What motivates people to behave in the way that they do? Is there a so-called “innate” aggression in children? Can some forms of mother/child relationship give rise to destructive and criminal behaviors? These are some the questions that arise after a viewing of Scottish director Lynne Ramsay’s devastating 2011 film, We Need to Talk about Kevin. Ramsay’s film adaptation was based on Lionel Shriver’s novel of the same name, however the story is delivered differently in that rather than an American wife writing letters to her husband about their son, we directly witness one character’s experiences raising the her son. The plot follows Kevin (Ezra Miller), born from the marriage of Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) and Franklin (John C. Riley). Eva is a former travel writer who is accustomed to a life of personal freedom and carefree globetrotting. We are shown glimpses of her enjoying rich experiences all over the world, from a religious festival in India to touring beautiful and ancient European cities. Eva takes on the job of motherhood, but it becomes gradually clearer that she has underestimated the challenges posed by taking on the role of a parent. She abandons her downtown loft for a house in the suburbs and sacrifices her free spirit lifestyle to support her family. The film’s perspective moves back and forth between the events leading up to Kevin’s crime, and Eva’s life in the aftermath the crime, when she has become a shunned pariah, verbally attacked in public by the suburban mothers she refused to assimilate with (Scott, 2011). Whether his parents were fully prepared for parenthood is unclear but what is immediately clear, right from his birth, is that Kevin is an unusually difficult child. As an infant he rejects att... ... middle of paper ... ...in a better understanding of this disorder; before seeing this film I might have diagnosed myself with ASPD but now I know that’s not that case. I’m simply introverted a great deal. I would want a patient suffering from this disorder to watch this film because I think it offers a good portrayal of what happens when we fail to communicate enough with others about how we are feeling or what is going on in our lives. Although it may seem unimportant and at times difficult it’s important to talk. Ultimately, it could save lives. I think this movie could be bettered by adding an explanation from Kevin as to why he committed the massacre. Perhaps a scene could be added in which he is undergoing psychotherapy, and the audience is clued into aspects of his disorder either directly by the Kevin character himself, or possibly by his psychiatrist in a conversation with Eva.
Carol Tavris was born in 1944 and received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan. She has published mental health issues and taught courses in psychology. Her articles have been published in magazines like Science Digest, Harpers, Redbook, and the New York Times. She has also published Anger: the Misunderstood Emotion, and The Mismeasure of Woman. For the reason Tavris has a Ph.D. in Social Psychology her intelligence shows through her work. Through this article, one can tell she is very dedicated and interested in her work. Tavris writes to any audience, however, the impact from the article will only be possessed in the persons who have the traits of the people she is writing about. This article is a full attack on human nature and people may feel a little judged after reading it. This is exactly what Tavris wants; she wants people to take a look at their own lives. She expects the audience to change the way they act...
The mother of the child is portrayed as a normal woman with no mental health problem. This would lead the viewer to believe that the child’s tendency to murder developed in her short life span by her sense of entitlement and lack of punishment. She had no sense of consequences and we are led to believe she is like this due to her environment (which is partly the case).
This was effective because by stating that “we’re all mentally ill” (King 414) right off the bat readers will be compelled to continue reading. He might have offended some readers by questioning their mental state but this is inconsequential because it is easier to change a reader’s feelings if they actually read the piece which is what his opening statement insures. His introduction commands attention and requires a strong logical argument to back up this claim. King also does this effectively. As a published writer King knows how to manipulate words and phrases to use in a way that fits his purposes. It was by this skill that he was able to normalize fears and horror movies to transition into his thesis. King gives three reasons for why it is such popular genre to watch, “to show that we can, that we are not afraid…” (414), “to re-establish our feelings of essential normality” (414), and “to have fun” (414). He normalized the phenomenon and logically explained each of these claims. Another effective part of his essay was to establish cause and effect. King illustrated what happens when we submit to our insanity or when we control our emotion by sharing an anecdote about children and the reinforcement they receive from parents and society. He even goes to explain which actions will elicits positive reinforcement and likewise which prompts negative
As society changes around us, we spot things we never noticed before: high divorce rates, murder rates, and drug use just to name a few. James Riddley-Scott and Mary Shelley noticed and had a fear of child abandonment. In Frankenstein, Shelley explores this subject through the viewpoint of a man, Victor, who creates a child so hideous that he cannot bear to look at it, and consequently deserts it. In Blade Runner, Scott explores this matter through a businessman, Tyrell, who makes replicants of humans, the Nexus 6, gives them only four years to live, and sells them as slaves. The children of these creators turn out to be smarter and more human than expected, and revolt against the way society treats them, giving us all a lesson in parenting and child development.
