JLM: Psych Thread - Professional and Non-Professional Opinions/Theories

[littlemaybaby]

Teaching our male children to be non-violent and respectful of everyone seems more helpful than teaching girls not to dress "provocatively". Elderly women and babies are raped and attacked by men and boys.

100% agree.

And to bring this somewhat back on topic of psych issues, I think it's equally important for parents of boys to be educated themselves on normal and abnormal psychological behavior at early ages. I think we (as a society - not as WSers) excuse a lot of boy behavior by saying "boys will be boys." We also don't as a society accept emotional weakness from boys the same way we accept it from girls. "Shake it off. Be a man. Etc." I don't think we realize how damaging those things can be to young boys and how it can impact their developing brains.

When we found out we were having a boy a friend of our family recommended the book "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys" and I can not say enough wonderful thing about that book. (And we now have 2 boys and one more on the way.)

Boys are not just walking testosterone. They are complex emotional humans who need as much compassion and emotional support as little girls need.

 

[PricklyPear]

100% agree.

And to bring this somewhat back on topic of psych issues, I think it's equally important for parents of boys to be educated themselves on normal and abnormal psychological behavior at early ages. I think we (as a society - not as WSers) excuse a lot of boy behavior by saying "boys will be boys." We also don't as a society accept emotional weakness from boys the same way we accept it from girls. "Shake it off. Be a man. Etc." I don't think we realize how damaging those things can be to young boys and how it can impact their developing brains.

When we found out we were having a boy a friend of our family recommended the book "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys" and I can not say enough wonderful thing about that book. (And we now have 2 boys and one more on the way.)

Boys are not just walking testosterone. They are complex emotional humans who need as much compassion and emotional support as little girls need.

This, this, this! One thing that really struck me about that NY Times Magazine piece on pre-psychopathic children was the different reactions from Michael's parents. The dad was a lot more inclined to just shrug it off as "I was wild and I grew up OK" where the mom (and the reporter, and the psychologist) recognized that Michael's behavior was abnormal and indicated a significant mental health issue. There tends to be a genetic component with a lot of mental illnesses and neurological problems, and if parents had those problems themselves and never received help, they may not recognize when their kids have those problems — especially boys, for the exact reasons you mentioned.

 

[tlcya]

It feels like we have gotten off track from discussing JM's possible psyche makeup or personality disorders to a larger more global debate about whether to suggest that women's attire and behaviors constitutes them contributing to their own sexual assaults and murders.

Why is Hannah's behavior or what her parents did or did not teach her and whether she did or did not follow those teachings about personal safety in this conversation? It is not a bad conversation it just doesn't go with this thread topic.

 

[jillycat]

It's the only treatment we have at the moment. If these treatments don't work incarceration is the only choice and that can only happen after those thoughts have become behaviors. Maybe some day medical science will be able to flip the switch of the genes that effect those thoughts and behaviors but until that time we have to work with what we've got. And if we had that ability, is that treatment or social management?

A citizen has a social contract with their fellow citizens. They are expected to behave within the bounds that that society considers acceptable. I am less concerned with the social management of those outside the norm than I am with the social management of an entire society.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with your view of social contracts, based on the historical political philosophy and theory that defines them. Social contracts are between governments and the governed. But predators don't and never will care about contracts or have a desire to honor them, no matter who are the parties.

I don't believe modern science can resolve serial killer impulses, just as I don't believe science can stop a fox from seeking prey. However, in the case of the latter, the predator behavior is a natural and necessary survival instinct. Human predators, such as the one that killed Morgan Harrington and Hannah Graham, hunt expressly for sport. So again, I think many are looking to a medical model for answers to a non-medical issue, when what we are really talking about is the calculated management of violent criminals, period. I advocate restriction of their behavior through the penal system, and believe we should reserve hospitals and medication for the medically sick.

And I believe we are further blurring the issue when we refer to psychiatric holds and involuntary commitments as 'treatment' instead of what they are - incarceration. If we're going to hold people against their will, let's be honest and call it by its correct name. For example, if someone threatens to open fire at a political rally or in a theater of innocent people, or in fact does open fire, I don't believe in sending the individual to a medical facility and court-ordering medication under the mantle of psychiatric/medical 'care'. I believe if you plan a violent crime and take action to carry it out, or you do in fact commit that crime, you need a jail and a lawyer, not a hospital and a doctor. This is one of the many issues I have with how we increasingly use medical jargon to label criminal intent and behavior. And as we saw in Aurora, no amount of talk therapy with the person about his impulses, or prescription medications, made a lick of difference. In my observation, we increasingly see this pattern with so many criminals that we call 'patients'.

