Starbucks Movie Psychology Essay

Based on the seminal works, a person is stated to always be developing and dynamic, is motivated within their occupations, and is constantly interacting with their environment (Law, Cooper, Strong, Stewart, Rigby, & Letts, 1996). The way a person defines themselves will influence the person’s actions within their environment and how it is carried out through their occupational performance. While some qualities within a person are more responsive than others, almost all of the individual’s characteristics that are associated with this aspect are open to change (Law et al., 1996). This relates to the movie because in the beginning of the film, Sam was not capable of taking on many tasks. He started out with a job at Starbucks, where he just cleaned

An interactive approach believes that the person and the environment are independent and separate from one another (Law et al., 1996). A transactional approach views the person and the environment as interdependent. The behavior of the person cannot be separated from its context and is influenced by the environment, physical and psychological features, and temporal factors (Law et al., 1996). With a transactional approach, it is stated that a person’s environment is always changing and with that, so are their behaviors (Law et al., 1996). Throughout the movie, Sam’s behavior was not predictable; his environment played an important role on how he behaved and the how he engaged in occupations. The context of where Sam was located was mainly based on trying to benefit him in his court case. He went to specific places, worked multiple jobs, and met with individuals to increase his chances of winning (DeLuca et al. & Nelson, 2001). Since Sam’s environment changed where Lucy was no longer in the house, Sam went outside of his comfort zone and changed his behaviors to have the best outcome. He went into court and talked on the stand, made coffee and his job, and received the best lawyer possible all due to the changes within his environment (DeLuca et al. & Nelson,

The basic component of any task is considered to be an activity. It is “a singular pursuit in which a person engages as part of his/her daily occupational experience” (Law et al., 1996, p. 16). A task is the engagement of meaningful activities, while occupations are activities over a lifespan that are self-directed and allows a person to meet their intrinsic needs (Law et al., 1996). Lastly, occupational performance is the combination of the outcome of all of the components. Occupational performance is looked at to be a “dynamic experience of a person engaged in purposeful activities and tasks within an environment” (Law et al., 1996, p. 16). Sam participates in many activities through work and caretaking. His tasks included work through his few jobs in order to have enough money to raise himself and Lucy, as well as work with his lawyer throughout the day and night (DeLuca et al. & Nelson, 2001). Throughout Sam’s life, he loved Lucy and tried to get her back into his house; he constantly went out of his way to make time to meet with his lawyer and prove to the court that he was fit to be Lucy’s father (DeLuca et al. & Nelson, 2001). The combination of these aspects allowed the occupational performance and outcome to have Sam receive