Psychological Film Analysis: Silver Linings Playbook

Psychological Film Analysis: Silver Linings Playbook Hannah Altom Silver Linings and Family Pat Solitano had several tremendously difficult months under his belt when he was let go from his stay at the psychiatric hospital. He came out only to discover that his wife, Nikki, had left him leaving him with nothing but a restraining order following the acts that put him there to begin with. Now under the care of his parents, Dolores and Pat Senior they realize that they can only deal with so much of Pat’s unpredictable behavior before breaking. One would hardly call waking up their parents in the middle of the night to find their wedding video with their significant other who has a restraining order because he assaulted his wife’s other lover, a much older man. The fragile relationship between the two strengthened after the late night fight over Pats missing wedding video. Pat Seniors obsession with betting on Philadelphia Eagles on complicates their father son relationship when Pat senior attempts to make Pat join in on his crazy game day antics which includes wearing jerseys, stroking the handkerchief and not messing with the Eagles â€Å"juju† Pat thinks its just his dads form of a mental illness. Throughout the movie we see Pat struggling to search for the silver linings which he will not see until he comes to terms with his illness. With his father recently being let go from work Pat Senior is hoping to win enough money from betting on Eagles games to win enough money to open up a restaurant. Pat Senior shares an important thought telling Pat, â€Å"I’m telling you, you gotta pay attention to the signs. When life reaches out with a moment like this, it’s a sin if you don’t reach back. I’m telling you , it’s a sin if you don’t reach back, and it’ll haunt you for the rest of your days like a curse. You’re facing a big challenge in your life right now, at this very moment, right here.† I think the fact that Pat Senior shows symptoms of obsessive compulsive shows that the two are more a like than they would like to think. In one scene Pat Senior even confesses that his Philadephia Eagles ritual is the only way he can think of to involve his son in his life. I found it interesting that Pat’s mother Delores was so submissive. Anytime she would try to get involved in a situation she would back down just to keep the peace between them all. For example, the scene where Pat and Pat Senior are talking about how he is going to get the money to pay for his cheese steak restaurant â€Å" Pat Jr.: So what are you doing with yourself? Pat Senior: You know, Im gonna start a restaurant. Its gonna be a cheesesteak place. Pat: How you gonna pay for it? Pat Senior: Im gonna pay for it, dont worry about it. Pat: From your bookmaking?Pat Senior: Who told you that? Pat: Mom told me. Outside. Dolores: I did not. No, I didnt. Pat: You just told me outside, Mom, what are you talking about? Five minutes ago, we were walking up the stairs, you said, Dont say anything, but Dad lost his job and hes bookmaking. This is a perfect example of her submission and trying to keep peace. In her study, Social Support and Resilience to Stress, Dr. Faith Ozbay found that â€Å"Numerous studies indicate social support is essential for maintaining physical and psychological health. The harmful consequences of poor social support and the protective effects of good social support in mental illness have been well documented. Social support may moderate genetic and environmental vulnerabilities and confer resilience to stress.† This ties into The Silver Linings playbook because, given the situation of Pat finding his wife with a co-worker in the shower that was a very poor social situation and given the circumstances I think any person would go a little crazy to walk in on something like that. In their study, Social Support for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness: Evaluating the Compeer Model of Intentional Friendship, the authors noted that â€Å"In the general population, social support buffers against stressful life events, increases adherence to medical treatments, and improves recovery from medical illness, among other health-promoting effects. For people with Serious Mental Illness, perceptions of adequate social support are associated with several psychological benefits, including increased self-esteem, feelings of empowerment, functioning, quality of life, and recovery, while the absence of social support appears related to greater psychiatric symptoms, poorer perceptions of overall health, and reduced potential for full community integration† This is an important study because all of the factors relate to Pat and his family. If they all had supported each other more and confronted their illnesses, then possibly the bipolar outburst wouldn’t have been so strong. In her study, Mechanisms Linking Social Ties and Support to Physical and Mental Health, Peggy Thoits explains why social support and â€Å"mattering† are important to people that have mental illness.â€Å"Individuals assess the appropriateness of their own attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors against standards that are avowed and/or modeled by reference group members, usually shifting their own to match those of the group. Such influence can occur through simple observing and contrasting of self with others in the social network, without explicit discussion or attempts at persuasion taking place.† This can also tie into the Silver Linings Playbook, there are multiple scenes where a neighbor kid hangs around their house with a video camera and this negative social support from the neighbor could possibly be taking a toll on Pat Junior. Peggy also goes on to say, â€Å"Beyond behavioral guidance, I have argued that knowing who we are to others also provides purpose and mean ing in life, which in turn guard against anxiety and existential despair. A concept related to this function of role identities is â€Å"mattering†, mattering is defined as believing that one is an object of another person’s attention, one is important to that person, and he or she depends on one for fulfillment of specific needs. Because mattering refers to one’s significance to other people, it seems conceptually close to the notion of obtaining purpose and meaning in life from relationships with role partners. In sum, social ties as role identities should supply behavioral guidance and purpose and meaning in life (or a sense of mattering), which in turn should have positive effects on health habits and psychological well-being, respectively.† This theory of mattering is important in dealing with mental illness and just people in general because mostly everyone wants to know that they are wanted by others. Consider a lonely 17 year old girl in highschool constantly dealing with petty high school drama that is pondering that thought of suicide. If this poor girl had someone in her life, a teacher, coach, or even a friend that could fulfill that sense of mattering, then it could greatly change her views of the world and her views on possibly taking her life. References Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. (2013). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association. Mccorkle, B. H., Rogers, E. S., Dunn, E. C., Lyass, A., Wan, Y. M. (2008). Increasing Social Support for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness: Evaluating the Compeer Model of Intentional Friendship. Community Mental Health Journal, 44(5), 359-366. doi: 10.1007/s10597-008-9137-8 Ozbay, F. (2007, May). Social Support and Resilience to Stress. Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921311/. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2921311/ Stevenson, T. (2013, May 24). Mind field. Financial Times. Retrieved from http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/25391482-c2f5-11e2-bbbd-00144feab7de.html#axzz2UFE11QWW Thoits, P. A. (2011). Mechanisms Linking Social Ties and Support to Physical and Mental Health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 52(2), 145-161. doi: 10.1177/0022146510395592

