It’s a Movie… it’s Psychology!

The semester is almost over, so it’s time to kick back and enjoy the last few weeks of school. We will be conducting a research project on the way popular movies portray psychological disorders, patients, and counseling.

Watch fifteen (15) points worth of movies from the attached list (min: five movies). Once you have finished a movie, complete an analysis of the film using the questions below:

Name:

Film Name:

Primary Disorder(s):

Disorders and Symptoms:

1.  List the symptoms, social ramifications, and possible dangerous actions that the main character(s) displays.

2.  Under what circumstances does the onset of his mental disorder occur?

3.  List the disorders and symptoms displayed by supporting characters?

Therapy:

4.  What were some techniques used to help the main character?

5.  Did the actor’s portrayal of the therapist seem accurate? Why or why not?

Social Effects:

6.  How did the condition affect the patient’s life (home, social, work)?

7.  How did the supporting characters’ conditions influence or interact with the main character’s condition?

Representation of the Disorder:

8.  How did seeing this movie inform you about the condition with which the characters were dealing? Did it help in understanding the tendencies, symptoms and the condition itself? Explain.

9.  To what extent was the condition ‘Hollywood-ized’? (ex. Exaggerated symptoms, mixed-up symptoms, extreme examples) What was the purpose of the modification?

10.  How might the portrayal of the conditions and those involved impact an average person’s understanding of the conditions?


Film List: You must watch 15 points were of movies, total. How you combine movies is up to you.

A note about ratings: Films dealing with psychological themes are not intended for young children. The disorders themselves, as well as their effect on a person’s life are not the kind of things that show up in a G-rated film. The material is adult in nature, but is typically limited to language and adult themes. In this case “adult themes” does not usually translate to sexual innuendo, etc., but rather is pointing out that young children are not emotionally equipped for understanding what is “wrong with” the people in the film. As a result, most of the movies listed below carry a PG-13 or R rating.

Please consult with your parent/guardian in choosing appropriate films. It is easy to complete the project watching nothing but PG and PG-13 films as 22 points come from movies that carry less than an R rating. We *may* watch some movies (pending approval) in class.

3 Points

1.  Girl, Interrupted; R (various disorders: bipolar, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, etc.)

2.  K-PAX; PG-13 (psychiatric treatment, OCD, psychotic behavior, various others)

  1. Gun Shy; R (depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, various) (comedy)
  2. Dark Knight; PG-13 (antisocial, narcissism, depression, various others)
  3. American Beauty; R (depression, coping, deviant behavior, OCD)

2 Points

6.  A Beautiful Mind; PG-13 (schizophrenia)

  1. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; R (antisocial personality, psychiatric hospitalization)
  2. Nell; PG-13 (psychiatry, developmental disorders)
  3. Fight Club; R (dissociative identity disorder, depression, “Jung’s evil twin phenomenon”)
  4. Me, Myself, and Irene; R (dissociative identity disorder) (comedy)
  5. Shutter Island; R (antisocial, dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia)
  6. I Am Sam; PG-13 (developmental disorder, agoraphobia, paranoia)
  7. The Hours; PG-13 (depression, suicide)
  8. Hamlet (1996-Branagh); PG-13 (depression, schizophrenia)
  9. Fearless; R (post-traumatic stress disorder)

1 Point

16.  Good Will Hunting; R (adolescent therapy, conduct disorder)

17.  Don Juan de Marco; PG-13 (depression, mania, altered states, psychiatrists’ lives-ethical issues)

  1. As Good as it Gets; PG-13 (obsessive compulsive disorder) (comedy)

19.  Memento; R (amnesia, stress and coping, antisocial)

20.  Bourne Identity; PG-13 (amnesia)

  1. Awakenings; PG-13 (research psychiatry, catatonia)
  2. The Good Son; R (antisocial)
  3. Conspiracy Theory; R (paranoia, depression/grief)
  4. Psycho (1960-Hitchcock); R (antisocial, dissociative identity disorder, poss. Schizophrenia)
  5. Sybil; PG (dissociative identity disorder)
  6. Benny and Joon; PG (schizophrenia, various)
  7. The Butterfly Effect; R (amnesia)
  8. Silence of the Lambs; R (psychotic personality disorder, various others)
  9. Clockwork Orange; R (various, psychiatric treatment)
  10. What About Bob?; PG (anxiety disorder) (comedy)

Fall 2010

To the Parent/Guardian of ______,

We will be conducting a research project on the way popular movies portray psychological disorders, patients, and counseling. Students are asked to watch ten points worth of movies from a pre-selected list, available on http://wiki-cik.wikispaces.com.

To help minimize homework, I will be showing selected scenes from one of two films: Girl, Interrupted and A Beautiful Mind. (Which film will be watched will be determined once all permission forms are in.) The other films on the list are films your student has most likely already seen. As you look at the list, you may notice that most of the films carry a PG-13 or R rating. Films dealing with psychological themes are not intended for young children. The disorders themselves, as well as their effect on a person’s life are not the kind of things that show up in a G-rated film. The material is “adult” in that young children do not have the experience or maturity necessary to understand what is “wrong with” the people in the film.

Psychology students, however, are already familiar with the symptoms and larger consequences of the conditions in question. Viewing these films gives them an opportunity to see how the condition affects the patient. We will also be comparing the film portrayal with their knowledge.

Movie Descriptions:

Girl, Interrupted is rated R for language and adult themes (as discussed above). It is based on the true story of Susanna Kaysen’s two year hospitalization after her depression lead to attempted suicide. The film follows her battle with her condition, as well as her interactions with several other patients. The film includes scenes which display each of her friend’s unique symptoms, including one young woman’s addiction to drugs, foul language, and sexual activity (does not appear on screen). Kaysen’s story includes following up with several of the young women after their release from the hospital, showing how they cope with their condition in a ‘real world’ setting, and how several of them fail to do so, eventually leading to one young woman’s suicide. Each of the disorders will be discussed in detail, as will the actresses’ individual portrayal of the young women’s conditions.

A Beautiful Mind is rated PG-13 for language and adult themes (as discussed above). Unlike Girl, Interrupted, A Beautiful Mind focuses on one disorder, as experienced by Nobel-prize winning mathematician John Nash. As a result, the condition is not as violent or dramatic as those shown in Girl, Interrupted. It is, however, a very sympathetic, rendering of schizophrenia. Mr. Nash’s battle with his condition includes vivid hallucinations of other people, delusions regarding the doing top-secret work for a completely fabricated branch of military intelligence. It also does an excellent job of showing how important a patient’s family is in their treatment, and how a psychological disorder can affect a person’s family.

If you object to either of these films, please put a large ‘X’ through the film description above and I will excuse your student from watching that film. You are also welcome to choose a combination of films from the list (http://wiki-cik.wikispaces.com) for your child to watch, instead. Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have at .

Sincerely,

Amy D. Sefcik

I have read the above descriptions and allow ______to view the films (except as indicated above).

Signature: ______Date: ______