So, I disagree with using a tool with a pattern of failure because it's the only tool we have. This is, in my opinion, an extension of the theory that if all you have is a hammer, everything must be a nail. I don't see this is a useful direction in the identification and management of violent offenders, and in fact I believe that we more we view these people as 'ill' in the medical sense, the more completed crimes we'll see on their resumes while we opt for the direction of 'caring' for them.

 

[tlcya]

* The FBI finds that only one in four rapes are published in the Uniform Crime Reports. The Uniform Crime Reports do not include rapes that end in death, since those are reported as homicides. (Anderson, 276)

http://thehathorlegacy.com/rape-statistics/

https://www.census.gov/compendia/sta...es/12s0314.pdf

That makes finding statistics on how many rapes end in murder more difficult. So those numbers must be looked for as Homicides which also featured rape. Still looking for such stats.

http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=317

Excellent links, tlcya... Imo, JM began his trail of terror at a very early age, likely in his teens, and very possibly prior to being moved out to the country. Although, preventing JM getting involved with gang activity was the explanation for the move. Imo, there is more to the story than what is being shared publicly .. Imo, JM has escalated over approximately two decades, and as more information comes to light, of JM's past during the judicial process. We will all likely be fastening our seat belts... JMO

http://www.practicalhomicide.com/articles/psexsad.htm
Psychopathic Sexual Sadists
The Psychology and Psychodynamics of Serial Killers

By Vernon J. Geberth, M.S., M.P.S.

This article examined serial murderers, who violated their victims sexually, as reported within the journalistic, academic, and law enforcement literatures. The study focused on the practical application of the clinical criteria of Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) and Sexual Sadism as defined in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV.

The goal of this study was locating within clinical literature specific references of behavior which could be utilized in "predicting future dangerousness" of serial killers who were described as "psychopathic sexual sadists."
<sniped - Read more>

Thank you to foxfire for finding this info. Off to read.

 

[tlcya]

Okay so in reading the article I carried over (respectfully) originally posted by foxfire elsewhere I remain unconvinced that JM suffers from a personality disorder such as psychopathy.

I am also not convinced he is a sexual sadist.

I think he may just be a garden variety [self censored] who for whatever reason (childhood modeling or other) feels entitled to take what he wants sexually and learned through trial and error (02 rape allegation) that in order not to have that habit F up your happy little life you must then kill your victims when done taking what you want.

But I am open to considering other possibilities. Just where mine are at the moment.

 

[Foxfire]

* The FBI finds that only one in four rapes are published in the Uniform Crime Reports. The Uniform Crime Reports do not include rapes that end in death, since those are reported as homicides. (Anderson, 276)

http://thehathorlegacy.com/rape-statistics/

https://www.census.gov/compendia/sta...es/12s0314.pdf

That makes finding statistics on how many rapes end in murder more difficult. So those numbers must be looked for as Homicides which also featured rape. Still looking for such stats.

http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=317



Thank you to foxfire for finding this info. Off to read.

You are welcome...and I am off to the other thread to delete it..now that you have posted it on the proper thread...

 

[Foxfire]

Okay so in reading the article I carried over (respectfully) originally posted by foxfire elsewhere I remain unconvinced that JM suffers from a personality disorder such as psychopathy.

I am also not convinced he is a sexual sadist.

I think he may just be a garden variety [self censored] who for whatever reason (childhood modeling or other) feels entitled to take what he wants sexually and learned through trial and error (02 rape allegation) that in order not to have that habit F up your happy little life you must then kill your victims when done taking what you want.

But I am open to considering other possibilities. Just where mine are at the moment.

