- Published: December 17, 2021
- Updated: December 17, 2021
- University / College: University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
- Level: Secondary School
- Language: English
- Downloads: 15
Psychological Disorder and Movie Introduction Psychological disorders represent a variety of disorders associated with a person’s mind. The disorders may cause persistent behavioral patterns that may affect one’s daily operations and lifestyle. Researchers have identified several types of psychological disorders. Some of them include anorexia nervosa, antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia, and depression. So, this paper seeks to name a particular movie and outline the psychological disorder it depicts. Besides, the paper will focus on the symptoms of mental disorder and provide an opinion about their realistic portrayal in the movie.
Discussion
One of the films that portray psychological disorder includes The Stepfather. The film, produced in 1987, tells the story of a serial killer who targets widows and divorcees with children. Sincerely, with the help of his charm, David developed a unique way of finding lonely and single mothers in shopping malls. In the movie, David has a psychological disorder termed as narcissistic personality disorder (Ronningstam, 2010).
Surely, during the opening of the first scene, David provided several surprises in the movie. As the first sign of trouble, David overreacted to a young boy who played a noisy video game. David grabbed the young boy roughly after failing to turn off the video game. Jay, the father of the young boy, found himself in a confrontation with David regarding the incident. Surely, David’s actions appear as the realistic portrayal of the disorder. David developed a feeling of self-importance by killing Mrs. Cutter to conceal profile as an “ America’s Most Wanted” serial killer (Holden, 209). Besides, the movie shows David’s lack of empathy to children.
Furthermore, the movie proves that people with psychological disorders may cause harm to the society. One can learn that individuals with narcissistic personality disorder may appear self-absorbed, intolerant, and controlling (Burton, 2012). Most importantly, individuals need to understand the true nature of another person before engaging in serious relationships. For example, Jay confronted David to provide the truth about his college history. Such measures would make the society identify one’s psychological disorder and take the necessary steps to curb any negative impacts of the disorder.
Reference
Burton, N. (2012). The Ten Personality Disorders. Retrieved from https://www. psychologytoday. com/blog/hide-and-seek/201205/the-10-personality-disorders
Holden, S. (2009). He Joins the Household, then Leaves It Bloody. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com/2009/10/17/movies/17step. html? _r= 0
Ronningstam, E. (2010). Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology, DOI: 10. 1002/9780470479216. corpsy0577