Portrayal of Schizophrenia in Clean, Shaven

Portrayal of Schizophrenia in Clean, Shaven Elizabeth Davis Abstract Media portrayals of mental disorders often provide the only contact one may have on the topic. Because of this, filmmakers have a duty to accurately portray the disorders. Clean, Shaven provides first-hand look into the frightening symptoms of schizophrenia in an attempt to humanize the disorder and admonishes society for false presuppositions based upon those suffering from mental disorders (Lim, 2006; Owen, 2012). Portrayal of Schizophrenia in Clean, Shaven In Clean, Shaven, Lodge Kerrigan attempts to place the viewer in the mind of Peter Winter, a schizophrenic recently released from a mental institution, through the use of strange camera angles and a bizarre, glaring soundtrack (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). The film seeks to humanize the day-to-day struggles of life dealing with the symptoms of schizophrenia, such as auditory and visual hallucinations. One of Winter’s auditory hallucinations fits especially well with this theme: â€Å"For you it’s paranoia. For me it’s a reality† (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). In addition, the film comments on society’s discrimination against mental illness by allowing the viewer to falsely assume Winter murders a young girl (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). Symptoms and Diagnosis According to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia, one must exhibit at least two of the five active symptoms: delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized or catatonic behavior, and negative symptoms (Oltmanns Emery, 2015). Additionally, at least one of the symptoms must be one of the first three (delusions, hallucinations, and/or disorganized speech) and must occur for at least one month (Oltmanns Emery, 2015). Clean, Shaven only provides a brief glimpse into Peter Winter’s life, however during this time, he does exhibit both delusions and hallucinations, as well as catatonic behavior and inappropriate affect (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). Winter suffers from delusions that during his commitment to a mental institution he underwent a surgery to implant a radio transmitter in his finger and a receiver in his head (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). In two separate scenes, Winter attempts to remove both the transmitter and the receiver, speaking to the persi stence of the delusions (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). Additionally, Winter suffers from both visual and auditory hallucinations, the latter of which he believes originate from the transmitter in his finger (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). According to Oltmanns and Emery (2015), catatonic behavior may be expressed through excited and over-activity, such as pacing or repetitious movements. Repetitious movements appear at several times throughout the film, especially in times Winter is exceptionally stressed, such as in a scene in which he repeatedly bangs a card catalogue in a library (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). Winter also exhibits inappropriate affect. Upon reuniting with his daughter who was placed for adoption when Winter was committed, Winter expresses increasing agitation instead of happiness (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). The DSM-5 enumerates additional criteria for diagnosis. The B-level criterion addresses the level of dysfunction in major areas of life, such as self-care, work, and interpersonal relationships (Oltmanns Emery, 2015). Because Winter has spent an unknown quantity of time in a mental institution and is just being released in the beginning of the film, his job performance cannot be analyzed, however, the viewer will note a steady decline in personal grooming throughout the film (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). In the beginning, Winter exhibits fastidious grooming habits, keeping his clothes meticulous and his hair neatly trimmed (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). During a shower scene, Winter is seen scrubbing down with steel wool, suggesting a compulsive aspect to his hygiene habits (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). Towards the end of the film, Winter becomes markedly disheveled (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). An interaction with his mother reveals strained interpersonal relations (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). The remainin g diagnostic criteria were not addressed in the film due to the limited dialogue and the time constraints of the film. However, judging by the age of Winter’s daughter and comments on the onset of the symptoms made by his mother, it can be inferred that his symptoms have persisted for a time period exceeding the necessary six months. The quality and duration of symptoms along with the level of dysfunction confirm the diagnosis claim of schizophrenia. Causes of Schizophrenia According to Oltmanns and Emery (2015), the interaction of both