Tlcya, I honor and respect your opinion.. Nine years ago the fairfax, VA rape victim was severely beaten and likely would have been deceased if not for the passerby/neighbor. JM was obviously interrupted before his deed was done, imo. Four years later MH suffered not only a brutal rape, and murder, but also broken bones. We are not privy to how long HG was in captivity, or what was discovered at the crime scene/body disposal location that likely painted a very clear portrait for investigators of the inhumane acts that she suffered....The abandoned property/safe haven; cottage contents will speak volumes, imo..
My opinion is also based on a personal life experience researching and backtracking a sadistic sexual predator/serial killer for the past seven years.. Although the sadistic SP/SK that I am referring to was active for four decades <according to him>, and twice JM's age, their escalation, MO, and traits are synonymous, imo...

 

[tlcya]

Tlcya, I honor and respect your opinion.. Nine years ago the fairfax, VA rape victim was severely beaten and likely would have been deceased if not for the passerby/neighbor. JM was obviously interrupted before his deed was done, imo. Four years later MH suffered not only a brutal rape, and murder, but also broken bones. We are not privy to how long HG was in captivity, or what was discovered at the crime scene/body disposal location that likely painted a very clear portrait for investigators of the inhumane acts that she suffered....The abandoned property/safe haven; cottage contents will speak volumes, imo..
My opinion is also based on a personal life experience researching and backtracking a sexual predator/serial killer for the past seven years.. Although the sadistic SP/SK that I am referring to was active for four decades <according to him>, and twice JM's age, their escalation, MO, and traits are synonymous, imo...

Thank you foxfire, you know I respect yours as well and I know how much time over the years of case following you have spent researching various killers and profiling them if you will. We are alike in that way, always interested in the mind and what motivates. As I say, I am not there yet, but open to information BTW I do agree about escalation.

 

[Shamby]

How do you know he was not overcome with an unshakable urge? Compulsion is a huge part of many mental illnesses. For example people who are severely bipolar go into a manic stage and consume copious amounts of drugs, steal, have promiscuous sex, become extremely violent, etc. And they know it is wrong but they can't seem to control themselves.

This is known to be true by every reputable physician throughout the world. You do not know if he could control his urges or not. None of us do. It is beneficial to keep an open mind and not completely negate the fact that the human mind is complex and for pete's sake I wish we had some doctors on here to explain better than I can.

I would agree that individuals in a manic episode have difficulty controlling their urges, but would disagree with you that in the moment they "know" the urges are wrong. In contrast, in that moment their way of thinking, feeling, and perceiving the world is distorted by their illness. On the other hand, a person with antisocial personality disorder may have the capacity to "know" their urges are wrong, but this is likely to be part of the "fun."

 

[Shamby]

Okay so in reading the article I carried over (respectfully) originally posted by foxfire elsewhere I remain unconvinced that JM suffers from a personality disorder such as psychopathy.

I am also not convinced he is a sexual sadist.

I think he may just be a garden variety [self censored] who for whatever reason (childhood modeling or other) feels entitled to take what he wants sexually and learned through trial and error (02 rape allegation) that in order not to have that habit F up your happy little life you must then kill your victims when done taking what you want.

But I am open to considering other possibilities. Just where mine are at the moment.

I also greatly value your opinion. But the behavior you are describing - rape and murder - is so aberrant and outside of the realm of normal human experience that, almost by definition, when someone engages in these behaviors they are no longer a "garden variety" anything.

 

[LI-Mom]

I'm going to respectfully disagree with your view of social contracts, based on the historical political philosophy and theory that defines them. Social contracts are between governments and the governed. But predators don't and never will care about contracts or have a desire to honor them, no matter who are the parties.

I don't believe modern science can resolve serial killer impulses, just as I don't believe science can stop a fox from seeking prey. However, in the case of the latter, the predator behavior is a natural and necessary survival instinct. Human predators, such as the one that killed Morgan Harrington and Hannah Graham, hunt expressly for sport. So again, I think many are looking to a medical model for answers to a non-medical issue, when what we are really talking about is the calculated management of violent criminals, period. I advocate restriction of their behavior through the penal system, and believe we should reserve hospitals and medication for the medically sick.

And I believe we are further blurring the issue when we refer to psychiatric holds and involuntary commitments as 'treatment' instead of what they are - incarceration. If we're going to hold people against their will, let's be honest and call it by its correct name. For example, if someone threatens to open fire at a political rally or in a theater of innocent people, or in fact does open fire, I don't believe in sending the individual to a medical facility and court-ordering medication under the mantle of psychiatric/medical 'care'. I believe if you plan a violent crime and take action to carry it out, or you do in fact commit that crime, you need a jail and a lawyer, not a hospital and a doctor. This is one of the many issues I have with how we increasingly use medical jargon to label criminal intent and behavior. And as we saw in Aurora, no amount of talk therapy with the person about his impulses, or prescription medications, made a lick of difference. In my observation, we increasingly see this pattern with so many criminals that we call 'patients'.

