Theoretical Perspectives Corresponding to Movie
The film, ‘Girl Interrupted,’ was directed and released in 1999 by James Mangold. It is set in the 1960s and revolves around the life of a young girl, Susanna. She is checked into a psychiatric facility after attempting suicide by drug overdose. The film portrays various psychological perspectives regarding mental illnesses and behavior psychology. Some of these paradigms comprise the humanistic, psychodynamic, and behavioral perspectives. The psychodynamic perspective was developed from the works of Sigmund Freud; this perspective focuses on analyzing an individual’s behavior (Oplan et al., 2021). The perspective operates on the assumption that human behavior is an external manifestation of their unconscious minds (Glanz et al., 2018). Childhood experiences and relationships of a person significantly impact their unconscious minds, which in turn influences how they behave and perceive different things in life.
The film’s psychodynamic perspective is clearly portrayed through the different characters’ behavior, feelings, and actions. For instance, Polly has schizophrenia, and thus she behaves like a child; she was admitted to the mental facility after she tried to burn off her infected area (Mangold, 1999). This was after her parents clarified that they would have to give her puppy away because she was allergic to it. As such, she decided to burn the areas showing the effects of her allergy to avoid losing her dog. She had developed a strong bond with her pet, and thus she could not accept that she would soon have to give it up.
Lisa is a diagnosed sociopath and has been in this facility since she was twelve. As such, she has established a bond with the institution, which gives her the instinct to feel invincible and bully other patients into submission (Mangold, 1999). Susanna demonstrates a psychodynamic perspective by asserting her dominance over the other patients through abuse and manipulation. Furthermore, after she steals Susanna’s diary and reads it to turn people against her for disagreeing with her (Mangold, 1999), Susanna confronts her. She tells her that she is emotionally dependent on the institution since she has spent most of her adult life in this facility.
Behavioral perspective entails analysis and understanding of an individual’s observable conduct of an individual Behavior is learned and can be unlearned. It is majorly influenced by a person’s experiences or environment (Witkowski, 2020). This perspective is demonstrated in this film by the doctors and staff of Claymoore mental institution; for instance, Dr. Wick treats Susanna after meeting with her for the first time. The doctor observes her behavior and concludes planning sessions with Susanna to help her recover. Additionally, Nurse Valerie observes her comportment of Susanna and advises her to be careful or risk becoming crazy. The nurse understood that Susanna had grown attached to Lisa and who was influencing her behavior negatively (Mangold, 1999). When Lisa fails to return from a doctor’s appointment, Susanna becomes depressed and attacks the nurse.
The humanistic perspective was developed from the works of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow; it focuses on a person’s empathy and needs to do good deeds. The theory believes that every individual has the inner humanity instinct despite what their behavior portrays. This theory emphasizes the importance of focusing on the positive aspects of an individual despite their negative impacts (Witkowski, 2020). Additionally, a positive perception of others and oneself is critical in influencing manners and points of view of life (Oplan et al., 2021). This theory is demonstrated in this film through different characters. Dr. Wick is humanistic since she decides to treat Susanna herself; she can see her best even though the patient lacks her humanistic view. Unlike Lisa, Susanna is humanistic to Daisy, who accuses her that she enjoys being molested by her father.
Psychological Topic Areas Corresponding to Movie
Some topics that correspond to the film include stress and health, psychological disorders, social psychology, motivation, and emotion. Stress is a feeling that culminates in emotional tension; there are mainly three types of stress, acute, chronic, and episodic acute stress Even though some stress is constructive when it is excess, it results in poor health since it causes problems with mental health like anxiety and depression (Nevid, 2020) Stress influences our feelings and behavior, and thus, early recognition of the signs of stress is essential in preventing deterioration of our well-being, For instance, Daisy has OCD and thus is constantly under stress (Mangold, 1999) As such she results to self-harming as a coping mechanism and a distraction.
