Melissa Lopez
Psy 31
April 15, 2015 Boys Don't Cry
This paper will report on Teena Brandon who was the main character in the movie Boys Don't Cry. It will attempt to describe and explain the biological, psychological and social elements that influenced the onset and progression of her disorder. Section one of this paper will provide brief summary of the movie as well as a profile of the main character that will be analyzed in the movie. Section two will provide information on the diagnosis, cause and treatment of the disorder profiled in this investigation. It will also discuss how the filmmaker presented the symptoms and the causes of the disorder and how accurate she portrayed them. In section three (academic findings) the paper will provide academic research that sheds light on the biological, psychological, and social influences of the subject’s disorder. Lastly, the paper will summarize the final thoughts of the author in the
…show more content…
Teena, who is in the throes of a gender crisis identifies as male and has recreated herself by cutting her hair, and dressing as a boy, therefore giving birth to her new identity Brandon Teena. The film details events that starts off as an experiment. Brandon now trying to adjust to his newly adapted home Nebraska, encounters a group of males he quickly becomes friends with and even finds love with a girl named Lana, who is also lost and misguided. However once his anatomical gender is discovered, Brandon finds himself as a target of a hate crime. The film doesn't shy away of the extremities gender confused people are willing to take in order to identify as the gender they feel they are and need to be. The film also depicts very bluntly how even still to this day, gender confused and transgendered people are
Brandon Teena is the main character in Boys Don’t Cry. He is a boy that, as he himself proclaimed “had a birth defect or something”, meaning that he was born a girl. Throughout the movie, he is searching for acceptance, for somewhere that the way he is doesn’t matter. This is first shown to the viewer when he moves out of Lincoln, Nebraska, to Falls City, Nebraska. At the end of the film, Brandon Teena is brutally raped and later murdered. Though Brandon’s fate was in no way his fault, nor does it excuse or forgive what happened, Brandon brought his fate upon himself because he knew that the culture where he was living explicitly rejected and hated people like him. Brandon also kept trying to prove to himself that he really was a man, but he never truly satisfies himself. He also has many dreams that he lusts after but never does anything to accomplish. These things, in the end, are how Brandon Teena brought his fate upon himself.
Warriors Don 't Cry is a memoir written by Melba Pattillo Beals. It is about the author herself as a young girl named Melba, who grew up in a society of segregation. Nine students, including Beals, have the chance to integrate a white school called Central High. Mobs of white people were against it and would harass them and even try to kill them. Three elements used in this memoir are first point of view, character and plot. Furthermore, Warriors Don 't Cry has the theme of courage.
“It takes a warrior to fight a battle and survive. This here is a battle if I’ve ever seen one” (Beals 113). In the novel Warriors Don’t Cry, nine students from Little Rock Arkansas are set out on the battlefield for integration. Melba Pattillo and eight other friends are challenged with starting off the integration of Little Rock’s Central High School. The students were signed up and asked to attend the high school in hopes of getting rid of segregation. Although entering high school may seem as easy as signing in and going to class, the test and trials the Little Rock nine went through shows a true test of determination. Comparatively, the “Arab Spring”, a movement of protests in the Middle East, has caused controversy all over the world. Citizens are rebelling against an unfair government in hopes of create a new way of life. Tired of all the disrespect, unjust, and oppressive government Muslims and Middle Easterners have created a battle of their own. While trying to create a better life for themselves, the Little Rock Nine and those involved in the Arab Spring uprisings have stepped on to the battlefield for fair human rights.
“Boys Don't Cry” portrays the true story of Brandon Teena, a teenager who is faced with a serious sexual identity crisis. Although Brandon was born with a woman's body, he feels at heart and mind that he is a man. Brandon is portrayed as a loving and romantic individual who's not afraid to embrace himself in a world that often dismisses divergency. This unfortunately leads to Brandon's death at the age of 21. Two men, driven by ignorance, jealousy and hate lead to the murder of Brandon. Gender roles and social norms often deem people from becoming their true selves. Boys Don't Cry explores the constant struggle in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community through the eyes of Brandon Teena.
