MurdochsAid
Lady of the Sea
Posts: 1970
Rivets: 15 (+21/-6)
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 Captain E. J. Smith's 'mental state of mind'
Dr. Dorothy Mihalyfic, a clinical psychologist, from Boca Raton, Florida, specializes in crisis counseling, reviewed Captain Smith's actions that horrible night of April 14 & 15, 1912...
She feels he was in a "temporary disfunctionality". All the factors including his thinking the Titanic being 'unsinkable', would have caused a mental void and a blank state of immobility. It would be similar to a boxer in a fight, to many blows to defend himself yet refuses to go down. Every order would remind him of what was about to happen and the loss of life. Indecision was easier and isolation on the bridge even easier.
Dr. Mihalyfic pointed out it is quite common for someone who has undergone such extreme psychological trauma to enter a state of complete hopelessness, resigning themselves to their fare. This may have resulted in even more loss of life. Captain Smith did not inform any of his officers as to the severity of the situation. Only a hand full of people knew what was about to happen. The lifeboats were not loaded to capacity until the end. Not once did Captain Smith appear on the boat deck.
It is not that Captain Smith went mad or mentally deranged or he was to blame for the disaster. It is clear he was confronted, that he wasn't prepared for by emotion, experience, or training to handle. If Captain Smith was overwhelmed by the circumstances, it is something he should be pitied for, never condemned.
~*~*~*~*~
Mr. Titanic, I hope this helps lead credence to the Who's Fault... thread.
MA
Last edited by MurdochsAid, Oct/2/2005, 4:05 pm
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Sep/26/2005, 2:57 pm
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MurdochsAid
Lady of the Sea
Posts: 1970
Rivets: 15 (+21/-6)
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Re: Captain Edward John Smith's mental state
Here's still more...
Captain E.J. Smith's Behavior After the Collison with the Iceberg
The British & American press portrayed Captain Smith's conduct as heroic and self-sacrificing. In the past few years questions have been raised about his ability and judgement. It is after the collision that Smith's behavior and decision making became questionable. For the next two hours and 20 minutes, he would only be a shadow of his former self. He isolated himself on the bridge, for failing to pass on critical information to his Senior Officers and Senior Seaman, acting and reacting slowly to reports and rapidly changing circumstances, and giving half-hearted orders, some of which the crew would openly defy.
A lot of factors contributed to Captain Smith's behavior. His 30-years of service with the White Star Line, Titanic's size, crucial messages not being delivered to the bridge, the new Marconi system, a shortage of lifeboat capacity and crew.
From the time Thomas Andrews - Titanic's designer - conferred on the effect of the damage with the Captain, Smith seemed to have changed. Captain Smith, would have known what this meant to the doomed vessel, passengers and crew.
MA
Last edited by MurdochsAid, Sep/28/2005, 8:42 am
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Sep/26/2005, 3:22 pm
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de Grancy
New Passenger
Posts: 25
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Re: Captain E. J. Smith's 'mental state of mind'
the criticism of Captain Smith is grossly unfair. He was a good man and a fair captain.
One of the best I feel.
The trouble is than no one can possibly know the effect of an event like this on a man.
Captain Smith was within site of the finish line. He was about to retire I believe, and not only that but he would have retired with honors and an unblemished record.
When he found out the extent of the damage he was in a rare position.
The crew could simply follow orders.
Load the lifeboats and try your best not to think about why you were doing what you were doing. At all costs don't think about what will happen to you and to your loved ones when you finish doing what you are doing.
The men simply let hard work dull the knowledge that they were staring down the barrel of oblivion.
One of Captain Smith's main duties on that ship was to lend an aura of being impervious, to soothe by his very presence.
Knowing what he knew, seeing that death was written on nearly every face he gazed into that night, and given his deep sense of responsibility it is not surprising that having lost the illusion he could no longer maintain the illusion.
Had he taken over the loading of a lifeboat the blind repetition...
"Any more ladies here? No, Fine then, come along sir, you may take a seat now."
Would have enabled him to simply perform. You see the thing really began to sink in when you realized that you could NOT save everyone and that even as you gave someone life by allowing them into a boat you were consigning another person to death by denying them a seat.
