Introduction
The title of the movie is Rain Man. It was the winner of the 1988 Best Picture Award from the Academy of Motion Picture. There are two major characters. The first one is Raymond Babbitt who suffers from autism and for most of his life lived in a mental institution where people who suffer from Down’s syndrome and various forms of mental retardation are admitted.
The second major character and the focus of this study is Raymond’s brother, Charlie Babbitt – who according to the movie outfit, Metro Goldwyn Mayer, who produced the film – was a self-centred and calloused young hustler. Charlie learned only of his brother’s existence upon his father’s death. His late father left the lion’s share of the inheritance to the autistic savant Raymond. Charlie being true to his character kidnapped his brother in the attempt to blackmail Raymond’s guardian into sharing half of the $3 million inheritance. The story took off from there but the ending was an unexpected one.
Character
The focus of this study is Charlie Babbit – the younger brother of Raymond Babbit. Charlie is in his early thirties. He is a Caucasian male, medium built and not exceptionally tall. He belongs to a particular Christian denomination but there is not enough information to make a definite conclusion about his religion. At the start of the movie both his parents were dead. He had a hazy recollection of his mother because she died when he was still a boy.
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Yet later on, he had a falling out with his father and was forced to survive the tough streets of Los Angeles while still a teenager. This is the reason why he group to become a hardened hustler whose only main motivation is to make money and enjoy life without regards to the needs and feelings of others.
He was unaware that he was not the only child. When he was a young boy he vaguely remembered talking to someone whom he called Rain Man. He did not know that he was talking to his brother Raymond before he was sent to the mental institution. Charlie grew up in Cincinnati knowing what it is like to live the good life. But this fairy tale existence came to an end after a bitter confrontation with his father that involved one of his father’s prized possessions a 1949 Buick Roadmaster.
From the point of view of his father he is an irresponsible child that requires discipline and much guidance. His father tried to turn him into a man just like him – passionate about excellence. But Charlie did not understand what his father was trying to do and he resented the way he was treated by his Dad.
From the point of view of his business associates he was a driven taskmaster who wanted to win at all costs. It is ironic that ran away from home because he could not stand his authoritarian father, but he became someone just like his old man. His behaviour affected everyone including his girlfriend Susanna. His life began to unravel after the kidnapping of his older brother. His business was about to go down the drain and his girlfriend left him. He was stubborn enough to pursue his goal which is to extract his fair share of the inheritance.
Development
There is not enough information with regards to his prenatal life. Judging from his father’s sense of right and wrong and it can be assumed that there was no alcohol and drug abuse in the Babbit household. In other words his personality, behavior and physical appearance is not the direct result of the negative impact of harmful chemicals. It is not also the result of prenatal diseases or any form of abnormal prenatal development. Thus, his personality and behavior was influenced by his family, especially from his relationship with his father.
There are two major factors in his childhood that must be pointed out in order to understand Charlie Babbit. First of all, he grew up without a mother. Secondly, his father was a successful businessman with many eccentricities. This was made evident by his multimillion dollar fortune, his 1949 Buick Roadmaster, a vintage car that runs perfectly decades after it rolled out of production. On top of that he is an avid horticulturist. Putting all of these together one can see an exacting man, driven, passionate, intelligent and who demands the same kind zeal and dedication from his workers, his associates and of course from his son Charlie.
It can be said that Charlie did not have a happy childhood. He was not sexually and physically abused but without a doubt he experienced emotional abuse for he did not experienced the tender love of a mother and father. He needed a caregiver that is warm and sensitive while at the same time consistent in meeting the child’s emotional and physical needs. He could have coped much better and adjusted much better if he had a mother who can temper the dictatorial tendencies of his father. But since he had no one, and living in a mansion with only servants to interact with, he developed emotional and personality problems that surfaced later in puberty and in adulthood.
Gender and Sexuality
There is very little focus on gender role development. This is not the main goal of the filmmaker. Still, Charlie was able to demonstrate the typical behavior expected of a man. Charlie loves cars and women. He is so passionate about cars that he memorized the trivial details pertaining to his father’s 1949 Buick. He still remembers that it is a Straight 8, a Fireball 8 car with only 8, 985 production models. He is also attracted to women and has an ongoing relationship with Susanna an immigrant who works for him but also is his love interest in the movie.
