1. Running head: CHARLIE HARPER 1
Case History: Charlie Harper
Brandon Nabors
McKendree University

2. CHARLIE HARPER 2
Case History: Charlie Harper
This paper will review the case of Charlie Harper from the television show “Two and a Half
Men.” Charlie is a Caucasian 45 year old male jingle writer, who suffers from alcohol use
disorder. The psychoanalytic model is used to conceptualize Charlie Harper’s case. Also, this
paper will present a review of relevant literature that Alcohol Use Disorder is significantly
influenced by cultural factors within one’s environment.
History
Charlie Harper was born in 1965 to Evelyn and Frank Harper; the latter died of food
poisoning when Charlie and his brother Alan were very young. Evelyn gave birth to Charlie one
and a half months prematurely (“Charlie Harper”). The premature birth and the strained
relationships during his childhood may have caused developmental issues, as well as his
substance use at a young age. Also, several allusions and inferences have been made towards a
record of substance abuse regarding his mother, Evelyn. Although Frank Harper supposedly died
from food poisoning by eating raw fish that had been long expired, Charlie claims that his father
knew this information and committed suicide (“Frank Harper”).
In addition, psychological factors have played a significant role in Charlie’s history. He has
experienced various traumatic events in his youth, including his father’s death, three
dysfunctional relationships with different step-fathers, witnessing his mother engage in sexual
intercourse with strange men/women, and insufficient love from his mother. Charlie exhibited
signs of unconscious conflict, particularly the Freudian concept of the Oedipus complex; for
instance, he began a sexual relationship with a woman that resembled his mother in appearance,
personality, voice patterns, and occupation. This unconscious urge is further revealed by the
countless sexual encounters with unfamiliar females. He displays the usage of defense

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mechanisms, such as denial (refused to recognize his substance addiction), displacement (retreats
to alcohol), projection (lashes out at others, especially his brother), and repression (he pushes
traumatic memories deep into his unconscious).
Charlie bullied his brother at school from a very young age; this behavior conditioned him to
feel empowered and inspired his manipulative, authoritative personality. Also, he learned that
having several sexual encounters with strangers is an acceptable practice because he constantly
observed his mother engaging in this activity. The culture during his childhood is significant,
because he was raised during the 60’s and 70’s, which was a time that drug and alcohol use (as
well as freely expressing one’s self sexually) was, to an extent, socially acceptable. His social
relations consist of his strained relationships with his family and friendships with men who he
shares the same personality/habits. He does not appear to keep any true close friendships; in
other words, all of the relationships he engages in benefit him in some manner.
Signs and Symptoms
Charlie Harper meets the criteria for a severe case of Alcohol Use Disorder (Barlow &
Durand, 2015). He has exhibited a constant problematic habit of consuming alcohol for his entire
adult life. Charlie consumes alcohol in large amounts on a daily basis, including in the morning.
Throughout his schedule, he appears to incorporate drinking into all his activities. For a short
period, he attempted to cut down on his drinking habits, but the result was an extremely agitated,
unhappy version of himself; he quickly relapsed to sooth his withdrawal symptoms. Also, it
seems as though he has established such a high tolerance that he can consume larger amounts of
alcohol without exhibiting noticeable impairment. Although he does not have a traditional job,
his alcohol use inhibits him to sleep long past morning hours and disregard responsibilities. Also,
his constant consumption leaves him unable to function without the help of a maid, accountant,

4. CHARLIE HARPER 4
and other servants/services to maintain his affairs. In addition, if he is not in the act of drinking,
then he is expressing his desire to drink or go to a bar/liquor store. Charlie has had several
injuries and blackout episodes as the results of excessive alcohol consumption; these instances
have caused legal trouble, medical problems, and social problems (unintended sexual
intercourse). Despite these occurrences, he continues to resort to alcohol use. Charlie meets 9 out
of the 11 criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder and, since he exceeds 6 criteria met, his case is
classified as severe.
Diagnosis
Severe Alcohol Use Disorder (Barlow & Durand, 2015).
 Charlie consumes large amounts of alcohol on a regular basis (even in the morning)
 He unsuccessfully attempted to reduce his alcohol abuse (attempted to quit but quickly
relapsed)
 He spends the majority of his time drinking or engaging in alcohol related activity (going
to bars, social drinking, using alcohol to pick-up women)
 Charlie constantly expresses a desire to drink alcohol (verbally expresses this urge)
 His drinking results in failure to write jingles or even perform daily tasks (he sleeps in
everyday)
 He has suffered medical injuries, legal allegations, and social issues regarding sexual
interaction as consequences of his addiction, but he continues his consumption.
 He gives up several activities, including family encounters and parties, to drink instead
 He has built a substantially high tolerance to alcohol and throughout the show, must
increase the amount he drinks to continue reaching the desired effect.

