The movie ‘Rain Man’ is about discovery of family, and gaining an understanding of Autism. When Charlie’s father dies and is left with no inheritance, he begins to find who received it when he discovers his unknown brother Raymond. Ray is autistic and throughout the movie, Charlie, is forced to adjust to and meet the needs of Ray’s autism. Charlie and Ray’s relationship starts off slow and begins by Charlie selfishly using Ray’s outstanding mathematical and memorizing skills to gain money at the gambling table. When Charlie begins to feel sympathy towards Ray, he begins to want a brotherly relationship with Ray and starts to enjoy spending time with Ray. Below explains the four psychological levels of explaining behavior and how they relate …show more content…
to Charlie and Ray. Autism is a complex developmental disability. Every person with Autism is different. They each have their unique differences, and different implications. People with autism have brains that are wired differently to those without autism. Like Ray, they may find it difficult to communicate with others, forming relationships and they may be unable to feel empathy for another person (Autismqld.com.au, 2014). Ray is unable to function normally with extraordinary mathematic skills however he does not understand the concept of money. Throughout the movie, the four psychological levels of behavior explanations are explored. These are: • Basic processes (cognitive development, thinking and learning) • Biological (physical, chemical and biological processes) • Personal (personal characteristics) • Social/cultural (influences involved outside of the person) RAYMOND (RAY): Autism fits into the biological level of explanation.
The biological explanation includes the physical, chemical and biological processes. An example of how some of Ray’s behavior can fit into this category is Ray’s intense interests which sometimes interfere with things outside of the interest such as his daily routine of watching the same TV show at the same time every day without excuses. If he does not do this, he experiences high levels of anxiety and will find a possible way to go back to his routine. An important scene in the movie that shows a good example of the biological level of explanation is when Ray is making his breakfast in the kitchen with Charlie in the other room. He puts his food in the oven and forgets about it a few seconds later. He is unaware of what this can cause. When the smoke alarm goes off, Ray begins to panic due to the loud noise and the chaotic atmosphere the alarm creates in the kitchen. He begins to cover his ears and hit his head to try and stop the sound unaware of what is happening. This relates to the biological explanation as due to his autism, he has heightened sensitivity to sound and stressful situations, which then leads to a behavioral …show more content…
response. Some of Raymond’s actions can also relate to the basic processes explanation such as his cognitive development, thinking and learning. Some examples of this can include how he remembers and uses information. Ray has extremely good mathematical skills and can answer a question of high difficulty without stuttering. Another example can include the lack of empathy for other people ray has. He finds it difficult to grasp feelings such as the sorrow that Charlie feels when he explains to Ray that he wants Ray to live with him. Raymond’s brain is unable to interpret the situation and therefore is unable to relate to the way the other person is feeling. Ray has significant problems involving communication skills such as not being able to look someone in the eye whilst talking to the other person and he shows lack of facial and bodily expressions. This comes under the social/cultural explanation, which are factors involving the environment and social/cultural influences. An example of this is the scene in the movie just after Charlie ‘steals’ Ray from the institution to take him to LA. There is a lot of traffic and Ray becomes overwhelmed and decides he does not want to be in the car and results in him walking out of the traffic with Charlie following behind him in the car. This relates to the social/cultural explanation as the factors that influenced his behavior are related to his surroundings and the situation. Cognitive psychology is the study of how people organise and use information. Piaget’s theory is a way to explain cognitive development. There are three main components Piaget’s theory. (McLeod, 2009) • Schemas • Adaption processes • Stages of development; - Sensorimotor (0-2 years) - Preoperational (2-7 years) - Concrete operational (7-12 years) - Formal operational (11+ years) The concrete operational stage is the child is matured enough to understand physical objects.
