Sybil

Dissociative Identity Disorder is termed as such, deviating from its former name of Multiple Personality Disorder, because rather than having several different identities inhabit one body, the disorder is understood to encompass one multi-faceted personality with parts that are not yet "functioning together in a smooth, coordinated and flexible way” (Boon et al, 2011)". In my opinion this was portrayed accurately by Sally Field as we see personalities ranging from the calm and collected Vicky to the infantile Ruthie surface in varying situations. Indeed, these "personalities" are autonomous and identify themselves as distinct from Sybil, sometimes in terms of age and even gender, which is consistent with real life accounts of this disorder. To the film's credit, they also managed to capture the cause of the disorder quite accurately as DID is almost exclusively caused by repeated childhood trauma, as seen by Sybil's mother's horrific abuse of her daughter. In the absence of appropriate parental support, much like the way Sybil's father refused to even acknowledge his wife's abusive behaviour, the dissociative identities arise as a method of coping with the trauma. As we saw in the film, this was not a lifestyle choice for Sybil, despite her singular attempt to convince Dr Wilbur that their sessions together were nothing more than a staged act. The contemporary explanation for DID is that the individual personality is "experienced in a disconnected way via separate 'parts' or 'alters'" due to an inability to reconcile the various aspects of personality, memory, identity, behaviour, and feelings (Spring, 2012). Going by this, one could postulate that the "identity" of Vicky is a projection of Sybil's ideal self, whereby she is sophisticated and dignified where Sybil is not. Mary, the identity that arose after the death of Sybil's grandmother, could be a way for Sybil to keep the memory of her grandmother alive, as the latter was possibly the only person who Sybil felt loved her. Even Dr Wilbur mentioned that Sybil's different "personalities" were there to protect her and take action when she herself could not.

According to the DSM-V, the criteria for an individual to be diagnosed with DID (Tracy, 2016) includes:
1. Two or more distinct identities or personality states are present, each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to and thinking about the environment and self.
2. Amnesia must occur, defined as gaps in the recall of everyday events, important personal information and/or traumatic events.
3. The person must be distressed by the disorder or have trouble functioning in one or more major life areas because of the disorder.
4. The disturbance is not part of normal cultural or religious practices.
5. The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (such as blackouts or chaotic behavior during alcohol intoxication) or a general medical condition (such as complex partial seizures).

Based on the events that transpired in the film, it is safe to conclude that the portrayal of Sybil as a woman afflicted with DID as she clearly meets the first three criteria. It is also assumed that her condition was not a result of religious practices or a certain substance. Indeed, we see marked impairment in Sybil's daily functioning as her dissociative episodes caused her to lose her job, which understandably results in distress.

However, the movie also depicted several ethical violations in terms of the client-therapist relationship, which I believe no qualified mental health practitioner should ever commit in real life. Dr Wilbur adopted a psychodynamic approach in order to uncover the root of Sybil's disorder, although some recommend that therapy involve cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) instead (Gillig, 2009). In spite of this, the real issue lies with Dr Wilbur's conduct as a psychiatrist. Even though she is warned by her colleague not to become emotionally attached to Sybil, we can almost see a personal investment as she continues to treat Sybil. Additionally, we see her commit a breach of confidentiality by informing Richard about Sybil's disorder when Marcia attempted to kill herself. As a mental health professional, safeguarding a client's information is of utmost importance considering the level of trust established during sessions and the stigma surrounding mental health problems that still pervade society. Understandably, the situation warranted drastic measures in order to ensure Sybil's safety, but one cannot help but wonder if Richard and Sybil's relationship would have turned out differently had she found the right time to tell him about her disorder on her own terms. Other than that, a mental health professional should only provide services within the boundaries of their own competence (APA, n.d.), but we see Dr Wilbur struggle to decide on a course of action when Sybil regresses into Ruthie. She took a step in the right direction by contacting a colleague for help, but the problem resolved itself when Sybil resurfaced, but did nothing to address the problem of Dr Wilbur's professional capabilities in dealing with some of Sybil's more challenging alters.

Ultimately, I think the film did its best to portray DID in a realistic light whilst remaining within the realm of good story-telling. As a psychologist, however, some of Dr Wilbur's actions were questionable at best, and I would not condone them in a professional setting as it could impact a client's recovery.