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 He experienced a craving for alcohol when he reduced his consumption and he relapsed
by taking in alcohol to relieve these symptoms.
Case Conceptualization
Charlie Harper’s case can be easily explained by the psychoanalytic, or psychodynamic,
model of etiology. This theory attributes the origin of mental disorders to unconscious conflicts,
typically caused by traumatic events within one’s childhood; in Charlie’s case, the majority of
his conflict comes from childhood trauma regarding his mother. This framework was made
popular and “discovered” by Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer (Barlow & Durand, 2015). In
most instances, these illnesses develop due to the repression of these experiences by the
individual. The negative emotions felt by the person are pushed down deep into the unconscious,
but are eventually exhibited as symptoms of a disorder. In the case of Charlie Harper and other
clients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder the negative emotion is portrayed in the form of
destructive behavior to block out these thoughts.
The psychoanalytic model is the best-fit explanation for Charlie Harper’s disorder; he cited
several traumatic events throughout his childhood. Repression and displacement have been
constantly utilized by him, unconsciously and consciously. Charlie experienced moments in his
adulthood when he remembered a traumatic event that he had not recalled before because his
mother triggered the memory. These recollections involved witnessing his mother engaged in
sexual intercourse with strange men and began his journey towards destructive behavior. Also,
he experienced his father supposedly committing suicide when he was very young and this was
due to a dysfunctional marriage that affected Charlie, as well. In addition, his mother’s possible
alcohol addiction may have contributed to his disorder. Charlie repressed his feelings towards
this experiences. His dependence is so strong that he must constantly remain intoxicated to

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continue his cycle of repression. Through this system of repressed feelings, Charlie has
developed Alcohol Use Disorder.
Literature Review
There is a substantial amount of evidence supporting the positive correlation between cultural
factors and alcohol use disorders; these articles examine several different aspects of cultures and
societies, as well as different countries. The results of these studies imply that culture has a
significant influence on the development of AUDs. Different aspects of culture reviewed in these
experiments include, assimilation, home environment, and societal influences. Several studies
have been completed with similar hypotheses and all have produced results that support my
claim.
The impact that American culture has on the development has been proven in several studies.
Social media has been proven to have an influence on increased levels of alcohol use among
children (Moreno & Whitehill, 2014). Social media sites have become cornerstones of society in
the United States and youths across the country are swayed by the content they witness on these
pages. This content, when displayed to a developing mind of a child, is a risk factor for the
development of alcohol use behaviors. Also, attending college and experiencing that specific
environment has a large impact on the increase in binge-drinking, as proven by a female twin
study (Slutske et al., 2004). The culturally-accepted practice of drinking while attending college
is another prevalent aspect of American society and this allows for these individuals to not be
diagnosed with AUD.
Other evidence for this claim is the impact that American culture can have on an individual
whom is coming from another society to live in the United States. Hispanic youths were found to
have a higher risk of alcohol use due to the process of assimilating into American society and

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experiencing discrimination (Des Rosiers, Schwartz, Zamboanga, Ham, & Huang, 2013; Unger,
2014). Individuals can undergo a large amount of stress when coming to another culture and
having to rid oneself of their traditions. In addition, the prejudice that they face can definitely
place in an at risk situation for alcohol use disorder.
These risk factors caused by cultural factors are prevalent in other societies around the world,
as well. In developing Eastern countries, culture and the environment have been found to be the
largest predictors of alcohol use disorder (Zavos et al., 2015). Countries that have not become as
developed or modernized as the United States have similar risk factors of alcohol use disorders
related to culture. Also, the home environment and culture of Latino youths has an influence on
the risk of alcohol use disorders (Marsiglia, Kulis, Parsai, Villar, & Garcia, 2009).In addition,
peer pressure and stress from peer groups has a large influence on the increase in alcohol use
(Fowler et al., 2007; Patrick & Schulenberg, 2013).
Application
Although the etiology of Charlie’s illness relies heavily on childhood trauma and unconscious
conflicts, culture plays a significant role. For instance, he grew up during the 1970s and in this
particular era experimental substances were culturally acceptable. Also, his home environment
factored into his development of alcohol use disorder because he witnessed his mother exhibiting
the same behaviors for years. These studies include situations in which Charlie’s case can be
applied. His disorder has clearly been influenced by cultural factors within his society and
ambiance.
Conclusion
This paper reviewed the case of Charlie Harper from the television show “Two and a Half
Men.” A detailed description of Charlie’s life, psyche, and symptoms of alcohol use disorder

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were considered. The psychoanalytic model is used to conceptualize Charlie Harper’s case.
This paper also reviewed relevant literature in order to show that Alcohol Use Disorder is
significantly influenced by cultural factors within one’s environment. This was then applied
specifically to the case of Charlie Harper to explain the etiology of his mental disorder.

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References
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