What are the psychological and cognitive effects on the audience
Guidelines for Film Analysis Paper: In addition to entertaining us, movies offer detailed portrayals of individual differences in human behavior. Your task in this assignment is to analyze – from the perspective of an abnormal psychology student– the psychological disorders depicted in a popular film. You are not being asked to critique the film in terms of its value as a work of art or as entertainment. Rather, you should think carefully about the personalities, behaviors, psychopathology, disorders, and attitudes of the characters portrayed in the film. Produce a 6-8 page psychological film analysis paper (absolute maximum 10 pages). The purpose of the term paper is to analyze psychopathology in Popular Film (Please visit link for a list of films by psychological category: https://bit.ly/2Lo7x8v). Choose a film from given list that includes mental disorders and analyze it. Review the film as an Abnormal Psychology student, not just a movie watcher. You will provide a summation of the selected movie and discuss it from a psychological perspective. Based on your knowledge from class and your text, determine if the film accurately depicts the disorder identified or if it is flawed. Be sure to discuss the observable behaviors that support this diagnosis. Please include specific scenes to show examples. Papers should be well-written, organized, and free of grammatical errors. Papers should be completed using APA format; double-spaced, 1” margins, Times New Roman font, size 12. A coversheet with your name, film title, and paper title is required as well. All sources of information must be identified appropriately, with a full and properly formatted list of all references. Coversheet and reference page will not count towards minimum page requirement. Students must demonstrate the organization and expression of complex data or ideas in this paper. NOTE: please do not google a film and summarize what you find. All work must be original. Turtitin.com will be used to submit a copy of all papers. Here is the minimum information your paper should provide: Breakdown of Paper: I. Introduction (1/2 page): – Provide a brief overview of the movie and character. – Describe the character with a diagnosis. – Brief summary of the movie and description of your characters role in the movie. II. Diagnosis/Treatment (2 pages): A comprehensive description of psychopathology (symptoms) or particular psychological dynamics (such as Oedipus complex for example) depicted, including a formal DSM-5 diagnosis of the protagonist or main character. This should include specific and relevant symptoms, biological information that indicates how the person displays these dynamics or meets criteria for a particular mental disorder. Some questions to consider: – What symptoms are present? Did the movie accurately portray the symptoms of the disorder? Was this an accurate clinical picture? – What psychological stressors/impairments are present? – Discuss/speculate how the person’s problems developed. – How does/does not the character meet criteria for a mental illness? – What related issues and challenges are present? – What your treatment recommendations would be. If the character received treatment during the film, please discuss the type of treatment, whether or not it was effective, and if it coincides with the treatment recommendations discussed in the text. III. Media and Mental Illness (1.5 pages): A reflection on the positive and negative messages that the film portrays regarding the particular disorder or psychological dynamics. Discuss the film’s accuracy in the portrayal of mental illness and treatment and whether the portrayal contributes to mental health stigma in a negative or positive way. Some questions to consider: – What message is the film portraying about psychopathology? – What negative portrayal is conveyed? – What positive messages are delivered? – What messages does the audience takeaway from this film? – What does this say about society? – What does the audience learn about mental illness? IV. Disorder Portrayal (1 page): Discussion of how well or poorly the movie characterizes the particular form(s) of psychopathology depicted. Some questions to consider: – Does the movie capture fully what an individual with a particular disorder may endure? – How well/poorly does it depict the life of someone with a disorder? – Discuss any inaccuracies and misconceptions perpetrated of the disorder in the movie. If the disorder is misrepresented, explain how this could be misleading to a typical movie-goer. – What meanings or feelings does the character invoke? V. Importance of Film (1/2 page): Describe the importance of such a film. Some questions to consider: – What is the context of the message? – What symbolisms are shown/discussed? – How does the film capture societies stereotypes/beliefs regarding psychopathology? – What are the psychological and cognitive effects on the audience? – What does this film explain about human behavior? About society? About society? About psychology? VI. Conclusion (1/2 page): – How would you have done this movie differently? – Reiterate the importance of this film to the field of psychology. – Concluding thoughts on this film and its capturing of the disorder(s).
