Developmental Psychology

1. Make a stage of development

1st stage of development

Babyhood 0 to 2 years

The first stage of development happens during 0-24 months. It is when the children
are only crying, laughing and staring as a way to communicate and express their
feelings. It is also the stage wherein children start to learn small motor control and
some forms of recognition on the people around them. During the end of this stage
children start to say small sentences or a couple of words.

2nd stage of development

Early form of toddlers
2-4 years

The second stage of development is characterized by the children's awareness of the

environment. During this stage the children start to know what a stranger is and start
to form more coherent sentences as well as the ability to voice put what they think and
feel. This stage is one of the most crucial parts of a person's life since they will start to
perceive what the world is including on how the world works or revolves. Children
should also start learning colors, numbers and letters during this stage so that they are
already prepped on what's about to come during primary education.

3rd Stage of Development

Toddlers
4-7 years

The third stage of development is characterized by the children’s knowledge on how

the things around him works specially the time orientation. During this time the child
also starts to feel ashamed with silly things that they do in front of other people. This
is also the stage wherein children is having a bit confidence on themselves and starts
to perform well on their own rather that keep on clinging to their parents.

4th stage of development

8- 12
School age

The fourth stage of development is the childrens school age, this is when the children
is in the middle to end of the primary school. During this period children are able to
identify their hobbies and starts to pursue whatever they like. During this stage their
independence from their parents grows as most of the children are now pretty much
aware on how things work around them and the concept of cause and effect
relationship is now on deck of their consciousness.

5th stage of development

12-15
Pre-teens
The fifth stage of development is where physical changes starts to happen, girls starts
to grow breasts as well as their body shapes starts to me more define and for boys,
their adams apple becomes more prominent, voice becomes a lot more masculine and
body becomes more define, during this time boys may undergo growth sprout or the
phase where they grow tall in just a year or two. Both genders starts to grow pubic
hair and arm pit hair.

6th stage of development

16-19
Post- Teens

The sixth stage is characterized by experiencing sexual arousal and sexual

maturation. During this stage teens starts to focus on the careers they wanted for their
adulthood. Relationships also starts to become common during this phase as well the
career building relationships and the life principles they want to uphold. During this
stage teens commonly starts to stand their ground on several issues specially in their
household.

7th stage of development

20-40
Adulthood

Maturation is the hallmark of the seventh stage of development. When a person

reaches the age of adulthood, they have reached their maximum potential in terms of
both their physical and intellectual development. At this point in life, the vast majority
of people have finished their formal education. They will probably start a profession
or get a job that requires them to work full-time. Early adulthood is also the time
when many people get married and begin their families. People have a more difficult
time fending off illnesses like the flu during this time of year.

8th stage of development

40-60
Middle age

The stage of human adulthood that comes directly before the beginning of old age is
referred to as middle age. Middle age is commonly understood to be the period of
time between the ages of 40 and 60, despite the fact that the precise age range that
constitutes middle age is fairly arbitrary and varies greatly from person to person.
People tend to reevaluate their lives, accept themselves and their limitations, and face
their regrets about the past around the time that they reach their midlife. It is possible
for someone who is middle-aged to face challenges such as illness, financial
difficulties, changes in professional path, marital difficulties, divorce, loss of a loved
one, and the beginning stages of mental or physical deterioration.

9th stage of development

60 and beyond
Old age
One definition of old age is the period beginning at age 60 and continuing till the end
of life. When most people reach this point in their lives, they retire from their jobs and
are freed from the primary obligation of looking after the needs of others. Physically,
elderly persons typically experience a reduction in their senses, as well as their reflex
time, stamina, and overall strength. Your skin will thin and become less elastic and
more fragile as you get older, and the fatty tissue just below the skin will shrink as
you get older. You might find that you are more prone to getting bruises. If your body
produces less natural oil, it's possible that your skin will get drier. Skin tags, age
spots, and wrinkles are the most prevalent signs of aging skin, respectively.

2.