Race and Racial Group Essay

Search the Internet for groups and organizations promoting racial equality to help you complete this assignment. You may also refer to the Internet Resource Directory in Ch. 13 of Racial and Ethnic Groups. Using the information from the text and your web search: Identify one racial group from the list below:  · Hispanic American/Latino Write a 500- to 750-word paper from one of the perspectives below:  · A historian writing about the racial group in a book chapter  · A news reporter writing a newspaper article or blog entry about the racial group  · An individual member of the racial group, writing a personal letter to a friend who is not a member of that racial group Answer the following questions:  · What have been the experiences of this racial group throughout U.S. history?  · What have been the political, social, and cultural issues and concerns throughout American history?  · What legislation meant to constrain race within prejudicial boundaries was enacted? How did the various groups you researched fight this legislation? What legislation meant to alleviate prejudicial boundaries has been enacted? How did the various groups you researched promote this legislation? Assignment: Historical Report on Race Purpose of Assignment Students explore a variety of resources on racial equality and write a paper from a historical perspective relating to the experiences of a particular racial group in the United States. By understanding the history of experiences of various groups, students will be better prepared to connect historical experience to racial diversity today. Resource Required Internet Resource Directory in Ch. 13 of Racial and Ethnic Groups

Speak Response to Literature

â€Å"It is easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip; can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say. † (Speak. Pg. 9, Paragraph 4. ) Everyone at some point in their lives have felt that terrifying feeling of dejection, sorrow, anger, frustration and pain. Whether it is an action done by one or an action done by others, there is always the fear of being judged, to which people decide it is best if they don’t talk their problems with others.Melinda used to be a serene, sweet loving girl that loved to play sports and had a good relationship with her parents and friends, but suddenly, as she started her first high school year, she skips days of school, drop her grades and feels completely empty. The tones of fear and relief in Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson reflect an inner growth presented by the main character when she overcomes the challenging and devastating condition of being sexually abused.The foreshadowing presented several times in the story reinforces the mystery and the intrigue in the reader as it discovers and resolves the conflict and causes of it. In the beginning of the book, Melinda expresses what she has â€Å"been dreading†; she is the â€Å"Outcast† and the only person â€Å"in the entire galaxy [she is] dying to tell what really happened† (Pg. 3, Paragraph 3; Pg. 4, Paragraph 2. ) and whom she trusted all her life, Rachelle, Melinda’s best friend until 8th grade, hates her to death.For this reason the reader can infer that something inconveniently awful occurred since there is a very sudden shift in their friendship that caused not only their total isolation, but also, feelings of anger and resentment. The author does this to emphasize a sense of interest, charm and curiosity as a hook to capture the reader’s attention from the beginning to build up the plot in the story. Equally, lat er on in the book, there is a shocking event when Melinda gets trapped with Andy Evans in the janitor’s office; she was about to â€Å"wet [her] pants† as Andy lividly â€Å"cracks his knuckles† and â€Å"stares at [her] without talking. (Pg. 193, Paragraph 3. ) As Melinda gets corned face to face with her biggest fear, the reader feels anxious wondering whether he is going to rape her again or is Melinda going to stand up for herself, be courageous and take revenge from that pervert selfish man. The author does this to built suspense in the reader as it gets to the ending resolution of the book’s plot; this anxiety is built up by giving small clues that indicate certain actions. For this reason the reader is able to get the traumatic feelings of terror and affliction from a likely experience.The symbolism behind the abandoned janitor’s office in Speak, conveys the reader of the powerful conflict of man versus self. In a moment of trouble, Melinda discovers the inactive and decrepit janitor’s office and she describes it as an â€Å"abandoned [place] – [with] no purpose, no name† and finds is it appropriate for her. (Pg. 25, Paragraph 4. ) The closet represents isolation from the rest of the school as well as it provides her with a place of self-reflection and tranquil safety.The author does this to emphasize Melinda’s affliction and her insecurity, hiding from people and not expressing her feelings to others. Consequently, the Secret Annex