In a normal functioning family, both parent and child care for and love one another, and display these feelings. A parent is required to nurture his or her child and assure that the child feels loved by spending time together, and by giving the child sufficient attention. However, there are often times when a parent is unable to fulfill these requirements, which can ultimately have damaging effects on the child. A child who is neglected by his or her parents “perceives the world as a hostile and uncaring place. In addition to this negative perception of the world, the neglect a child faces affects later interaction with his or her peers, prompting the child to become anxious and overly withdrawn” (Goldman). This neglectful type of parenting proves to be a pattern in the novel Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood, as the main characters, Jimmy, Crake, and Oryx are crucially affected by their parents’ choices and are unjustly abandoned by them. In this novel, the neglect of parents, especially mothers, is clearly reflected in the behaviours of the three main characters.
After reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, a novel that exposes the short life of Chris McCandless and the clues to the mystery of his untimely death, we as readers can comprehend and fathom the actions and thoughts of Chris McCandless if we are able to perceive and distinguish the characteristics and results of a family that is dysfunctional. More specifically, a dysfunctional family in which there is an authoritarian parent that greatly impacts the life and actions of the other members in the family. This parent may employ a perfectionist attitude on the children which can be debilitating in the long run. The lack of proper parenting can force children to take up nontraditional roles to facilitate proper family functioning. This unnecessary
...usion, we find that from this essay we have a better understanding of why Stephen King believes all of us are mentally ill in some way, just maybe not to as high a degree as “Jack the ripper”. That we all enjoy the hunt either on the big screen or in a field, it’s part of our primal instincts. We see that humans crave things they are not supposed to and that’s ok as long as you are letting those emotions out in a healthy way. Stephen King has done a brilliant job of carrying out his thesis in this essay proving his theory that we are all mentally ill. We all need some way to release the dark feelings within us, we have all known this for many years, and movies seem to be the most current form of treatment. So treat yourself to a horror movie if you dare its great therapy.
People who have this disorder are usually self-centered and have a hard time maintaining relationships. This is clear as in the entire movie he doesn’t seem to care about his fiance. He had sex with many other women, and when he was asked if he was dating anybody he responded by saying, “not really.” This also shows how he was a liar. He constantly lied to get out of situations and to make himself feel better. For example, he believed that he made a reservation at a restaurant when they were clearly all booked. As well as being a pathological liar, he was also decietful. He tricked a prostitute into thinking she was safe by going to his apartment. He ended up murdering her with a chainsaw. He was always rude and straightforward to others as he was inconsiderate of anyone’s feelings. He told a woman he worked with exactly what to wear; and if she did not look good he would tell her she was ugly. He was very shallow and arrogant as he cared very much about his facial features. Patrick did not display many emotions except for greed and digust. He showed zero remorse for the people he murdered; it was as if nothing happened. People with antisocial personality disorder also show recklessness. Towards the end of the movie he believed he was going to get caught for all of the murders he completed, and therefore decided to shoot everyone he came in contact with. This included police officers, security
In the documentary Babies, babies from across the world were filmed interacting with their mothers and the new world. One of the babies was from Namibia. This baby was given little guidance and attention while parents seemed absent at times. At one point, the viewers see the infant smashing rocks together, by himself, which isn’t exactly the safest activity for a toddler (4). The children raised by this type of passive parenting with “few rules, expectations, and demands, tend to struggle with self-regulation and self-control” (5). Without someone teaching children morals and with no form of structure in a child's life, they will have trouble depicting right and wrong decisions. The under the involved parenting style may often seem neglectful, however, there is a fine line between the two. In the memoir The Glass Castle, Rex and Rose are the parents of four kids. Throughout the book, Jeanette is the victim of several sexual misconducts. When confronting her mom about her Uncle Stanley groping her, Rose says “"Poor Stanley," she said. "He's so lonely.”.... “sexual assault was a crime of perception. If you don't think you're hurt, then you aren't,"” (6). Normally a mother, even a passive parenting mother, would immediately stick up for their child and recognize the inappropriate behavior. The walls parents failed to provide their
Miller, Alice. For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-rearing and the Roots Of Violence. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1983: 197.