So, I disagree with using a tool with a pattern of failure because it's the only tool we have. This is, in my opinion, an extension of the theory that if all you have is a hammer, everything must be a nail. I don't see this is a useful direction in the identification and management of violent offenders, and in fact I believe that we more we view these people as 'ill' in the medical sense, the more completed crimes we'll see on their resumes while we opt for the direction of 'caring' for them.

I think you misunderstood me. I am in no way implying JM or men like him can be treated with therapy or drugs one they have become predators. I meant treatment before they act on their impulses. Once they do act on their impulses they deserve incarceration in the prison system. But you can can only imprison them once they've committed an act of violence. I do believe therapy can help a problem child learn how to handle emotions, hormonal changes, give a sense of self worth, help shape a healthier mind. And if that fails medication may be in order.

Predators are outside the norm of what a civilized society considers acceptable behavior. And I see that acceptable behavior as a social contract. I don't refrain from robbing my neighbor because I fear the law, I refrain because it's morally wrong. I don't refrain from killing someone because I'll go to prison, I refrain because it's morally wrong. Those that have no morals need to be kept in check by the governments we created. Isn't that essentially why we created government?

I'm not sure JM hunts for sport. He could just as well be reenacting a period of his life that made him feel like he had no control over his destiny. A period where he felt he was robbed of his future, in his mind his future was over before it began. I bet he has a lot of bottled up anger and frustration .Medication and/or therapy at that point might have helped keep him from becoming what he is today, but we'll never know.

You may not view these people as ill, but I do. They are either wired wrong in the brain, or biologically predisposed, and they are not normal. They are a cancer on society and so we cut them out. But maybe we could have cured the patient with early detection and chemotherapy, so to speak.

You wrote in your other post that, "We can only label behavior and thought. Somehow the latter has made its way into a book of descriptive language we use diagnostically as if something showed up under the microscope." Not a microscope, an MRI. The brain is being studied extensively with MRI, or fMRI and is leading to treatments for many problems that begin in the brain. So some day maybe even a Ted Bundy could be cured before they become infamous.

http://www.livescience.com/13083-criminals-brain-neuroscience-ethics.html

http://www.apa.org/research/tools/fmri-adult.pdf

http://www.apa.org/research/action/scan.aspx

 

[beach]

Use this thread to speculate about the psychological factors motivating Jesse Leroy Matthew's behavior.

Professional and non-professional opinions are welcome. Do, however, make an effort to include documented sources to support your views.

Be courteous and show respect for opposing views. Remember that you have the option to keep scrolling (often the wisest choice), and to use the IGNORE feature when necessary.

If excessive arguing ensues, the thread will be shut down tout de suite, and will remain closed.

:tyou:

:bump:

Just cleaned up in here.

Please review.

 

[jbowman55]

I also greatly value your opinion. But the behavior you are describing - rape and murder - is so aberrant and outside of the realm of normal human experience that, almost by definition, when someone engages in these behaviors they are no longer a "garden variety" anything.

I soooo agree with this.

Who would make these decisions, to take what they want regardless of the consequence to others, to abduct and rape and murder, to do things that terrorize victims, families, and friends, who is not seriously broken in some way? My husband said yesterday, well, some people are just MEAN. But you know what? I don't think "meanness" covers it. Meanness is when you pinch your little brother.

I'm sure psychologists/psychiatrists have a whole hierarchy of behavioral characteristics, that goes all the way from pinching your little brother to rape/murder/torture/desecration. At different points along that continuum, the causes of the behavior change.

The other thing that's difficult for a lot of people is recognizing that some conditions and behavior is the result of ILLNESS. Illness, like cancer or rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's Disease. You don't tell an RA patient to just buck up and get over it. You don't say, now, you've got to stop doing all this cancer stuff and just get yourself back to work.

My two cents, once again, and not to specifically relate any of it to JM. I'm over that already, and I imagine all we'll ever hear about his mental health is whether or not he's competent to stand trial. If they discover that he's autistic or something, he actually may not be competent, but that's an observation and not an opinion.