Aside from his mastery of the 1949 vintage classic he is also in the buying and selling of luxury cars. In the opening scene of the movie Charlie went to the port area in order to secure the release of the cars that he will sell later to high-end clients. Charlie did not exhibit any form of gender identity disorder. He is comfortable being a man and it seems that he enjoyed being a man. He is a heterosexual and aside from being attracted to the opposite sex he also exhibited behavior associated with being a man such being competitive and the need to be in control always.
Women can be competitive and can be controlling but there is a difference when men compete and when they assert control. This was made evident when Charlie could not accept that he did not even get a fraction of the inheritance. Another evidence of his domineering nature was seen in how he treated his co-workers and other people around him.
Psychodynamic
There are different ways to understand human behavior. The one developed by Freud is just one of the tools that can be used to analyze behavior and personality. Using Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality the personality of Charlie Babbit is composed of id, ego, and superego. The id is the unconscious part of personality. This is linked to the pleasure principle and can be seen in how Charlie tried to live for the moment and to satisfy his cravings no matter what the cost.
In the early part of the movie Charlie was in a very tense situation trying to secure all the legal requirements so that he can finally dispose of his luxury cars and make tens of thousands of dollars in profit. But there are many obstacles that he needed to deal with and he is losing his patience. He did everything to close the transaction, he cursed, he kicked the table, he lied to his customers, he cajoled with his government personnel and he did everything without thinking about the consequence just so he can get what he wanted.
The superego and ego part of the personality tried to limit the id part of his personality. When he discovered that his father only left him the car and some prized rosebushes he was so mad that he vented all his frustrations on the lawyer reading the last will and testament. His ego and superego tried to soften the blow when he asked the lawyer to please read the instructions of his father one more time. Although he recovered the id part of his personality already did much damage.
After visiting the mental institution he discovered that Raymond Babbit was his older brother. He decided to kidnap him. This is the non-rationale side of his personality, the unconscious id that wanted to do something that is against the law. His ego and superego tried to justify the action and tried to explain to his girlfriend that he is not trying to kidnap Raymond, he was merely trying to spend time with his brother. So he found a way to take Raymond out of the institution without creating a scandal. It was only after some time that the officials of the said facility learned of Raymond’s disappearance.
The object of his hatred was his father. Much of the abnormality of his behavior stems from this anger. He employs different kinds of defense mechanisms in order to get through the day. First of all he represses all these painful memories about his past. There is unconscious forgetting. He does not think about his father, he does not talk about his past. Everything resurfaced upon knowing of his father’s death and the need to take care of his estate. Without this tragic event he could go on with his life without telling anyone what transpired in his childhood and puberty years.
Another way of coping is seen in how he tried to use displacement his emotional impulse is redirected to something that is less threatening or something that he can control. So instead of trying to challenge his father, he went on to do things that could prove his worth.
Ironically in the attempt to forget his father and to live a life a way from his overbearing presence, he became just like him. He is ruthless and exacting and he will do everything it takes to succeed and will not care if he will hurt people along the way. So when he kidnapped Raymond he was not thinking about his brother’s safety all he cared about was his money.
Another way of dealing with his emotional issues was to use rationalization and denial. He tried to justify the kidnapping by saying that he is entitled to half of the inheritance. He tried to justify the abduction as a means to be together with his brother and as retaliation for keeping his brother away from him for a very long time. He is also in denial when he tries to convince himself that this has nothing to do with the past. He is deny the main reason why he is breaking the law. He is denying the painful experience of his childhood leads him to do such things.
Humanistic
The humanistic theory can help explain what happened to Charlie in the middle part of the movie. He was a changed man. All of a sudden he began to appreciate his brother. He liked the idea of being together with his brother. He could not believe why no one told him about his brother because he is having a great time with him. He no longer desires for his inheritance, he wanted to take care of his brother and he does not want to be away from him. A bond develops between Charlie and Raymond.
