Melvin, the main character in this story, is a very blunt and controlling man. Those qualities are not usually considered the best traits in people, but with him, part of it has to deal with his disorder. We find out officially in the movie when Melvin bursts through his psychologists door demanding help, that he has OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Melvin does not treat people very well. His blunt personality mixed with his OCD disorder can end up with him exploding about certain stuff. Therefore people do not like Melvin very much. At the beginning of the movie people really didn’t understand why he acted the way he did, therefore they thought he was strange and mean. As the movie progressed, Melvin’s compulsions began to decrease as well as his reactions, people seemed to warm up to him. People that hated him actually enjoyed being around him at the end of the movie. …show more content…
Such as, whenever Melvin walks anywhere he refuses to step on cracks in the sidewalk. For example, if he is walking through a door and on the other side there is little tiles put together to make a design, he will not walk over it. He will either have to jump over it or go around it. Some of his other disorders include eating at the same restaurant every day, using plastic silver wear when eating, sits at the same table, only allows the same waitress to serve him, washing his hands with a new bar of soap every time, wearing gloves, as well as locking and unlocking his door a certain number of times. Melvin, according to social norms is acting abnormal. Most “normal” people will not use a new bar of soap every time they was their hands, or avoid stepping on cracks because they feel panic if they step on one. Since the majority of people do not partake in these behaviors, this is probably what prompted him to see a psychologist in the first
Although Gary appears to have a clear vision of his life, it is through the use of his and other characters’ point of view that Gary’s ability to achieve his goal in spite of his difficulties is shown. One of Gary’s main problems is his clinical depression. For instance, when Gary’s wife says to him: “I’m tired of living with a depressed old man,” (Franzen, 184) Gary knows that he is going to have trouble bringing his family back to St. Jude. With disapproval from two of his sons and wife, Gary feels that...
Abnormal Psychology Abnormal psychology in the area within psychology that is focused on maladaptive behavior-its causes, consequences, and treatment. Abnormal psychology deals with how it feels to be different, the meanings the get attached to being different, and how society deals with people whom it considers to be different. The spectrum of differences is wide, ranging from reality defying delusions and severe debilitations to worries and behavioral quirks that we would be better off not having but do not significantly interfere with our daily lives. An example of the milder end of the spectrum is a man who was an eminently successful district attorney, was elected governor of New York on three occasions, and was almost elected president of the United States in 1948. This man, Thomas E. Dewy, reached the pinnacle of success, displaying such qualities as rectitude, efficiency, precision, and nearly limitless capacity for hard work.
Fletcher’s guidance. Originally thought to be of a physiological phenomenon, it turned out to be of a mental disorder Leonard Zelig developed over his childhood. In the film, it was described that he was bullied by anti-Semites. In addition to this, his parents never took young Leonard’s side and often locked him in a dark closet. This would explain Leonard’s tumultuous relationship with his living relatives. In their adult lives, his brother had a nervous breakdown and his sister became an alcoholic. Also, Leonard tells that he and his siblings were physically beaten by their mother and
Randal initially sought a psychological assessment for the presenting problem of depression. He began by stating that he had been having a difficult time with simple tasks and was easily overwhelmed. After further questioning, Randal began to elaborate on some of the thoughts that occupied his time and led to difficulty concentrating. He was constantly absorbed in anxiety about himself, or his family, coming into contact with a microbial disease. This thought pattern led to him compulsively washing his hands, obsessively cleaning surfaces and doorknobs, and throwing out perfectly fine clothing due to fear of contamination. He went on to further state that he often avoided places due to anxiety about their cleanliness. Also, Randal explained that often just when thinking about dirt and germs, he would take a shower, as a result of feeling contaminated. When prompted, Randal intimated that this behavior has occurred for several years, but recently has begun to interrupt his day-to-day functioning.