Captain Smith was forced to think, and that was his undoing. He could not blot reality out nor could he tell himself the pretty lie that he was "saving lives" by loading boats.
That pretty lie was all that kept many of them going I think.
Just my opinion.
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Nov/28/2005, 4:03 pm
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Lights
Deck Officer
Location: Anyplace on Water
Posts: 637
Rivets: 17 (+17/-0)
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Re: Captain E. J. Smith's 'mental state of mind'
I have thought of this a lot whilst working on my TITANIC novel...poor Captain Smith...one can only imagine what thoughts ran through his mind those final two hours and twenty minutes.
I too believe that he was a good man and a very fair captain. And to have this happen....so close to retiruing with honours and so close to going home to be with his wife and daughter!
As for an "automatic pilot" mode, I th8ink that was very much in evidence in all the crew, but I imagine, even more in Capt. Smith.
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Nov/28/2005, 4:19 pm
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de Grancy
New Passenger
Posts: 25
Rivets: 2 (+2/-0)
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Re: Captain E. J. Smith's 'mental state of mind'
That is an interesting view Lights. The sense I got was that Captain Smith kept trying to go from realizing the gravity of the disaster, to reassuring and damage control, which, it is true, was automatic pilot for him, and back to dealing with the reality of the ultimate destruction of the ship.
It seemed to me that trying to blend the two personae staff v. bridge under such extreme conditions, put him into a kind of "tilt" mode.
The face he had to put on for the crowd was too much out of synch with what he knew to be the truth and so mentally he had to do too much switching back and forth which took a terrible toll on the old gentleman's nerves.
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Nov/28/2005, 4:56 pm
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Lights
Deck Officer
Location: Anyplace on Water
Posts: 637
Rivets: 17 (+17/-0)
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Re: Captain E. J. Smith's 'mental state of mind'
I agree...I think that with all the strain of knowing his ship would sink, combined with the sure knowledge that people were going to die actually short-circuited the poor man. I can't imagine I would have done much better.
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Nov/29/2005, 2:18 pm
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MurdochsAid
Lady of the Sea
Posts: 1970
Rivets: 15 (+21/-6)
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Re: Captain E. J. Smith's 'mental state of mind'
Lightsy, do you suspect the same thing I do...and that could be that de Grancy very well could be our very own E.J.?
de Grancy, are you E.J.? :heyy: 
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Nov/30/2005, 10:07 am
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de Grancy
New Passenger
Posts: 25
Rivets: 2 (+2/-0)
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Re: Captain E. J. Smith's 'mental state of mind'
Dear Aid,
I do not believe so.
Our poor Captain does not deserve to be a 32 year old CGI teacher. But then I don't suppose many of us do.
If anything, the time and place of my birth would incline me to suspect another connection.
What I am is an admirer, no more, no less, and I can't bear to hear the unfair accusations that are being debated by people who having exhausted every other topic are now ripping into someone whose mental state very few of us could begin to imagine given that few of us are ultimately responsible for so many lost lives.
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Nov/30/2005, 1:41 pm
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Lights
Deck Officer
Location: Anyplace on Water
Posts: 637
Rivets: 17 (+17/-0)
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Re: Captain E. J. Smith's 'mental state of mind'
I agree there, de Grancy. I think it would well-nigh impossible to gague Capt. Smith's thoughts and emotions after the sinking. I do believe he did his best despite overwhelming odds and what must have been nearly overwhelming and conflicting thoughts and emotions.
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Nov/30/2005, 4:11 pm
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MurdochsAid
Lady of the Sea
Posts: 1970
Rivets: 15 (+21/-6)
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Re: Captain E. J. Smith's 'mental state of mind'
Quote:
de Grancy Wrote:
Dear Aid,
I do not believe so.
Our poor Captain does not deserve to be a 32 year old CGI teacher. But then I don't suppose many of us do.
If anything, the time and place of my birth would incline me to suspect another connection.
What I am is an admirer, no more, no less, and I can't bear to hear the unfair accusations that are being debated by people who having exhausted every other topic are now ripping into someone whose mental state very few of us could begin to imagine given that few of us are ultimately responsible for so many lost lives.
The time and place of your birth? Hmmm, what connection would incline you to suspect another connection?
Ada
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Nov/30/2005, 5:24 pm
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