CRIMINAL MINDS AND TRAUMA

By Alina Bekbossynova

CHARACTERS' CHILDHOOD AND HOW IT AFFECTED THEIR MENTAL HEALTH

Spencer Reid

Spencer Reid grew up with mainly one parent figure who is his mother Diana Reid. His dad was out of the picture due to Diana because she was not taking her medication to treat schizophrenia. In my opinion, Spencer’s father was a selfish person who only thought about himself. He didn’t think about how Reid would grow up alone, with a mother who is mentally ill. While Spencer was growing up, Diana always read to him, which is why they had a close bond. They connected through their mutual love for books. Reid graduated from high school at the age of twelve because he was a genius. Other than family problems, he was severely bullied in school, where he was stripped naked and tied to a goalpost in front of his classmates. He also mentions that no one in high school defended him against his bullies. From a young age, Spencer knew that his mother had a mental disorder, which also gave him a tough head start in life. When Reid was 18, he placed Diana in a mental institution. He wrote letters to her daily because of the guilt he felt for not visiting her.

Derek Morgan

Derek Morgan grew up in a very loving family, with two sisters and both parents. At the age of 10, Derek witnessed a shooting in which his father Hank was shot and died on the scene. His father's murder affected him severely. After his death, Morgan started getting into fights, which eventually got him a juvenile criminal record. Not long after, he was taken under the wing of a local youth center coordinator, Carl Buford. Carl acted like a father figure towards Derek, helping him as much as he could, although we later find out that Carl Buford was sexually abusing Derek Morgan.

Emily Prentiss

Emily Prentiss is kind of a ghost. The show doesn’t talk much about her background. We know that her mother was a diplomat which is the reason why she traveled a lot when she was growing up. At a certain point in her life, she lived in Rome and got pregnant at a young age. She wanted to get an abortion. I feel like it is a normal decision to make, because she was young and was constantly moving. I disliked that the writers didn’t talk much about the effect that the abortion had on Emily. It’s rarely talked about, which upsets me.

Jennifer Jareau

Jennifer Jareau (known as JJ), grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. She was a typical “good girl”: the captain of the varsity soccer team and pretty popular. It was later revealed that JJ had an older sister, who sadly committed suicide. I believe that this truly changed Jennifer and that she wasn’t the same person after this tragic incident. I think her sister's death isn't talked about enough.

Penelope Garcia

Penelope Garcia is such a sweetheart and easily the most likable character on the show. Sadly, she has a traumatic past. When she was 18 her parents tragically died in a car accident, which was caused by a drunk driver. They were searching for her because she was out late, long after her curfew. Not long after their death, she dropped out of college, but still taught herself everything about computers, hacking, and coding. Before joining the BAU, she was a hacker, mentored by Shane (her ex-boyfriend). She would hack many businesses, who were engaged in criminal activities. In 2004 she was arrested by the FBI. She was given a choice to either take a job as a technical analyst at the BAU or go to jail. She decided to accept the job and become a better version of herself.

Aaron Hotchner

Aaron Hotchner is the chief of the BAU. He is typically a very nice guy, although he is always very stern and hard to read due to the lack of emotions. In the first seasons, Aaron hinted that he had been abused as a child, but it was never elaborated on after the episode finished. In a few episodes, we see his brother, who is not as responsible as Hotch. He seems to like breaking rules and has an addiction to drugs. He doesn’t have the most loving relationship with his younger brother, but he tends to look out for him. Other than his brother we don’t see much of his family on the show. hey should have extended the plot lines or not included them at all. This is not something you can talk about for one or two episodes and then sweep under the rug. These are very serious subjects that shouldn't be taken lightly. Even though some people may have a fast recovery, others take time to heal.

THE TRAUMA THE CHARACTERS HAD WHILE WORKING IN THE BAU (BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS UNIT)

All the characters in the show have a lot of trauma because of the difficult job they have, which affects both their mental and physical health. I felt like the portrayal of trauma and PTSD was not exactly accurate. If they were going to include various traumas, the least they could do is write them properly and do their research on trauma responses.

They should have extended the plot lines or not included them at all. This is not something you can talk about for one or two episodes and then sweep under the rug. These are very serious subjects that shouldn't be taken lightly. Even though some people may have a fast recovery, others take time to heal.

SPENCER REID

Spencer has faced many challenges while working at the BAU. He has been through hell and back,to say the least. He served some time in prison, he was kidnapped and tortured, which led to brief but severe drug addiction, he watched the love of his life die in front of him and so much more. He was forced to watch the most important people in life slip through his fingers. Everyone around him was either abandoning him or dying. Working at the BAU is hard enough already. Watching people die and searching for serial killers isn’t exactly fun work. It takes a toll on a person, even if you’re strong-willed. But on top of that, Spencer went through his own trauma while working there.