There has been a general trend toward lower fertility rates across the globe,
particularly in nations that are currently undergoing rapid social and economic
change, such as Japan and Korea, Italy, and other nations that have reached their
current stage of economic development. The rising number of children living with
single or cohabiting parents has largely replaced the diminishing share of children
living in what is commonly referred to as a "conventional" family. This trend is
expected to continue in the foreseeable future. Since the beginning of the 1960s, not
only has the variety of housing arrangements for families risen, but so has the fluidity
of family relationships. There has been a considerable structural movement in
families, away from two-parent households and toward a more diverse expression of
what it means to be a family. This transition has resulted in an increase in blended
families. In contrast to the 1950s and 1960s, when there was a greater focus placed on
the traditional model of a family consisting of two parents and children, modern
families have a considerably more varied composition. When I was a kid, there were
very few families in which both parents stayed at home. These days, it's not
uncommon to see fathers driving their children to and from school or being involved
in extracurricular activities. Co-parenting is an extension of equal shared parenting,
although in equal shared parenting, time with the child and parental obligations are
split 50/50 between the two parents. There are now more homes headed by a single
parent. There has been an increase in the number of people marrying outside of their
religious tradition. There has been a recent uptick in the number of women looking
for shared authority and control inside their households. There is an increase in the
number of families that have more than one kid. On the other hand, countries in the
third world are taking the complete opposite approach. Having a large number of
children in one family has become increasingly popular, and many people even begin
their families when they are still in their early teens, which makes their life
significantly more challenging.
Culture and Psychology

1.

The psychological processes are influenced by culture. Individual thoughts

and deeds have an impact on the development of cultural norms and practices over
time, and in turn, these cultural norms and practices have an impact on the
development of individual thoughts and deeds. The ways in which cultural influences
might be seen to exert an influence on psychological processes are of particular
interest to social psychologists. They study culture in order to gain a deeper
comprehension of the ways in which it has an impact on our feelings, identities,
relationships, and choices. Culture is one of the most influential factors that exists in
the world today. It influences how we make sense of the world around us, how we
communicate ourselves, how we comprehend others, and how we form relationships
with them.

2. In the past, television and other forms of media have tended to represent men and
women in such a way that the males take on the role of the more powerful partner in
the relationship, while women are seen as passive victims. The media are responsible
for significant aspects of society. They report on current events, offer interpretative
frameworks, mobilize citizens with reference to various topics, recreate prevalent
culture and society, and give entertainment. As a result, the media has the potential to
play a significant role in the movement to advance gender equality, both in the
context of the workplace (in terms of the employment and advancement of female
staff members at all levels) and in the representation of women and men in public life
(in terms of fair gender portrayal and the use of neutral and non-gender specific
language). In popular culture, men are typically portrayed as being daring,
authoritative, and sexually aggressive, whereas women are more likely to be
portrayed as being youthful, beautiful, emotionally submissive, dependent, and
sometimes even stupid. Women in Western media are taught to value youth,
sexuality, and beauty, while men are taught to prefer dominance and power. This
dichotomy is perpetuated by the media in Western countries. For the vast majority of
human history, women have had significantly fewer prospects for professional
advancement and legal rights. The roles of wife and mother were traditionally
considered to be the most important for a woman to fulfill throughout her lifetime.
However, during the 20th century, women in the majority of countries gained the
right to vote and saw improvements in their educational and employment chances.
And there has been a shift toward more diversified types of male roles, such as the
stay-at-home dad and the feminist guy, both of which are more acceptable in today's
society.

3.

3.1 Personality

My personal experience has taught me that the culture in which a person is raised may
have a significant amount of control over how that person interacts with their
contemporaries as well as my overall personality. It also serves as a reflection of how
I live my life and serves as a determining factor in the formation of a person's belief
system. In general, my personality can be influenced by their cultural perceptions,
which can be brought out through the influence of cultural variables. One of the ways
in which my culture has influenced my personality is the manner in which I perceive
the world and the manner in which individuals perceive themselves. My disposition,
the way I carry myself, the way I interact with my elders, and the way that I refer to
them can be largely attributed to my upbringing, where at the family setup, respect for
elders is a very fundamental component of growing up. My personality, how I carry
myself, the way that I interact with my elders, and how I refer to them.