biological and environmental factors combine to cause schizophrenia. A wealth of data supports a physiological and genetic component to schizophrenia, based upon brain scans showing structural abnormalities and evidence of neurotransmitter dysfunction (Oltmanns Emery, 2015). However, this evidence only supports a predisposition to the disorder that may remain dormant until an environmental factor triggers the expression (Oltmanns Emery, 2015). Oltmanns and Emery (2015) state environmental triggers include complications during pregnancy or birth, maternal malnutrition, certain viral infections. A correlation between schizophrenia and various social factors has also been found. For example, the highest concentration of schizophrenia occurs amongst those with the lowest socioeconomic statuses (Oltmanns Emery, 2015). According to Oltmanns and Emery (2015), two theories exist to explain this phenomenon: social causation, in which the status causes the disorder, and social selection, in which the disorder forces the status. Additionally, higher rates of schizophrenia occur in those who immigrate from another country, perhaps causing social adversity that triggers the disorder (Oltmanns Emery, 2015). It is unclear what combination of factors caused Peter Winter’s disorder. His mother mentions that as a child he had a strong attachment to a neighbor’s dog and became despondent and uninterested in enjoyable activities when the dog passed away (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). Additionally, she mentions that he dropped out of college after only a few months, lost 20 pounds, and cut contact with the family, which is within the typical age of onset (15-35 years of age) for schizophrenia (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). Judging from setting elements in the film, such as the fishing industry and farm houses, Winter lived in a predominantly working class town, which supports the social causation hypothesis (Byrne Kerrigan, 1993). Media Messages on Schizophrenia and Mental Health Filmmakers, when representing a mental disorder, have a moral obligation to accurately portray that mental disorder. According to Owen (2012), many cinematic depictions are based upon misinformation. In her analysis of 42 film characters, Owen (2012) found all depictions of schizophrenics carried some form of incorrect information. For example, 79 percent of these characters were male, a much higher rate than in actual occurrence (Owen, 2012). Additionally, 95 percent were Caucasian, whereas schizophrenia occurs at a much higher rate with African-Americans (Owen, 2012). Byrne and Kerrigan (1993) are guilty of dissemination both of those inaccurate depictions in Clean, Shaven. Owen (2012) found that while Clean, Shaven did rely on some inaccuracies, they were â€Å"inconsequential and did not detract from an overall accurate and compelling portrayal of schizophrenia† and praised the film for providing a â€Å"realistic and sympathetic representation [of the] day-to-day struggl es to cope with symptoms.† Of additional note, Kerrigan allows the audience to formulate presuppositions about Peter Winter’s guilt. In the opening scene, Winter sits in his car as a girl bounces a soccer ball against the windshield. Startled by the sound and frightened by the glare she gives him, Peter steps out of the car and walks off out of camera range. Next the viewer hears loud bangs and a girl screaming, then Winter gets back in the car with a large item wrapped in orange plastic bags. In a later scene, Detective Jack McNally is called on a case of the murder of a girl who looks similar to the girl with the soccer ball. Throughout the movie, McNally, and the audience as well, believes Winter murdered the girl, however he is unable to find any conclusive evidence. In a final scene, McNally rips open the orange plastic to find nothing but newspapers. This interplay comments on society’s false notions that the mentally ill are much more likely to commit violent acts (Oltmanns Emery, 2015; O wen, 2012). The viewer is left questioning whether the sounds of violence from the beginning were just another of Winter’s auditory hallucinations. In conclusion, Clean, Shaven provides a unique, sympathetic view into the life of someone suffering with schizophrenia. Byrne and Kerrigan (1993) portray auditory and visual hallucinations realistically and in a way that the viewer experiences them as if his own, providing more understanding for the development of the delusions. References Byrne, J. D. (Producer), Kerrigan, L. (Director). (1993).Clean, Shaven[Motion picture]. United States of America: DSM III Films. Lim, D. (2006). Clean, Shaven: Inside man. The Criterion Collection. Retrieved from http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/453-clean-shaven-inside-man Oltmanns, T. F. Emery, R. E. (2015). Abnormal psychology (8th Ed.). Boston: Pearson. Owen, P. R. (2012). Portrayals of schizophrenia by entertainment media: A content analysis of contemporary movies. Psychiatric Services, 63(7), 655-659. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201100371

