Psychology in the Movies: Forrrest Gump

The film ‘’Forrrest Gump’’ presents a simplified story of a male who has to live with the challenges of mental impairment. Forrrest Gump offers a desirable and a complex character lead position thus offering a special contract to the normal behaviors depicted by adulthood.  Forrrest has a normal life similar to that of his mates. This is depicted in the movie since the beginning where he lives well and even had the opportunity of attending college.  His IQ is 75 and this raises the need for him to be sent to a distinguished institution (Zomeckis, 1994).  His physical appearance as he grows up becomes a part of bully since he had to put on leg braces for a particular health condition that was not being mentioned and the assumption was scoliosis (Zomeckis, 1994).  Despite the fact that his life is characterized by setbacks based on the loss of personality, mental impairment and autism he is able to exist in a life full of success as a father, hero and a millionaire.

Forrrest possess a different development as well as reaction in comparison to others and he is involved in fascinating experiences and proceedings (Zomeckis, 1994).  This offers a contradiction amid the normal events in life because his life is characterized by low rate development. This, therefore, makes the demonstration that cognitive development differs based on an individual’s condition and it should never be utilized as a form of judgment.  The movie  makes it clear that  even those  persons that  are regarded  to be slow by  the majority can be efficient and  fulfill the life  structural framework  that exists  in typical living (Zomeckis, 1994).

The abnormality is normally described as the social norms deviation.  This implies that individuals in the society are normally termed to be different or rather abnormal if the posse’s different behaviors from those that are accepted to be standard behaviors.  This normally poses different perception in the community which results in stigma and isolation of the affected group (Hooley, Butcher, Nock, and Mineka, 2017).  From the film, Forrrest holds an intelligence that can best be called sub-average. However,   he still remains to be an important element in historical processes.  This, therefore, shows his abilities in proving that he has the capability to achieve even greater than normal persons.  Despite the prevailing beliefs, negative judgments as well as discrimination which were subjected to him as he was being regarded as mentally retarded he is able to attain success in many aspects.

Based on DSM-V individuals characterized by mental retardants normally have movement or functional issues since it because difficult to coordinate thinking and movements.  However, the movie contradicts this aspect throughout since Forrrest is able to obtain more athletic expertise continuously (Hooley, Butcher, Nock, and Mineka, 2017).  This is an obvious dissimilarity with the behaviors as well as the features possessed by mental retard persons. DSM-V holds that persons mental development issues are characterized by the lack of social expertise.  This is similar to what is displaced in the movie since Forrrest is unable to adopt the existing clues socially. For instance, his mother  had  sex with the school principal  but  for him,  this  is  like nothing since  he  cannot  be  able to  distinguish the  act.  Even after Jenny’s interactions, he is not able to understand.  He is  displayed to  be  verbally imbalanced since as  he  talks to  other people stutters which are depicted  by when he tries  to narrate  his  story at  the bus stop.  Based on DSM-V it is clear that Forrrest was not completely retarded mentally. Forrrest is characterized  by the  lack of a clear  speech , writing ,  mathematical reasoning,  reading,  social  judgments, communication and interpersonal  skills.  For instance  he is  able to recognize  and offers  a chocolate  to a stranger  and he begins  to  talk  directly  in regard to shoes despite the fact that  the stranger  does not  seem interested (Zomeckis, 1994).

Most individuals prefer not to talk in regard mental illness in the society since it is considered to be a sensitive issue.  Based on this  belief  most persons holds the  assumption that  the occurrence  of  mental  issues  is a rare  thing that   happens to unusual  individuals (Hooley, Butcher, Nock, and Mineka, 2017).  This creates isolation as well as stigma mostly to the affected persons. People can interact with this marginalized group by being real to a real community for them to acquire support (Stanford, 2008).

Mentally  retarded  persons  can be  encouraged  to  overcome their  challenges  through  incorporating them in  social  activities  such as  games  or other  events.  This strategy is moral and it can be effective in raising the self esteem of persons (Stanford, 2008).  In addition,  the  issue  can be  debated in the open  which will  enhance the sensation  of a belonging  to the  group thus  increasing  their  willingness  and  confidence  to  develop their potentials.  Individual responses towards the particular group should be watched and accept their disabilities as well as in-capabilities.   Care  should  always be a guiding  norm  since  those  individuals are  particularly  suffering from  the  illnesses and  all they  require is  support  from the community.  The best strategy to attract the marginalized group to the church setting is through being a part of their existence.  This implies that the community must help them in overcoming obstacles and to avoiding labeling them with the characterization slow abilities (Stanford, 2008).

The community can be Godly through demonstrating understanding as well as increased patient since the group’s growth is a bit low.   More interactions with them can be a good way of providing them with more opportunities to learn and accept their faults and abilities.  With social  acceptance,  mentally disabled  individuals  can be  successful  since  their  impairment  does not  state that  they are  unable rather they  only  need patience (Stanford, 2008). The communications with the persons should be the one that depicts respect.  When an individual  with disability  feels that they  views are  heard and respected  they  are likely  to  consider  any  idea that is being persuaded  into them (Stanford, 2008).

Stigma is a dangerous thing in the society and can best be eliminated in the society by ensuring that the affected persons. the community  should be  wise  and ready to compromise  with  their  needs  and  taking the best possible approaches  to handle  any issue (Stanford, 2008).  In addition, this group should be treated in a calm way without the use of high authority which may send the concept of them being inferior. Isolation can be eliminated by attracting them to the church where their value is upheld and they are highly embraced. Accepting  people despite their  faults  is  normally  a good strategy  that  stirs  high rate of healing  thus increasing confidence and the ability to  grow emotionally  and physically (Stanford, 2008).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

           

            References

Hooley, J.M., Butcher, J.N. Nock, M.K., and Mineka, S. (2017). Abnormal Psychology. Pearson Eductaion.

Stanford, M. S. (2008). Grace for the afflicted: Viewing mental illness through the eyes of faith. Colorado Springs: Paternoster.

Zomeckis, R. (1994). Forrest Gump. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/