Recently in Adolescent Psychology Category

I found a very neat site today related to psychology. One of the resources there I thought my readers might enjoy is a list of online psychology quizzes. Check them out!

My best friend, Jen, and I have been discussing the double murder case of Kara Beth Borden and David Ludwig for a few days. Jen offers some insight into how Kara Beth may think.

I asked her specifically how she thought a young girl could possibly go with a man who had just murdered her parents. J. said , very matter-of-fact, that she has seen "boy-crazy" girls who will put up with anything to be with the object of their obsessions. In her experience, working with teens, she has seen girls whose fantasies of happily ever after and true love become so important that nothing else matters.

In the case of these two, the allegations of a sexual relationship betwen the two offers even greater support for this theory. Although girls mature faster than boys, no fourteen year old child is able to handle the emotional effects of a sexual relationship. In addition, I have found that most children have not even developed the cognitive ability to reason through problems and see cause and effect relationships until the age of fifteen or sixteen. Couple these two factors together, and the results can be pretty disastrous. According to those close to the couple, Kara had grown increasingly isolated and withdrawn as she became more focused on David.

So when a child such as Kara is made to feel special by someone who she finds attractive, and he is able to at least temporarily represent this ideal, aggressive man, she may be unable resist the fantasies of love and marriage. This is apparently what happened, according to the statements they have made since David's arrest. He is no longer charged with kidnapping, and it has been published that the two planned to get married and establish a new life for themselves, away from Pennsylvania.

Ludwig told detectives that after the killings, he couldn't find Kara Borden. He said he started to drive away and saw her running down the road toward him.

She got in the car and said she wanted to "get as far away as possible, get married, and start a new life," Ludwig told detectives.

Kara Beth Borden is indeed a victim in this mess.

In the case of David, I have a few theories as well...

Recently, Steve Huff was interviewed by Rita Cosby on MSNBC. One of the things that was came up was the deeply spiritual statements made by David Ludwig, as well as statements made about him by members of his community, which did not line up with his actions.

Technorati Tags: abductions, crimes against children, David Ludwig, internet safety, Kara Beth Borden, technology

The other day, when we were discussing the David Ludwig double murder and abduction case, I felt excited to find the blogs of David and Kara Beth. A little after that, I felt guilty. I mean, Kara Beth had just lost both of her parents. I knew that she also had four siblings who were going through a very traumatic time.

I knew that there would be cameras and reporters everywhere. I can't imagine dealing with that while burying my parents.

From an article I read today at LancasterOnline:

The Ludwig also said in their prepared statement, “Living inside the devastation of this unimaginably horrible week, no words can adequately express the sorrow, shock and senselessness of what we are all experiencing.”

In asking that the media respect their privacy, the Ludwigs’ statement requests that both families need to “privately process events which challenged everything about us.’’

”Please understand that rampant curiosity only hinders the good efforts of the authorities and those helping us sort the pieces of our shattered lives,’’ the statement continued.

Child Victims Suffer Doubly Under Public's Scrutiny
By David Finkelhor

When 9-year-old Jennette Tamayo was kidnapped this month from her San Jose home, her life, like Elizabeth Smart's a year before, may have depended on all of us remembering her name and face. Now that both are miraculously back, however, they would be better off if we just forgot.

The unfortunate notoriety of these young crime victims may haunt them long after their tormentors are locked up and memories of the ordeal fade. In this way, they are poster children for the plight of juvenile crime victims, who often have to forfeit their privacy to gain protection and justice.

Technorati Tags: abductions, David Ludwig, Kara Beth Borden