Summary of the movie plot, in your own words (1/2 page maximum) (5 pts)
The movie tells a story of the dissolution of a middle-class family based in Illinois. Many changes happen in the family when Buck, the eldest son, dies during a fatal boat accident. It gives a clear picture of the elaborate perverse narcissism behavior of Beth, the mother, who thrives only in social acceptance.
The narration of the story is through the youngest son, Conrad, who hurts the most from his mother’s attitude towards him and the general ambiance in the family home. An introduction occurs to a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, who helps him deal with survivor’s guilt, post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as his attempted suicide. Finally, Beth and Calvin separate when Beth leaves for Europe. Calvin and Conrad come together, and they commit to improving their relationship.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
B. What is the major psychological disorder that Conrad suffers from? Discuss the etiology (symptoms) of his psychological disorder. How do the symptoms interfere in his life? Substantiate your answer with information from the film and your textbook. Make sure you cite the textbook in your answer. (10 pts)
Conrad has post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, seen in people who have been through any shocking event like a fatal accident, a terrorist attack or a natural disaster (Grison & Gazzaniga, 2019, p.560). The PTSD is seen in Conrad because he witnessed the death of his brother in the boating accident. The movie speaks volumes about the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder as seen in Conrad which include; nightmares and flashbacks, irritability, anger, disconnection from others, avoidance of the memory of the traumatic event, insomnia, loss of appetite and suicidal thoughts (Grison & Gazzaniga, 2019, p. 560). As the title in the movie suggests, mental illness can affect even the most ordinary people or privileged of families.
The symptoms indicated in Conrad’s PTSD affect his daily life in that, one of the scenes in the movie, he chooses to quit the swim team even though his coach encourages him not to. He also tries to help him through it and change his mind about leaving the team, but Conrad was not interested in the activity anymore. Another example of how PTSD affected Conrad’s daily life is that he was always a straight-AA student, but after he came back to school after the loss of his brother, his concentration was not as high as it used to be. There is a scene where Conrad’s teacher asks him what his thoughts were about a book they were talking about, but he could not come up with an answer ( Ordinary People , 1980). Another scene shows Buck’s best friend, Joe, asking Conrad to let him in so that they can talk about what he is going through, but Conrad says that it is too hard to hang out with his because he reminded him so much of Buck.
C. How does Conrad cope with his illness? What steps does he take to be treated? What impact does the treatment have on his life? Support your answer by citing specific examples from the movie. ( 10 pts )
At first, Conrad does not cope very well with his illness even after his hospitalization for four months after attempting suicide. The hospitalized isolation helped him because he did not have to encounter people or things that reminded him of his brother, Buck. When he moves back home, all the memories of his brother roll back in, and he continues to suffer from PTSD ( Ordinary People , 1980).
In the movie, Ordinary People , Conrad seeks the help of a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, because he wanted to take measures on his mental illness. He slowly begins to trust Dr. Berger because he has an abrasive style and a commitment to assist Conrad with his troubles. Conrad was able to make progress with the psychiatrist without the fear of misjudgment or misunderstanding as it had happened previously with his parents.
The treatment helped Conrad in many positive ways; for example, he was able to absolve himself of the survivor’s guilt he carried around due to his brother’s death. He can see past the guilt, and even at the end of the movie, he makes amends with his father to create a better relationship for the two.
D. What part does the therapist play, including valuable information, generally of the relationship between Conrad and his therapist? What type of therapy is Conrad’s therapist using? Describe specific techniques and evaluate their effectiveness for Conrad. What other therapy techniques might the therapist use? Substantiate your answer with information from the film and your textbook. Make sure you cite the textbook in your answer. (15 pts)
The therapist plays a crucial role in Conrad’s recovery because he pays attention, and he allows him to pour out his feelings and emotions on the death of his brother. The therapist does a good job in one of the scenes when he tells Conrad, “Feeling is not selective, and maybe you have to feel lousy sometimes to feel a little better,” ( Ordinary People , 1980). There is also an instance where Conrad indicates that he is angry at Buck for not holding onto the boat. Dr. Berger understands that he has survivor’s guilt, and he tells him that he was the stronger one, and this helped reduce the guilt. The relationship between Dr. Berger and Conrad a friendship. Friendship is a tool to cement a good foundation to allow Conrad to share what he is experiencing. They both cross the doctor-patient line and, this happens to be what Conrad needs at this point in his life, and the therapist understands this outlook.
Dr. Berger uses humanistic therapy, which mainly emphasizes active listening. For example, in Ordinary People (1980), Conrad gets angry at his mother as they set up the Christmas tree. During the next session, Dr. Berger listens to the story and occasionally stops him from reviewing the main points to the story. “So, you bought the tree, and everything was going well? And then what happened after that? Dr. Berger also uses cognitive therapy, where he introduces Conrad on how to think about a particular element of his life in more adaptive ways (Grison & Gazzaniga, 2019, p. 561). This type of therapy allows Conrad to understand that his brother’s death was not his fault. The realization lifts a heavy load from Conrad because he can forgive himself.
E. How does Conrad’s illness impact his relationship with his mother and father? Support your discussion with evidence from the movie. Make sure you discuss his mother and father separately! (10 pts)
The Jarrett’s’ have always seen themselves as usual people, but this changed after the death of their son. When he comes back home, the relationship with his father and mother has entirely changed for the worst. He sees that his father is looking into his every behavior, checking for signs of self-harm from him. Both parents indeed care for Conrad, but they have contrasting ways of expressing it. Calvin believes that conveying information will facilitate in eliminating the hurt, and on the other hand, Beth is willing to move forward and to forget the past.
In one of the therapy sessions, Dr. Berge asks Calvin, who worries the most, and he answers the lines of, “My dad mostly.” When the therapist asks about his mother, Beth, he indicates, “She is not the worrying type.” Conrad feels that his mother does not care about him. He even says, “My mother and I do not have any connection whatsoever” ( Ordinary People , 1980). Conrad’s father feels responsible for the attempted suicide of his son, and he feels like he should have given his son more attention. Concerning the matter, Beth thinks that Calvin pays too much attention to their son, and she also feels that Conrad is trying to destroy her by not talking to her. At some point, Conrad tells his mother that he would give her more details of his anguish if he thought she was still caring.
F. Describe 2 other characters in the movie ( besides his parents and his therapist ). Discuss how Conrad’s illness impacts his relationship with both of these characters. Do these characters help or hinder Conrad’s recovery? (10 pts)
Jeannine Pratt is a new student at Lake Forest; she is in the choir with Conrad. They end up realizing that they had severe problems in their past, and they can both open up about it to each other without judgment. Conrad’s illness impacts his relationship with Jeannine positively in that they are both able to bond over their misfortunes.
The interaction helps Conrad’s recovery. After all, she elaborates that no one is perfect and even gave an example with herself that she moved to town because she got into trouble doing drugs and stealing in the old city ( Ordinary People , 1980).
Joe Lazenby is another character in the movie, who is a member of the school swim team. He is proactive in his attempts to help Conrad recover but, Conrad distances himself from him, which puts a strain in the relationship. This friendship hinders Conrad’s recovery because he indicates that Joe reminds him too much of his diseased brother, Buck.
References
Grison, S., & Gazzaniga, M. S. (2019). Psychology in Your Life (3rd ed., pp. 558-561). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Schwary, R. (Producer), &Redford, R. (Director). (1980). Ordinary People [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Pictures.
