What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

887 Words2 Pages

After watching the movie “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” it focuses more on Gilbert Grape than any other characters in the movie. Gilbert Grape is a young man who resides in a small community called Endora. Gilbert at the beginning of the movie states “Describing Endora is like dancing to no music”. Gilbert’s youngest brother Arnie is soon to be 18 years old and has a developmental disability that never was disclosed in the movie. Furthermore, Bonnie Gilbert’s mother has been locked in her own home since her husband committed suicide seven years ago. Moreover, Bonnie is at the stage of stagnation. She is over-weighted and doesn’t think of doing anything for herself or for any of her children. Therefore, leaving Gilbert with the full responsibility of caring for his family especially Arnie.
Generally, after watching the movie I can say that Gilbert is at the fifth stage identity versus identity confusion. Erikson as (cited in Newman & Newman 2012), states “A person’s assessment of the importance of certain content areas in relation to others influences the use of resources, the direction of certain decisions, and the kinds of experiences that may be perceived as most personally rewarding or threatening” (PP. 413). Therefore, during adolescence years, individual are challenged in finding out who they are, what they are all about, and where they see themselves in the future. Moreover, struggling to support his dysfunctional family, Gilbert finds it hard to find his personal identity. Because of the pressure of supporting his family and watching over Arnie, Gilbert lacks a social life. When Gilbert tries to have a social life something negative always happens to Arnie. For example, when Gilbert begins to talk to Becky, Arnie once ...

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... J. (2011) “Cognitive behavior therapy enables client and therapist to work on cycles of thought and behavior that perpetuate low mood” (Pp. 1). Finally, the Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy will aid the family to understand the traumatizing stress they have endured. According to Cohen & Mannarino (2008) “Children may develop different problems in response to traumatic exposure” (Pp. 1).

Works Cited

Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (2008). Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children and Parents. Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 13(4), 158-162.
Newman, B. (2012). Development through Life: A Psychosocial Approach.
Price, J. (2012). Cognitive behaviour therapy: a case study. Mental Health Practice, 15(9), 26-31.
Sakinofsky, I. (2007). The Aftermath of Suicide: Managing Survivors' Bereavement. Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, 52129S-136S.

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