The protagonist in the movie The Blind Side , Michael Oher is a troubled black kid who has never experienced a balanced life when growing up. Born to a crack addicted mother and an absentee father, Oher grew up to be a dysfunctional kid who has been in and out of the system while experiencing the worst it had to offer. However, the hope is not lost as Oher ends up in the caring hands of Leigh Anne Tuohy. This paper is a psychological analysis of Oher’s development from the lens of different psychological theories. It will discuss the protagonist of the movie from cognitive, identity/personality, physical, moral, and socio-cultural points of view.
Physical Point of View
Oher is best described as a tall giant, and goes by the nickname “Big Mike.” Despite the difficulties he faced in other aspects of his life, Oher physically developed and above the height and weight of his peers. Though he has no physical deformities, he lacks fine motor skills, which he more than makes up for in gross motor skills. On the field, Oher is a terror as the defensive lineman for his team. However, Oher’s mental abilities have been affected by his experiences, as explored in the following sections.
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Cognitive Point of View
The best theory to explain Oher’s cognitive development were posited by Lev Vygotsky, whose base axiom was that imaginative play and social interactions are key to a child’s development and transition into a functioning adult. The movie does not show scenes of Oher’s childhood. However, his character’s origin story depicts a distraught and homeless child for most of his childhood. In between the foster homes and living on the streets, Oher did not have the time to play and develop the social skills that Vygotsky posits are the result of the freedom to play. Furthermore, Oher is most likely traumatized by his childhood experiences, especially when his mother is taken away and he keeps getting flashbacks in his adolescence.
On the other hand, Vygotsky also identified adults as an essential component to a child’s cognitive development. Their role is to pass down culture and knowledge for the child to internalize and form their worldview (zone of proximal development). Oher lacked this fundamental development, as he bounced around different schools. His parents are not present to assist him and his teachers do not have time to focus on him for he leaves as soon as he arrives. These teachers taught him “just enough passing grades to send him to the next school.”
Identity/Personality/Temperament Point of View
Oher’s personality development is best described by Erikson’s theory, which is grounded on the fact that human personality and identity are largely influenced by their social aspects, such as their social environment. As the child advances through the 8 stages of development, they must balance between the new instincts and reconcile them with their burgeoning identities. With time, the ego will find a balance between the self and the environment, which are the seeds of virtues like competence, will, and hope. Oher, however, is left to fend for himself in a hostile environment, thus is unable to reach and pass the first five stages: trust, infancy, toddlerhood, preschool, and childhood.
Without adult guidance, Oher would have not been able to reach the final stages, autonomy, initiative, and industry. It should be noted that these final three stages are the purpose of development and mark an individual with a fully developed identity/temperament and is ready to challenge the world alone. On the other hand, Oher’s peers (such as the Tuohy children) are able to rely on their family for support and have strong adult figures throughout their childhoods, unlike Oher’s childhood experiences. The consequence of the stunted development is that Oher finds it difficult to interact and connect to new environments, such as Wingate School. The following excerpt written by Oher explains his difficulties.
I look and I see white everywhere. White walls, white floors and a lot of white people. The teachers do not know, I have no idea of anything they are talking about. I do not want to listen to anyone especially the teachers. They are giving me homeworks and expecting me to do the problems on my own. I have never done homework in my life. I got to the bathroom and look in the mirror and say “This is not Michael Oher”
Moral Point of View
Oher’ moral development is best explained by Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. In the first stage (pre-conventional morality), the individual does not have a code of morality. Their behavior is instead shaped by the surrounding adults and the consequences of breaking their imposed rules. Oher’s constant movement from home to home is evidence that he has passed this level and understands what is being done to him is wrong. In the second stage (conventional morality), the individual understands and internalize the societal moral standards taught by adults. It is only after Oher joins the Tuohy family that he gets through this stage. As a result, Oher is able to form and sustain good interpersonal relationships. In contrast, the only people Oher could communicate effectively before meeting the Tuohy’s were kindergarten children.
In the last stage of Kohlberg’s theory (post-conventional morality), the individual understands the existence or rules and the need for people to protect each other when others attempt to break them. It should be noted that Oher is best described as one with very protective instincts, according to his score on an aptitude test. Furthermore, Leigh Anne is able to exploit said instincts to make him the best natural defensive lineman for his team.
Socio-Cultural Point of View
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory bests describes Oher’s character from a socio-cultural point of view. For instance, Oher’s micro system changes throughout his childhood, starting with his crack addicted mother, perpetually absent father, and the neighborhood where drugs and gang activity is rampant. However, in the later parts of his life, Oher’s micro system is made up of mostly positive influences, especially his new family, the Tuohy’s.
The mesosystem, on the other hand, indicates an individual’s relationship with different ecosystems and how they influence their development. For instance, as Oher passes through 11 schools due to his troubled family history, his school experience is affected as his teachers gave him “just enough passing grades to send him to the next school.” This is in contrast to Oher’s experience at Wingate, where Oher says the following about his teachers: “They are giving me homeworks and expecting me to do the problems on my own. I have never done homework in my life.” As a result, Oher feels separated from his identity and has trouble accepting and adapting to his new reality.
Oher’s exosystem, on the other hand, is described by the relationship between his mother and Leigh Anne Tuohy, with whom he develops a deep bond. It is like his displaced affections to his mother (that were never reciprocated) were fulfilled by Leigh Anne’s affections and caring. All of these, however, are precipitated by Oher’s macrosystem, where he was born to an African American family in a country where his ethnicity puts him in a disadvantageous position. Lastly, Oher’s chronosystem explains a significant transition from a life alone and on the street to having a caring family that provides support and help as needed. Oher’s life transitioned when he met Leigh Anne.