Psychological disorders are conditions that entail abnormal behavior, thoughts, and feelings. Additionally, a disorder can be said to be a psychological dysfunction of an individual due to impairment (Nevid, 2020). The film is set in a mental facility whereby all patients have been diagnosed with psychological disorders and are undergoing treatment. The protagonist of the film, Susanna, is diagnosed with borderline personality disorder which impacts her ability to interact with other people and the way she perceives herself (Mangold, 1999). Therefore, she attempts suicide after she is confronted with having an affair with the husband of her mother’s friend.
Social psychology focuses on a person’s collective aspects, which refer to their behavior and how it influences those around them. It tries to understand how and why the performance and perceptions of people are influenced by their environments and interactions with other people. Social psychology is divided into three subsections; social thinking, social behavior, and social influence. Similarly, the film portrays the thought of social psychology through Lisa, who has spent eight years of her life in the institution. She is among the oldest patients; thus, she is charismatic and manipulative; other patients adore her and aspire to be like her. She manipulates and abuses other patients, which makes them submissive (Mangold, 1999). Susanna changes her behavior to match that of Lisa so they can stay together.
Key Concepts Corresponding to Movie
Some critical terms in psychology are motivation, personality, group behavior, and intelligence Personality is a term used when referring to a person’s uniqueness in behavior and cognitive ability (Aguilar & Counselman, 2021). Personality influences the identity of an individual, and there are many personalities used to describe how different people behave. Likewise, the film’s characters portray various personalities to fit their distinctive roles. Motivation encompasses the aspect of rewards and values. Theories assume that any behavior of a person is a result of motivation. Lisa is adored by many patients, which motivates them to be like hers hence changing their behavior.
Group behavior refers to how people behave when in the company of their peers. Human beings are social, and thus one cannot simply live alone. They have to interact with other humans. Through these interactions, their conduct changes to fit in the group. Susanna changes her manners whenever she is with Lisa; hence group behavior Intelligence is among the most departed concept in psychology; different psychologists have varying understandings of the concept. Some believe it is a collection of abilities, while others believe it is a single aspect of an individual. The film portrays intelligence through different characters; Lisa and Susanna promise to give Daisy drugs if she lets them stay at her place (Mangold, 1999). These two understand her weakness and thus exploit it for their benefit.
Personal Immersion
The psychological theories have significantly impacted my understanding of human behavior and how one’s environment influences it. As such, I have learned the importance of associating myself with people who positively impact my future manners. Through human behavior and motivation theory, I have understood that every conduct change is subject to motivation and reward. Therefore, inducing positive behavioral changes in individuals will be easier and more effective. My way of thinking about human deeds has been enlightened concerning the fact that individual behavior may be voluntary or involuntary (Aguilar & Counselman, 2021). As such, my thinking and perceptions have changed because I now understand that a person’s actions are not just mere coincidence but a result of many factors that cannot be seen. To understand why a particular person behaves the way they do, I have to analyze their environment and the company they keep. This way, I will
‘Girl Interrupted’ has elaborated on different aspects of mental health and psychological theories and perspectives. These perspectives have been essential in understanding patients and have been portrayed in this film through different characters. Some of these include the humanistic, psychodynamic, and behavioral perspectives. Common topic areas of psychology have been covered in the film, like social psychology, psychological disorders, and stress and health. Additionally, the film shows how common psychology concepts are used, like personality, motivation, and group behavior. The knowledge of human comportment has changed my perception of how and why people behave.
References
Aguilar J. & Counselman C. E. (2021). Decolonizing human behavior in the social environment: a reader for an anti-oppressive approach. Cognella Academic Publishing.
Glanz K. Rimer B. K. & Viswanath K. (2018). Health behavior: theory research and practice (5TH) Jossey-Bass.
Mangold J. (Director) (1999) Girl Interrupted [Film] Colimbia Picture Industries Inc.
David J. (2020). Essentials of psychology concepts and applications. Cengage Learning.
Oplan R. J. Bowker J. C. Nelson L. J. & Wiley-Blackwell (Firm) (2021) The handbook of solitude: psychological perspectives on social isolation social withdrawal and being alone (2nd) Wiley-Blackwell John Wiley & Sons.
Witkowski T. (2020). Shaping psychology: perspectives on legacy controversy and the future of the field Palgrave Macmillan.