Child abuse is as common as it is shocking as several children become traumatized annually due to emotional or physical abuse by their parents and caregivers. Most parents and caregivers do not intend to harm their children; however, child abuse is determined by the impact on the child, not the motive. The problem primarily occurs when a caregiver or parent cause harm, physical or emotional, and exposes a child to such risks. Ignoring the children and exposing them to potential or actual sexual abuse can also be categorized under child abuse. The movie Room, directed by Lenny Abrahamson , explores the subject of child abuse through the experiences of a five-year-old boy named Jack and her mother, Joy. The two were abducted, and for seven years, they were closed inside a small room with no access to the outside world. For Jack, the Room was home while it was a prison to her mother, who he calls Ma throughout the movie. The psychopathy, the risks factors of his experience, the protective factors that came into play, and the therapeutic orientations that apply to the character's case are the primary focus issues.
The Description or Background of the Source
The movie Room as shocking as child abuse practices from the beginning to the end. The first scary statement, "go back to sleep", heard at the beginning of the movie, marks the start of the harrowing of the subsequent experiences of mother and child in an enclosed box like Room after their abduction (Lenny, 2015, Min 5). For Ma, who is the adult in the Room, the place was a prison, while for Jack was young at the time of the abduction, the place was a representation of the entire world. Jack sees the Room as large enough since he does not remember anything from the outside to compare it to, and her mother keeps it that way. The lavatory system on which his paper boat floats in the ocean, the wardrobe where he hides, and under the bed all form a crucial part of Jack's world. Her mother makes the situation a fairy tale to help him make the best out of the situation by aligning the place to the needs of a child growing in a normal house.
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Jack also perceives the world around him differently. For him, there is the “outer space, TV planets and the lastly heaven” (Lenny, 2015). However, there is also an alternative to the place, which is his Grandma's place which his mother tells him for the first time. The latter prepared him for a possible escape, possibly eliminating the shocking experiences upon escaping and noting that all the fairy tales her mother talked about while in captivity were fairy tales. The mother is cautious about creating false hopes and pressure from Jack to get to the alternative location, so she tells him that there are prison bars, wolves and the risks of being sucked into the TV never to return (Lenny, 2015). The approach is among the leading coping mechanism used by Jack's mother to prepare him for all possibilities.
Despite the harrowing experiences, the movie cannot be categorized into either a horror movie or a crime/captivity film. It is much closer to the thriller genre than the rest of the categories based on the heightened and intense suspense and thrills it generates. The film is an explicit illustration of how the human spirit transcends the physical limitations under different circumstances while also outlining the differences between internal and external freedoms. The director tends to focus more on the domesticity aspect than the shrieking claustrophobia of Ma and her son Jack’s situations. The domesticity portrayed in the movie serves as a source of disturbance and reassurance, which are also among the leading elements of child abuse. These are also among the most effectively balanced elements of the movie; however, behind the modern gothic tale of a trapped woman jealously protecting her son from an inherently violent male world.
As the movie progresses, the change of tone is another interesting aspect of child abuse portrayed in the movie. The phenomenon is evident in the change of approach when the captor noticed that Jack has no idea that he has been kidnapped, and to him, the Room is the entire normal world. Old Nick, the kidnapper in the movie, starts to sound like a real kidnapper to unsettle Jack and invoke fear (Lenny, 2015). The level of protection Jack receives from his mother is typical of those of families where one parent is a child abuser. For example, in this case, Old Nick acts like an abusive parent while Ma is the protector. Under normal circumstances, such scenarios also shape the attachment of the affected children in that they tend to be closer to the protectors than the aggressors. The solid relationship between Jack and Ma affirms the accuracy of the above argument. Jack and Old Nick's strenuous connection also proves the point, as seen in the former's hatred and disrespect for the latter throughout the movie.
The child abuse aspects portrayed through the movie is psychological. It is justifiable to claim that limiting children's movement affects their physical and psychological development. The movie proves this point through the experiences of Jack and Ma while locked up in the Room . Imagining that life has been limited to one Room , which becomes an entire world, while the rest of the population are enjoying their freedom is a critical example of abuse. Children who have such experiences develop problems such as low self-esteem, which makes them perceive things negatively (Greger et al.,2017). Such children are also more likely to have unproductive relationships with their opposite gender peers. For example, Jack is more likely to grow up believing that men are dangerous while women are gentle and loving based on the treatments by Old Nick and Ma, respectively. Due to this reason, it is important to balance the love a child receives from both parents. Extreme disparities in the extent of love lead to the development mentioned above issues among children.