3.2 Values and attitude

The cultural orientation of a society is a reflection of the intricate interaction of the

values, attitudes, and behaviors that are exhibited by the people who make up that
society. Culture and its normative aspects are expressed by individuals through the
values they have about life and the world around them; hence, my culture has had an
impact on both the values I hold and the attitude I have toward life. Our culture not
only affects the ways in which we work and play, but also the ways in which we
perceive both ourselves and other people. It has an effect on our values, or what we
think is appropriate and inappropriate. The decisions that we make are impacted in
this way by the society in which we live. However, the decisions we make have the
potential to not only affect those around us but also contribute to the formation of our
society.

3.3 Belief system/Mindset

Although we may believe that we are the ones making choices, our accumulated
cultural knowledge actually guides our decision making most of the time.
Unconsciously or not, cultural norms shape our worldviews, decision-making
processes, and problem-solving strategies. How much you value characteristics like
modesty, self-respect, politeness, and assertiveness, and whether or not you
demonstrate these attributes, are all products of your culture. How you react to
adversity and how comfortable you are leaning on people can be shaped by your
culture as well. If society encourages people to be more outgoing, then we can assume
they will seek out more opportunities to do so. Furthermore, individuals in
individualistic societies tend to be more confident and talkative. More ideas are
shared and confidence is bolstered when people are encouraged to be outgoing.

3.4 Mental Health Awareness

Cultural factors may affect how people interpret and articulate their symptoms. As a
result, it may influence whether a person emphasizes the importance of physical
symptoms, emotional symptoms, or both while discussing their health issues. My
confidence in my, Perceptions of health and disease, propensity to seek help, and
coping mechanisms are just a few of the many facets of mental health that are
profoundly influenced by cultural norms and values. Consequently, the demands of a
cultural group might not be met by the standardization and simplification of mental
health techniques. Cultural variables, such as upbringing, religious beliefs, and social
conventions and customs, all have an impact on an individual's mental health. An
individual's mental health may be affected in various ways by each of these.
I.

1
Dylan’s Diffuse Axonal Injury Recovery

Dylan was in a car accident that left him with a significant traumatic brain
injury. He is currently unconscious and is having trouble breathing. Eight minutes
later, he was finally freed from the wreckage and transported to the emergency room
at the nearest hospital, 37 minutes after the collision. According to the scans, Dylan
sustained a diffuse axonal injury, which is among the worst types of brain damage.
Both oxygen starvation and hemorrhages on his brainstem were present. The doctors
jumped right into an emergency operation.

Sadly, Dylan remained unresponsive after the procedure and remained in a

coma. The physicians estimated that he had a 78% risk of dying or falling into a
vegetative condition during the next six months based on his GCS score. Dylan
succeeded despite overwhelming odds. Dylan's cerebral activity was initially detected
by EEG at 17 days. He finally opened his eyes at four weeks. On day 60, with the
help of therapists, he was able to get out of bed and into a chair. Dylan was able to
walk 50 feet without assistance 90 days after his injuries and answer detailed yes/no
questions.

Neuroplasticity, the brain's capacity to make new connections in response to

damage, disease, or injury, or to reorganize its structure and function in response to
those changes, is strongly influenced by age, according to research. Experts agree that
young people, in particular, have a stronger capacity than older people do for
repurposing their brain's undamaged regions to perform new tasks. The increased
blood flow and oxygen, balanced electrolytes, and favorable metabolic state that
characterize youthful patients are all beneficial to their recovery. We had no other
choice except to hold out hope and wait. The days passed. Dylan's vegetative status
was frightening, but it was excellent news that his cranial pressure was being
managed. Doctors yelled Dylan's name in his ears, grabbed his limbs, and scraped the
soles of his feet at regular four-hour intervals as part of a seemingly brutal physical
test. He had to have his eyes pried open and a bright light shone into them. No one
answered. There's nothing more unnerving than meeting the unblinking gaze of a
familiar face, especially if they're not making eye contact with you.