was a place for protection and avoiding any type of harm during the World War II in which Anne Frank and her family lived for a very long time. Furthermore, in the end of the story, Melinda is packing her stuff from the closet when suddenly, â€Å"some body slams into [her] chest and nocks [her] back into† it (Pg. 193, Paragraph 3. ); she trapped with Andy Evans, the beast that hurt her once and came to do it once more.As they were fighting, Melinda break s the mirror hanging form the wall and â€Å"wrap [her] fingers around a triangle of glass†; she holds it into Andy Evans neck â€Å"hard enough to raise one drop of blood†. Immediately, â€Å"his lips are paralyzed† and â€Å" cannot speak†. Melinda added, â€Å"I said no† (Pg. 195, Paragraph 2. ). The closet reflects the place of self-transformation as she becomes courageous and gains control of the situation to fight for herself. The author does this to demonstrate the rewarding satisfaction of fighting over the problems and the huge change that involved courage and maturity.Melinda is able to defeat her biggest fear by growing up, having confidence in herself just like an invincible hero. The first person point of view gives the reader a personal-hand experience of the struggle the protagonist experience as she overcomes her condition. After confronting the truth about what happened that night in a TV show, she feels extremely sick, devastated and confesses, â€Å"My head is killing me, my throat is killing me, my stomach bubbles with toxic waste. (†¦) A coma would be nice. †¦) Anything just to get rid of this, these thoughts, whispers in my mind. Did he rape my head too? † (Pg. 165, Paragraph 2. ) When the character starts reflecting about what happened, she feels fearful and uncertain. The author does this to help the reader understand a personal experience by getting inside her head, which is the only place where Melinda expresses without restrictions or concerns of being judged by her parents, friends and society. In the last pages of the story, Melinda makes a self-reflection in which she says, â€Å"IT happened.There is no avoiding it, no forgetting. No running away, or flying, or burying, or hiding. (†¦) It wasn’t my fault. He hurt me. It wasn’t my fault. And I’m not going to let it kill me. I can grow. † (Pg. 198, Paragraph 1. ) As Melinda cogitates on the events t hat occurred that night, she has a drastic transformation from her mature beliefs compared to her callow, insecure ones. The author uses this point of view to emphasize the emotional and personal growth of the protagonist by becoming courageous and confronting her fear.This perspective is intended so the reader can feel empathy and understanding as it becomes aware of the main character’s personal opinions. Melinda’s challenge reinforces life’s most challenging task, growing up. Being in such a traumatic age of 14 to 16, it is very hard to deal with these types of situations that are ordinary in our society but are often excluded from conversations; however Melinda’s actions should endure as being a raw model to other people that have experienced the same abuse.Society should protect and look after everyone involved in any abuse, instead, of being so close-minded and judgmental. Furthermore, in order for these abuses to stop, people should gain courage to defend themselves by denouncing their acts; the society around them should not let these misdoings be forgotten with neglect. Bibliography Halse Anderson, Laurie. Speak. New York: Penguin Group, 2009. Print.

A White Shroud Of Cowardice Essay - 2594 Words

A White Shroud of Cowardice White hoods. Fire. Hatred. Lynching. A faceless army has been quietly growing in the heart of the United States of America. The KKK, or Ku Klux Klan is often known for its violent racist attacks on others, but what is often unbeknownst is that the Ku Klux Klan has been reincarnated three times, each with a slightly different goal in mind. The first Klan was primarily focused on race, targeting black political movements, and undermining black civil rights however, something different occurred during the conception of the second Klan. The second Klan, while also racially motivated, also gained a newfound hatred. It developed the need to spread its corrupted Protestant beliefs to others, and persecute any conflicting religions, especially Roman Catholics. They were an army bred with a hatred and prejudice for all things that did not meet its twisted Protestant beliefs or share the same skin color as it. The Ku Klux Klan is notorious for its persecution of Afr ican Americans in the south, but their corrupted protestant belief system is what allows them to justify their acts of violence as cleansing and protection of their race and religion. History of the Klan To analyze the second incarnation of the Klan it is crucial to understand the roots of the entire group which originated in 1865 with the first Klan. The Klan started off innocently enough, as Kuklos, a group of six college kids who enjoyed the night life and found entertainment in putting on