Psychopathology of Jack in the Movie
The movie room gives a glimpse into life from the perspective of a traumatic experience in a child's life. The psychological and emotional recovery after the reunion of Joy, her son Jack and the parents after escaping from their captor is another critical aspect of the movie. The possible primary psychopathy in the life of Jack is the incapacity to love people of the same gender based on the harsh treatments received from Old Nick (Lenny, 2015). The elements would more likely feature if the movie extended to cover Jack in his adult age. However, Jack's continued love for his mother and Grandma is an element despite being cautious towards the rest of the members in the initial stages of the reunion with the family. The above is also among the main attachment issues. According to Bernardi and Steyn (2019), children who have experienced abuse at the hands of their fathers are more likely to grow up hating men and loving women and vices versa. Jack is also more likely to develop Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD).
Confining a child or restricting them to specific locations is among the leading aspects of child abuse. Such children grow up without knowing the world outside their confinements, resulting in a lack of interpersonal relationship experiences (Bernardi and Steyn, 2019). The above scenario is more likely to occur in Jack's future life and may ultimately lead to Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). Personality is a combination of an individual's thoughts, behaviours and emotions that defines the uniqueness of an individual and is always shaped from childhood (Bernardi and Steyn, 2019). The experiences such as Jack's in the movie Room are more likely to hurt the above elements that define his uniqueness. For example, growing up in Room, where the only two people he interacts with are his loving mother, Joy, and the abusive captor Old Nick denied him the opportunity to establish other relationships that could shape his thoughts, emotions and behavior differently. As a result, he has only two relational options, which are a precursor for developing Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) in future.
Jack is more likely to develop the other psychopathic behaviour is a disregard for the law and passion for crime. According to Mwangangi (2019), children who experience abuse from perceived criminals are more likely to adopt juvenile tendencies. For example, Jack will probably miss his room experience and attempt to recreate it in his future life, which may lead him to crime. Replaying the same experience may force him to kidnap in the future and expose the captives to similar experiences without feeling guilty because such acts are normal. They can also become some of his leading fantasies in the future, with the potential to make him a serial kidnapper. It is due to this reason that psychotherapy is necessary whenever a child undergoes such abuses for extended periods. After reuniting with her family, the anger displayed by Joy is evidence of the impact of such experiences on individuals. Therefore, it is unimaginable what kind of a person Jack would be, based on her mothers' anger in the aftermath of the ordeal. It is, therefore, justifiable to claim that Jack is more likely to develop delinquent and unlawful behaviour.
The number of prisoners serving various sentences who were incarcerated at a young age reflects the impact of abuse in children's lives. According to Monica et al. (2016), close to 80% of the prison population exhibits a ntisocial personality disorder (ASPD) symptoms. However, psychopathy is relatively lower among adults than children in US prisons. Research shows that between 15-25% of adults in US prisons have psychopathic tendencies. These statistics indicate that children who have been exposed to abuse and end up in prison are more likely to develop a ntisocial personality disorder (ASPD), which would later advance to psychopathy. Jack is also expected to be overly aggressive in his approach to issues.
Having live in a closed room for seven years, under the control of a psychopath, the only language and approach Jack is more likely to understand is aggression. Aggression entails being overly protective of the things or people one loves while hating those that alter the status quo ( Monica et al., 2016). In this scenario, Jack is more likely to hate people who tend to be closer to his mother than himself. It would be interesting to see how things unfold between Jack and his grandparents among other members of the society if the movie would have extended a little more. However, the relationship between Jack and the rest of the world would be relationally inferior, leading to increased aggression in the quest to remain relevant and protective of his world as defined by the experiences in the Room. The same may affect his association with peers in school and the rest of the population, as they may not understand his worldview and vice versa.
