relocation, death of loved one and unemployment. Ray went through the Axis IV disorders. This is evidenced by the abuse he received from his father. Lastly, Axis the Global Assessment of Functioning combines all the four axes to obtain their overall impact on one’s life. Ray’s life was therefore as a result of a number of disorders as described above.
Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Psychoanalysis is based on a system of beliefs. These beliefs can help in understanding the root of an atrocious behavior so that intervention would be possible. Among these beliefs are: ridiculous drives largely contributes to the human behavior and thinking. These drives are mainly not mindful. In the effort to bring the drives into consciousness, a resistance is experienced in various forms (Sue et al 16).
In addition the events in someone’s early childhood, besides the inherited form of personality, have a strong bearing in his or her development. In such a development, the conscious view of the reality will conflict with the unconscious material. The result of this conflict is a series of mental instability which includes: depression, neurosis, anxiety and neurotic traits. The effects of the unconscious material if they nothing is done to bring the material into consciousness, would always bring forth the atrocious behavior during the adulthood of someone. Ray’s atrocious behavior thus has a psychoanalytic intervention.
The cognitive behavioral approach involves the use of different approaches as well as therapeutic systems in intervention of an atrocious behavior. The therapies that are combined together include the rational emotive behavior therapy, the cognitive therapy and the multimodal therapy. Depending on the problem being addressed the therapeutic techniques employed in cognitive behavioral approach would vary. However, a record of important events and the allied mind-set, behaviors and thoughts is common (Harevy 194).
. The cognitions, beliefs, assumptions, and evaluations that might be obstructive are questioned and tested in the cognitive behavior approach. For the activities that can possibly to be done away with, they are faced in the cognitive behavior approach while new habits of behaving and reacting are developed. The cognitive behavior approach also integrates mindfulness, relaxation, and distraction techniques in the course of the intervention of an atrocious behavior by the cognitive behavioral approach (Harevy 196).
Through the cognitive behavioral approach, the patient would be able to identify where and when the mind got skewed. However, this may not come overnight. In fact, it is a course. The sessions stretch for long hours of between six and twelve. The goal of this approach is the substitution of dysfunctional behavior with a more sensible and adaptive one.
The humanistic approach to an atrocious behavior is build from several therapies and counseling. On of the approach is the use of developmental theory that was explained by Maslow. The theory puts emphasis on the hierarchy of needs. Human beings derive pleasure and motivation when their needs are met.
Also included in the humanistic approach is the existential psychology which was developed by Rollo May. This theory recognizes the human choice as well as the dreadful aspects of human existence. In addition to the Maslow’s and Roy’s theories, is the humanistic approach factor in Carl Roger’s therapy called the client-centered therapy. The client centered therapy concentrates on the capacity of the clients to strive for self-direction as well as understand their own development (Bernstein 443).
The humanistic approach goes past the pathological or medical model of psychology so that it captures the healthy aspects in the client. This is the reason why the approach strives for the possibility of a dialogue in the meeting between the client and the therapist. In this dialogue, the objective of the therapist is to let the client come near to a healthier version of self, the self-actualization. Therefore, the humanistic approach rely more on motivation (Bernstein 443).
In conclusion, Ray plunged into a psychologically motivated dysfunction that could however be addressed by the psychoanalysis approach, the cognitive behavior approach and the humanistic approach. Each of the approach as it has been explained above could address the atrocious behavior in a distinct way.
The advantage of using the psychoanalytic approach for instance lie in the fact that creating consciousness in the mind of Ray would help in eliminating the problems of his atrocious habit which are triggered by the unconsciousness of his mind. Besides, through the psychoanalytic approach, the point where things went awry would be possible to be spotted.
The cognitive behavior approach complements well with the psychoanalytic approach. This approach relies on the root of the problem. , concerning the case of Parker Ray, the root of his dysfunction is elaborated by the psychoanalysis. With this therefore, the cognitive approach will know how the memory of the childhood of Parker can be forgotten and new things introduced (Bernstein 439).
On the other hand, the humanistic approach will also handle the dysfunction by trying to encourage the acquisition of the different ways that may lead to self-actualization in the life of Ray. This approach can help in identifying the needs that could be missing in the life of ray and at the same time providing a recommendation on how ray can acquire or live without these needs. Therefore, the atrocious behavior that was seen in the life of Ray could have been corrected early enough if the different psychological approaches would have been used.
Work cited
Bernstein D.A. Essentials of Psychology. Cengage Learning. 2010. Print.
Harevy A.G. Cognitive behavioural processes across psychological disorders: a transdiagnostic
approach to research and treatment. Oxford University Press. 2004. Print.
Glatt J. Cries in the Desert. St. Martin's Paperbacks.2002. Print.
Sue David., Sue Wing. and Sue Stanley. Understanding abnormal behavior .Houghton Mifflin. 2003. Print.
