Howard Hughes: The Obsessive Compulsive Aviator Tycoon

Howard Hughes was a man who many admired, many feared, and one who became a figure larger than life yet increasingly diminished as a person, spending the last few years of his life as a recluse, living in squalor in a hotel room. Howard Hughes was born into a life of wealth and grandeur as both of his parents were well off, particularly his father who invented a drilling technique he patented and became the standard for deep oil drilling projects. Howard was destined for tremendous wealth as sole heir to this throne and that wealth would play a large role in his life.

Howard Hughes: The Obsessive Compulsive Aviator Tycoon. My general diagnosis would be on Axis I: 300.3: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The reasons for this are evident throughout the literature regarding his life and the film, ‘The Aviator’. As an OCD sufferer Howard Hughes had evidence from his childhood of the symptoms of the disorder. Hughes was known as a child to collect shells and rocks and organize them with incredible accuracy; laboring hours to ensure the sizes were in perfect descending order (Biography.com, 2011). Hughes was also raised by a mother who was reportedly obsessed with cleanliness and the thought of Howard contracting the prevalent Polio disease as a youth. Hughes was incredibly sheltered by a mother who wouldn’t allow him a large circle of friends due to the though others may be unsanitary and hold diseases Howard may catch (Wikipedia). Hughes at one point was unhallowed to attend a summer camp because his folks believed he would catch Polio. They demanded they be assured he would not catch the disease and when camp counselors could not provide assurance, they pulled Howard from the program. Howard then continued his isolation from friends by often faking headaches to withdraw from future camp arrangements and social outing (Biography.com, 2011).

As Hughes enters his later years he becomes even more symptomatic. Hughes would not allow his first wife to leave their house for weeks at a time for fear of her safety and loss of control (Phelan, 1976). Friends as early his 20’s report Hughes being obsessed with peas, one of his favorite foods. He would place them in size order and eat them only with a special fork (Wikipedia, 2011).