A CASE STUDY OF KIP KINKEL, PATRI/MATRICIDE, AND THE THURSTON HIGH MURDERS

A CASE STUDY OF KIP KINKEL, PATRI/MATRICIDE,
AND THE THURSTON HIGH MURDERS


By Felicia McCaw
Saginaw Valley State University

Monday 1:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
Adolescent Psychology
Psychology 315

















A CASE STUDY OF KIP KINKEL,
PATRI/MATRICIDE, AND THE
THURSTON HIGH MURDERS
By Felicia McCaw
Page 1

1) Did Kip’s Mother and Father appear to be synchronous in their relations with him? Do you see any evidence that synchronicity between them differed between early and late adolescence? On what observations do you base your speculations?
No, Kip’s Mother and Father were not synchronous in their relations with him. Both appeared to approach him from different ways – Bill the Father was autocratic and Faith the Mother was more emotional and conciliatory. Both were disappointed in him from early and late adolescence and was compared unfavorably with his sister (Kristen). Based on observations he was subjected to lots of criticism and seen as the loser in the family - a sad lonely troubled child – possibly unwanted due to his issues.
2) What expectations did Kip’s parents seem to have for him? What expectations do you think Kip thought his parents had of him?
The expectation Kip’s parents wanted for him was to learn languages, be a good student, develop athletic abilities, normalcy, be able to channel or focus himself in the right direction to be a success.
Kip knew his parents were disappointed in him and wanted to succeed and tried desperately to but was unable to. Further, he knew they expected him to stay out of trouble, but because of him unable to compete or measure up to his sister’s image he felt a failure in his parent’s eyes.
3) How would you characterize the parenting style used predominately by Kip’s Mother? His Father? & 4) Use the following two dimensional descriptions of Slater’s Parenting
Style to describe the parenting styles of Kip’s parents:
Parenting style used by his mother:
• Mother
Undemanding or Low in Control
(Emotional – Conciliatory)
Indulgent/Neglecting
• Mother unsure of what to do to help him – felt sorry for son –
unhappy because they (herself and husband) felt disappointed in him.
• Neglectful – not monitoring his computer activities
• Not paying enough attention to him
• Tired of the conflict and trouble that he got in and followed him
A CASE STUDY OF KIP KINKEL,
PATRI/MATRICIDE, AND THE
THURSTON HIGH MURDERS
By Felicia McCaw
Page 2

• Father
Demanding or Controlling
(Autocratic)
Authoritarian/Neglecting
• Father – Decided to try to take control of Kip and push
him in the direction he wanted him to go. Upset that the son he
had was a troubled child that he could not bond with or control.
• Neglectful – not monitoring his computer activities
• Not paying enough attention to him
• Tired of the conflict and trouble that he got in and followed him

5) How would you characterize the parenting partnership between Kip’s parents? How did time and Kip’s behavior seem to affect this partnership?
The parenting partnership between Kip’s parents was strained to the limits – maxing out the uncertainty of how to deal with a child that became the bane of their existence and shame of the family. His behavior caused stress between his parents and their combined effort to help him.
6) Is there any evidence that relations changed between Kip and his parents during the course of his short life? If any, at what stages do you imagine their relationships changed and in what ways? Does Kip’s life seem to fit the continuity or discontinuity view of relationships? On what basis do you reach this speculation?
Yes, relations did change between Kip and his parents during the course of his short life:
Strained relations, worried, aged beyond their years, apprehension of what he would do next.
The relationship changed as time progressed as his behavior worsened from one stage to another and caused anger and pain. Kip’s life fit the discontinuity view of relationship because it steadily worsened between himself and his parents. This would be a natural course for two parents who live a life of normalcy and then have a child who upsets that normalcy in the most castaphoric way.




A CASE STUDY OF KIP KINKEL,
PATRI/MATRICIDE, AND THE
THURSTON HIGH MURDERS
By Felicia McCaw
Page 3


7) Based on your speculations regarding Kip’s relationship with his parents, do you imagine that Kip achieved secure attachment or insecure attachment with his parents during the early year of his life? Why?

Insecure attachment with his parents due to his overwhelming issues that affected him: Mentally, Physically and Psychologically.

8) Consider the principle of reciprocal socialization. What effects do you imagine Kip may have had on the socialization of his parents?

As far as reciprocal socialization his behavior negated the possibility of this principle when it in fact did the opposite and brought worry, frustration, pain, anger and the desire to disown him by his parents. No, there was nothing positive to socialize his parents with.

9) What do you imagine was the nature of Kip’s relationship with his older sibling? What effects might gender, birth order, and age difference have had on Kip’s relationship with his sister?

The relationship with his older sibling was probably pretty good – since she played mediator for a long time. I don’t believe gender, birth order or age difference came into the realm of affecting their relationship.

10) What was Kip’s parents’ employment status? What role may this have had on Kip’s development? Why?

Both of his parents’ were teachers. The role this may have had on Kip’s development was both were educators and were knowledgeable enough to try to assist him as much as possible, because they wanted to give their son a chance to succeed and live normally.





A CASE STUDY OF KIP KINKEL,
PATRI/MATRICIDE, AND THE
THURSTON HIGH MURDERS
By Felicia McCaw
Page 4

12) How would you describe the general nature of Kip’s relationship with his peers during early adolescence and late adolescence? Which of the following statuses do you think Kip held with his peers and why?: Popular, Neglected, or Controversial Did Kip seem to conform to his peers, or was his behavior more characteristic of noncomformity or anticomformity? Explain your reasoning.

The general nature of his relationship with his peers was that he was picked on at school, became angry and attacked students, made friend with the wrong crowd and subsequently got into trouble over and over. Controversial – He was always doing something out of the norm, breaking laws, and able to learn everything he should not. Kip was a noncomformist – he did not fit in and his behavior escalated from levels of a person to be viewed with caution to a dangerous individual with unpredictable levels.

13) What effect do you imagine conglomerate strategies may have had on Kip’s behavior if they had been used to help him improve his social skills? Why?

Conglomerate strategies would not have any effect on his behavior since this approach was already used and had yielded no positive results. Attempting to alter a child’s personality is a positive approach but if that child’s is not receptive then all efforts will be in vain.

14) Does it seem that Kip’s friendships fulfilled the following functions?: companionship, stimulation, physical support, ego support, social comparison, intimacy/affection

Kip’s friendship possibly fulfilled the following functions: Companionship, Physical Support, Ego Support and Intimacy/Affection

15) What role did peer groups seem to play in Kip’s early and late adolescent periods?

Peer groups allowed Kip to grow and expand but not in the right way during early and late adolescent periods.