Cold war responsibility Essay -- essays research papers

Activity #4 – Essay â€Å"Truman was more responsible for the Cold War than Stalin was.† President Truman was convinced from the beginning that Stalin intended to take over countries based solely by the fact that there were communist parties present in them. France, Italy and even China, are perfect examples of this. And in the Greek civil war it wasn’t the USSR that was giving aid to the communists, it was Yugoslavia. It was obvious that Stalin had no major plans for any kind of global communist domination. But nevertheless, Truman placed the blame for the growing popularity of communism’s ‘political poison’ on Stalin, and convinced the American people to share his outlook. Without even looking at the fact that no USSR troops were in Greece, Truman and his advisers jumped on the chance to put forward their ‘domino theory’. This was a theory that said that if the communists won the Greek civil war, the end result would be Russian control of the whole middle east. He used this theory to justify military intervention in Greece, and ultimately, his ‘Truman Doctrine’ telling the entire world that the US was ready for a war. He told the ‘free peoples’ of the world that the time had come to choose between alternative ways of life – the communist way, or the democratic way. Stalin did not do this. President Truman worked with the British Prime Minister to introduce the Deutschmark into West Berlin. While it did eventually achieve his goal of creating an economically viable Germany, i...

Marriage versus living together

Trends are showing that there is a change in the way intimate relationships are constituted throughout the world. Cohabiting, in the absence of a marriage contract has only become so common over the past few decades. This practice of living with a partner in an intimate relationship that does not involve signing a marriage contract, referred to by any of the terms consensual unions, cohabiting unions, cohabitation, or living together, is evidenced both in developed and developing countries. Mokomane (2005) notes an increase over marriage in this type of relationship (p. 57). Kenny and McLanahan also observe that, in the U. S., cohabitation has surpassed marriage as the preferred mode of intimate unions. It is useful, therefore, to understand differences between a cohabiting and a marriage relationship, in order to determine why couples are now choosing this type of union over marriage. The most apparent difference between a marriage and a cohabiting relationship is in their institutional makeup. A marriage is, by its very nature, a contractual type of relationship where both couples agree to an intimate union. A cohabiting relationship is also an agreement between two partners. The difference is that a marriage requires signing a legal document representative of the couples’ legal obligations to each other. In a cohabiting union such legality is not evident. Marriage relationships are therefore more permanent than cohabiting unions specifically because of this legality. A cohabiting couple may choose to end a relationship at any time without facing much external difficulties but a married couple has to apply for a divorce. Simply put a married couple is legally accountable for either staying together or separating while this is not so in the case of cohabiting couples. Mokomane (2005) notes a further difference in the average age of individuals who enter either union. She has observed that couples in a cohabiting relationship are usually much younger than those in a cohabiting relationship. From her research it was discovered that cohabiting men and women average 37.9 and 32.8 years respectively while their married counterparts average 51.3 and 45.6 years respectively based on the 2001 census in the U.S. (p. 63). This is suggesting that cohabiting relationships is usually the first choice relationship and later there is the transfer into a marriage union when the individual gets older. It has also been noted that married couples earn more than their cohabiting counterparts. According to Clarkberg (1999), income is usually a predictive factor for individuals to get married. She argues that, since individuals with more income seem to be the ones that enter into married unions, then a good income is probably seen as a requirement for entering into a married union. Clarkberg cites research conducted in Puerto Rico in which it was concluded that cohabiting relationships are ‘a poor man’s marriage’(p. 947). Markowski, Croake and Keller also found that cohabiting couples had more lifetime partners than married couples suggesting a higher rate of promiscuity in the former group. They establish that cohabiting couples are more likely than married couples to have had more than six sexual partners (p. 33). Finally research has found that there is a higher rate of domestic violence among couples that are cohabiting than those that are married. Even further there are also higher rates of homicide within this group (Kenny & McLanahan, 2006). In consistent cases it has been found that the rate of domestic violence among married couples is significantly less than the rate among cohabiting couples. These researchers estimate that cohabiting relationships are between two and four times more likely to involve domestic violence than married relationships. It appears therefore that, for reasons of economy and because of its perceived permanence, more persons are staying away from marriage relationships, at least in their younger days, while enjoying the privileges of an intimate living relationship with their partner. Related essay: â€Å"My Ideal Wife† Reference Clarkberg, M. (1999). The price of partnering: The role of economic well-being in young adults’ first union experiences. Social Forces, 77(3), 945-968. Kenny, C. T. & McLanahan, S. S. (2006, Feb). Why are cohabiting relationships more violent than marriages? Demography, 43(1), 127-140. Markowski, E. M., Croake, J. W. & Keller, J. F. (1978, Feb). Sexual history and present sexual behavior of cohabiting and married couples. The Journal of Sex Research, 14(1), 27-39. Mokomane, Z. (2005). A demographic and socio-economic portrait of cohabitation in Botswana. Society in Transition, 36(1), 57-73.   

