Identifying Information
Presenting Situation
The client is in the office due to the fact that he feels extremely disconnected with the world and other people after the death of his wife. The client reveals that his son has been keeping him busy and he would like to raise him (son) the way his own mother raised him. There are significant similarities between the women in Forrest’s life. However, there are huge differences that cannot be ignored when discussing the client’s context. Despite this, a key similarity is that they accepted Forrest as he was. They did not see him as disabled or incapable of doing some things. It can be debated that it is this exact reason that made Forrest fall in love with Jenny (his wife). Due to the fact that the larger society had bullied Forrest, he not only appreciated the attention he received from his mother and Jenny but believed that no one else would ever appreciate his uniqueness apart from the two women. Therefore, he developed what can be argued to be an unhealthy attachment to his mother and wife.
Currently, Forrest is a parent to a child in elementary school. He is keen on ensuring his son’s future is safe and successful and does not want to push his insecurities on the child. Unlike Forrest, his son can be described as normal with all possible capabilities a child of that same age can exhibit. However, the fact that Forrest did not receive any counseling on his trauma (bullying) when he was young, also puts him in a complicated situation with his offspring. Additionally, being he is a single parent, whose wife died of HIV in the 1980s makes his situation more complex. The stigma that was associated with the disease at that time would have affected Forrest.
Context
Forrest Gump was born in Greenbow, Alabama, around early 1940s. The client grew up with his mother and does not know his father. In an attempt to earn a decent living, his mother runs a boarding house and has several tenants. The tenants were friendly to Forrest and he is particularly fond of one, Elvis Presley, who often played his guitar and sang to the young Forrest. The client was exposed to a large field that surrounded his home, thus, would often run. However, many people did not know how fast he could run until he was bullied. This, coupled with the fact that he had braces on his legs, created the impression that he not only walked slowly but could not run as well.
Forrest is introduced to the audience as an adult middle-aged man who is recounting his life story to strangers at a bus stop. The recounting starts from when the character was in elementary school. Forrest is of Caucasian descent and has both an intellectual disability and a physical limitation. He is gentle, well-mannered, and lives with his mother. As the story begins, Forrest is not married. However, as the story progresses, he gets married to his childhood sweetheart who later dies of HIV. It can be argued that the narration of the story by the older Forrest is a dedication to his wife, whom he adored since they were children (and at the time of narration, had not died). Despite his disabilities, Forrest is able to join college and perform significantly well. Afterward, he joins the U.S Army, where he starts his career.
After the war, Forrest becomes a sports celebrity due to his ability to play ping pong. Although this is not presented as his occupation, he not only enjoys but also makes an income from the sport. Later, he becomes the ambassador of a company that sells ping pong paddles due to the brief fame he enjoyed. As the years went by, Forrest and one of his colleagues start the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and become millionaires. It is important to note that the character and a friend had initially agreed to start the company years before this was actualized. The friend (Bubba), however, was killed during the war. True to his kind and gentle nature, Forrest decided to donate half of the money he made from the business to his former friend’s family.
As mentioned before, Forrest has both physical and mental challenges. His physical limitation was presented when he was a child. He had to get fitted with braces in order to correct his curved spine. However, he did not stay long with the braces as they fell off and his mother realized he did not need them anymore. It can, thus, be assumed that the client’s physical disability was corrected by the time he was a teenager. On the other hand, his mental health was affected by an intellectual disability that made it harder for him to learn. He was able to attend college through a football scholarship, however.
Due to the stated health challenges that Forrest had, he was significantly shy and did not make friends easily. This was particularly the case when he was a young boy as a majority of children his age would bully him. His first acquaintance was Jenny, who later became his wife. This proves that he made close connections with the people he loved. This can be supported by the fact that his first colleague in the army, Bubba, was also to be his business partner. However, when Bubba died, not only did Forrest start the company they dreamed of, but also contributed half his earnings to his former colleague’s family. Forrest had a good relationship with his employers and bosses as he was keen on following instructions and excelling in all he did. It is this attribute that ensured he saved some of his colleagues when they were ambushed during the war.
There are two main things that have to be considered when discussing Forrest’s emotional health. First, due to his intellectual capability, and society’s perception of the same, he has an unstable view of both self and others. Despite the fact that Forrest does not talk about this when discussing his life story, it is significantly present. His relationship with his close friends can be used to expound on this issue. Forrest had an unhealthy relationship with his wife. Not only did she abandon him but she agreed to go live with him when she fell sick and could not tour the world as before. According to Forrest, his wife decided to return home due to the fact that they had a child together and she was dying. Regardless, one can argue that the relationship is manipulative (where the lady manipulates Forrest).
As mentioned previously, Forrest held several occupations. After the campus, he joined the army for several years. He also became a professional ping pong player and later a sports ambassador. Afterward, he started a ping pong paddy business and a shrimp company, which made him a millionaire. He also became a celebrity due to his former sporting abilities and this = earned him significant income. He has been surviving on the proceeds of his business since he stopped working.
