Can Michael Jackson's demons be explained?

No one knows exactly where Michael Jackson's problems stem from. But in the eyes of those who study behaviour, feelings and motivations, his unorthodox upbringing could go a long way to explain his troubled adult life.

Michael Jackson, who has died at 50, is known to have been a man who struggled with a host of inner demons.

Here, psychologists weigh up how the extraordinary childhood experiences of someone such as Jackson might shape a person in later life.

Police hold back Michael Jackson fans outside Madame Tussauds, 1985

Public adoration and private isolation

Michael Jackson's father Joe admitted to the BBC in 2003 that he whipped his son as a child.

Violence occasioned by a parent on a child leaves lasting psychological and physical impact, says Peter Sharp, chartered psychologist at the British Psychological Society.

"Young people in receipt of physical violence have difficulty forming and maintaining long-term relationships," he says.