1.
How Brett Defied a 1% Chance of Recovery

The final days of Brett Becker's college winter vacation were spent with his
family on a ski trip in Wisconsin, where they were all having a good time. Brett was a
first-year student at Indiana University, where he was majoring in biology with the
objective of entering the medical field someday.

On January 4, 2016, a trip with the family that was supposed to be pleasant
turned tragedy. Brett flew over a ski jump but overshot the landing spot, which caused
him to fall laterally. He landed on his head and shoulder, which resulted in a broken
collarbone. Immediately after his collapse, he was taken to the nearest hospital, where
he required resuscitation at one point. After spending one week in an intensive care
unit (ICU) in Wausau, Wisconsin, Brett was transported to Northwestern Memorial
Hospital in Chicago, where he continued his treatment in an ICU there for another
two weeks.

It was determined that Brett had suffered a significant traumatic brain damage,
which had a negative impact on his memory, understanding, speaking ability,
movement, and activities of daily living. The fact that Brett's Uncle John is a
physician meant that he was aware of the significance of rehabilitation and therapy,
and he was positive that the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (which was formerly known as
the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) would be the most beneficial environment for
Brett's recovery.

Auditory comprehension was a daily component of Brett's speech treatment,

which he received on a daily basis. This involved determining one's orientation by
providing responses to inquiries, listening to and reading news stories, and consulting
a calendar and a clock. On February 7th, Brett uttered his first words in a hushed
whisper. Within the next month, he was actively engaging in conversation.

2.
Simon’s Recovery After Being Comatose for Over a Month

Simon was left in such a state of disrepair after the horrific hit-and-run
accident that the attending paramedic at the scene initially thought he had already
away. Simon would eventually make one of the most extraordinary recoveries from
catastrophic brain injury in the history of medical science, despite the seriousness of
his situation. The lesion to Simon's brain produced serious internal bleeding and
resulted in the destruction of a third of his right hemisphere. On the Glasgow Coma
Scale, he received only three points after the medical professionals had evaluated him.

People who have a GCS score of three have a 7% probability of survival with
a favorable outcome, and this is assuming that they will remain in this state for fewer
than two weeks. The coma that Simon fell into lasted for more than a month. When
Simon finally opened his eyes, he had almost no knowledge of what was going on
around him. He had completely lost his ability to read and write, and he was only
partially able to comprehend what other people were saying. His ability to focus was
severely lacking, and he even managed to get a score of fifty on the intelligence exam
(the lowest score possible). It goes without saying that the medical professionals
anticipated he would spend the remainder of his life needing assistance from other
people.

Despite the obviously dismal nature of Simon's situation, he was fortunate

enough to find a therapist who was willing to work with him and not give up on him.
His mental capabilities more than doubled by the time his therapist, Dr. Lois Provda,
was finished with him. She made him participate in cognitive therapy tasks three
times a week. In just two short years, Simon evolved from being almost completely
helpless to being able to live independently with relatively minimal support. Today,
Simon has almost completely restored all of the cognitive functions that he had lost,
and he now has an IQ of 151! He has even authored a book that has become a best-
seller about his journey to recovery.

II

Tao, Terence

In the year 1975, Tao was born in Adelaide. He apparently has an exceptional IQ of
230, which makes him one of the most brilliant mathematicians working in the world
today and puts him in contention for the title of the smartest man alive. Terence has
made significant contributions to the study of number theory through his research on
the identification of sequences of prime numbers. His findings indicate that prime
numbers can be located in regularly spaced progressions of any length that is finite. In
the realm of mathematics, he was an exceptionally talented individual. Over three
hundred academic papers have been written by Tao alone or in collaboration with
other researchers. He has been called the "Mozart of mathematics" due to the
widespread acclaim that he has garnered as one of the most brilliant living
mathematicians working today. Academic giftedness is another word for his
imaginative capacity.