The child is able to understand what the object does and that if its appearance changes, the thing itself does not change. (McLeod, 2014) The formal operational stage is when the child does not need to depend on the concrete operation stage in order to think creatively, and use abstract concepts (McLeod, 2014). This theory can help to explain Ray’s outstanding ability to answer extremely difficult mathematical equations however he does not understand the concept of money. This is because Ray understands concrete terms well however money is an abstract concept and he does not understand this. He is unable to imagine outcomes of certain
arrangements. CHARLIE: Charlie, Raymond’s brother is a very selfish person and has a very arrogant personality. He does not have Autism or a development disability like Ray however he does have his own levels of personal struggle such as his relationship problems with his father as explained below as well as the loss of his mother. The personal level of explanation refers to individual differences in behavior. An example of his selfishness throughout the movie is when he ‘steals’ his brother from the institution to get his share of his fathers inheritance. When Charlie takes him to LA, he uses Ray’s outstanding mathematical skills to make money with gambling. His impulsive behavior towards Ray changes over time when he comes to the realization of his actions. Ray and Charlie’s mother died when they were young. Charlie did not have a very good relationship with his father whilst Charlie was growing up, which lead to him cutting off any form of a relationship. According to the psychological attachment theory that the quality of a relationship early in the child’s life can affect the ability to form strong relationships in the child’s later life (Human Psychological Development PowerPoint, 2014). This theory of attachment could possibly explain his inability to feel sympathy for Ray and struggles to build a relationship with him. This impacts on the relationship Ray and Charlie have as it prevents Charlie to ‘open up’ to Ray and allow him to be a part of his life permanently. Although this is the case at the start of the movie, towards the end, he manages to overcome these problems slightly and attempts to start a relationship with Ray. It could also explain his selfish and arrogant personality as he may have the separation anxiety he may have felt when his mother died.
Therefore, there were no causal factors suggested in the film for the character’s disorder but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Brain scans show differences in the shape and structure of the brain in children with autism compared to in neurotypical children. Researchers do not know the exact cause of autism but are investigating a number of theories, including the links between heredity, genetics, and medical problems (Autism Society)”. The movie was released in 1988 so during this time period there really wasn’t a lot known about this disorder. Towards the end of the movie, Charlie takes Raymond to a doctor in order to learn more about his condition and the doctor simply states that Raymond has autism and that, “there is really not much you can do for him other than to deal with it”. Raymond does not take any medication throughout the movie; so, the only treatment that he received, if any, is staying at the Walbrook mental Institute. If fact, members of the Walbrook Institute wanted to keep Raymond in order to learn more about him. The understanding of autism has come a long way since the release of this movie Rain Man. Some of the treatments today include medication, behavioral training and specialized therapy that includes speech, occupational, and physical therapy. “Early diagnosis and treatment help young children with autism develop to their full
This can be identified as the four stages of mental development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and the formal operational stage. (Cherry, 2017) Each stage involves a difference of making sense in reality than the previous stage. In the sensorimotor stage, the first stage, infants start to conduct an understanding of the world by relating sensory experiences to a motor or physical action. This stage typically lasts from birth until around two years of age. A key component of this stage is object permanence, which simply means to understand an object will exist even when it can’t be directly visualized, heard, or felt. The second stage was the preoperational stage. This stage dealt more so with symbolic thinking rather than senses and physical action. Usually, the preoperational stage last between two to seven years old, so you can think of this as preschool years. The thinking in infants is still egocentric or self-centered at this time and can’t take others perspectives. The third stage or the concrete operational stage averagely lasts from seven to eleven years of age. This is when individuals start using operations and replace intuitive reasoning with logical reasoning in concrete circumstances. For example, there are three glasses, glass A and B are wide and short and filled with water while glass C is tall and skinny and empty. If the water in B is
Preoperational stage starts around age two through seven when the child enters pre-school level, begins talking in two word sentences and is beginning to experience “a more complete understanding of object permanence where the child's image-based thinking improves and develops with a capacity called representation and de-centration in which the child advances from centration to a more objective way of perceiving the world.”(para.1)
The first stage is called sensorimotor which defines behaviors associated with infants up to two years of age. During the sensorimotor stage, children are seeking everything in which they can obtain a new taste, sound, feeling, and sight. Generally, children do not have understanding of these new experiences; it is more of exposure. The second stage is called preoperational which includes children from ages two through seven. “Children at this stage understand object permanence, but they still don’t get the concept of conservation. They don’t understand that changing a substance’s appearance doesn’t change its properties or quantity” (Psychology Notes HQ, 2015, Section Preoperational Stage). Piaget conducted an experiment with water, two identical glasses and a cylinder. Piaget poured the same amount of water in the two glasses; the children responded that there was indeed the same amount of water in the two glasses. He then took the two glasses of water and poured them into the cylinder. When asked if the tall beaker contained the same amount of water, the children responded that the beaker had more water than the glass. However, by the age of seven years of age, children can understand more complex and abstract concepts. At this point, the child is operating in the concrete operational stage. Children also can learn different rules; sometimes, they lack the understanding associated with those rules. When a child
Piaget proposed that cognitive development from infant to young adult occurs in four universal and consecutive stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations (Woolfolk, A., 2004). Between the ages of zero and two years of age, the child is in the sensorimotor stage. It is during this stage the child experiences his or her own world through the senses and through movement. During the latter part of the sensorimotor stage, the child develops object permanence, which is an understanding that an object exists even if it is not within the field of vision (Woolfolk, A., 2004). The child also begins to understand that his or her actions could cause another action, for example, kicking a mobile to make the mobile move. This is an example of goal-directed behavior. Children in the sensorimotor stage can reverse actions, but cannot yet reverse thinking (Woolfolk, A., 2004).
