Research Proposal
University of Phoenix
PSYCH/665
September 5, 2016
Research Proposal
Schizophrenia, as per the DSM-IV, is defined as having two or more of the following symptoms during a one-month period: hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech or negative symptoms ("Biological Psychiatry Institute, LTD," 2016). The following research proposal will cover the variables of schizophrenia, serial killers, addictions, and environments and how they tie in together. Nonexperimental, correlational research will be used to show how schizophrenia, addictions, environments, and serial killers tie in together, results will show a correlation between the variables. In this research proposal the author will be doing a literature review based on an annotated bibliography, state the research question and hypothesis, and the methods used which will include: the sample, procedure, and analysis, any ethical considerations, and expected results with conclusions and limitations.
Many names will be used throughout this proposal such as: Son of Sam (David Berkowitz), Edward Gein, Albert Fish, Richard Chase, Andrea Yates, and James Holmes as well as the group of Ottis Toole and Henry Lee Lucas. All individuals were proclaimed schizophrenic adults at the time of their crimes as well as some self-medicating. The author believes through proper therapy and medications schizophrenia can be controlled.
Literature Review
An article by Aggarwal, Bhullar, & Sharma (2010) discusses possible causes and backgrounds for five serial killers in India of which two were found to be mentally ill, one schizophrenic, and another a drug addict. The first case study discusses two men in 2006 who were arrested for killing and dismembering 38 children and dumping their remains in and around drains near their home (Aggarwal, Bhullar, & Sharma, 2010). These individuals were not diagnosed with schizophrenia, but they were psychopaths. The second case involves an individual...