Non-Theory Issues
One of the key social events that happened in the client’s life is the war. The client was posted to Vietnam in 1968, where he was involved in active battle. He was part of the 9th Infantry Division and mainly worked from the south western part of Vietnam. The event was significant for the client as he was able to make life-long friends. For example, his best friend in the army, Bubba, pushed him to start a company that became extremely successful post humus (for Bubba). Additionally, Forrest lived with his lieutenant, Dan Taylor, who also helped him register the business. In a way, the two helped each other as Forrest was able to give Dan meaning. It is important to note that during the ambush that killed Bubba, Dan was hurt and lost his legs. He then suffered extreme depression due to both the accident that left him a cripple and his release from the army.
A second social event that affected the client is the death of his wife, Jenny. It is important to note that Forrest had already lost his mother to cancer several years before Jenny died. In fact, his mother’s death affected him immensely such that he left his business and moved back home. However, the death of Jenny brought along confusion and significant hurt due to the fact that she was the same age as Forrest and according to him “she was not meant to die young.” It can be argued that the fact that Jenny died from HIV, a disease that had extreme stigma at the time made the situation more difficult for him.
One cultural issue that is not tied to theory is the stigma that was associated with HIV/AIDs and how that perception affected not only the patient suffering from the condition but also the extended family. It can be argued that Jenny was not only embarrassed by the fact that her hippy lifestyle had caused her to get HIV, but that none of her friends and former lovers wanted her companionship and friendship once she became sick. The depression that affected Jenny led to her early death as she had no hope in life. The same stigma affected Forrest as he had faced a similar situation due to his intellectual and physical disabilities all his life. It is arguable that seeing Jenny suffer the same was extremely hard for Forrest and triggered his depression as well.
Zeitgeist refers simply to external forces that shape the decision of characters and dominate the characteristics of a particular society. There are several zeitgeists that can be described from the client’s life. The first is the rebellion of the 1950s, which helped Forrest’s mother live alone with her son and run a successful business. Prior, single women were deliberately avoided by society and expected to find a husband. The same rebellious spirit continued through to the 1980s when Jenny started her hippy life that was characterized by drugs and touring. However, one can argue that the zeitgeist of the 1980s was overindulgence. This is clearly revealed through Jenny’s lifestyle. Her hippie way of life was also mired by overindulgence. She overindulged in recreation drugs and alcohol and also had numerous careless relations, which eventually led to her contracting HIV. Overall, it is interesting to note that there are no clear clues on whether the zeitgeist affected Forrest.
Theory Application
Carl Jung Theory on Psychic Energy
The basics of Jung’s system are based on psychic energy. According to Jung, there are three principles that have to be considered when discussing psychic energy (as cited in Schultz & Schultz, 2016). The first is the principle of opposition, which acknowledges the presence of polarities. According to Jung, when the polarities are extreme, the energy that will be expended will also be significant (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). The theory of opposites or polarities can be used to analyze the personality of Forrest and the relationships he sought. First, he was the exact opposite of his wife, Jenny. Perhaps this is the reason he was extremely attracted to her. Jenny was intelligent and free-spirited without any sense of responsibility. Forrest has always felt the need to protect and care for the people he loved.
The second principle is that of equivalence, which focuses on the fact that energy is not lost, but shifted. Jung argues that the energy that is expended in creating an event is always moved to a different part of an individual’s personality (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). This can be proven true looking at the personality of Forrest Gump. For example, the energy Forrest used to hide from bullies was shifted to running when he had no choice. It is at this point that he realized he is a great runner and started track in school. Secondly, his desire and energy that were used in the army were shifted to his business, where he worked hard to make it successful. The same can be applied to his relationship with Jenny. When she left him to follow her hippy lifestyle, the energy was shifted to running, and he became a celebrity once more. The principle of entropy refers to the equalization of opposite’s energy (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). An example that can be used to explain this further is when one mixes a hot drink with a cold one to get a lukewarm beverage.
This principle can, however, not be applied to Forrest Gump’s personality. It would be arguable that the energy Forrest and Jenny expended would have changed both their personalities. However, this was not the case as, despite their love for each other, they were separated specifically due to the differences in their personalities. Whereas Forrest was calm and responsible, Jenny remained the opposite, which was her true nature. Jung believed that when the personalities were extremely different (like in the case of Jenny and Forrest) one would overpower the other (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). Again, this cannot be deduced in the case of Forrest Gump.