References
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/
Boon, S., Steele, K., & van der Hart, O. (2011). Coping with Trauma-Related Dissociation: Skills Training for Patients and Therapists. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.my/books?id=raGhAQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Gillig, P. M. (2009). Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Controversial Diagnosis. Psychiatry (Edgmont), 6(3), 24–29.
Tracy, N. (2016). Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) DSM-V criteria. Retrieved from http://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/dissociative-identity-disorder/dissociative-identity-disorder-did-dsm-5-criteria/

Schindler's List

Schindler's List is the movie adaptation of the novel Schindler's Ark, revolving around the life of Oskar Schindler and the events in his life leading to his saving of over a thousand Polish-Jews by employing them in his factories.

One of the things that was intriguing to see in the film was the cognitive dissonance between Amon Goth's attraction for his maid Helen Hirsch and his prejudice against the Jews. While he believes that Jews are vermin and beneath him, he struggles with generalizing these beliefs onto Helen, hence why she has remained alive for so long. He tells her he wishes to reach out and touch her, but tells her she is not exactly a person in the same breath. His dilemma peaks when accuses her of seducing him, but berates himself and turns aggressive on her.

After the war ended and the Jews were liberated, many of them ended up experiencing survivor's guilt, whereby they struggled to find meaning with their continued existence while others were killed. In some instances this has been coupled with major depressive disorder, although this was not highlighted in the movie. Of course, some Jews were depicted as as saddened and down, but in my opinion this should have been something the filmmakers addressed, as it was indicative of the experience of the Jewish during the war.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, and insomnia which continues for four or more weeks. Many of the survivors were diagnosed with PTSD due to their symptoms in broad categories such as Death Imprint, the image of death is constantly in their mind since they were confronted with death in such a vivid way. Many of the Jews dealt with these symptoms for forty to fifty years but felt too vulnerable to ask for help. The movie indirectly shows PTSD with many Jews not being able to sleep and remembering what happened to their friends who were killed before them. However, it does not show them having any social withdrawal, in fact when they are freed, they stay together and go to a nearby town for food.

One of the things I enjoyed about the movie was the rare instances that something would be show in colour in order to draw attention to it in a film that otherwise plays out in black and white. For instance, the little girl in the red coat was shown first during the liquidation of the ghetto and again alongside other corpses. It is interesting to consider the girl as symbolism for the innocence of the Jews, who were made scapegoats during the tenuous political climate in the war.

Furthermore, Schindler's motives are of interest for analysis because after the setup of his enamelware factory, he was successful enough that he would never want for anything again. However, he chose to help save the Jews from persecution, even at the cost of his wealth. Therefore, one would argue that his motives go beyond prosocial behaviour and are more akin to acts of altruism.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” -Edmund Burke

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Hunt for the Wilderpeople revolves around the life of Ricky Baker, a young, overweight, orphaned juvenile offender who idealizes hip hop and uses haikus as a means to express himself in emotional situations. As Ricky ends up in a farm with his newest pair of foster parents, the film highlights the realities of New Zealand’s subpar youth welfare system. We learn that Ricky has a number of offences under his belt, and that his placement with Bella and Hector is his last chance at finding a family, failing which will see him sent to juvenile prison. Things begin looking up for Ricky as he and his “Aunt Bella” grow closer, right until she passes away. Unwilling to be returned to state care, Ricky runs away into the bush, not for the first time, and is found by Hector, which is where the story really begins.

Grief and Bereavement
The events of the film following its exposition mainly take place in the immediacy of Bella’s death. Although they have different experiences regarding this, both Ricky and Hector are affected by the loss of Bella, and this can be explained through the dual process model of bereavement. According to Stroebe and Schut (2010), bereavement manifests itself in two kinds of tasks, loss-oriented and restoration-oriented. Loss-oriented activities and stressors are those directly related to the death, including crying, yearning, experiencing sadness, denial, or anger, dwelling on the circumstances of the death, and avoiding restoration activities. On the other hand, restoration-oriented activities and stressors are associated with secondary losses with regard to lifestyle, routine, and relationships. These include adapting to a new role, managing changes, developing new ways of connecting with family and friends, and cultivating a new way of life.

Ricky and Hector’s life in the bush can be seen as a restoration-oriented activity as they adopt new lifestyles and roles towards each other following Bella’s passing, but we also see them engage in loss-oriented activities, such as when Hector cried over Bella’s body. Though less obvious, we also see Ricky display loss-oriented activities as he maintains the use of his hot water bottle. Originally given to him by Bella to provide warmth in the cold New Zealand night, it is possible that the water bottle came to symbolize her kindness and a sense of love or family to Ricky. It clearly meant enough to him that he would bring it along with him as he escaped into the bush, leading to the idea that the warmth of the hot water bottle was a way for Ricky to grieve and to keep the memory of Bella alive. Ricky and Hector’s actions which demonstrated both methods of coping support Stroebe and Schut’s (2010) theory that people will invariably oscillate between the two processes.

