Oscar Pistorius Trail

1. How do you believe Oscar and his family members are feeling physically, emotionally and mentally as they go through this court case? Oscar and his family had a year to prepare themselves physically, emotionally and mentally for what they are going to face in this court case. So I believe they came prepared; Oscar’s family is very supportive, which is an immense boost for him. By observing Oscar’s facial expressions and body language it showcases him as a highly motivated and purpose driven individual, focused at the task at hand, although he sometimes tries to subdue emotion during cross examination of witnesses. It must be borne in mind that one can never be fully prepared for the scale of events being unfolded during the court case, as we see at different occasions, Oscar and his family emotionally breaking down due to the immense pressure they are under. However, it is expected that raw emotion will surface with such immense pressure. 2. What Emotions would Oscar experience after accidental or intentionally harming a loved one? Firstly, only Oscar knows what really happened that night, but having his dying girlfriend in his arms is definitely a very traumatic experience regardless of malicious intent or not. He would have sporadically had multiple mixed emotions such as overwhelming sadness, grief, anger, regret, resentment, frustration, worthlessness, helplessness, hurtfulness and or even thoughts of harming himself to only name a few. Ultimately this would have taken him emotional roller-coaster ride. Such intense emotions in regular intervals can lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. PTSD can cause an individual not to function on a normal cognitive level, but on a lower physical, emotional and mental state of awareness. That’s why moral support and professional counselling will be very important in Oscar’s case. 3. Do you believe Oscar would have to be on medication to help him through the case? If Oscar has seen someone professionally he would most probably be on some sort of medication or some sort of natural remedy to help him calm his nerves and keep him as stable as possible emotional and mentally during the court case. 4. How do you believe Reeva’s family members are feeling physically, emotionally and mentally as they go through this court case? Reeva’s family are sitting on the other side of this sad story. I believe more than anyone else they are looking for the truth and hoping for justice to prevail. They have dealt with and is still is in the process of grieving over the loss of their beloved daughter. There could easily be a lot of anger and feelings of revenge towards the accused. This is a difficult road to walk for this family as they would be emotionally drained and would want this court case to end in their favour. 5. What will help both families physically and emotionally to keep them in good health? It is to take this court case day by day. It is important that the families have time to reflect and perhaps discuss in a controlled environment the proceedings of the court case and feelings of frustration, anger or disappointment they may have. During this stressful time it would also be good idea to get some sort of physical exercise routine and healthy eating plan in place as this assist as a preventative against depression. Motivation and having a purpose is something that will carry the families through this tough time. 6. What is your take on Oscar Pistorius case? From a psychological point of view and following the case on a daily basis, the only observation I can make is that this incident should never have happened. I feel sorry for Oscar, but it is difficult to understand how you find yourself in a predicament like that. It is a difficult case and I can only hope truth will prevail. 7. What happens to the mind of the perpetrator during and after a tragic event such as this? As I mentioned before this is a highly traumatic event and in this tragic case the mind of the perpetrator will be constantly processing events for weeks and months after. The perpetrators mind will be play off different scenarios of how it could have been different. Thoughts of regret would be very prominent combined mixed with emotions. In the case of Oscar being such a huge role model and star he would have a difficult time again being forced to listen to the witnesses and revisiting the event again and again.