Judit Polgár

Judit Polgar is a Hungarian chess grandmaster who was born on July 23, 1976. She is
often regarded as the most talented female chess player in the history of the game. At
the time, Polgár was the youngest person to have ever earned the title of Grandmaster.
He did it at the age of 15 years and 4 months, shattering the record that had been held
by former World Champion Bobby Fischer. This accomplishment was accomplished
in 1991. At the age of 12, she became the youngest player in the history of the game
to ever break into the top 100 players rating list of the FIDE. She ranked No. 55 on
the list that was published in January 1989. It is common knowledge that Judit Polgar
was the most formidable female player in the history of the game. At the age of 12,
she became one of the youngest players ever to be ranked in the top 100 players in the
world. Three years later, she beat Bobby Fischer's record to become the youngest
grandmaster. Polgar is the first woman in the history of chess to have ever made it to
the candidates stage of the world championship cycle, to have been ranked in the top
ten players in the world, and to have had a rating that was higher than 2700, with a
high of 2735 in 2005. During her career, she was victorious over 11 world champions
who were either now active or had previously held the title. Polgar was a part of the
Hungarian team that competed in the Olympics in 2014 and earned the silver medal.
In addition, she won seven more medals overall.

Polgár is the only woman who has ever been a strong contender for the World Chess
Championship, an event in which she took part in 2005. Prior to this, she had
competed in big knockout tournaments for the world championship that included
more than one hundred players. She has also achieved a top global ranking of No. 8 in
2004 and a peak rating of 2735 in 2005, making her the only woman to have ever
surpassed 2700 in the Elo rating system. She is the only woman to ever reach the
position of being ranked in the top ten of all chess players, which she did for the first
time in the year 1996. From January 1989 until the day she officially retired on
August 13, 2014, she held the title of highest-ranked woman in the world. The gifts
that Polgar possesses fall under the category of intellectual giftedness.

Thomas Alva Edison

Thomas Alva Edison, one of the most well-known and prolific inventors in history,
had a significant impact on the way people live today. He was responsible for a
number of significant innovations, including the incandescent light bulb, the
phonograph, and the motion picture camera, and he also made significant
advancements in the telegraph and the telephone. He was a highly successful
businessman as well as a prolific inventor. In the process of constructing the
American economy, he was the driving force behind numerous discoveries and
developments, and he was also at the forefront of the first technological revolution in
the United States. The artistic ability he was born with has brought him the fame he so
richly deserves.

There is a great deal of conjecture about the factors that contribute to giftedness. All
of these speculations are based on the assumption that giftedness and/or talent consists
of relatively stable characteristics of individuals, perhaps genetically determined
characteristics, that such characteristics can be conceptualized and measured or
assessed at points along the way in the growth of individuals, and that the growth of
those characteristics may portend high level productivity or creative achievement at
some later point in time in the life of individuals. All of these hypotheses, to a greater
or lesser extent, fail to take into account random elements or occurrences that occur
throughout the lives of human beings and that may be among the most important
factors in determining levels of productivity and creative output (Feldhusen, 1986).

Tannenbaum (1983) is one of the few theorists who has explicitly included chance
factors in a psychosocial definition of giftedness. This definition of giftedness
otherwise includes a) general ability, b) special abilities, c) nonintellective factors,
and d) environmental factors. TTannenbaum is one of the few theorists who has done
so. Tannenbaum reminds us, with the final factor, the environment, that gifted
achievement or productivity is potentially influenced in many ways by the social,
intellectual, and physical environment which impinges on an individual. Specifically,
Tannenbaum believes that gifted individuals are more likely to be productive when
they are surrounded by people who share their values.