It takes a lot of guts to stay human in such a rough environment. After everything that he’s been through, he was strong enough to find the light at the end of the tunnel. I think his trauma response was slightly unrealistic. I’m sure that there are people who aren’t as affected by others, but even the strongest of us are bound to fall apart. I’ve always loved seeing trauma representation on screen. I’m glad that they added those storylines in, but I feel like they didn’t show us the aftermath of his incidents. We see what happens to him, but we never get a proper trauma response. With every season, he changes. He isn’t the same person as he was in season one. He becomes angry and brutal, which is a hundred percent understandable. But I do think that it’s a very stereotypical way to view survivors. It’s the way society portrays them as if they all turn dark and their hearts fill with hatred which I think is not exactly true. Many people grow and heal. Putting all victims in this one box labeled ‘what trauma victims are like’ seems slightly ignorant. The media is scared of showing viewers the gruesome parts of trauma responses. Not everything is always so bubbly and bright. Sometimes, people struggle and they lose a part of themselves. Not everyone bounces back to reality as quickly as Reid did. Some may need time, others need help. If you touch on such serious topics, make sure you do your research. It gives us viewers such an unrealistic view of survivors. I wanted to see the good, the bad, the messy. I wanted Reid to heal properly and learn to grow past that trauma.

DEREK MORGAN

In general Derek’s personality is very fun and flirtatious. He is always there for his team. I think his trauma response was well written. His childhood was very rough. On top of losing his father, he was also sexually abused. He overcame many challenges and even faced his abuser. Derek is a strong person, who came out stronger in the end. The writers show us how he pulled himself out of an awful situation and grew as an individual. In the earlier seasons, he had a bubblier personality, but as the show continues, he gets darker. Sometimes Derek lashes out on the team, but I feel like it’s completely justified. He’s a natural leader, and if anyone ever needs help or support, he is always there for them. When he left in the later seasons, I believe it was the right decision, considering he was about to start a family. He wanted to be othere for his child and his wife. He wanted to give his son a father, who wouldn’t always be in danger because of his job.

EMILY PRENTISS

Emily is an introverted person, who doesn’t trust easily. When she joined the BAU, no one knew anything about her. With every season, we get to see more of her character and her backstory. She’s not close to anyone in particular, but once she joins the team, she sees them as her found family. When her team was attacked, she left because she didn’t want anyone to get hurt. This shows the viewers that she’s a selfless person who cares about her friends. The writers created an amazing character, who loves deeply and can grow as a person. She experiences a near-death situation, which completely changes her life. That is the reasoning behind her departure. I feel like her trauma response was quite realistic. We see how she tries therapy and experiences paranoia. It took her a long time to return to the BAU, but I’m glad that everything worked out. In many episodes, we see that Emily always puts the people around her first.

Emily is the type of person that seems to be visibly alright but is internally struggling. That’s why the team is unable to read her emotions. Her character was one of my favorites. She’s courageous, smart, and kind. The writer did a great job with her character as well as her trauma response and her development.

JENNIFER JAREAU

Jennifer also experiences a lot of trauma because of her job. Many people disregard her trauma in the earlier seasons because she’s a liaison, not a profiler. Her job is just as hard since she makes the final choice about what case they pick up, hoping that she made the right choice. She’s the type of person who people talk to freely, without the fear of being judged. In the later seasons, she loses a child, and we can see how much pain she goes through. In my opinion, her trauma was a bit undeveloped. It seems as though the writers picked up a very serious topic, but gave up halfway through. The writers could have given her a better arc and should have shown all of the stages of loss. I believe she was robbed of having an actual development. We never saw how she dealt with her trauma. I would’ve loved to see more of her healing process.

PENELOPE GARCIA

I can confidently say that Penelope is the kindest person in the BAU. Every day she sees what her team goes through, and since she’s sitting behind her computer all day, there isn’t much she can do. We see a little bit of her backstory, but not nearly enough. I would have wanted to see more of how she dealt with the loss of her mother and father. I’m glad that she started her support group, but the writers didn't go into depth with that storyline. She loves her job because of the people who surround her, but not the horrid things she sees every day. The writer could have given more character outside of her job. I strongly believe that Penelope’s character is outstanding. She’s the embodiment of joy and light in dark times. People underestimate how hard it is to stay gentle and kind in such a rough environment.

AARON HOTCHNER

Hotch rarely shows any emotions in front of his colleagues. He’s the leader of the team, a person who everyone looks up to. The loss of his wife was one of the hardest things he had to endure, and I think the writers did a good job of showing the aftermath of his loss. I would have wanted to see more of his childhood, his brother, and the abuse that he survived when he was little. I believe that Hotch's ending was unexpected and poorly written. The writers didn’t give him a proper exit, and that angers me a lot. He was one of the main characters and deserved a farewell with his team. He cares deeply about his son, and I don’t understand fans who think he was a bad father. He did everything he could to give his son a better life and set a good example. Overall, the character was complex and well written and deserved more than he got.

ENDING

Overall the trauma response of the characters varies. Sometimes the writers gave them a solid background, good trauma responses, and amazing character developments. But other times, they picked up a storyline and never went through with it. It felt both rushed and unfinished. They are planning to release a new season, and I hope to see more of the characters rather than useless plot lines. I know that the show is oftentimes based on real cases and serial killers, but I would love for the writers to shed some light on the characters' lives.