The Viking and the Id

Before we talk about the Minnesota Viking player's hedonistic cruise, it might be instructive to review some basic psychology.

AllPsych Online defines the Id as "the part of the personality which contains our primitive impulses such as sex, anger, and hunger". We are born with the Id, and it represents our basic primitive needs.

According to Freud, normal human development follows a pattern from the Id, to the Ego, to the Superego.

The Superego is the moral part of us and develops due to the moral and ethical restraints placed on us by our caregivers. Many equate the superego with the conscience as it dictates our belief of right and wrong ... In a healthy person, according to Freud, the ego is the strongest so that it can satisfy the needs of the id, not upset the superego, and still take into consideration the reality of every situation. Not an easy job by any means, but if the id gets too strong, impulses and self gratification take over the person's life.

All Psych.com also provides definitions of psychiatric disorders, which might be helpful to review:

Antisocial Personality Disorder:

The symptoms of antisocial personality disorder include a longstanding pattern (after the age of 15) of disregard for the rights of others. There is a failure to conform to society's norms and expectations that often results in numerous arrests or legal involvement as well as a history of deceitfulness where the individual attempts to con people or use trickery for personal profit. Impulsiveness if often present, including angry outbursts, failure to consider consequences of behaviors, irritability, and/or physical assaults ... Finally, irresponsible behavior often accompanies this disorder as well as a lack of remorse for wrongdoings.

Prognosis:

Prognosis is not very good because of two contributing factors. First, because the disorder is characterized by a failure to conform to society's norms, people with this disorder are often incarcerated because of criminal behavior. Secondly, a lack of insight into the disorder is very common. People with antisocial personality disorder typically see the world as having the problems, not him or herself, and therefore rarely seek treatment. If progress is made, it is typically over an extended period of time.

Now, with that information in mind, let's look at the behavior of some of our Viking football heros last week on their boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka. All of the "activity" happened within the first 45 minutes of the cruise.

Minnesota Vikings players are being investigated in connection with a lake cruise that turned into a wild sex party last week on Lake Minnetonka. The party became so out of control that crew members on the two yachts were offered money for sex and feared for their safety, law enforcement authorities and an attorney for the cruise company said Tuesday.

And:

At least 90 people were on the two yachts. The boats were ordered to return to shore just 40 minutes into what had been planned as a 3½-hour cruise after supervisors learned of the alleged behavior.

And:

Doyle [The cruise company's attorney] said behavior on the cruise included oral sex, masturbation and playing with sex toys.

And:

"Players were approaching the wait staff telling them they would be tipped if they danced," Doyle said.

The players started to become more aggressive, wanting to pour their own drinks and screaming at the bartenders, he said. Naked woman walked around without hesitation. They performed oral sex in the open, he said. Sex toys were strewn about, he said.

And:

A woman working as a hostess on one of the boats called Mound police about 7:30 that night to report possible prostitution, drugs and sex acts, according to police.

And finally:

Prior to boarding, at least one group in a limo urinated on Cathy Hough's lawn in Mound, according to Hough and police. She said she confronted the men. "I said, 'Excuse me, do you mind?' And they looked at me as if I was crazy," Hough said Tuesday. "One of them said, "It's only water, ma'am,' and he continued peeing. I said no, it's not."

The players have not yet been identified, but they can be diagnosed by Dr. Rambix. They clearly have not progressed beyond their Ids, and appear to suffer from Antisocial Personality Disorders. Their behavior is animal-like, although even animals have a purpose for what they do.

We sometimes forget that many pro football players are criminals straight from the ghetto; we shouldn't be too surprised when they behave in this manner. As the saying goes, you can take the criminal out of the ghetto, but you can't take the ghetto out of the criminal.

Since the prognosis for recovery is grim, they should be released from the team and placed in jail or a mental hospital.

And let's give them a stadium, shall we?