The most hated man in America is finally behind bars. George Zimmerman, the 28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer who gunned down unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, was arrested Wednesday and charged with 2nd degree murder.
The 17-year-old Miami high school student was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida on Feb. 26 as he walked back to a friend’s house from a convenience store with a bag of Skittles and iced tea.
Zimmerman was taken into custody the night of the shooting, but he was released without charges when he claimed self-defense under Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law.
In his mugshot, taken hours after he turned himself in — Zimmerman stares straight at the camera, with a blank expression on his face.
In clinical terms, a flat or blunted affect refers to a person whose facial expression shows no emotion in response to a circumstance that would normally prompt a human reaction.
A blunt affect “can be symptomatic of schizophrenia, depression, or brain damage”. Victims of post-traumatic stress syndrome are often said to display blunted affect.
In contrast to a flattened affect, a labile affect refers to a person’s pathological expression which switches rapidly between laughter, crying, or smiling in a short period of time.
In Zimmerman’s case, wearing a flat affect after he has just been arrested for murder could signify a man who is emotionally bankrupt. Meaning, Zimmerman may lack the ability to feel empathy for another person or to express his feelings.
Schizophrenics often show a flat affect. They speak in a monotone voice that is empty of emotion, and they appear extremely apathetic.
In a clinical setting a blunted affect is considered less intense than a flat affect.
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More Info on the Web
Definition of Flat Affect – Medicine Net