The movie begins with the family and parenting styles concept of child development by introducing the audience to the main character James and his parents. James lives in a two-parent household with his authoritative parents who are providing him with warmth, love, and encouragement (Levine & Munsch, pp. 521-522). This concept of parenting styles is shown as the movie begins and James is seen spending time with his parents. Then suddenly, James’ world changes and he is abandoned as a result of his parents being killed. This causes James to become orphaned and forced to live with his authoritarian aunts, Spiker and Sponge. Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge are very controlling towards James and expect him to obey their rules without allowing him to express his feelings. This authoritarian behavior is seen throughout the movie. Aunt Spiker and Aunt Sponge are also uninvolved, neglectful, and abusive, using verbal and physical punishment on James when they feel it’s necessary, which is also seen throughout the movie (Levine & Munsch, p. 522). These behaviors cause James to develop lower self-esteem, show less intellectual curiosity, and feel lonely and afraid, which are typical outcomes of an authoritarian parenting approach (Levine & Munsch, pp. 521-523). Although James’ aunts’ authoritative parenting style has an effect on his emotional and social behaviors, it is his parents authoritative parenting that plays a...
For the overall mental health culture, they way people perceive mental health needs to change in order to alleviate the stigma attached to the topic. As I read and listened to the film, movies play a large part in inflicting the fear that so many people have towards mentally ill people. Another example is news media and how they usually assume that the school shooter , mass muder, rapist or pedifile is mentally ill person causing harm to others. Besides, do you really need to be mentally ill to cause harm to others? I personally don’t believe that and I think anymore is capable of inflicting
James Garbarino (1999) discusses the boys who are lost and ways that they can learn to see again in his book Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them. He takes an in depth look at what he calls the "epidemic of youth violence" in America in order to determine its causes and origins. By gaining an understanding of the problem, Garbarino hopes to be able to ascertain some sort of solution. He provides useful advice and insight about steps we as a society can take to ensure our boys do not become lost. In order to develop Garbarino’s ideas in my mind, I thought it would be interesting to apply some of his points he makes in his book to a case. I chose to write on the two main characters, Derek and Danny, in the movie American History X. I will provide a brief summary of the movie, followed by an extensive examination of the characters, using Lost Boys as a critical lens. First I will discuss the importance of viewing the boys lives in their entirety rather that isolating one incident. I will then look at the risk factors and the racial implications involved in Derek and Danny’s life. The next two sections will focus on the lack of a father figure and the powerful influence Derek has as a result of the absence of a father. Then I devote a short section to Garbarino’s idea of affirmation instead of discrimination and how this could have helped Derek and Danny. Before concluding, I take into account psychologist James Gilligan’s ideas on violence and how they apply to this case. In my conclusion, I look at Garbarin...
I have chosen to review the film Boyhood written by Richard Linklater that took twelve years to film. In the movie Boyhood, it illustrates the life of a boy named Mason Jr. through the many stages of his childhood to adolescence to becoming an adult. The movie follows Mason Jr.’s life through his years of kindergarten, middle school, high school, and to college. Through these milestones in his life encounters society with socialization, culture and norms that are exhibited through his family, friends, and others. With factors of social classes, and gender that influence Mason Jr. as he grows and fits into the society that is formed. From the events and milestones in Boyhood, it is able to show human behaviour in society from our
She believes that a child’s feeling and personal goals is locked away, and instead is replaced with their parent’s expectations and desires. The child soon begins to develop narcissistic traits, in which the parent should allow the child to express feelings such as jealously and anger. In the novel Miller (1996) states “he develops something the mother needs…but it nevertheless may prevent him, throughout his life, from being himself” (p. 34). Allowing children to experience feeling such as anger and jealously provides an understanding on the child is not always perfect. However narcissistic disturbance occurs when a parent projects their own narcissistic desires onto their child, unfortunately suppressing their desires and acquiring their parents. Incidentally several students from Princeton University conducted a research in order demonstrate how narcissism is cultivated by the parents’ overvaluation and parental warmth. Eddie Mrummelman and colleagues (2014) stated, “When parents overvalue their child, they see their child as “God’s gift to man”…children might internalize the belief that they are special individuals who are entitled to privileges” (p 2). The article suggested that parents, who prevent their child from experiencing failure, encourage narcissistic attitudes. The important implication from this study demonstrates how a parent can overly evaluate their child’s