Workshop #5

 

Business Leader Analysis Paper

 

By:  Dave Major

Lisa Son

Heather Troxler

Jeremy Vigil 

 

University of Phoenix, Colorado Division

 

Lone Tree Campus 

 

For:  PSY/250-Psychology of Personality

 

Group # LTLC54

 

Date Due:  08/06/02

 

Date Submitted:  08/0602

 

Abstract

 

Within this paper we will be comparing and contrasting two distinct personalities. 

Stephen King and Charles Manson.  We will be asking several questions.  How did they grow up?  What was the extent of each of their educations?  Why one of these individuals grew up to become an acclaimed author, while the other became a killer?  Many more questions will be asked and answered within this paper.  We will attempt to distinguish each of their personalities.  We will also try to determine what the fork in the road was that created these two separate and dramatically different personalities.

 History

Stephen Edward King, quite an extraordinary novel writer, was born in Portland, Maine, in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King.  When he was three years, old his father disserted the family and their mother raised him and his older brother.  Charles Manson was born in 1934, to Kathleen Maddox, a 16-year-old alcoholic.  She was briefly married to a man by the name of William Manson.  Charles took his name to become Charles Manson.  Although Charles knew his mother, due to her irresponsibility, he was shuffled from relative to relative.  He was sent to reform school at the age of nine for stealing.  At the age of 14, he spent three years in boy’s school for armed robbery. 

While Stephen attended grammar school in Durham’ Charles was traveling to California committing many burglaries on the way.  He was caught in Utah and sentenced to the National Training School for Boys in Washington D.C.  He was transferred to Petersburg, Virginia for holding a razor to another boys throat and sodmizing him.  From there he was sent to a more secure facility in Chillicothe, Ohio, and was categorized as “criminally sophisticated.”

King attended Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966.  This was around the same time Manson was paroled and married a waitress and had a son, Charles Manson Jr.  He stole a car and headed for Los Angles.  He was caught and sent to jail again.  After serving three years, his wife divorced him.  Both men continued their education, but in different ways.  King attended the University of Maine at Orono, graduating in 1970, and Manson took up several religious teachings, but never remained long enough with any of them to obtain meaningful benefits.  While King was in college, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, active in student politics, student senate member, and supported the anti-war movement on campus.  This is when he met Tabitha Spruce, whom of which he later married in 1971.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in English.  Manson began writing as well.  He wrote songs and was obsessed with the Beatles.  He tried to make a living as a guitar player, but was unsuccessful and turned to drugs.   

            After college, King was unable to find work as a teacher and became a laborer to support he and his wife.  At this same time, across the country Manson began manipulating young girls into his following, or then called “his family.”  Shortly after this, “his family” committed one of the nations most horrific murders.  Five individuals were brutally murdered.  They were Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant, Roman Polanski, and three other caretakers at the residence.  Although it is said that Manson never killed anyone himself, he was charged with murder.  During this same time, Stephen King wrote his first successful novel, Carrie.

            Since this time, Charles Manson has been serving life in prison at the Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, California, and has been unsuccessful at his nine parole attempts.  King on the other hand, as written 58 novels, six of which were under the pseudonym “Richard Bachman”, and has been very victorious within in life.  He was one of the first well-known authors to publish a work exclusively as an e-book, or electronic book.  As well as, still be married to Tabitha, and raising three children.

             Using the six approaches to personality theory, we can see why these two famous people turned out the way they did.  Exploring the biological approach, we may be able to understand why Manson turned to such a bad way of life, and why King took a different path.  Manson’s mother may have passed down some of her troublesome traits, while Kings mother was a loving nurturing mother who passed on loving traits.  Looking at the humanistic approach, we can say that Manson does not employ this approach; he would not assume responsibility for his actions.  While King very much follows this approach, due to his personal growth and high self-esteem.

            With the information, we have gathered on these individuals we can say that both Stephen King and Charles Manson have similar ID’s.  The difference with their egos is what sets them apart.  King having a super ego to control it, while Manson did not, and he let his ID impulses control him.