Psychosocial Stages of Development

The big age difference between Ricky and Hector also highlights the disparity in their place in life. According to Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, 13-year old Ricky is in the Identity vs. Role Confusion stage, whereas Hector could possibly be in the Generativity vs. Stagnation stage. The Identity vs. Role Confusion stage is marked by questions of who an adolescent is and what they can be, but Ricky has the added burden of dealing with the effects of being shuffled through the foster care system for a majority of his life. Some of the effects of this is his penchant for expressing himself through haikus and his familiarity with psychological jargon, like when he says, “You’re still processing”. We are also presented with Ricky’s love for hip hop culture, which is a big part of his identity and self-concept. Conversely, Hector’s gradual acceptance and care for Ricky could be due to the Generativity vs. Stagnation stage, as individuals in this point of their lives are concerned with guiding the next generation. During their time in the bush, Hector teaches Ricky the skills needed to survive in the great unknown, thus avoiding feelings of stagnation or dissatisfaction with his lack of productivity.

Final Thoughts

Despite being interspersed with comedic relief, the subject of the film was not lost on the audience, and our hearts still felt for Ricky and Hector as the attempt to navigate their way through a new dynamic without Bella. The film manages to blend humour and character study so well that the story feels as real as it does funny.

References

Stroebe, M., & Schut, H. (2010). The dual process model of coping with bereavement: A decade on. Journal of Death And Dying, 61(4), 273-289. doi:10.2190/om.61.4.b

Experimenter

Experimenter recounts the life and work of social psychologist, Stanley Milgram, highlighting his more prominent research and providing viewers with thought-provoking questions about the limits of human nature.

Much of the film depicts reenactments of Milgram’s obedience experiments, as a “teacher” moves through the shock levels, despite audible protest from the learner, all the way to the maximum of 450 volts. As the number of participants increased, so did the number of teachers who progressed to the maximum voltage. Although I felt as if the pacing of the movie could have been improved, it is this slow, relentless and seemingly inevitable progression towards the lethal endpoint of the shock generator that constitutes the core drama of the film. The participants, Milgram’s fellow psychologists, and even the audience, are forced to accept that time and time again, each variation of the study still saw a majority of people proceed all the way to the maximum. Despite the controversy and criticism surrounding the Milgram obedience experiments, why then, do people still turn to them for understanding whenever new stories about the horrors man is able to perform arise? Why are these experiments still covered in almost every, if not all, introductory psychology textbooks? Regardless of the intellectual and ethical fallout following the publishing of these studies, their findings do have to be somewhat representative of the human experience for them to have stood the test of time and public disdain.

Much like the elephant in the room, would that which we refuse to address be that we are not as independent in our thinking as we believe ourselves to be?

Furthermore, the film acknowledges that the backlash to the findings of the obedience studies was centered not around the idea that the participants experienced lasting psychological damage, but more that they were unable to reconcile themselves as being capable of performing heinous acts under duress. This weakens arguments that claim ethicality as a reason to reject the findings of these studies. Milgram’s research on obedience holds up a mirror that reveals depths of the human soul that prompts a second look, even when we would rather not.

Arguably one of the most interesting aspects of the film was its artistic set pieces. In order to match Milgram’s character’s frequent breaking of the fourth wall and omniscient nature, the film occasionally features scenes set against photographic backgrounds that are clearly fake. This gives these scenes a sort of dreamlike or artificial feel, which perfectly matches the film’s experimental subject matter. I felt as if these visuals were engaging in a way that kept the movie from becoming too mundane and ordinary.

Although most variations and reproductions of the obedience studies still reveal a majority who display obedience to authority, the existence of the minority who refused to obey proves to be hopeful. As the film itself educates audiences on the downsides to blind obedience, perhaps future samples will reflect more resistance to authority figures, emphasizing that we need not always do as we are told.

"Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves." -Henry David Thoreau

Amadeus

Amadeus is a fictional account of the life of Mozart, one of history's most renowned composers. Although the title suggests Mozart to be the protagonist, it is really Salieri and not Mozart who occupies the centre of the stage and whose mind we are invited to enter. It was interesting to see the life of this musical genius through the eyes of Salieri, who arguably had less talent but invested more effort. I believe that Salieri's distress is something we can all relate to, as it is not a novel experience to feel inferior in the face of someone gifted with natural abilities. Throughout the course of Salieri's fixation with besting Mozart in the musical scene, perhaps nothing will ever feel as tragic as the moments in the asylum when Salieri plays his compositions with no recognition from the priest's end, only to have the clergyman successfully identify one of Mozart's pieces. 

