Lifespan Development of Howard Hughes

Lifespan Development of Howard Hughes Psychology 300 December 4, 2012 University of Phoenix Lifespan Development of Howard Hughes Howard Hughes, aviator, businessman, and film director, was born December 24, 1905 in Houston, Texas, to Howard Hughes Sr. and Allene Gano Hughes. Although Hughes is largely known for being one of the wealthiest yet famously recluse men, Hughes possessed an abundance of professional accomplishments before withdrawing from public life (A&E, 2011). Howard Hughes Sr. a successful million dollar drill manufacturer, and the owner of The Sharp-Hughes Tool Company, was an absentee father. Hughes Sr. was known as flamboyant, living a gregarious lifestyle (Bouton, 2001). Allene Hughes, a stay-at-home mother, suffered with a debilitating case of germ-phobia. Her obsession with germ’s hindered her ability to raise Hughes Jr. in a ‘normal’ environment. Hughes’s mother would inspect his genitals, mouth, teeth, and feet daily; repeatedly washing his body with Pine Tar Soap. Pine Tar soap is recommended by doctors for scalp and abrasion treatment. Allene convinced herself, the only way to ensure cleanliness was to use the soap abrasively, leaving Hughes with bloody abrasions (Rojas, 2009). Allene Hughes died unexpectedly when Hughes Jr. was 16. Following her death, Hughes Sr. experienced feelings of loneliness and abandonment. Hughes Sr. made the decision to remove Hughes Jr. from private school, bringing him home to live in California. Two years after Allene’s death, Hughes Sr. died of a heart attack, leaving 19-year-old Hughes Jr. as the sole beneficiary of the families million dollar estate and ventured toward becoming a well-known movie producer (Bouton, 2001). Hughes gained fame in 1938 as a record-setting pilot, flying around the world in 91 hours. Striving for social and personal achievement, Hughes

References: A & E Networks. Howard Hughes. (2012). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:21, Nov 29, 2012, from http://www.biography.com/people/howard-hughes-9346282. Bouton, M. E., Mineka, S., & Barlow, D. H. (2001). A modern learning theory perspective on the etiology of panic disorder. Psychological Review, 108, 4–32. Pasternak, Charles. “Howard Hughes and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).” First Science.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2010. <www.firstscience.com/home/articles/humans/howard-hughes-and-obsessive- compulsive-disorder-ocd_1325.html>.Rojas, Jean. (2009). The Legendary Howard Hughes Jr.