Charles Whitman had been an altar boy and an Eagle Scout. When he became a student at the University of Texas, his life took a new direction. He assaulted his wife and became involved in several fights. Even more frightening, he confided to a psychiatrist that he was fighting to resist the urges to commit even more extreme violent behavior. One day he lost that fight. He climbed to the top of the campus observation tower with a high-powered rifle and began shooting people. Whitman murdered 14 people and wounded more than 20 others before the police finally killed him. Further investigation showed that Whitman had also killed his wife and his mother. An autopsy on Whitman’s body revealed a large tumor about the size of a walnut, pressing against his amygdala. Although researchers cannot be sure that this tumor was the cause of his violence and aggressiveness, this area of the brain is known to regulate aggressive behavior in other animals.PART ONE: In your readings on the brain and behavior especially with regard to the Limbic System and the functions of the Amygdala what is known about this important part of the brain. As a critical thinker what other explanation could have attributed to Charles Whitman’s actions.PART TWO OF THIS ASSIGNMENT: With so many killings recently occurring, research the internet to see if any of them had anything to do with a history of child abuse, PTSD, mental illness or injuries suffered in the brain.