The humanistic theory states that people are born good. This means that Charlie was not born a self-serving and calloused hustler. Since he was born good he is capable of doing good. This can be used to explain why there was a sudden change of heart. The materialistic and selfish Charlie could afford to forget about his claim to a more than $1 million because all of a sudden he realized what he needed to do and that life is not all about making more money.
From that moment on Charlie underwent a complete transformation. He is now fighting for the custody of his brother. An autistic savant maybe a highly functioning patient but still those who would like to take care of them will surely experience frustrations not to mention that it will be a drain to their time and finances. It seems that Charlie does not care what will be the cost for keeping his brother. His father showed him conditional positive regard but he wanted to exhibit the opposite when dealing with his brother.
Social Cognitive Theory
Charlie demonstrated strong self-efficacy in matters regarding money. When it is about getting the things that he needed to get ahead he also showed strong self-efficacy in these areas. For instance he was not troubled when the environmental protection agency would not release the paperwork for his cars. He knew exactly what to do. He was not rattled when his customers started to harass him for not delivering on time and failing to hold on to his end of the bargain. In a split second he was able to think of a solution to appease his customers and to deal with the said government agency.
When his brother needed to watch TV while they were driving in the middle of nowhere he was quick to devise a plan so he can get into someone else’s living room. He was his charming self, trying to bluff his way and convincing the woman that he is a representative of a TV network. When he needed money he exploited the talents and natural capabilities of his brother so that they can win in Las Vegas by counting cards. He was street smart and he can get away with a lot of things. On the other hand he demonstrated weak self-efficacy in matters concerning relationships. He does not know how to take care of his girlfriend and he manages to offend other people. He was rude to the lawyers, he was rude to the waitress and he was rude to Raymond.
Reciprocal Determinism was demonstrated by Charlie in so many instances in the movie. His personality was determined by the confluence of cognition, the environment, and his behavior. He was prone to behave in a self-serving manner. He is prone to behave in a combative manner always trying to be on top of every situation. This is fueled by the belief system that he learned from his Dad. Always demand excellence; always demand respect. This belief system is strengthened by what he sees around him. He sees a world that is materialistic. He lives in Los Angeles and everyone seems to be thinking of only one thing and that is the acquisition of wealth.
Psychological disorders
Charlie does not suffer from traditional forms of psychological disorder. He has a personality that is offensive to many. Others may even consider it a moral dilemma, the inability to forgive his father and his burning hatred towards him that made him into who he is. In this sense there is no way to treat him using the techniques of psychiatry or psychology. If Charlie has a problem then it cannot be treated in the same way that people suffering with depression and anxiety must be treated. In the movie Charlie need not go to a psychiatrist for help, his emotional turmoil was remedied when he learned how to forgive and how to serve others.
The breakthrough came when he discovered the real reason why his brother was sent to the mental institution. His father sent Raymond to the mental institution because he was hurting Charlie when Charlie was still too young to remember. Raymond had no idea that he was hurting Charlie but their father was concerned about Charlie’s well-being. So even if it was against his will to send Raymond away, he had to do it to protect Charlie. When Charlie realized this, his outlook began to change, his attitude towards Raymond and his father began to change.
If Charlie will decide to seek help then the humanistic type of therapy is the one that is suited for his situation. In this type of intervention the therapist will allow Charlie to express what he is feeling inside and to honestly talk about the past and how his past relationship with his father affected his life. In this form of treatment Charlie will learn how to behave by studying how other people try to deal with a particular situation.
They will have to model this positive behavior to Charlie. This can be done through role playing. There is no guarantee that Charlie will undergo treatment because he can easily reason out that there is nothing wrong with him.
This is a good movie to study because I can identify with the character. The character is not suffering from serious psychological problems but still he is doing something that can hurt people around him. He is also suffering due to his unresolved anger and this is limiting his growth as a person. I have to remind myself that even though I need no serious treatment there is nothing wrong with asking for help especially in learning how to control anger and how to become a person that can help others fulfill their potential.