In a society that values perfection, mediocrity is possibly the worst curse an individual can bear. Hence, I do not think that the greed and envy that drove Salieri to the brink of insanity was so far-fetched after all. Salieri's conflicting emotions over his disdain of Mozart's childish tendencies and his grudging admiring of Mozart's independence was interesting to watch, and although it would have cheapened the story, a happy ending would have been satisfying to watch.

Whale Rider

Whale Rider tells the tale of Paikea Apirana as she attempts to overcome resistance to take her place as the next chief of the Maori people in her village. The film encompasses a number of themes, including the tensions between customary culture and the modern condition, mythology and origin stories, post-colonial race and indigenous politics in the Pacific, whilst also shining a light on gender, tradition and change.

"My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider."

Dissonance, Thou Art A Cruel Mistress

A major portion of the film sees the characters struggle to reconcile their actions with their beliefs and motivations. According to Festinger’s (1962) theory of cognitive dissonance, an individual experiences psychological discomfort when they possess contradictory beliefs, when they act in a way that contradicts their beliefs, or when they are presented with new information that contradicts their existing beliefs. In order to reduce the resulting discomfort, people tend to reject new information and situations that are likely to increase their dissonance. This is most clearly illustrated through Koro’s actions. Although he believes that a male heir is necessary for the continuation of their people, there are instances in which his affection for Paikea is displayed.

A moment of displayed affection before Paikea is to leave with Porourangi

Festinger’s theory postulates that this creates a sense of mental distress within himself which people seek to alleviate through one of four ways: 1. Changing one’s behaviour or attitudes, 2. Changing their conflicting attitudes to justify their behaviour, 3. Introducing new attitudes to justify their behaviour, 4. Ignoring information that contradicts their existing attitudes.  In the film, Koro initially reduces his cognitive dissonance by distancing himself from Paikea after she decides not to leave with her father and choosing not to recognize her strengths and capability as the next leader. When she bests Hemi with the taiaha, Koro does not praise her hard work or talent at the skill, instead reacting negatively, reflecting the fourth method of reducing dissonance. Towards the end, however, we see a change overcome Koro as he accepts that Paikea is worthy of becoming the next chief, thus abandoning his patriarchal views on leadership and succession. He ultimately changed his attitudes in order to attain psychological consistency.

Gender Roles

Another concept that was present in the film was gender roles, which Coleman (2009) defined as a set of behaviours, attitudes, and traits deemed to be masculine or feminine within a certain culture. The movie depicts Maori culture as being strongly patriarchal, with Koro being a staunch believer that a first-born male is required in order for their people to have a capable leader. Koro can be seen as someone who adheres strictly to gender roles. However, Paikea defies the traditional stereotype of what a girl should be, what with her mastery with ropes and knots, and her skill with the taiaha. She also rejects practices which she does not agrees with, such as when she was told to move to the back during the opening of the boys’ training school.

Final Thoughts

Whale Rider is an empowering movie for women and young girls as it depicts Paikea overcoming gendered expectations in order to realize her true potential. While all the actors portrayed the personalities and emotions of the characters extremely well, a special mention goes out to Keisha Castle-Hughes, who was even nominated for an Academy Award for her moving performance as Paikea. Interspersed with scenes from the Whangara coastline, the movie also beautifully captured sights such as the sweep of the bay and the lush of the island. It was also interesting to discover that the film was adapted from a book of the same name, as I am partial to books in a way that I am not with film. While I haven’t yet finished it, I would recommend looking it up if only for the prose, seen here through an excerpt from the prologue:

In the old days, in the years that have gone before us, the land and sea felt a great emptiness, a yearning. The mountains were like a stairway to heaven, and the lush green rainforest was a rippling cloak of many colours. The sky was iridescent, swirling with the patterns of wind and clouds; sometimes it reflected the prisms of rainbow or southern aurora. The sea was ever-changing, shimmering and seamless to the sky. This was the well at the bottom of the world and when you looked into it you felt you could see to the end of forever.

References

Festinger, L. (1962). Cognitive dissonance. Scientific American. 207(4), 93–107. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1062-93

Forget Paris

The story goes something like this: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy and girl inevitably encounter conflicts in their budding romance, conveniently resolve all their problems, reunite, and live “happily ever after”. We see this formula to success for any love story repeated in everything from Hollywood blockbusters to children’s books. The notion that happiness can be attained upon finding The One is one that many have entertained, but what happens after “happily ever after”? Sometimes, you end up learning to live with your father-in-law.

