The next theory to consider in Forrest’s personality is Bowlby’s theory of attachment. As noted in class, Bowlby theorized that infant relationships produce “internal working models” for adult relationships (Assanand, 2014b). More simply stated, the kinds of relationships that children form will correspond to those they will experience adulthood, by suggesting that the “human experience was from ‘the cradle to the grave’” (Franley, 2010). There are a total of four attachment styles: secure, preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant and fearful avoidant. The attachment theory explains that a secure attachment is characterized by having positive regards towards themselves and others and feeling “confident that their partners will be there for them when …show more content…
There appears to be the most influence and attachment from the mother (Franley, 2010). As a child from a single family home, Forrest had no choice but to relate to his mother. We see very early on that Forrest idealizes his mother. He mentions that “she always had a way of explaining things so that [he] could understand them” and also that “she was a very smart lady” (Zemeckis, 1994). It is apparent that Mrs. Gump loves Forrest despite his disability (crooked back and slow mental processes) and cares for him deeply. She would spend her nights reading to him, something that would bring them closer together. It is because of this strong connection that they had that would ensure that his adult relationships would be just as …show more content…
According to lecture, those with a secure attachment style, as opposed to an insecure style are more satisfied with their relationships in the way of commitment and trust, have higher levels of self esteem, are less likely to use ineffective coping strategies, among other correlates (Assanand, 2014b). These can all be true for Forrest. We understand that his relationship with Jenny was never confrontational and once they finally managed to settle down, he seemed very satisfied with it. As mentioned earlier when speaking about Erikson’s stages, Forrest developed a certain amount of self-confidence throughout his life and was then able to use this confidence to use connect with those around him. Forrest’s life was anything but easy but he managed to get through difficult times, without the need to use any sort of substance or dangerous behavior. For example, when he is distraught that Jenny left, he decided to go for a run instead of sitting at home and becoming
Erikson’s psychosocial theory in which social interactions cause growth and change. Cady’s social interactions with others cause change with her autonomy. Cady loses herself by changing her values and character in the beginning of the film and towards the end of the film she finds self-recognition. Adolescence is a critical time during development because internal and external sources have a strong influence.
Does anyone really like to be stereotyped? Does anyone want to be looked at and automatically judged just because of the way they look, by their skin color, their hair type, or even the type of clothing they wear? Finding Forrester is a film that in my opinion perpetuates stereotypes. The entire film is based on significantly different racial opinions, opinions of different writing styles and stereotyping of different people in general.
What 's more, attachment theory makes the suggestion that a person 's ability to formulate these "attachments" with others is directly related to their overall sense of security, which is necessary for developing skills that allow a person to develop and grow as a unique personality. Attachment theory itself first originated with the work of John Bowlby during the 1960 's, and was further adapted upon by Mary Ainsworth. At the time, Bowlby worked as a psychiatrist in an Orphanage located in London, where he worked with numerous emotionally disturbed children. This experience led Bowlby to consider the importance of the child’s relationship with their mother in terms of their social, emotional and cognitive development ( 2 ). But what really interested Bowlby was the significance between early childhood separations from the mother, and how these separations would further manifest as maladjustments in the child 's life. Interestingly, Bowlby noted [that] children who were exposed to prolonged periods of deprivation, were essentially “affectionless” ( 3 ). This affectionless state of mind is critical for us to understand when we take into account the probable causes of children growing up into societal
Eric Erickson (1902-1994) was a psychoanalytical theorist who refined the study of personality development across the life stages (School of Arts, Development and Health Education, Massey University, 2012). His psychosocial theory (Newman & Newman, 2007) extended on the work of his mentor, and originating theorist; Sigmund Freud (Berk, 2012). Erickson’s theory divulged that individuals confront both negative and positive social pressures, at each life stage. How they deal with such experiences, and the learning, or lack of, acquired from them, determines how they cope and develop throughout their remaining life stages (Newman & Newman, 2007). Negative experiences not properly managed at any stage, adversely affect individual growth.
John Bowlby’s theory of attachment and the internal working model (IWM) synthesise to explain how an infant’s personality begins to develop during the early stages of their life. Infants are actively seeking interaction, and it is the nature, consistency and sensitivity of the mother’s response to the infant 's attachment, that determines the development of the IWM, this is known as the reciprocal interchange (Schore, 2000; Ainsworth & Bowlby, 1991). The way in which the IWM develops will then determine the attachment style that the infant has with their mother and ultimately what personality traits they begin to
In his original thesis, Bowlby (1969) never formalized an extension of his theory of attachment beyond childhood, but he clearly implied an extension should be sought. Perhaps his clearest statements regarding this extension involved his suggestions that people change to whom they are primarily attached as they age. He argued that in adolescents it was likely that peers played an increasingly important role in their attachment lives, and in adulthood, people would become primarily attached to a spouse or mate. Only in the last thirty years have scholars made a serious attempt to extend the ideas in attachment theory to adult relationships. One influential attempt came from Hazan and Shaver’s (1987) assertion that the attachment system is at least partially responsible for the adult romantic bond. Indeed multiple parallels have been drawn between the behavior in infant-caregiver interactions and adult romantic partner interactions. Zeifman and Hazan (1997) offer a fairly extensive account of the commonalities in adult romantic and infant-caregiver attachment. They note that cer...
