Abnormal Psychology: Character Diagnosis
How is this relevant?
Psychology has always been one of my biggest interests. Over the years, I have taken many psychology classes in order to learn all that I can, even though I am not a psychology major. I love watching crime shows and documentaries, reading books or researching, basically anything interesting and sort of twisty that I can learn about and discover. This assignment was really enjoyable for me because it combines one of my interests with watching movies, especially one that I love.
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Write a paper about a character from a movie (i.e.“client”) with one or more identifiable disorders. Be careful about accepting a diagnosis of the “client” that may be included in the selected movie as the assignment is intended for practice using the DSM 5 to render a provisional diagnosis. In order to “build a case”, consider relevant background and history (signs and symptoms) of the character as presented in the movie. Also briefly discuss the best forms of treatment for this person and possible prognosis and address whether or not the film conveys a valid and accurate account of the disorder.
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After debating which movie from the given list of films I should choose, I decided to analyze a film I love and had seen many times, “About a Boy”. I’m a huge fan of rom-coms and already had an idea in mind so I felt I would really be able to succeed using this film. After rewatching it, I chose to diagnose the film’s main character, Will Freeman (played by Hugh Grant), and originally considered the diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder. However, using the DSM 5, the character did not meet the minimum criteria for the disorder.
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After my initial diagnosis, I reconsidered the character using the guidelines for Narcissistic Personality Disorder, in which the character did meet the minimum criteria for. With my final diagnosis, I created a treatment plan and came to the conclusion that the movie did accurately portray the diagnosis. Not only by making the character easy to diagnose and developing him enough to qualify for the criteria, but also by portraying multiple instances for each criterion.
Below is an excerpt from my completed paper, and the button takes you to a PDF of the full finished product.
“The first criterion met was being preoccupied with fantasies of ideal love. Throughout the film, Will mentions how the phrase “no man is an island” is not true, which he spends the majority of his time trying to prove by dating women and breaking up with them. He believes that, as a man, he does not need any sort of relationship and has interactions with many women because he believes it is the best type of relationship to have, or lack there-of. The second criterion was that he believes he is unique and should only associate with other special people. In the beginning of the movie, Will visits his friend Christine and her newborn baby, which he clearly has a distaste for. While visiting the home, Will makes many sarcastic comments about the state of it and it is obvious that he thinks of them as lower than himself, like he is better than them because they are tied down with a relationship and a child.”