ETA: I should also say that some illness is incurable, untreatable, and not even modifiable to a point that the individual is safe to live among other people. Illness comes in varying degrees of severity, and I'm not saying that pills, hospitals, and therapists can always make a difference. I'm not even sure that I think early childhood environment can make a difference in some cases.

 

[makista]

100% agree.

And to bring this somewhat back on topic of psych issues, I think it's equally important for parents of boys to be educated themselves on normal and abnormal psychological behavior at early ages. I think we (as a society - not as WSers) excuse a lot of boy behavior by saying "boys will be boys." We also don't as a society accept emotional weakness from boys the same way we accept it from girls. "Shake it off. Be a man. Etc." I don't think we realize how damaging those things can be to young boys and how it can impact their developing brains.

When we found out we were having a boy a friend of our family recommended the book "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys" and I can not say enough wonderful thing about that book. (And we now have 2 boys and one more on the way.)

Boys are not just walking testosterone. They are complex emotional humans who need as much compassion and emotional support as little girls need.

bbm

He jeopardized his own football career and I think he is hyper-vigilant and is prone to "triggers" as a result. The "gentle giant" plethora are his parents way of saying what you did in your above post. Boys are not just walking testosterone. They are complex emotional humans who need as much compassion and emotional support as little girls need. . I think he tries to numb himself with alcohol but lets-face-it-- working in the parts room in a hospital can hone down the "triggers" as well. But then again. for someone like him, that could be pure satisfaction. ( self-help aggression therapy)

 

[littlemaybaby]

bbm

He jeopardized his own football career and I think he is hyper-vigilant and is prone to "triggers" as a result. The "gentle giant" plethora are his parents way of saying what you did in your above post. Boys are not just walking testosterone. They are complex emotional humans who need as much compassion and emotional support as little girls need. . I think he tries to numb himself with alcohol but lets-face-it-- working in the parts room in a hospital can hone down the "triggers" as well. But then again. for someone like him, that could be pure satisfaction. ( self-help aggression therapy)

His parents say that now - but we also know at one point they relocated him to keep him out of trouble. No one wants to think of their child as a serial killer, but I think as we learn more about his childhood we will find that it may very well have been complex and emotional, but a far cry from him being a "gentle giant." Just my speculation of course, but I fully expect we will hear stories that warranted professional intervention of some sort that were somehow justified or brushed aside.

 

[jillycat]

I think you misunderstood me. I am in no way implying JM or men like him can be treated with therapy or drugs one they have become predators. I meant treatment before they act on their impulses. Once they do act on their impulses they deserve incarceration in the prison system. But you can can only imprison them once they've committed an act of violence. I do believe therapy can help a problem child learn how to handle emotions, hormonal changes, give a sense of self worth, help shape a healthier mind. And if that fails medication may be in order.

Predators are outside the norm of what a civilized society considers acceptable behavior. And I see that acceptable behavior as a social contract. I don't refrain from robbing my neighbor because I fear the law, I refrain because it's morally wrong. I don't refrain from killing someone because I'll go to prison, I refrain because it's morally wrong. Those that have no morals need to be kept in check by the governments we created. Isn't that essentially why we created government?

I'm not sure JM hunts for sport. He could just as well be reenacting a period of his life that made him feel like he had no control over his destiny. A period where he felt he was robbed of his future, in his mind his future was over before it began. I bet he has a lot of bottled up anger and frustration .Medication and/or therapy at that point might have helped keep him from becoming what he is today, but we'll never know.

You may not view these people as ill, but I do. They are either wired wrong in the brain, or biologically predisposed, and they are not normal. They are a cancer on society and so we cut them out. But maybe we could have cured the patient with early detection and chemotherapy, so to speak.

You wrote in your other post that, "We can only label behavior and thought. Somehow the latter has made its way into a book of descriptive language we use diagnostically as if something showed up under the microscope." Not a microscope, an MRI. The brain is being studied extensively with MRI, or fMRI and is leading to treatments for many problems that begin in the brain. So some day maybe even a Ted Bundy could be cured before they become infamous.

http://www.livescience.com/13083-criminals-brain-neuroscience-ethics.html

http://www.apa.org/research/tools/fmri-adult.pdf

http://www.apa.org/research/action/scan.aspx

I understood what you posted.