GALTON (1869) and TERMAN & ODEN were the ones who first discovered the
motivational aspects that contributed to giftedness (1959). On the other hand, their
model of motivation placed a greater emphasis on characteristics such as persistence,
drive, energy, and interest, and a lesser emphasis on the idea that motivation occurs in
periodic bursts as the task commitment construct suggests. A mixture of an inherent
predisposition to commence, maintain, and terminate action as well as external
stimulating factors that activate, maintain, or depress conduct is the correct way to
conceptualize motivation, of course. This is the correct way to perceive motivation.
Therefore, when properly conceptualized, motivation is a combination of elements
that are internal to the individual as well as factors that are external to the individual.

References

Galton, F. (1869). The comparative worth of different races.

Terman, L. M., & Oden, M. H. (1959). Genetic studies of genius. Vol. V. The gifted
group at mid-life.

Tannenbaum, A. J. (1983). Gifted children: Psychological and educational

perspectives. Macmillan Publishing Company.

Feldhusen, J. F. (1986). A conception of giftedness. Identifying and nurturing the

gifted. An international perspective, 33-39.

III

The Incident With Phineas Gage

In the vicinity of Cavendish, Vermont, on September 13, 1848, Gage, then 25 years
old, was serving as the foreman of a company that was preparing a railroad bed. It
was an iron tamping rod that he was using to push the explosive powder into the hole.

Unfortunately, the explosive exploded, sending the rod, which measured 43 inches in
length and had a diameter of 1.25 inches, flying upward. Gage's left face was pierced
by the rod, which then tore through his brain, exited his skull, and landed some 80
feet away. 2

Gage not only lived through the initial injury, but he was also able to communicate
and walk to a neighboring cart so that he could be carried into town to be examined
by a physician there. Later that evening, he was able to recall the names of his
coworkers because he had remained conscious throughout the day. Gage went so far
as to imply that he did not want to see his pals because he would be going back to
work in "a day or two." 3 It is common practice to refer to Phineas Gage as the "guy
who launched neurology." 1 When an iron rod was pushed through his skull, he
suffered a traumatic brain injury that caused a significant portion of his frontal lobe to
be destroyed.

The accident was a miracle that Gage was able to survive. However, as a consequence
of the damage to his frontal lobe, both his personality and his behavior saw significant
shifts. As a consequence of these shifts, many of his acquaintances began to
characterize him as though he were a totally different person. Because of the influence
that the event had, we now have a greater understanding of the functions that the
frontal lobe performs, particularly as they relate to personality.
The following are some of the hypotheses that Gage's physiological psychology is
based on:

Phineas Gage was in danger of losing his life as a result of the type of injuries he
sustained. Despite the fact that it is impossible to say for definite why Gage was able
to survive the accident, let alone recover from the injuries and continue to operate
normally, there are various hypotheses to explain his survival. They are as follows:

The path taken by the rod. Some researchers believe that the path taken by the rod
likely played a role in Gage's survival. If the rod had penetrated other areas of the
head, such as the pterygoid plexuses or the cavernous sinus, Gage could have bled to
death. This suggests that the path taken by the rod likely played a role in Gage's
survival. 5

The selective recruitment that occurs in the brain. In a study conducted in 2022 on an
additional individual who had an iron rod go through his skull, the researchers
referred to the subject as a "modern-day Phineas Gage." They discovered that the
brain is able to selectively recruit non-injured areas to assist in performing functions
that were previously assigned to the injured portion of the brain. This ability allowed
the brain to continue functioning normally. 6

The structure of the work. Some people believe that because Gage had a job, he had
structure in his life, which made a good contribution to his recovery and assisted with
his rehabilitation. 7

References:

1. Sevmez F, Adanir S, Ince R. Legendary name of neuroscience: Phineas Gage

(1823-1860). Child's Nervous System. 2020. doi:10.1007/s00381-020-04595-6

2. Twomey S. Phineas Gage: Neuroscience's most famous patient. Smithsonian

Magazine.

