Summarize The Movie Ordinary People Related To Psychology

1. A) Write the name of the movie you watched on BBLearn. Write about a third of a page summarizing the film plot.

The movie I choose to watch is Ordinary People a dramatic film produced in 1980. The film begins with the Jarrett family trying to live their lives after their son Buck Jarrett pasted away from a sailing accident. Conrad Jarrett blamed himself for the death of his older brother because he was on the boat with him the day of his death. Conrad took his death very hard and tried to commit suicide, but was not successful. After four months in a psychiatric hospital Conrad returns home. His mother Beth is angry and cold with him and his father Calvin is emotionally damaged from the tragedy of losing a son and almost another. Conrad

tries to deal with his mental anguish as he tries to reconnect with his parents. He believes he cannot connect with his mother. Conrad then seeks help from a therapist Dr. Berger to help be in control and have people be less worried of him. As well as be able to connect with his mother who seems to almost not love him like she loved Buck. The tormenting dreams of the death of his brother and the relationship with his parents are keeping him from wanting to live a good life.
B) In a separate paragraph, specifically identify the character/s and which psychiatric disorder(s) the film portrays.

The film portrays three different psychiatric disorders in Conrad Jarrett the younger brother of Buck Jarrett. The stressful event of the losing his brother triggered Conrad to become suicidal. Conrad also deals with depression returning from the psychiatric hospital he has no interest or pleasure to participate in his high school swimming team. He also has trouble sleeping because of the recurring memories of his brother’s death. His depression is linked to posttraumatic stress disorder with the emotional distress of flashbacks and the negative beliefs he has about himself.

2. Next, using the diagnostic criteria provided in class or the book, give at least 3 examples total of how the character(s) displays the disorder. For example, (1) John Doe used counting rituals (counting the sidewalk concrete squares and never stepping on the cracks) to relieve his anxiety before going out on dates. He knows this is irrational but he feels compelled to do it anyway. This is a compulsion and one of the diagnostic criteria of

OCD.
A stressful event such as the death of Buck caused Conrad to become suicidal. One of the diagnostic criteria from the DSM-5 is hopelessness the most likely indicator of suicide intent. Conrad shows hopelessness when his pessimistic beliefs of his brother’s death lead him to believe it was his fault. He felt he had no hope to continue to live because his brother was gone and everything in his life was wrong. The therapist Dr. Berger explains to Conrad the one “wrong” thing he did was hung on in the sail boat because unlike his brother Conrad was stronger. His suicide attempt results from the depression he is feeling and dealing with. His mood and thought changes as he tries to recovers. His inappropriate guilt he carries is one of the many DSM criteria for major depression. In the beginning of the film it shows he has trouble sleeping and loses his appetite. Conrad use to find enjoyment being on the swimming team, but returning he has lost interest and pleasure and decides to quit. This reduced interest is another symptom of major depression. His depression is linked to symptoms of Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The recurrent distressing memories and dreams of his brother’s death, his negative belief of blame he has for himself, and sleep disturbances are all under the DSM-5 criteria.
3. A) What are interesting psychological dynamics going on in the film? This could be what makes the person worse, psychologically, or what contributes to and/or causes the person’s mental illness. They could be intrapsychic conflicts (conflicts within the self--think psychodynamic theory) caused from childhood trauma or other events, or problems arising out of a dysfunctional family, or other environmental and/or biological variables, etc.
The relationship between Conrad and his mother Beth makes his depression worse. He has a flashback of his mother laughing with Buck as she is laughing on the phone. He realizes its different and he can’t have a conversation or communicate about anything with her. He feels that she blames him and he should have died instead of Buck. This negative thinking adds to his depression. His parents bicker on how to treat Conrad and his mother always displays anger and frustration towards him. All of these conflicts contribute to his mental illness.
B) Give examples of the psychological theory/s that explains these dynamics. Provide about a page for 3 A and B, discussing these dynamics and how they affect the person’s disorder.
The psychodynamic view believes suicide results from depression and the emotions that are held at others. Conrad finds it hard to express his emotions and having them bottled in are only causing him more distress. The severity of the trauma has added to his mental illness. His childhood plays a role in his relationship with his mother during his adolescence. His mother is cold and angry when he tries to connect with her and his response is to distance himself.
Write about a paragraph for each for the following:
4. How does Hollywood effectively (or ineffectively) communicate the disorder?
Hollywood effectively tries to hide the extent of suicide and the emotions behind it. Suicide is more successful in males and the methods are more extreme. The common triggers of suicide were described very well throughout the film with the stressful events that occurred. in
5. What is unrealistic about how the disorder was portrayed?
The unrealistic part to the disorders portrayed was how the family tried to ignore it existed.

The mother of Conrad kept trying to avoid the conversation of her son’s death and the suicidal attempt of her other son. The film showed it to be unusual of Conrad to quit swimming because of his lack of interest. His parents were angry rather than try to understand Conrad’s emotions behind.

6. Does the film educate or further stigmatize people with mental illness in its portrayal? How?

This film shows the signs of someone with a mental illness and how the mental illness causes anguish between a family. As well as show, how one suicide act may serve as a model for another. Towards the end of the film Conrad’s friend Karen committed suicide and the news causes great distress and a flashback to the emotions of when he tried to commit suicide. Overall emphasizes the emotions of someone on edge.

7. Would you recommend this film as a means of helping the public better understand this disorder/s? Why or why

not.
This film Ordinary People captures the tragedy of a death and a suicide attempt along with the depression and distress that follows. I would recommend this film to others to understand how such disorders: suicide, depression, and PTSD affect an individual and a family. I would have liked to see Conrad and Beth’s relationship improve because as a mother she was distant and both never had a form of communication. Conrad found it difficult to share his emotions, but towards the end he tells his father he loves him and his father replies the same. This emotional wound was finally closed with the sense of having his father there through it all. The public would better understand the emotional distress an individual may have and the extent of it. This was an excellent film that portrayed abnormal behavior and certain disorders.