The movie primarily dealt with the psychodynamic view of psychology. Dissociative identity disorder applies to a lifetime of excessive repression. Psychodynamic theorists believe that dependence on this ongoing style of coping is triggered by extremely traumatic childhood experiences, particularly abusive parenting. Sybil repeatedly suffered unspeakable tortures by her disturbed mother. Children who are exposed to such traumas and abuses may come to fear the dangerous world in which they live and take to flight symbolically by regularly pretending to be another person who is safely looking on from afar. In the movie, when Sybil’s childhood was shown, one could only see bits and pieces of Sybil’s abuse by her mother, and the audience did not observe the development of the other personalities. Behavioral therapists could have said that Sybil’s multiple personalities were caused by operant conditioning. A person who experiences a horrifying event may later find temporary relief when one’s mind begins to think about something else more positive. The person is reinforced for the act of repression and learns that repression lets them avoid or escape the stressful situation: Behaviorists believe that a subtle reinforcement process rather than a hardworking unconscious is keeping the individual unaware that he or she is using dissociation as a means of escape.
Schindler’s List
It is an emotional movie that was screened in class this week. Spielberg documented evil and made a moving tribute to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. The only aspect I will be focusing is on a character of the movie known to be Itzhak Stern, whom holds the post as Schindler’s accountant. Stern is bright, proud, and determined, brings out the moral side of Schindler, and Stern’s attitude toward Schindler reflects Schindler’s change throughout the film. Stern recognizes immediately Schindler’s callousness and greed. He refuses to drink with Schindler, making clear he does not approve of Schindler’s morals. But Stern’s attitude softens as Schindler becomes an active participant in saving the Schindlerjuden, and he eventually sees the good in his employer. He finally does have a drink with Schindler when the two say good-bye after they learn of the closing of the Plaszów labor camp and realize Stern will almost certainly be sent to his death. By accepting a drink, Stern demonstrates his respect for Schindler, and Schindler accepts the finality of Stern’s probable fate. Stern, like Schindler, is an opportunist, and he is the brains behind the rescue of the Schindlerjuden. Schindler does no work, leaving Stern to run the factory, and Stern immediately begins to give factory jobs to Jews who otherwise would be deemed nonessential and would most likely be killed. He forges documents to make teachers and intellectuals appear to be experienced machinists and factory workers. Stern’s motivation to help his people is abundantly clear.
Good Will Hunting
The name of the movie refers to the fact that the main character is hunting for the good Will, for the behaviors that will allow him to be good. The fact that Will has not been out of Boston, nor on a plane, nor to any of the places that he has read about shows that his outlook is very limited. It is a metaphor for the limiting nature of psychological conditions. The group of boys is like a gang and also a substitute family. Will is lucky that his friend Chuckie is such a good and nurturing person. Chuckie can see Will’s potential. He doesn’t try to hold Will back but instead encourages him to be himself and to grow beyond the group of friends.
By showing the successful treatment, “Good Will Hunting” provides an excellent basis for studying the origin and treatment of this psychological condition; the effectiveness of talking therapy; and the life changing insights offered by modern psychology. It is great movie learning about the role of dependence, independence and interdependence in human life, the importance of empathy and emotion in relations between people, and the importance of love and consistency in parenting. “Good Will Hunting” shows the young male culture of cruelty and that the need to be tough as well as to never show vulnerability, weakness, hurt, or sadness which leads to a dead end. The only road to maturity is to acknowledge emotions and deal with psychological issues that may exist. The movie also shows loyalty and wanting the best for your friends which forms the essence of a loving friendship.
Will meets Skylar for the first time in a bar
When a Man Loves a Woman
Michael and Alice are a San Francisco couple who, in the parlance, “seem to have it all.” Alice is an alcoholic. As Alice goes into rehab, Michael is left to hold the family together. But that might be even harder than it first appears, as the lack of social lubricant exposes cracks in Michael and Alice’s relationship, and the time comes for hard decisions. Michael is the consummate co-dependent, blinding himself to Alice’s alcoholism because it’s easier and more satisfying for him to play the problem- solver. He doesn’t respect Alice, and a couple of great scenes demonstrate how he treats her like one of his children. Alice recognizes the problem and Michael helps her get to a rehabilitation clinic after “hitting bottom.” Most films about alcoholism deal with alcoholism and overcoming it. This story goes way beyond that. It deals with how Alice’s personality changes after treatment and how that puts a severe strain on her marriage. The problems relate to a phenomenon that psychologists call ‘co-dependency’. It is a pattern of detrimental, behavioural interactions within a dysfunctional relationship. Michael’s problem with Alice after treatment is that she is no longer dependent on him to take care of her and make all the decisions. He is not ready to share his life with her as an equal partner. It is a heartbreaking situation. In a very real sense, she is not the woman he married.
Michael and Alice Green with their two lovely daughters.
