The Unheard Story of Pearl Fernandez

Criminology 101 The Unheard Story of Pearl Fernandez Criminology is used to evaluate various theories and can be applied to real-life cases. An example of this would be using the different theories, such as the Labeling Theory and Symbolic and other Psychological Theories of Crime such as psychodynamic theory. This paper examines the case of Gabriel Fernandez through the psychoanalytic theory. An 8-year-old boy in horrible circumstances resulted in his death solely being the fault of his parents/guardians. Therefore, I chose the psychoanalytic theory and focused on his mother's actions and why she had committed and been an accessory to his murder. This paper also presents an evaluation of Freud's psychoanalytic theory and implications for policy implications. Sigmund Freud was a neurologist that created the psychoanalytic theory. In 1885, he went to Paris to study hypnosis with his teacher Josef Breuer. This case was of Anna O. This became a turning moment in Freud's career, causing him to specialize in medical psychopathology. This case further influenced the future of psychology. Freud proposed that physical symptoms are related to deeply repressed conflicts because Freud was a massive supporter of the unconscious; he became the psychology father. Although his theories have been heavily debated, they still explain why someone would commit crimes. By developing the topographic model of the mind, Freud described the mind's structure and functions. By utilizing the iceberg's analogy, the top half of the iceberg represents the conscious mind. Consciousness represents our thoughts that are the focus of our attention at that moment. The psychoanalytic theory relates to our childhood experiences and unconscious desires that influence our behavior —the unconscious mind functions as a hidden area that filters the preconscious wants and impulses. In 1915, Freud realized that certain activities and impulses were "often too frightening or traumatic for his patients to remember" (Mcleod,2018, p1.). It was thus assumed that the unconscious had hidden this knowledge away through repression. Later in 1923, Freud developed a more structural model of the mind: the id, ego, and superego. Freud called this "the psychic apparatus." (Mcleod,2018, p1.). Since our personalities have memories and beliefs, and specific needs, the concept of libido was introduced. When this energy is stuck at certain psychosexual development stages, many conflicts can have lifelong effects. This can then predict adult personality by breaking down this theory into three structures: the id, ego, and superego. The id makes up the unconscious part of our mind and the majority of the mind. The id is composed of two kinds of biological drives called Eros and Thanatos. The Eros helps the Individual to survive. By directing life-sustaining activities such as "respiration, eating, and sex." (Mcleod,2018, p1.). Thanatos is viewed as a destructive or death instinct. This relates to aggression and violence. The ego is part of our conscious and unconscious minds. The ego involves our perceptions, thoughts, and judgments. Its primary goal is to satisfy the id's demand in a socially acceptable way by being part of both the conscious and unconscious mind. The superego develops at an early age of our childhood by being our moral compass and ensuring that ethical standards are followed. The superego acts on the principle of morality and motivates us to work in a morally culpable and appropriate way. A conflict can occur between these mental structures, our mind, the ego, the superego, and the Id competing for our demands. The fundamental problem of all human life is that each part demands the psychic apparatus that is incompatible with the other two, creating inner conflict. When this internal conflict arises, it is assumed that the Individual will act out such desires repressed. Freud's psychoanalytic theory is not very accurate in child development but was the first to bring attention to such causes. However, this theory does imply that lack of gratification during development can lead to adulthood deviance (Cherry, 2020). One severe case worth evaluating through the psychoanalytic theory is that of Pearl Fernandez, the mother of Gabriel Fernandez. She killed her eight-year-old son. Gabriel Fernandez's case brought to fruition the impact of child abuse and lack of prosecuting those complicit in his murder. Fernandez was an eight-year-old boy who was killed by his mother and her boyfriend in 2013. Netflix did a documentary that followed how Fernandez was beaten, tortured, and emotionally abused for years (Gajanan, 2020). The trial of his mother, Pearl Fernandez, revealed that she, too, had been sexually assaulted and abused as a child (Gajanan, 2020). Through the lens of Freud's psychoanalytic theory, it can be assumed that Pearl did not find gratification as a child. Therefore, she projected pain onto her son as a means to find gratification. The psychoanalytic theory proposes that libido, sexual desires are in the erogenous zones and require gratification at each stage. According to Cherry (2020): "Failure to progress through a stage can result in fixation at that point in development, which Freud believed could influence adult behavior" (para. 12). Based on this premise, it is implied that Pearl Fernandez abused her son because, during her developmental stage, she was not gratified. Often, we may think that the issues in adulthood are derived from developmental problems in childhood. Pearl appeared to have lowlevel intelligence during her trial, which would deem her incapable of being responsible for her role in torturing her son (Gajanan, 2020). Therefore, Freud would argue that she committed such transgressions because of her abuse during development. Pearl Fernandez's case indicates that she had internal conflicts with her id and ego through a psychoanalytic lens. The lack of resolving such disputes early on led her to commit brutal acts towards Gabriel. In theory, even if Pearl were abused as a child, had she been able to find gratification at each stage of development, she would not have resulted in deviant behavior in adulthood. One news source reported that Pearl and her boyfriend fostered homophobic ideologies, calling Gabriel "gay" (Vanhoeven, 2020, para. 6). This can be an example of Pearl's inability to be gratified during her phallic stage of development. It could also be a manifestation of her internal conflict with her sexuality. Either way, her actions cannot be justified or entirely understood through the psychoanalytic theory lens. It can only be assumed her actions are the result of internal conflict. In Gabriel Fernandez's case, the Netflix series entirely focused on what led to Gabriel's death. The show revealed how Pearl and her husband tortured and abused Gabriel. However, the show did not reveal Pearl's background in-depth, which, by the tenets of the psychoanalytic theory, would explain her crimes in adulthood. Coverage of the trial revealed that Pearl was sexually and physically abused as a child. The psychoanalytic theory does not provide substantial evidence for policy implications or crime deterrence in the adult system from the criminal justice standpoint. However, based on the theory, other disciplines such as social work and school counseling could implement policy changes to avoid child abuse cases by identifying signs of trauma or abuse. It can only be assumed that Pearl's actions are the result of internal conflict and childhood trauma that was not addressed. For instance, through Freud's psychoanalytic theory, we can be assumed that Pearl did not find gratification as a child (due to abuse), so she projected pain onto her son as a means to find gratification. The psychoanalytic theory, however, presents many limitations. For instance, the text states, "The psychodynamic approach places too much emphasis on the psychological factors, without considering the biological/genetic factors that influence and contribute to mental health problems" (McLeod, 2020, para.1). This related entirely to Pearl being taken advantage of by her boyfriend and was complicit in the crimes he had committed. The psychoanalytic theory does not consider the biological and genetic influence that plays an important factor in mental health problems. The documentary on Netflix also showed how Pearl did not have the mental capacity and how her IQ was below enough to be considered able to make any crucial decisions. Smith (2020) states, "By the time that brain development is taking place, she may have sustained, you know, some damage from the drugs she was using" (page 1). This theory's limitations introduce how Pearl was a sadist for the abuse Gabriel sustained and based on the theory; it was due to childhood trauma; the only potential policy implications would be harsher child abuse laws. However, most importantly, these cases would not be heard unless discovered by a social worker, or school official. The text also states, "The origins of criminality are located in childhood deprivation and in solutions to such deprivations that make sense in both social and psychic contexts" (Brown, 2003, page 2). This was very prominent in Pearl's case since she had lost her father to the criminal justice system and had been repeatedly abused by her mother, which in return made her run-away from home. By looking for validation from outside sources, she turned to her boyfriend, who also abused her. This then created the fixation of Gabriel's abuse. This is because she was deprived of a good childhood in both psychic and social contexts. Overall, the psychoanalytic theory focuses on childhood development and could provide implications for policy change in the juvenile justice system but would prove problematic in the adult justice system. Felson (2017) contends that psychoanalytic theory focuses on childhood trauma, which could become transgenerational. That assumption would imply that had Gabriel survived. It is possible he would have abused children as well. In the criminal justice system, the goal is to deter crime, yet in the case of Gabriel Fernandez, the system could not prevent such atrocities. However, since the ideology of rehabilitation of punitive measures, the theory can provide insight into how to rehabilitate an offender like Pearl. Still, it would work better in her juvenile years. In Conclusion, Pearl lacked gratification through the lens of psychoanalytic theory, therefore, turned into a criminal. By lacking gratification, she was also abused, causing her to make some bad decisions. The psychoanalytic theory fails to explain the biological and genetic influence and its effect on mental health problems. The psychoanalytic theory focuses more on childhood development and could provide implications for policy change in the juvenile justice system, which would not be possible in the adult justice system. This could have been prevented if the social worker had been more involved in his life and knew the situation of what Pearl had gone through; otherwise, Gabriel would have lived to see today. I chose this topic because it resonated with me. I didn't think this could occur. I got interested in case ever since the Netflix docu-series got released. By taking this class, it made me gain a better understanding of the situation he was put in.