John Nash's Hallucinations

John Nash’s needs largely influenced his hallucinations. John Nash struggled to connect with other people his entire life. He was an outcast and spent most of his time studying mathematics. His need to connect with another person was fulfilled when he hallucinated he had a roommate. This fictional roommate, Charles, was his closest companion. John confided in Charles whenever he faced a problem. Charles helped him through the struggles he faced while attending Princeton. Charles would also praise John whenever he made accomplishments in his work. John wanted to be appreciated for his hard work at Princeton and Charles made him feel important. John hallucinated that Charles had a young niece, Marcee. The hallucination of Marcee met his need to be a parental figure. He loved Marcee like she was his own daughter and wanted to care for her. Marcee was also comforting presence for John. She was an innocent child who would never harm anyone. John also hallucinated he was working with a secret government official, Parcher. John thought Parcher sought him out for his excellent skills in math. This met John’s need to be praised for his work in mathematics. John wanted to feel important and wanted to use his skills to help the world. When he imagined he was

His illness possibly became more severe because he attended Princeton. His fellow classmates at Princeton were extremely intelligent which meant they were always competing to be the most intelligent. John was always pushing himself to come up with new breakthroughs to outshine his classmates who were also very intelligent. The pressure to be the best might have contributed to the severity of John’s condition. Another environmental reason that could have influenced his condition was where he lived. John lived at Princeton which allowed him to come in contact with many intelligent people. The competitive environment at Princeton may have influenced John’s