The other evident aspect of psychopathy in the movie is fear. In the movie, Jack converts the wardrobe into a hiding place, among the leading characteristics of fear ( Jones et al., 2021). The problem is more likely to increase in the real world, where Jack is expected to interact with more people than he did while in the Room. The pressure to adapt to the new situation may lead to more fear and the creation of more extended or conducive hiding places within and outside of the grandmother's house. Such behavior may lead to disappearance from the family premises whenever there are visitors or more than the usual number of people in the house. The likelihood of the above behaviour necessitates closer monitoring of such individuals during their adaptation stages. Jack is also more likely to develop patterns of hurting others, just as the captor did to him and his mother. In an ideal situation, people who have had adverse experiences at the hands of criminals are more likely to apply the same experiences to hurt others; the practice is among the primary elements of psychopathy (Monica et al., 2016). It is, therefore, justifiable to claim that extreme fear and response by hurting others is among the psychopathy pieces of evidence in the movie.
The Risk Factors
The primary risks factor of the child experience is mental illness. According to Finkelhor (2018) , mental illnesses are more prevalent among people who have a history of child abuse, among other negative experiences. Anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are among the mental disorders that Jack is more likely to experience growing up after his ordeal in the hands of the captors. The other risks factor Jack is expected to experience is inadequate parenting as he is more likely to believe that his father and grandparents failed in protecting him and his mother. As a result, he may end up being an overprotective parent or not fear having a family due to the potential kidnapping risks. Under normal circumstances, he would not wish to have a wife and child who would end up in the hands of kidnappers. Therefore, choosing to stay single may be among his protective strategies.
Among the protective factors that came into play was psychological protection from reality. Joy chose to protect his child from the reality of the situation by converting the Room into an ideal world (Lenny, 2015). She made Jack believe that the Room's walls were the whole world and the outside of the house was heaven, to eliminate anxiety associated with wanting the life a different life from the existing one. Whereas she faced challenges adapting to the situation, Jack experienced non based on the above mentioned protective factor. The other protective factor was physical, as Joy shielded her son from Old Nick whenever he posed a threat. Overall, the movie portrays both the psychological and physical protective factors. However, there was no therapeutic or therapy conducted after the escape despite being some aspects of the same during captivity. Joy acted as the therapist in counselling her son while he adapted to their new situation. She began by making the Room conducive for Jack and told him fantasy or fairy tale stories which proved to be significantly therapeutic.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Child abuse is as common as it is shocking as several children become traumatized annually due to emotional or physical abuse by their parents and caregivers. Most parents and caregivers do not intend to harm their children. However, child abuse is determined by the impact on the child, not the motive. The movie room as shocking as child abuse practices from the beginning to the end. The first scary statement, "go back to sleep", heard at the beginning of the movie, marks the harrowing of the subsequent experiences of mother and child in an enclosed box like Room after their abduction. Jack also perceives the world around him differently. For him, there is the "outer space, TV planets and the lastly heaven". However, there is also an alternative to the place, which is Grandma's place, as her mother tells her for the first time. Despite the harrowing experiences, the movie cannot be categorized into either horror or crime/captivity film. It is much closer to the thriller genre than the rest of the categories based on the heightened and intense suspense and thrills it generates. As the movie progresses, the change of tone is another interesting aspect of child abuse portrayed in the movie. The phenomenon is evident in the change of approach when the captor noticed that Jack has no idea that he has been kidnapped, and to him, the Room is the entire normal world. The child abuse aspects portrayed through the movie is psychological. It is justifiable to claim that limiting children’s movement affects their physical and psychological development. Among the possible psychopathy elements Jack is exposed to is fear and delinquent behaviour. The primary risks factor of the child experience is mental illness and overprotectiveness. The movie portrays both the psychological and physical protective factors.
References
Bernardi, D. A., & Steyn, F. (2019). A model for female-perpetrated domestic violence. Victims & Offenders , 14 (4), 441-461.
Finkelhor, D. (2018). Screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): Cautions and suggestions. Child abuse & neglect , 85 , 174-179.
Greger, H. K., Myhre, A. K., Klöckner, C. A., & Jozefiak, T. (2017). Childhood maltreatment, psychopathology and well-being: The mediator role of global self-esteem, attachment difficulties and substance use. Child abuse & neglect , 70 , 122-133.
Jones, T. M., Bottoms, B. L., Sachdev, K., Aniciete, J., & Gorak, K. (2021). Jurors’ Gender and Their Fear of False Child Sexual Abuse Accusations Are Related to Their Belief in Child Victims’ Allegations. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse , 1-19.
Mwangangi, R. K. (2019). The role of the family in dealing with juvenile delinquency. Open Journal of Social Sciences , 7 (3), 52-63.