This is a summary of my thoughts/opinions:

I believe discussion of the purpose of government is a separate topic.

I believe Bundy's and JM's are born, not made.

I can't/won't speculate about JM's diagnoses/illness/disease/disorder because I distinguish between medical illness and science-based inquiry, and DSM descriptions of thought and behavior. I would simply characterize JM as a seasoned veteran in hunting and killing women, who needs to be removed from society.

I believe that despite technological ability to scan JM's brain, or observe it to be physically different from people who don't hunt and kill other people, JM cannot be cured of inherent faulty wiring. Another way to say that is, I don't believe that a biological basis for something equals options for correction.

These are my personal opinions based on three things:

Former work in the non-profit sector being saddled with finding housing for asocial individuals/offenders/paroled sex offenders, who had ongoing intervention under their diagnoses, but remained utterly unchanged and ultimately re-offended.

Pursuit of a permanent restraining order against an RSO, and his legal defense that he's sick, on medication and seeing a therapist, and didn't realize he was leaving *advertiser censored* outside my door and trying to open my screen. When he became a crying baby the minute I began calling police and begged me to hang up the phone, his 'disease' seemed particularly implausible. The court agreed.

My ongoing observation that because you label and treat something, you are not any closer to making it be something else.

 

[SolVol]

4 types of rapists - http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Four-types-of-serial-rapists-what-makes-them-3159973.php

Quote: "The typical serial rapist leads a Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde life, undetected by neighbors, co-workers, even family. He may work his way through dozens or even hundreds of victims before he's caught - assuming he ever is. [...] He seems polite, and notably respectful of older women. Nothing in his demeanor suggests he is a sex predator. [...] This rapist is polite, affectionate and tries to involve the victim, exhibiting signs of affection by hugging and kissing. He fantasizes that the sex is consensual and the victim will enjoy it."

The author goes on to describe other traits and behaviors of serial rapists.

 

[littlemaybaby]

4 types of rapists - http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Four-types-of-serial-rapists-what-makes-them-3159973.php

Quote: "The typical serial rapist leads a Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde life, undetected by neighbors, co-workers, even family. He may work his way through dozens or even hundreds of victims before he's caught - assuming he ever is. [...] He seems polite, and notably respectful of older women. Nothing in his demeanor suggests he is a sex predator. [...] This rapist is polite, affectionate and tries to involve the victim, exhibiting signs of affection by hugging and kissing. He fantasizes that the sex is consensual and the victim will enjoy it."

The author goes on to describe other traits and behaviors of serial rapists.

Just skimmed it briefly as I have to get offline momentarily, but WOW based on some of the speculation I've read here, I think he could fall into more than one of those categories. I will go back and read it all when I have more time.

Quick question though, is there a distinction between people who are only serial rapists vs those who are serial rapists and killers? (If that's addressed in the article ignore me!)

 

[Emaa]

The idea is-- his parents called him the "gentle giant" because actually, emotionally he's not 32. He's the guy that still circles the dairy queen in his football jacket when his colleagues have graduated college, married and are having their first child.

BTW-his mother has moved already. I watched the interview with her neighbors. I'll post the link when I find it.

If it's the interview I saw, then it wasn't clear that she had moved but rather had been gone from home for a few days prior (one reason why I think the official ID came out long before it was announced publicly ... but I digress )

JLM strikes me as someone who never really had any close friends ---- I mean real friends. He seems very awkward and socially inept, and the only time he was truly accepted by his peers was during his *glory* days in high school and I'd be willing to bet that acceptance didn't reach much farther than his athletic prowess. Almost every interview with people who knew him were with those who went to high school with him.

I think psychosocially he is severely stunted, never maturing beyond an early adolescent stage. His obnoxious behavior witnessed in the bar (as reported in the article by CB) is something you might expect of a 12 or 13 year old (and an immature one at that). I also believe he is isolated and has been for some time and I think that grew worse as he aged into his 20s and 30s and watched his classmates move on in careers and relationships and life, yet he remained stuck in time.

I say all this because you mentioning his mom made me think of how she (admirably) moved him into the relative safety of the country, away from those in the city who could be a bad influence. I have to wonder if this only increased his isolation, both as he perceived it and in reality, and how that impacted his obvious lack of social skills.