Shine
David Helfgott, a child piano prodigy who suffers a tyrannical father, goes mad as a young adult. As a child, Helfgott was one of the world’s great piano prodigies, able by his teens to play such demanding pieces as Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The part of the movie that caught my attention on writing this blog on is the parenting role of David’s parents towards him. David’s father, Peter, Polish Jew who lost his parents in the Holocaust, immigrated to Australia and fiercely pressured David to excel. Terrified of being abandoned again, he rules his family like a vigilant dictator, threatening to disown David should he ever leave the nest. Peter projected authoritarian parenting style. David was expected to follow the strict rules established by the father; and failure to follow such rules results in punishment. Peter set high demands and expects David to obey him fully. David’s innocence is the psychological backbone of Shine. David is first played as a strangely poignant child trying desperately to please his father, then as an awkward, bed-wetting, vulnerable teenager, and finally as a lovable but demented adult. It is the tyrannical father tormenting his son out of his own egoism that gives the audience its insight into how David was driven mad. Peter persistently drives his only son, David to succeed at the piano, resents his success, and refuses to let him pursue his studies abroad. He puts a father’s triple curse on his son: no one will ever love you as I do; if you disobey me you will be punished for the rest of your life; you can never come home again. One last gruesome meeting with his father reminds me of how this father desperately needs to dominate his crippled and vulnerable son: madness, once more, is about the bad parent, about the double-bind, about conditional love, about the father’s destruction of the son. This is the family myth of the 20th century, where possessive love turns to hate and parents devour their own children.
David Helfgott is an amazingly talented pianist whose career was cut short by schizophrenia.
Benny and Joon
In this movie, the character that captivated me is Joon, the sister of Benny. Throughout this movie, Joon’s character was a portrayal of an individual diagnosed with mental illness. It reflected me upon personal attitudes and feelings about mental illness and people with mental illness. It taught me that one should develop tolerance for people who are different as well as having an appreciation for the points of view, opinions and feelings of others and for the people who lives with mental illness. This can be seen being portrayed by Benny, as a brother who cares dearly for his mental illness sister even though she throws her tantrum back at him; Benny tolerates he all along. Joon tends to also speaks oddly, as her speech of communication is disorganized. Benny, however, responds to her disorganized speech by communicating calmly, clearly and directly; although he at times find it hard to understand the content of it, but he focuses on conveying his respect as his brother to a loved one. When Joon feels agitated, Benny listens calmly and respectfully without going against her. Apart from that, when Joon also tends to be delusional, Benny addresses the emotions and copes with her without commenting on the specific delusion. People with mental disorders are meant to be treated and handled with empathy and maturity.
An unconditioned love that Benny has towards his mentally ill sister, Joon.
Strictly Ballroom
The movie was not only about dancing, but I found that it was more about personal growth and transformation through love. It interested me in the part of finding one’s own natural rhythm; as the most fundamental aspect of music is highly seen to be rhythm. The film was about being true to one’s self, to one’s innate rhythm and hence to the very truth of one’s own being. Scott was seen to be more like his father before he began being inventive and creative on embarking new steps; in which to his surprise, Scott never knew his father had been a dancer and his mother’s dancing partner. His father projects a character as a rather cracked individual whom is lost in his own private world; as he is oppressed and exploited by his wife who seeks success for her amazing son who is a dancer as well. In short she has sold her soul to the devil of success and glory to the loss of her own soul and her real identity. Whereas, the father is severely alienated from his real self and is driven into a world of make-believe of his own.
It takes two to rumba. Scott’s parents who were great dancers during their younger days
Apart from that, during the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix, Scott and Fran was disqualified during their dance, but they danced anyway and they performed the house dancing, The Paso Doble; the dance that they have learned from Fran’s father and grandmother. At the end, it is not revealed that whether Scott and Fran won or lost the competition, as in the story, which is not seen as an important factor. The importance shown in the movie at that point is that they have been true to their very own individual goals and potential. They have been true to their very own unique rhythms and have not sold their souls to the staid rhythms of success. I find this movie to be an amazing psychological lesson of following your heart.
The dance of love. Scott and Fran at the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix
Running on Empty
From the movie ‘Running on Empty’, I was captivated by the fact that the family has to fit in socially for their survival. The family took on a different identity with a family name of Manfield along with changing their Christian names accordingly. Teenagers and the idea of peer pressure often prevail in human development. When young people are engaging in antisocial activity, it is defined in explaining away a group’s compliance with that activity, which is based on the individual’s fear of being excluded. It is seen in the movie that Danny and his family must fit in, in their new identity and surrounding in order to survive. Attention must not be brought within them or else they will be noted as being different. Danny, who is the eldest son of Arthur and Annie, must embrace school norms and not stand out. This revealed in the scene where he attends his first class in his new school. Danny shows his skill at the piano to his teacher. However, Danny finds it difficult to keep it low as his talent makes him stand out. He yearns to follow this dream, but knows that separating from his parents would be a permanent break. It is a movie filled with growing pains and threatening phases of living which could tear the family apart.
Danny playing the piano at his teacher’s place
The Awakening
In the movie ‘The Awakening’, the phase that caught my attention is the bond of physician-patient relationship along with certain scenes of the movie. As seen in the physician-patient relationship of the movie, an important role was played with mutual familiarity and respect as it was an interpersonal relationship. Dr. Sayer was interested in knowing the patient’s clinical background when he pays a visit to Mrs. Lowe’s house in order to gather information about Leonard’s medical history. This reveals that the physician seeks to cure the patient with all his effort; and the personal satisfaction derived from achieving this is altered when Dr. Sayer becomes obsessed with the idea that the experimental treatment has to be successful and he increases the dose without taking into account of the side effects. Leonard’s condition begin improving at the first few doses of the treatment; however, later on his condition got worse and it was important for Dr.Sayer to inform Leonard on his clinical condition in a least traumatic way since they both have bonded very well from the time of Leonard’s awakening. At the end of the film, it is seen that Dr. Sayer was very affected by Leonard’s relapse and the physician tries to not let this be seen as a problem and embarks on a correct behaviour in admitting his failures as well as making the patient understand the limits of medical possibilities and responsibilities.
After the awakening, Dr.Sayer and Leonard Lowe took a car ride into the town
PSY317KORRISHA 