The representation of the fritzl CASE IN THE MEDIA AND HOW THIS HAS INFLUENCED OPINIONS IN ABUSIVE PARENT GENDER CASEs.

How childhood trauma can reflect on an individual’s actions and decisions later in life..

Research Idea.m4a. A person smiling for the camera Description automatically generated with medium confidence.

Previous Research.m4a. Previous research. • Developmental experiences of child sexual abusers and rapists (Simons, Wurtele, Durham, 2008) • Results support the question that there are developmental experiences that are factors in sexual offending later on in life. • Parent – Child Incest that Extends into Adulthood: A Survey of International Press Reports (Middleton, 2007-2011) • Press reports showed that there have been frequent cases of incestuous abuse..

Research Question.m4a. rESEARCH QUESTION. Shape Description automatically generated.

AUDIO-2021-11-03-15-16-42.m4a. Discourse analysis.

methodology.m4a. Methodology. The article “Representation of missing children in the national television news”(Simmons, 2013) studied missing children and how they were represented in the news. This was done through content analysis of the news channels. Our methodology is similar in the way that we are analysing the content shown in the media, however, our analysis is based on a specific theme that we had and then using theory to justify our findings on how Josef Fritzl is represented..

Methodology continued. Thematic Analysis is an increasingly valued qualitative analytic method, for identifying, analysing and reporting both implicit and explicit themes within data which helps to organise and describe the data-set in greater depth (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The justification for using TA for this report is because the method is accessible to researchers with little experience of research to help examine the childhood trauma experience affecting Josef’s life and to summarise key points of the documentary to provide a descriptive report (Nowell et al, 2017)..

New Recording 13.m4a. Data. Icon Description automatically generated.

Analysis. Christina – Josef’s Sister in Law Dark mood lighting, background acting – no faces shown, blue lighting Spotlight on Christina, emphasises and dramatizes the story telling, dark music and Christina’s facial expression fluctuates throughout. Head shakes – strong eye contact, very engaged (Borderline squinting and frowning in disgust at times when discussing Fritzl’s abuse towards the children) Speaks with almost anger and frustration within her voice – raises voice when speaking Pointing her finger at camera and leans forward..

New Recording 12.m4a. Analysis. Several key themes relating to the representations of Fritzl in the media were evident in the documentary. Kastner discusses Josefs troubled background/childhood trauma in which she describes how his mother was ‘impulsive’ (22:47) who did not love him who would punish and beat him regularly. This supports the study of Alm et al, (2019) found that poor parent-child relationships during childhood associate mental health problems and result in an increased risk of psychiatric disorders in adulthood.. According to the study of Horwitz et al, (2001) men who were abused and neglected as children have more risk of developing a personality disorder..

abuse and control.m4a. analysis. Abuse and Control Fritzl is portrayed as a controlling and overprotective father in which the narrator described him as a ‘violent and authoritative man’, especially with Elisabeth. A study conducted by Ehrensaft et al (2015) provides evidence of a link between childhood abuse and later parenting where child abuse may lead to disrupted parent-child relations with their offspring in adulthood. The psychiatrist discusses how Fritzel grew up without receiving any empathy as he was physically abused by his mother which meant he had trouble feeling any emotion for Elisabeth hence the abusive behaviour and control..

theory. Childhood experiences explained through Bowlby’s attachment theory. According to Ainsworth rejection is associated with insecure avoidant attachment style (Josef). ”Such children are likely to have a caregiver who is insensitive and rejecting of their needs” (Ainsworth 1979). Josef’s mother abused and neglected him causing Josef to appear as having an avoidant attachment type. This can explain his lack of remorse and pattern of abusive behaviour towards his daughter Elisabeth. “This rejection pattern describes the authoritarian, incestuous father who is emotionally distant but also arbitrary in his view that his spouse and children are his property and subject to his needs (Herman, 1981). He may be physically abusive, sexually abusive and neglectful. “ ALSO characterizes the unavailable mother, who, because of factors within or beyond her control, is either physically absent or psychologically unavailable. (links with Josef’s mother and her behaviour)..

Discussion 2.m4a. Discussion. In the documentary, Elisabeth’s aunt mentioned meeting Fritzl’s mother and how he was abused by her. Oedipus complex (Freud, 1952) Feelings are aimed towards children (Kline, 1987) Childhood experiences are important.

AUDIO-2021-11-04-03-11-23.m4a. Conclusion. In conclusion, after examining and discussing the outcomes of the themes derived from the documentary, it seems evident that childhood trauma had the most impact on Fritzl's adulthood life. It is considered to have a great influence on Josef’s life choices, personality and behaviour that led him to make such choices in which he was charged guilty of incest, rape, enslavement and false imprisonment. This links to how the abusive history of Fritzl and his unavailable mother has led Elisabeth to suffer both physically and sexually for his own needs..

references. Widom, C.S., 1989. Child abuse, neglect, and violent criminal behavior. Criminology , 27 (2), pp.251-271. Simmons, C., 2013. Representation of Missing Children in National Television News. Davidson, J., 2008. Child sexual abuse: Media representations and government reactions . Routledge. Min, S.J. and Feaster, J.C., 2010. Missing children in national news coverage: Racial and gender representations of missing children cases. Communication Research Reports , 27 (3), pp.207-216. Mikolajczak, M., Brianda, M.E., Avalosse, H. and Roskam, I., 2018. Consequences of parental burnout: Its specific effect on child neglect and violence. Child Abuse & Neglect , 80 , pp.134-145. Nicholas, K. and Bieber, S. (1994) Perceptions of mothers’ and fathers’ abusive and supportive behaviours. Child Abuse & Neglect vol 18(2) pp 167-178. Kitzinger, J. (2004) Media Coverage of Sexual Violence against women and children . Wiley online library [Online] [Accessed on 17 th July] https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470776421.ch2 Alexander, P.C., 1992. Application of attachment theory to the study of sexual abuse. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology , 60 (2), p.185. Kline, P. (1987) Factor analysis and personality theory. Wiley online library [Online] [Accessed on 2nd October] https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2410010105.

References. Alm, S., Brolin Låftman, S. and Bohman, H., 2019. Poor family relationships in adolescence and the risk of premature death: findings from the Stockholm Birth Cohort study. International journal of environmental research and public health , 16 (10), p.1690. Ehrensaft, M.K., Knous-Westfall, H.M., Cohen, P. and Chen, H., 2015. How does child abuse history influence parenting of the next generation?. Psychology of Violence , 5 (1), p.16. Horwitz, A.V., Widom, C.S., McLaughlin, J. and White, H.R., 2001. The impact of childhood abuse and neglect on adult mental health: A prospective study. Journal of health and social behavior , pp.184-201. Nowell, L.S., Norris, J.M., White, D.E. and Moules, N.J., 2017. Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International journal of qualitative methods , 16 (1), p.1609406917733847..