J. R. Harris, a well known contradictor, explains how Bowlby theory of attachment is false because of the nature versus nurture ruling. Nature is the genetics passed down from the parents, but nurture is the way parents bring the child up. Harris believes that most psychologist misuse nurture for environment rather than parental guidance. She believes, along with genes, parental upbringing can determine how you will later develop. For instance, if a child grows up in a bad neighborhood, but was brought up nicely by his parents then the overwhelming sensation of fitting in would lead him down the wrong path. In Bowlby’s theory the well- trained parents would be to blame, but it is evident that the pressure from peers are at fault. Harrie’s argument contradicts the findings of
As developmental psychologists, we are taught about attachment styles at a very early stage in our education. By the time we become educated on the different attachment styles, we are often too quick to move on to the next subject of study rather than internalize what we have learned. The attachment styles we develop as children are crucial to many aspects of our life and development and can tell us many things about ourselves through adolescence and adulthood. Attachment in peer relationships, romantic relationships, and family structure can help or hinder portions of our identity development. Attachment can also explain or predict certain behaviors we may see as we age, and any impact those behaviors have on our identity development in adolescence. It is my aim to explain the types of attachment seen in both children and adults and illustrate how they relate to the formation of identity throughout the lifespan. I will then use what I have learned introspectively and relate my findings on attachment styles and identity development to my personal life story for analysis.
Eric Erikson was one of the most famous theorists of the twentieth century; he created many theories. One of the most talked about theories is his theory of psychosocial development. This is a theory that describes stages in which an individual should pass as they are going through life. His theory includes nine stages all together. The original theory only included eight stages but Erikson‘s wife found a ninth stage and published it after his death. The nine stages include: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, integrity vs. despair, and hope and faith vs. despair (Crandell and Crandell, p.35-36)).
Bowlby 's attachment theory is used a lot in settings as children gain strong bonds with the teachers and key workers in the setting. Having a secure attachment in the setting can have a variety of positive or negative impacts on the child depending on how emotionally attached they are. A strength of the attachment theory is that by children gaining attachment with their key worker it can help the practitioner support the child and meet their needs in the setting. By a child having an attachment to their key worker it can help their development as they are more engaged with the staff. Again research has shown that the quality of a child’s learning and the development of resilience can depend on the quality of their relationships both with their
“Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get” (Zemeckis, Forrest Gump). The Academy Award Winner for Best Picture star Tom Hanks portrays the good-hearted but everlasting challenged man that deals with vast life changing dramatic problems, Forrest Gump. The drama-filled romantic comedy was directed by Robert Zemeckis and screenplay written by Eric Roth. In the film, Zemeckis illustrates Forrest as a guy that describes several messages from life lessons on love to the responsibility of ethics. A portion of the viewers may find Forrest Gump as a trivial movie while others pose a question as such: What makes Forrest Gump such a memorable human? From the moment Forrest Gump arrived on the scene of the
It is really hard for me to choose only three films out of my favorites. After a thorough selection, the three winners of my favorite films are Forrest Gump (1994), Memento (2000) and Shutter Island (2010).
Forrest Gump and the Blind Side both have strong characters, inspirational moments, and incredible hardships. The movies show two very smart people who are misunderstood by many.
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something- your gut, destiny, life, home, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life” (Steve Jobs, 1955). Throughout all of my 25 years blessed on planet earth, my personality have somewhat been compared to that of a roller coaster, filled with many ups and downs, positives and negatives, rewards and punishments. As such, I have frequently embarked on numerous journeys in a dyer attempt to discover and recollect the shattered fragments left of me. With this being said, the term personality however, could be defined as “the patterns of behavior and ways of thinking and feeling that are distinctive for each individual” (Tischler, 2007). At the completion of this paper, I intend to achieve answers to some pertinent questions for instance how has the development of personality affected or impacted on human nature. I also hope to discover the various transitions of my personality starting from infancy to present and the reason or motives behind such changes. Finally, I would like to be able to gain an in-depth understanding of a variety of Personality Theories especially the Psychoanalytical Theory of
The character Jenny Curran from the movie Forrest Gump, had a tough life from the very beginning of the movie throughout to the end. During the movie, most parts were assumed and not actually said. For example, as a child she was physically abused as well as sexually abuse, however, it isn’t said, a scene of her with dirty ripped clothes and older Forrest narrating says “her father was always touching and kissing her and her sister” that implies that her father was sexually abusing her. Jenny’s father was not only abusive but an alcoholic and neglected the care of Jenny. Throughout the rest of the movie, Forrest is always there to support and love her, and the detrimental decisions she makes and the different paths she endeavors, inevitably catch up with her in the end. In this essay, one of the main points we see by Jenny’s character are all of the metaphors between what she says and the advice she gives to Forrest, for example, to run from danger and her own constant behavior to fun away from whatever she is afraid of. Jenny Curran will be the focus observation and personality study. Although the main character in this film is Forrest Gump, we are able to see the trials Jenny’s incurs and how it develops her personality. The main idea of this essay is to look at Jenny’s life and find the foundation for what her personality was build on and all of the influences of change throughout her life. Her various personality and life changes will be examined as well as the environmental and social influences.