Dr Harold Shipman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Dr Harold Shipman - Essay Example According to the study this habit of keeping to himself was copied from the mother who was known as Vera. Shipman was a comparatively bright student in school but turned out to be mediocre in his upper level in school. On January 2000, he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He died after hanging himself in prison in 2004. His father was a lorry driver and his mother was a house wife. He was a very good rugby player. The mother’s death from lung cancer had very devastating effects on the psyche of Harold. He met his wife at the university in Leeds where he was studying medicine. After completing his medical studies, he was employed at Rochdale Canal Commission and later joined Todmorden. It was while here that his signs of criminal behavior began to be noticed. He begun having blackouts that were at early stages linked to epilepsy. However, it was later discovered that the fits were caused by a drug called pethidine. He was administering this drug to the patients. He was also later accused of forgery. The news of his crimes was made public in 1998. From this paper it is clear that psychological explanations of crime are basically a reflection of very many ranges of perspectives in psychology.It is mainly pegged on individual differences. However, crime can occur in a social context therefore factors like ethnicity, gender as well as other dynamics can be ignored. The contribution of psychology is therefore very important in broadening our understanding of crimes and criminals. Earlier theories explaining criminal behavior explain criminal behavior to be as a result of defects existing in an individual. These defects are often viewed as either biological as well as psychological in nature. These defects are responsible for separating the criminal from the being a law abiding citizen.