In the film, Singin’ in the Rain, characters go through the struggle of having their name viewed positively. The main characters, Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood, break out into Hollywood as the next big actress and actor. They have a few successful silent films together, but once a new production company comes out with a talking motion picture, Lina and Don are no longer the crowd’s favorite. They try so hard to keep their name in bright lights that they come up with a talking motion picture themselves but fail terribly. The struggle that Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood face in Hollywood is something that most actors and actresses face daily. In the film Cosmo (Don Lockwood’s best-friend) said, “The price of fame. You've got the glory, you gotta
Formal operations (beginning at ages 11-15) – Conceptual reasoning is present and the child’s cognitive abilities are similar to an adult’s (Atherton, 2010).
In stage three, concrete operational, the child now rationalises logically about concrete, real experiences. They have the ability to mentally reverse actions and are able to focus simultaneously on different features of a problem.
Most importantly, he learns that while Raymond’s autism may challenge his learning and social abilities, it does not impact his caring and loving personality. Charlie’s realization is paramount to the crucial message of the movie. This film calls viewers to action, encouraging them to abandon the stigma against
3. Concrete operations · Children continue to learn through their experiences with real objects. · They access information (using language) to make sense of their immediate and wider environment. 4. Formal operations · Children and adults learn to make use of abstract thinking.
Next is the concrete operational stages which continues between the ages of seven and twelve. Children see the world from a less egocentric point of view as they begin to see the world in relation to others. Through the use of manipulatives children are able to begin thinking logically. It is imperative that students are offered opportunities to interact with their environment and construct new
He believed that children think in different ways from adults (Gordon & Browne, 2014). He developed four stages of cognitive development (Gordon & Browne, 2014). Each stage has a key concept associated with the stage (Gordon & Browne, 2014). All but the last stage are during the early childhood years (Gordon & Browne, 2014). The first stage is sensorimotor which is based on object permanence (Gordon & Browne, 2014). This stage occurs from birth to 2 years of age (Gordon & Browne, 2014). During this stage the child learns about the physical world and gains an understanding that when an object disappears, it still exists (Gordon & Browne, 2014). The second stage is preoperational and based on symbolic play and language (Gordon & Browne, 2014). Ages 2 to 6 or 7 years of age are at this stage of development (Gordon & Browne, 2014). During this stage children develop the ability and capacity to think (Gordon & Browne, 2014). This is when imaginative play develops (Gordon & Browne, 2014). The third stage during early childhood is concrete operational, occurring between ages 6 to 12 (Gordon & Browne, 2014). The basic concept during this stage is reasoning during which children develop the ability to think logically (Gordon & Browne, 2014). This stage helps children carry out actions mentally (Gordon & Browne,
The concrete operational stage happens between the ages of 7-11, the formal operational stage happens between ages 12 and up. During the first stage, children develop object permanence and stranger anxiety, the second stage includes pretend play and egocentrism language development.
Children’s from this stage remain egocentric for the most part but to begin to internalize representations. (Piaget, 1999). Concrete operational stage is children to age seven to eleven. They develop the ability to categorize objects and how they relate to one another. A child’s become more mastered in math by adding and subtracting. If a child eat one brownie out of a jar containing six. By doing the math there would be 5 brownies left by counting the remaining brownies left in the jar because they are able to model the jar in their
During this stage, children will be building up their incidents or encounters through adaptation and slowly move on to the next stage of the development as they are not able to have logical or transformational ideas in the preoperational stage (Mcleod, 2009).