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Savannah Meier

English 111-181

Professor Intawiwat

November 2, 2017

Research Essay Prompt 3

The Psychological Development of Summer and Colin

The Cellar, by Natasha Preston is a thrilling novel that takes you through the

kidnapping of multiple girls. Colin (Clover), an unsuspecting kidnapper, is obsessed with finding

his perfect flowers. Lily (Summer), Rose (Shannen), Poppy (Becca), and Violet (Jennifer) only

cooperate for survival. These girls not only lost their names, but their freedom, voices,

expression, and will to live. Throughout this novel, the characters psychological development

changes and grows, and over time they become different people.

When he was a child, Colins father had an affair, and he and his mother actually walked

in on it. This took an effect of Colin because he now thought that girls like the woman his father

slept with were all whores. When his father left, Colin felt neglected and that led to his anger and

violence in his adulthood. Studies show that childhood maltreatment leads to anger in adulthood

(Chen). Colin then only had his mother to look up to, and once she passed away, I think it began

his first stage of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This disorder, also known as OCD, is an

anxiety disorder that affects about 3% of our population (Wilhelm). This disorder is
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characterized by unwanted thoughts, or obsessions, and repetitive, ritualistic behaviors known as

compulsions (Licht, Hull, & Ballantyne). Colin is obsessed with having perfect women; just

like his mother. Size 10, healthy, not whorish, clean, appropriate, and well-mannered. These

obsessions eventually become his entire life, and then he creates his own reality.

Once Colin actually kidnaps his first victim Shannen, this is when he has truly

experienced schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is psychological disorder when people suffer from

delusions, hallucinations, and an altered reality (Licht, Hull, & Ballantyne). About 25% of

patients suffering from schizophrenia also suffer from OCD (Faragian, Kurs, & Poyurovsky).

Colin genuinely believes that he is saving these girls when he kidnaps them. Schizophrenia

also leads to symptoms of psychosis. Psychosis is a loss of contact with reality that is severe

and chronic (Licht, Hull, & Ballantyne). He hears his dead mothers voice in his head, telling

him right and wrong. He keeps his entire life hidden from his coworkers, because he doesnt

think they will understand his lifestyle. All of the girls he kidnaps are forced to call him

Clover, and call themselves whatever flower he has chosen for them; Rose, Poppy, Violet, or

Lily. Breakfast is at the same time every morning, and dinner the same time every night; all of

the cooking expected for him. The girls are allowed to read, watch movies, and knit; thats all. In

his mind, everything he is doing is right, and he only thinks about what is best for his flowers.

These are all examples of an extreme case of schizophrenia. He is living in an altere.

Throughout this novel, Colin commits multiple murders. He believes that he is doing

good for the world because these whores are now gone. This is an effect of when his dad

cheated on his mother. In reality, Colin would be classified as insane. Insanity is a legal

determination of the degree to which a person is responsible for his criminal behaviors (Licht,

Hull, & Ballantyne). Not only does Colin lead these whore into thinking that he will sleep with
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them, but he brings them into the basement to murder them in front of the flowers. He is trying

to show them that this is what whores deserve. Once he kills them, he then forces the

flowers to clean up the body, and any fluids that came with it. He is abnormally disgusted by

dirt and doesnt allow it anywhere in the house. Everything has to be his idea of perfection.

These are all signs of insanity, and not believing anything you are doing is illegal or bad.

When Summer and the other girls are found, they have all experienced some form of

PTSD. PTSD, also known as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a disorder when a person must be

exposed or threatened by an event involving death, serious injury, or some form of sexual

violence (Licht, Hull, & Ballantyne). People with PTSD experience nightmares, flashbacks,

depression, grief, and anxiety (Licht, Hull, & Ballantyne). Rose (Shannen) was in the basement

the longest and experienced the most trauma. Rose, Poppy, and Violet were all raped by Colin

multiple times. All four girls witnessed several murders, and they were beaten if they didnt

conform to Colins rules. Once out of the basement, Summer had a hard time being touched in

any form or relaxing. This is quite understandable because she had suffered through tremendous

trauma. She wasnt allowed to cope, be emotional, or experience anything he didnt approve of.

Psychological disorders are debilitating and sometimes life-threatening. There is a stigma

around these disorders, but it is slowly fading away. There are multiple treatments for

psychological disorders, and there are only more being discovered as the years pass. In this

novel, Colin proves that sometimes psychological disorders get the best of a person. He lost his

grip a long time ago, and failed to ever get it back. On the other hand, there are characters like

Summer who are rescued from a traumatic situation, and do not let it defeat them.
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Works Cited

Licht, D., Hull, M., & Ballantyne, C. (2014). Psychology. (3rd ed.), New York, NY: Worth

Publisher.

Chen, P., et al. "Moderating Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Associations between Social

Information Processing and Adult Aggression." Psychological Medicine, vol. 42, no. 6,

2012, pp. 1293-304, Psychology Database,

http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1011629226?accoun

tid=10008, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291711002212.

Wilhelm, Sabine. "Cognitive Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." Journal of Cognitive

Psychotherapy, vol. 14, no. 3, 2000, pp. 245-259, Psychology Database,

http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/89070395?accountid

=10008.

Faragian, Sarit, Rena Kurs, and Michael Poyurovsky. "Insight into Obsessive-Compulsive

Symptoms and Awareness of Illness in Adolescent Schizophrenia Patients with and without

OCD." Child Psychiatry and Human Development, vol. 39, no. 1, 2008, pp. 39-48,

Psychology Database,

http://ezproxy.cpcc.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/233247108?accounti

d=10008, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10578-007-0069-2.