The Casey Anthony Case Essay Example

The functions of consciousness serve three roles in receiving incoming stimuli and processing cognitions through critical thinking. The first function restricts the mind’s attention to selectively focus on important incoming stimuli. Secondly, consciousness provides a “mental meeting place” where sensation combines with cognitions. Thirdly, the conscious mind sets goals and chooses how to reach them. The prosecution of Casey Anthony applied the functions of consciousness to the examination of Casey’s daughter Caylee’s disappearance. Prosecution argued that Casey’s consciousness was restrictively attentive in living a lifestyle of partying, which was important to her. This is because her “mental meeting place” linked the sensations of partying with fun and freedom. As a result, Casey was determined to reclaim her life as a party girl; she set a goal to eliminate parental responsibility from her life. Prosecutors claimed that Casey executed her goal by using chloroform to render her daughter unconscious, suffocated her using duct-tape, and left the body in her car to dispose of it later.

The id is based on the pleasure principle. It influences one’s decisions according to what would feel best in the moment, and is inconsiderate of the long-term. The prosecution of Casey Anthony argued that Casey was a party girl who murdered her daughter to eliminate her parental responsibility and live freely. Casey’s id craved partying and having fun, which influenced her decision to choose her personal freedom over parenting.

The unconscious is a subdivision of the nonconscious mind that processes and stores information without awareness. Sigmund Freud stated that cognitions stored in the unconscious can “boil over” and influence behavior. Casey’s defense team argued that Casey’s unconscious repressed memories of childhood trauma, and that those memories boiled over when Caylee drowned in the family’s above-ground pool. They followed up by claiming that Casey’s childhood trauma and the event of Caylee drowning were both buried deep in her unconscious. Consequently, Casey forgot about her daughter’s death which influenced her irresponsible behaviors.

The superego is based on one’s moral code, and develops due to or in spite of the morals and ethics of one’s parents. Casey’s defense team argued that her superego did not interpret the illegal action of murdering her daughter as immoral or unethical. Defense also claimed that Casey’s superego developed in spite of her parents’ moral and ethical code. As a result, Casey did not interpret her daughter’s death as horrifying, while her parents did.