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Kristen Mills

Meyer

English I

15 May 2017

Does the Wolf have PTSD?

In the book The Three Little Pigs, the wolf goes through a rough time, he gets rejected by

the three little pigs because they wouldnt let him into their house, causing the wolf to lose his

temper. The wolf starts showing symptoms of irritable and hostile behavior, flashbacks, and

severe anxiety (1, Mayo Clinic Staff). All of these symptoms are linked to post traumatic stress

disorder (PTSD). Post traumatic stress disorder, is a serious condition that can develop from

experiencing a traumatic event, which affects both the mental and physical health of an

individual (1, National Institute of Mental Health). This disorder varies from age and gender,

which is why its important to acknowledge this disorder instead of ignoring it.

Throughout the story, the wolf cant seem to control his emotions, hes very impatient

towards the pigs. In the book, the wolf says then Ill huff, and Ill puff, and Ill blow your house

in., which shows how hostile he is. Additionally, the wolf wouldnt stop bothering the pigs and

would continue to ask them to let him in, which then led to the pigs not letting him in, causing

him to be very agitated. Due to his actions, the wolf has PTSD.

The way the wolf interacts with the pigs by demanding them to let him in and even

threatening them if they dont do what he says shows that he cant control his behavior. He

threatens them because he fears the pigs wont do what he says. As well as being hostile, hes

also demanding and harsh because the pigs wont let him in, which is one of the symptoms for
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PTSD because hes feeling on the edge and hopeless (1, National Center for PTSD). From the

evidence above, the wolf shows signs and symptoms of PTSD.

Despite the evidence for the wolf, many people believe, he has intermittent explosive

disorder, but they fail to see that he has post traumatic stress disorder. Those who believe that the

wolf has intermittent explosive disorder think its because of the outbursts of anger he had with

the pigs, that were out of proportion from the situation. Although aspects of this argument are

enticing, it ultimately fails to be a stronger argument because the wolf shows more likely

symptoms of PTSD due to the stressful event he experienced with the pigs. The wolf wouldnt be

acting this way if it wasnt for the pigs not letting him into their house.

Post traumatic stress disorder is a very serious condition that can develop from a life

threatening event, reliving a traumatic event, or what the wolf had to go through. It is important

that individuals seek help because anyone can develop this disorder. In conclusion, the wolf does

have PTSD because he started to relive the same event which caused him to have bursts of anger.
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Works Cited

National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Web. 15 May

2017.

Kendra Cherry - Reviewed by a Board-certified Physician. "Explore This List of Psychological

Disorders in the DSM-5." Verywell. Web. 15 May 2017.

"PTSD: National Center for PTSD." What Is PTSD? - PTSD: National Center for PTSD. 01 Jan.

2007. Web. 15 May 2017.

"Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education

and Research, 18 Feb. 2017. Web. 15 May 2017.

"Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Psych Central. 06 Mar. 2017. Web. 15 May 2017.