Not your usual picture of marital bliss

The rocky road to romance begins with a basketball referee, Mickey, who travels to France to oversee the burial of his late father. In an unexpected turn of events, his airline manages to misplace the casket, leaving Mickey stranded at an airport whilst he awaits the return of his father’s remains. Enter Ellen, the airline representative tasked with smoothing his ruffled feathers. After her attendance at his father’s “funeral”, they grow closer still as they explore the Parisian sights. Mickey ultimately returns to the United States, but Ellen follows soon after and they marry. What follows is a series of events depicting the highs and lows of their union, as told through the eyes of their friends.

This movie illustrates the idea that the perceived rewards and costs of being in a relationship determines an individual’s satisfaction and willingness to remain in the relationship. Initially, Ellen decided that the risk of leaving her job in Paris to be with Mickey was worth the happiness she would have by being together with him, but in truth, she could barely be with him at all, as we always travelling for his job. From a social exchange perspective, the interdependence theory states that people tend to want to maximize the rewards gained from a relationship while also minimizing the costs they must bear (Sprecher, 1998). When Ellen, and later Mickey leave their jobs, they incur what is termed opportunity costs in favour of the emotional rewards of staying together. However, as the theory explains, they remain unhappy in the relationship as the reality does not match their expectations for their relationship. Such expectations are referred to as a comparison level, whereby one is happy when the actual outcome exceeds their expectations but is distressed when the converse is true.

Not when you feel like you're making all the sacrifices in this relationship, it's not

One of the things that was interesting about the film was the way in which the developments in Mickey and Ellen’s relationship was revealed, i.e. through the retelling of the events by their friends. The different narratives added a personal touch to the tale, leaving the audience feeling as if this really was a story your friend was recounting to you over a meal. Through this, bits and pieces of the characters’ personalities were revealed as well. With their snippets of commentary, it was entertaining to see how the marriages of the other characters compared to that of Mickey and Ellen’s. However, it can also be said that as third parties who were only recounting their memories of the relationship, they might not have been privy to other occurrences that might have been important to the story. As different characters recounted specific occurrences regarding the turbulent relationship, it felt as if Liz and the movie’s audience were one and the same, with her reactions to the revelations mirroring that of our own. Much like the way Liz was invested in the outcome of their relationship, we too rejoiced when Ellen appeared during the final basketball game.  

"If someone does not tell me about this baby, asses will be kicked!" In which we were all Liz during this scene

Furthermore, the use of Paris as a metaphor is hardly a novel idea, but this film adopts a new angle to the approach by having their friends repeatedly tell Mickey and Ellen to “Forget Paris”. Their time together there was dazzling and special, but they needed to be able to make the relationship work once the rose-coloured lenses come off. Indeed, successful long-term relationships have seen feelings of love decrease, but measures of commitment increase (Meyers, 2007). It was important for Ellen and Mickey to understand that their relationship might never be as magical as it was at the beginning, and that they needed to live within reality. Of course, the issue is that Ellen and Mickey don’t live in reality; they live in a ‘90s romantic comedy.

Although the movie had a touch more realism than other romantic comedies, the ending felt slightly unsatisfying and anticlimatic. Mickey and Ellen’s reunion could realistically be justified; after all, rekindled romances have the potential to be more successful than the initial relationship (Goldhill, 2015). However, the on-again-off-again nature of their relationship left me feeling just as exasperated as their friends were, and by the time Ellen shows up at the basketball game, one could not help but feel grateful that the story was coming to a close. At times, the movie felt more akin to a documentary about refereeing NBA games, which, while Billy Crystal had actually intended, did not lend to the romanticism of the film. Ultimately, the film had deviations from the typical romantic comedy formula, and although the execution of certain elements could have been handled better, the cast managed to tell a touching story about relationships and what it takes to keep them alive.

(Though I will probably never be able to see Billy Crystal as the male lead in a romantic comedy.)

"Marriages don't work when one partner is happy and the other is miserable. Marriage is about both people being equally miserable." -Andy

References

Goldhill, O. (2015). The psychology of why rekindled romances are so intense. Retrieved from https://qz.com/578395/the-psychology-of-why-rekindled-romances-are-so-intense/

Meyers, L. (2007). The eternal question: Does love last? Monitor on Psychology, 38(2), 44.

Sprecher, S., (1998). Social exchange theories and sexuality. Journal of Sex Research, 35(1), 32–43.