Gilbert Grape

Theory:
The character that I am going to analyze is Gilbert Grape from What's Eating Gilbert Grape an American drama film directed by Lasse Hallström. The personality theory that I would provide to analyze Gilbert Grape’s character is Carl Roger’s theory, which is on the actualize version of the fulfillment model. Roger emphasized that central predisposition of humans is to actualize their inherent potentialities. This means that a pressure in people leads them in the direction of becoming whatever it is in their inherited nature to be, however this process is not always easily possible in all the individuals. Such as with Gilbert Grape who is restricted and embedded from expressing himself fully due to the expectations or his duties he has towards his family. The reason I chose this personality theory to describe Gilbert Grape because Gilbert, who watches the trailers pass by his house with his brother, desires to receive or get something out of his simple and routine based life. His actualizing tendency is to go and explore, and not to feel as if he is tied down to something and is restricted. However, in the beginning of the movie Gilbert inhibits from expressing his actualizing tendency, because in his life he hasn’t gotten any positive regard to express himself. However, when Becky a free spirited girl who lives life as it comes enters Gilbert’s life, and then she teaches him that he shouldn’t restrict himself from expressing his true self. Therefore, towards the end of the movie we see that Gilbert actualizes his inherent potential to travel, and in the end of the movie he waits for the trailers to drive by again, but this time he is going to be riding in the trailers.
Periphery:
In Carl Roger’s theory there are two types...

... middle of paper ...

...ds in saying that “I'm not gonna let her be a joke” (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape). Through this situation Gilbert arises as a fully functioning person, and he fights his problems and stands up for his family, without any inhibition. This self-decision that Gilbert makes reflects that Gilbert has changed, and if it were the maladaptive Gilbert then he would have let his mother be a joke. Another transition we see in Gilbert that shows his evidence to be a fully functioning person is that he finally decides to follow his dream, which is travelling. In the last scene of the movie Arnie asked Gilbert “if we were gonna go, too, and I said..."Well, we can go anywhere if we want,” (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape) from this statement of Gilbert we realize that he finally realizes his actualizing tendency, and becomes a fully functioning person that is open to new experience.