In most cases, however, FD is a long-term condition that can be very difficult to treat (Feldman, Hamilton &, Janata, 2009). Additionally, many people with FD deny they are faking symptoms and will not seek or follow treatment (Feldman et al.). Oscar’s condition may worsen, even with offered treatment, mainly due to his intellectual ability and his failure to fully cooperate with the medical staff. Over the years, Oscar has convinced himself that something is wrong with him to maintain his stay at a hospital, so to eradicate his way of thinking, for over a decade, will be tedious work, however, manageable. If Oscar agrees to cooperate with the treatment, he can be placed in the hospital with limited attention from medical staff. This will help reduce any reinforcing consequences from his FD symptoms. Furthermore, his mother might not participate in family therapy for Oscar’s recovery, so if Oscar does show signs of progression, interactions with his mother may act as a catalyst for Oscar’s FD to resurface. Overall, Oscar will most likely be impaired by his FD for the rest of his
They can also experience some auditory and sensory hallucinations just like when Brian claimed that he is receiving messages from Jesus Christ while watching television (Bucci, Startup, Wynn, Heathcote, Baker & Lewin, 2008, p. 326). Also, it was evidenced by his strange behaviours against his wife such as not trusting her, accusing his wife of cheating and poisoning his food. These behaviours may affect his interactions with the health professionals, as he may not believe that they are truly concern about him. Other than his wife, his family may also be affected by his inability to trust (Koivisto, Janhonen, & Vaisanen, 2003, pp. 225-227).
When considering the 5 D’s of abnormality, he possesses characteristics of them all. For dysfunction, he experiences social dysfunction by being unable to create and maintain relationships. He also experiences emotional dysfunction by having a fear of being alone, bouts of crying, and feelings of low self-worth. Physiological symptoms such as insomnia,
The view from the biological approach, could be because Peter is enrolled in too many courses for the first time or he’s been taking it since college and it’s actually been more than he can handle. If he takes his treatment diagnosed by his counselor then maybe he could he track with his work, or if not he’d would have
...ther serves to excite and stimulate our senses as we travel into the deranged mind of a killer ? offering us a unique perspective through the first person point of view. Similarly, the ending of ?Young Goodman Brown? offers a moral, but leaves the main character in a state of discord and callousness towards his wife, and his religion. The story is didactic, because the main character is punished for his transgressions. Symbolism, evident especially in Hawthorne?s allegory, and the repetition of Poe?s suspenseful tale serve to further the goals of each writer. Ultimately, Hawthorne?s Goodman Brown becomes isolated from humanity, an issue of the head and the heart, and Poe?s narrator withdraws inside himself, an issue purely of the mind. Recognizing this discord from the self and humanity is essential to understanding the behavior of these troublesome characters.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one of the main themes surrounds the idea of defining obsession and classic obsessive behaviors. Obsession itself is a force of devastation for one’s social, personal, mental, and physical life. At one point, obsession must be a passion, of which has amazing side effects. The synonym, passion, may resemble obsession in the beginning, though the main difference between the two is that obsession consumes the life that it holds. In the end, obsession ruins us.
Asperger’s syndrome is one of the mental illnesses that manifests itself in Bateman the most. He displays a high functioning form of Asperger’s syndrome, yet there are still symptoms present in Bateman of which even the highest functioning people with Asperger’s syndrome cannot rid themselves. One of the key symptoms in Asperger’s syndrome is the need for strict routine. Routines are an essential part of an Asperger’s patient’s life. Individuals who suffer from Asperger’s follow strict routines that they cannot break. If these routines are interrupted, individuals with Asperger’s can get very upset to the point where a disruption in their daily routine can even ruin their entire day (Moreno).
While Matchstick Men depicts Nicholas Cage’s character, Roy, as a person with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder really well; meaning his disorder falls under the four D categories of abnormal psychology, it can be argued that Roy actually does not have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. After Roy dropped his illegally obtained pink pills that resemble Paroxetine for treating OCD, his partner in crime, Frank, suggested he go see a shrink. Dr. Klein disagreed with Roy on him having this disorder, believing it may be something else. It can be argued that Roy had a substance dependency on these pills his previous doctor gave him and believed so deeply that he had a disorder that could only be treated with medicine. Dr. Klein gave Roy vitamins that Roy believed was medication, his symptoms declined while he believed to be taking this medication, exhibiting the placebo effect. Roy’s messy car and habit of smoking and spreading ashes in his car as well as in his home contradict his compulsions and obsessions of cleanliness, although when there is a mess he becomes dysfunctional and
not only because of the horrible things he does to his cat and his wife, but
Roy, played by Nicolas Cage, is an average Caucasian, late middle-aged man, with the exception of one aspect of him, obsessive-compulsive disorder. He has few social connections and even fewer meaningful ones. He has not had a romantic relationship in almost 15 years. The only person he maintains contact with in the beginning of the film
Popular films are replete with characters that possess symptoms indicating severe psychological disorders. In the film “The Machinist”, the main character displays many symptoms, indicating more than one disorder. This essay will discuss the character’s background, symptoms, and actions in order to attempt to provide an appropriate psychological diagnosis. It is important to remember that filmmakers do not strictly follow the criteria found within the DSM, but any diagnosis found within this essay will be as accurate as possible.