Overall, Jung’s theory focused on the impact of ego, and the concepts of extraversion and introversion in determining personality. Whereas the theorist believed that one can harbor both extraversion and introversion tendencies, one of the two concepts will always overpower the other (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). It is this that is then used by the ego to determine the type of personality an individual exerts. One can confidently argue that Forrest Gump is an introvert. However, his ability to be a soldier become and maintain a celebrity status is often associated with extroverts. This goes to show that indeed, an individual can have both aspects of the personality. It is debatable that despite exhibiting the two mentioned concepts, Forrest is largely an introvert and only exposes his extrovert side when necessary.
Alfred Adler’s Theory on Inferiority
The second theory that will be applied to Forrest Gump’s personality is that of Alfred Adler. The scholar introduced the concept of inferiority feelings as a source of human surviving. Adler believes that to be a human also means to feel inferior compared to others around you (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). There are two things that one has to consider when speaking of inferiority arising from an examination and analysis of self. First, all human beings are insecure about one thing or the other. Such insecurities can arise due to body image, weight, and intellectual abilities. Therefore, to some extent, it can be argued that the theory proposed by Adler is true. This first concept can be applied to the personality of Forrest Gump. He was insecure about the braces he had on to correct his curved spine. This was especially enhanced by the fact that he was bullied for wearing them.
The second concept that one has to discuss is that of confidence. All human beings are also confident in one way or the other. Similar to the concept of inferiority, confidence can arise from numerous things that the person believes he or she excels in or has been complemented on numerous occasions. In the case of Forrest, the confidence exudes when he becomes an athlete and a soldier. He is not limited by his intellectual problems and impresses both the country and his lieutenant later on when he joined the army.
It can be argued that human beings can tolerate suffering due to the expected gratification. According to Adler, despite the fact that human beings suffer from the inferiority complex, the concept of compensation is used to make life more enjoyable (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). The scholar explains that human beings will constantly strive to accept the feelings of being lower than others in whichever capacity (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). He gives an example of the relationship between children and their parents. Schultz and Schultz (2016) explain that according to Adler, children know their helplessness as they rely on their parents for everything. Therefore, they grow up still thinking that the older the person, the stronger and mentally capable that person is compared to them. The concept of compensation comes in when the same children have their own who look up to them in the same way.
The theory also applies to Forrest Gump and the relationships he had growing up and when he became an adult. He adored and respected his mother as a child because she was smarter (could run a business and take care of him) and physically strong (she did not have the braces). On the other hand, he feared the bullies because they were more capable than him. Additionally, when he met Jenny, she was more beautiful, wiser, and physically capable in a way he believed he was not. Interestingly, it is only until the braces fell off that he truly appreciated the friendship between him and Jenny. It can be argued that this was due to the fact that one of the things that made him feel inferior had been removed. Towards this end, therefore, he felt more connected to Jenny. One can argue that this was a form of compensation as he tried so hard to be socially compatible with others and become more similar to the girl he loved. The compensation worked and made life bearable for Forrest despite the fact that the gratification came later on in his life.
Karen Horney’s Theory on Safety and Security
The third selected theory is the theory of safety and security in children by Karen Horney. According to the theorist, whatever children experience when they are young, shapes their personality (Schultz & Schultz, 2016). This is similar to the concept Sigmund Freud fronted on the impact of influence on the various stages of growth from childhood into adulthood. According to Schultz and Schultz (2016), Horney believed that children need to feel safe and free from fear when they are young in order to grow into responsible adults. In analyzing Forrest Gump’s personality, one can argue this to be true. Despite the numerous challenges that Forrest faced, he always felt safe with his mother. This was further cemented by the fact that the guests his mother had in her boarding house also treated Forrest well. Therefore, as he grew up, he was not only confident that life would become better, but he also went after what he believed was him. For example, he became an athlete despite the fact that he had a curved spine as a child. He also joined the army, started a business, and became a celebrity because of his limitations.
There are numerous ways in which parents undermine the safety and security of their children. According to Schultz and Schultz (2016), one such way is through the ridicule and humiliation. It is arguable that if a parent sees a child as limited in one way or the other, then the offspring will become fearful (in an attempt to ensure other people do not see the same limitation as the parent) throughout his or her life. It can be argued that the fact that Forrest is not ridiculed by the people around him made him believe that he can be anything he wanted to become. The additional fact that they encouraged him, for example, when Jenny told him to run he did so without considering the braces he had on his legs. This act ensures the braces fell off and people realized that he was a good runner.
Conclusion
Overall, it can be argued that the type of upbringing that Forrest received helped shape his personality. He was confident and did not let his limitations determine his future. It can be debated that his courage and strength were mirrored from his mother. As explained earlier, Forrest’s mom was a single parent living with her son alone. She not only had to think of ways to earn a decent income but also ensure that her child was raised right. Considering that both concepts were shunned due to her gender, it is impressive that she managed to run the successful boarding house and ensure Forrest had a significantly positive personality.
Reference
Schultz, P. D., & Schultz, S. E. (2016). Theories of personality (11th ed.). Cengage