The Troubled Life of the DC Sniper: Situational and Biological Factors

Abstract

DC Sniper: John Allen Mohammed [Name] These are external forces that influence the behaviour of a person, and in most cases, one has no control over them. Considering Allen's life, one can argue that his career change from an Army National Guard to a U.S. Army played a significant role in changing his attitude towards life. His new career gave him exposure to Washington DC as well as new skills and approaches to war. Leaving the military in 1994 is another situational factor that gave Allen a chance to start a new life as an entrepreneur than a karate master. Both failed, leading to the divorce of the second wife in 1999. Family troubles made Muhammad become a threat to his wife, and upon issuance of a restraining order, he fled to Antigua, where he met Lee Boyd Malvo, who became a close criminal friend (Liptak, 2019). Meeting Boyd is another situational factor that excellently influenced Muhammad's criminal life. They lived in a homeless shelter which was an environment that exposed Muhammad to develop a disturbing father-son dynamic which fostered his illegal being in the long run. He had gun use skills acquired from his military life, which gave him a chance to train Malvo on hitting a target in a friend’s field and later employed their skills in real-life through D.C. residents (Liptak, 2019). Biological Factors These are biological aspects that influence or foster a person's behaviour. Taking a close look at Muhammad's life, it is clear that his gender defined his character in a great manner. There is a defined strength that becomes associated with the male gender mot, especially regarding job selection. As a male, he started off with an Army Guard job, advanced to the U.S. Army, an entrepreneur and finally a Karate master, which defines the strict job line he selected based on his gender. He believed in his masculine powers of being a father figure and an authoritative husband expressed through fleeing with his three children upon restraining orders because of threatening his wife (Koen and Jackson, 2018). It is the gender that made him behave like a father figure to Boyd after losing the custody of his three children. Gender can be viewed as a force that drove Muhammad to shit to prove his masculinity, leading him to become troublesome. Social networks, relationships and personal interaction also prove potential forces determined by genes and the world around us that foster biological behaviour in a great manner. Muhammad grew as an orphan, having lost his mum at a tender age. His aunt might not have related with him the very way that his mother would have if she were the one who brought him up not to ignore the beatings and abuses that he and his siblings experienced at the hands of their uncle and relatives. For this reason, Muhammad interacted with people of benefit to him, like Boyd, with the sole motive of ensuring revenge over his past family ill experiences. The two divorces define his unhealthy relationship with his wives and children. This personal relationship/ interaction factor biologically defines his weaknesses as a human, leading to his criminal being effectively. Developmental factors These factors influence our social, physical, intellectual and emotional development from birth to maturity, excellently defining one's behaviour. Parental attitude and stimulation are among the factors that determine human development in a significant manner. The fact that Allen had no mum to guide him early might have significantly shaped his behaviour and attitude towards life as a grown-up. Though brought up by an aunt, it is clear that Uncle Felton Holiday exposed him and his siblings to severe beating, among other abuses from relatives (Thomas, Wingert and Smalley, 2002). Their father abandoned them is also a potential factor that defined Allen's developmental path extensively. Muhammad's peer relationship and learning experiences remain defined as unproductive since his relationship throughout his childhood was exposed to harsh experiences. The fact that he did not blend with his relatives may have contributed to his desire to become an army guard, an army and later...