3. Harlow JM. Recovery after severe injury to the head. Bull Massachus Med Soc.
1848. Reprinted in Hist Psychiat. 1993;4(14):274-281.
doi:10.1177/0957154X9300401407

4. Harlow JM. Passage of an iron rod through the head. 1848. J Neuropsychiatry Clin
Neurosci. 1999;11(2):281-3. doi:10.1176/jnp.11.2.281

5. Itkin A, Sehgal T. Review of Phineas Gage's oral and maxillofacial injuries. J Oral
Biol. 2017;4(1):3.

6. de Freitas P, Monteiro R, Bertani R, et al. E.L., a modern-day Phineas Gage:

Revisiting frontal lobe injury. The Lancet Regional Health - Americas.
2022;14:100340. doi:10.1016/j.lana.2022.100340
 Kenneth Parks

On May 23, 1987, Kenneth Parks awoke, strolled out of his house, drove 14 miles to
the neighboring town in his automobile, and proceeded to murder his mother-in-law
and father-in-law. Kenneth drove to a neighboring police station covered in blood and
bruises and told the officers he "thought" he had murdered someone. A few hours
later, he identified the deceased relatives. Kenneth informed the investigators that
"everything was his responsibility."

Kenneth's defense in court afterwards claimed he was sleepwalking at the time of the
murder. Sleepwalking has long been regarded as innocuous, producing entertaining
anecdotes for family gatherings and amusement. One would never expect a quirky
habit such as sleepwalking to turn into violent behavior while asleep. Nevertheless,
this minor anomaly altered Parks's life irrevocably.

According to the cops, he appeared disturbed and was trembling. Despite having both
hands' tendons severed, he did not appear to be in pain. This is an example of
dissociative analgesia, which is a deep dulling of pain sensation in the absence of pain
medication. In addition to sleepwalking, dissociative analgesia can occur after drug
use and in circumstances of shock or extreme discomfort. After a thorough study of
the case, the experts concluded that sleepwalking was the only viable explanation for
the crime. Kenneth received a battery of sleep and psychological examinations.
Indicative of parasomnia, Kenneth's electroencephalography (EEG) scans revealed
aberrant brain activity during deep sleep, accompanied by partial awakenings. It was
decided that Kenneth was sleepwalking when he attacked his in-laws because it is
supposedly impossible to falsify one's own EEG data, and he showed no signs of
discomfort when he arrived at the police station [1].

The analysts attributed Kenneth's conduct to the convergence of numerous

circumstances: He had planned to repair his in-laws' furnace, was familiar with the
road to their home, and was restless from worry and concerned about his approaching
court appearance. The specialists believed that Kenneth awoke in his sleep with the
idea to repair his in-laws' furnace. He then got up and drove to the house, where his
in-laws astonished him. He assaulted them both without understanding what he was
doing [2] .

[3] Sleepwalking does not necessarily result in a complete acquittal. An involuntary

conduct entitled the accused to a complete acquittal only provided the automatic state
was not caused by "a disease of the mind" that rendered the individual insane. In the
latter scenario, the accused is only entitled to a judgement of insanity, not a complete
acquittal. "mental illness" is a legal phrase, not a medical one. Because it is a legal
word, a trial judge must also evaluate the possibility of recurrence and the reason of
the conduct in addition to medical opinion. A disorder that poses a risk of recurrence
should be addressed as insanity. A verdict of insanity should also be rendered if the
defendant's illness stems from his or her internal makeup rather than from external
influences. These two elements may appear sufficient to justify a lesser sentence for
sleepwalkers convicted of murder. At Kenneth's trial, the defense contended that a
combination of external events was responsible for the murder and that it was unlikely
that a similar combination of external elements would occur in the future.
Reference

Pressman, M. R. (2022). Disorders of Arousal and timing of the first period of slow
wave sleep: Clinical and forensic implications. Sleep Medicine: X, 100057.

v Parks, R. (2020). 6 Voluntariness and Intent. Canadian Landmark Cases in Forensic

Medical Health, 108.

Xiaoyi Xu, A. (2020). Applying the Model Penal Code Insanity Defense to
Sleepwalking Killers and Psychopaths: Interfacing Neuroscience and Criminal Law.
New Criminal Law Review, 23(4), 471-515.