Free Essays on Alan Paton

Alan Paton teacher, author, and politician was one of South Africa's most remarkable people. Repelled by the racism he saw all around him in his homeland, he wrote Cry, the Beloved Country, the book that had the most profound effect in the worldwide struggle against apartheid. It is in this book, that he portrayed his life through so many characters and scenes to give the best explanation possible for his fight for justice and equality. This book remains one of South Africa’s greatest novels. It is a true-life portrait of its author, Alan Paton. Alan Paton was born in 1903 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal. He was the oldest of four children and the son of Eunice and James Paton. He was taught to read and write before he started school and as a result he was rapidly advanced all throughout his school years. At the age of fifteen he was starting his college education for a science degree in teaching. After receiving his degree, he was sent to a small farming town of Ixopo, as a housemaster at the high school there. Ixopo would later become increasing familiar in his book, Cry, the Beloved Country. While in Ixopo, Paton took long walks in the hills, which he described in his book. There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond and singing of it. The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one of the fairest valleys of Africa. About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld. Below you is the valley of the umzimkulu, on its journey form the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after great hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand (Paton 33). This would become the famous start to the first two parts of the novel, Cry, the Beloved Country... Free Essays on Alan Paton Free Essays on Alan Paton Alan Paton teacher, author, and politician was one of South Africa's most remarkable people. Repelled by the racism he saw all around him in his homeland, he wrote Cry, the Beloved Country, the book that had the most profound effect in the worldwide struggle against apartheid. It is in this book, that he portrayed his life through so many characters and scenes to give the best explanation possible for his fight for justice and equality. This book remains one of South Africa’s greatest novels. It is a true-life portrait of its author, Alan Paton. Alan Paton was born in 1903 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal. He was the oldest of four children and the son of Eunice and James Paton. He was taught to read and write before he started school and as a result he was rapidly advanced all throughout his school years. At the age of fifteen he was starting his college education for a science degree in teaching. After receiving his degree, he was sent to a small farming town of Ixopo, as a housemaster at the high school there. Ixopo would later become increasing familiar in his book, Cry, the Beloved Country. While in Ixopo, Paton took long walks in the hills, which he described in his book. There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills. These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond and singing of it. The road climbs seven miles into them, to Carisbrooke; and from there, if there is no mist, you look down on one of the fairest valleys of Africa. About you there is grass and bracken and you may hear the forlorn crying of the titihoya, one of the birds of the veld. Below you is the valley of the umzimkulu, on its journey form the Drakensberg to the sea; and beyond and behind the river, great hill after great hill; and beyond and behind them, the mountains of Ingeli and East Griqualand (Paton 33). This would become the famous start to the first two parts of the novel, Cry, the Beloved Country...

Free Essays on Politics In Business

What is Power? â€Å"Power is defined simplistically as the ability to get others people to do something that you want them to do† (Buhler, 2001). Power is control and many people are given the power to control other in their every day task. When one person controls the power and politics, that individual has complete domination. There are a number of people in this position, CEO, CFO, Human resources or just your manager has the power to change your life. â€Å"Just a decade ago, most organization reflected the traditional pyramid with the power concentrated at the top–most levels of the hierarchy. Today the reality is very different in many organization. Now, power is distributed more evenly throughout most organizations. This is a result of the empowerment of the workforce. This empowerment, however, has resulted in a major paradigm shift. It has required that everyone think very differently about the concept of power today† (Buhler, 2001). Every organization has politics that dominate the everyday lives of it workforce. The politics usually begins at the top of the pyramid. The whole political environment within a company can determine how long your employment will be and how much you will be paid. â€Å"Politics is one of the mechanisms that enable you to get things done through other people. Politics even helps share the culture of your organization. Organization politics is concerned with the use of actions to meet individual goals through means that the organization doesn’t necessarily sanction. Political behavior is generally outside the formal authority of the organization. You can use political behavior to achieve organizational or individual goals. It is the misuse and abuse of power and politics that has given both bad names. Politics is defined as the process of gaining and using power in the organization† (Buhler, 2001). We s... Free Essays on Politics In Business Free Essays on Politics In Business What is Power? â€Å"Power is defined simplistically as the ability to get others people to do something that you want them to do† (Buhler, 2001). Power is control and many people are given the power to control other in their every day task. When one person controls the power and politics, that individual has complete domination. There are a number of people in this position, CEO, CFO, Human resources or just your manager has the power to change your life. â€Å"Just a decade ago, most organization reflected the traditional pyramid with the power concentrated at the top–most levels of the hierarchy. Today the reality is very different in many organization. Now, power is distributed more evenly throughout most organizations. This is a result of the empowerment of the workforce. This empowerment, however, has resulted in a major paradigm shift. It has required that everyone think very differently about the concept of power today† (Buhler, 2001). Every organization has politics that dominate the everyday lives of it workforce. The politics usually begins at the top of the pyramid. The whole political environment within a company can determine how long your employment will be and how much you will be paid. â€Å"Politics is one of the mechanisms that enable you to get things done through other people. Politics even helps share the culture of your organization. Organization politics is concerned with the use of actions to meet individual goals through means that the organization doesn’t necessarily sanction. Political behavior is generally outside the formal authority of the organization. You can use political behavior to achieve organizational or individual goals. It is the misuse and abuse of power and politics that has given both bad names. Politics is defined as the process of gaining and using power in the organization† (Buhler, 2001). We s...

Legal issues Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Human Resource Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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