Marilyn Monroe Psychology

Identifying information: Marilyn Monroe, her real nameNorma JeanMortenson, was a

popular actress, but shewas also known for her striking looks, style, as a sexy symbol. However,

these things were not the only things Monroe was famous for. She was also known for having an

affair with President John F. Kennedy. It is possible that Monroe have suffered from

psychological issues.

Psychiatric illness/symptoms: After severalyears of acting, Marilyn Monroe’s mental

illnesses began to catch up with her; during the filming of “seven year itch” she would constantly

forget her lines. She cost theproduction money because of how many retakes had to bedone.

After this she began to participate in substance abuse, after suffering from insomnia

When

many of Marilyn’s writings andpoetry were found, they created documentation of her many

sexual affairs with men otherthanher husband, Arthur Miller, andfully made concrete evidence

of her depressionand erratic behavior.

Past history of treatment: Marilyn Monroe ended up in a mentalinstitution. She was

diagnosed with (BPD) Border Personality Disorder. The psychological disorders that Marilyn

Monroe experienced are createdthroughthe behaviorist theory andthe biological theory of

psychology. The biological theory states that genetics are responsible for a person’s behavior and

the behaviorist theory states that observed behaviors and actions are responsible for the

individual’s psychological actions. These two theories are relevant to the behavior of Marilyn

because of the mental illness that ran in her family, and her own illness mirrored that of her

mother. The personality traits that Monroe portrayed were basedupon the facets oineuroticism,

her lack of selfesteem fi 'om events in her life, like sexualabuse,the absence ofher father,

depression, and lack of ability to express herselfwere also what may have led to her