Avery is harassed by bullies daily but admirably is able to stay calm and controlled. Society places a large importance on gender and how one performs it, so when Avery’s view from his gender is different from his biological sex, it causes an internal struggle within him because of how society views and expects of gender norms. Avery is a great example of the idea of gender inversion, which is known to be a role reversal of men acting like women and women acting like men, in other words the common way of thinking about homosexuality. In Two Boys Kissing, Levithan does a great job at depicting Avery’s characteristic traits, such a good job that in fact the reader it able to understand that Avery is not “acting” like the opposite sex but rather performing the gender in which he truly believes himself to be. “We wish we could show you the world as it sleeps. Then you’d never have any doubt about how similar, how trusting, how astounding and vulnerable we all are” (20). Avery is just an example of many teenagers who doubt the equality of their
Durand, M., & Barlow, D. (2013). Essentials of abnormal psychology. (6 ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
In this paper the reader will be able to find a variety of different areas covered. A detailed summary of the movie 28 days directed by Betty Thomas in 2000 will start the paper. The diagnostic criteria of a psychiatric disease will be included along with rationales why the main character fits the diagnosis of disease. Included is the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of coping mechanisms. Pharmacological with classification and non-pharmacological treatments will be included in addition to discussion of ethical and legal issues. This paper will include whether it would be an acceptable fit for patients or families with the same diagnosis. Lastly, will be an overall conclusion of the information provided in the paper.
Haglin, R. P. & Whitbourne, S. K. (2010). Abnormal psychology: clinical perspectives on psychological disorders. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
For my final essay, I have chosen the movie “Fatal Attraction”, and I will focus on Alex Forrest and her mental disorder. Borderline Personality was displayed in the movie and Alex had almost every symptom of this disorder. Throughout this essay, I will be discussing Alex’s characteristics, intelligence, motivation, stress, social influences and/ or personality theories, treatment, and if the depiction of the disorder and treatment is consistent with what was discussed and read in the course.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Rector, N. A. (2011). Abnormal psychology. (2 ed., p. 297, 321, 322,
Comer, R. J. (2011). Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology (Sixth ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Mental health and its disorders are an intricate part of the individual and society. Mental health incorporates our emotional, psychological and social well-being. Understanding human behavior and the social environment in conjunction with biological, social and cultural factors helps in diagnosing and treating individuals accurately. Film can be used to understand and visualize how mental disorders may affect one’s life. This paper examines the film “Primal Fear” and explores the character Aaron Stampler and his mental illness, reviews literature on the diagnosis given and critically analyzes the film’s portrayal of the disorder.
The film, Boys Don't Cry, Kimberly Pierce's brilliant work of 1999, is the true story of, Brandon Teena, born Teena Brandon, played by Hillary Swank, who created a male identity for herself. Brandon was born in 1972 and died at the hopelessly young age of 21. The actual story takes place within the last two weeks of Brandon's life, in 1993. The movie, a dramatized documentary, was released in 1999. Brandon is a transgendered individual; he was born a female, but feels that he would be happier living as a man. She leaves her brother and hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, where everybody knows her as Teena, to start a new life as Brandon. Brandon ends up in Falls City and his short life, as a man, begins. It is in essence, the epitome of the human spirit's sexual identity crisis, where our souls decide what kind of people we want to be, defying standard gender roles. He searches for truth, regardless of what his body says. In a world where we categorize everything as male or female, white or black, good or evil, right or wrong, heterosexual or not, there is something indefinable about Brandon. He represents the fight for female freedom in a male-dominated society, the freedom to be taken seriously and to be in control of your own life. Brandon was just breaking the gender mold nature and our patriarchal society had set for him. As a woman, you take a backseat position in your own life; the male figure is your driver. Whether it be your father when you are younger, or your boyfriend/husband when you get older, men are given first priority in the decision making process. Teena Brandon wants to make her own decisions, as a man, as Brandon.
Barlow, D., Durand, V., & Stewart, S. (2009). Abnormal psychology an integrative apporach. (2nd ed.). United States of America: Wadsworth
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.