The movie, Blind Side, has embodied many developmental concepts, such as social-economic factors, interracial families, and developmental disorders, using Michael Oher as the main character. The movie the Blind Side is a perfect example, which portrays developmental concepts, as read in the textbook ( Hancock, 2009, 0:03:17 ) . Michael depicts all the struggles in interacting with different segregated people and improving his self-esteem. Within the plot, one can identify some developmental theories such as Erik Erikson’s psychological theory and Maslow's hierarchy needs theory, which explains Michael's psychological development. The movie starts by introducing Michael as a poor Black American footballer who had an absentee father and a drug-addict mother, hailing from the impoverished village of Memphis, Tennessee ( Hancock, 2009, 0:04:27 ). Michael did not enjoy a family in his childhood and ran from different foster homes to take care of his mom. The villagers termed him as a runner because of running from the foster homes and different schools. Michael had a poor performance in school, making many learning institutions to reject his attendance. During one of his practicing sessions in the school's basketball court, the school's football coach identified him and convinced the Breviaries Christian high school to enroll him ( Hancock, 2009, 0:06:43 ). After enrolment, Michael became the only Black American student in the school. Michael scored zero in his first quiz because he was not familiar with the school's work, and he had unlikeable attitudes about the whites. Besides, at the age of seventeen, Michael was shaped by his surroundings to believe less in himself as he struggled with racial identification and low life within his community.
It was apparent that with no parental guidance, Michael would succumb to drug misuse and school truancy. Besides, many psychological studies iterate that children have no power to choose their childhood circumstances and family setup, a foundation for good adult life. However, Michael’s inevitable fate is changed when he met the Tuohy family, who provided him with a comfortable social and economic environment by ensuring he can afford what was impossible in a previous life ( D'Souza & Gurin, 2016, p. 213) . The family provided him with a place to live, opportunities, and the right family. Many psychological studies have iterated that children do not decide their childhood development and growth or the family setup they would like to grow up in ( Knight, 2017, p. 1049) . However, when the family decided to take Michael in, he overcame the inevitable fate and got a great chance to improve his psychology, talent, and education.
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Maslow's theory of the hierarchy of needs can be used to comprehend Michael's growth and development progress. According to Maslow, there are some psychological growth levels illustrated by a pyramid structure ( D'Souza & Gurin, 2016, p. 112) . In the illustration, one cannot proceed to the next level without succeeding in the precedent level. The lowest level includes the realization of basic needs, such as shelter, food, and drinks. When individuals can afford these basic needs, they proceed to the next level: security and safety. The feeling of safety incorporates the sense of belonging and self-esteem, which could have lacked Michael’s life while living in his former community. The highest level is self-actualization, where individuals can decide by themselves what they want in life ( D'Souza & Gurin, 2016, p. 113) . Besides, Maslow emphasizes that all individuals are susceptible to basic needs regardless of their race, gender, or culture. A person can overcome the psychological oppression if allowed to actualize their dreams.
The Tuohy family met Michael's needs by providing food, shelter, and a home. His room was furnished with a good bed, thus meeting the first level of need. Later, his safety and security were assured by being enrolled in a school, which provided him with a safe environment, far in quality from what he got in his previous home. Michael transited to the next level when he identified himself with the Tuohy family when he was told that he was loved and appreciated. When the family asked Michael if he would be happy as their legal child, Michael replied amazed them by replying that he thought he was already a family member. The adoption in the family changed his life dynamically because he had no perfect family at all. In the new family, he was given a sense of belonging and could now combat his poor economic background and low family setup ( D'Souza & Gurin, 2016, p. 214) . The family was also encouraged to participate in the school’s football matches, which renewed his energy to combat negative psychological development. A right family and an excellent psychological setup enabled Michael to overrun the predicted cycle of failing in families and poverty.
Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development philosophy, which is characterized mostly by teenagers' psychological development, can be used to explain the impediments faced by Michael as he transited into adulthood. As portrayed in the movie, the dominant predicament entails the identity versus role muddle and industry versus inferiority ( Dunkel & Harbke, 2017, p. 60) . The feel of inferiority is shown where Michael feels inferior and cannot do things as they are supposed to be done. In high school, Michael turns in a paper completely unanswered and complains that the white people are overwhelming him with work, which he was not used to doing. The teachers labeled him as a student who was not ready to learn. However, within the course of learning, the tutors identified that Michael was good at other educational fields such as oral examination and in values such as protective instincts. The teachers resolved to concentrate on his strengths, and eventually, Michael overcame the psychological obstacle ( Dunkel & Harbke, 2017, p. 65) . The identity versus role confusion is contributed by what the society expects from someone. The initial community setup expected Michael to behave poorly with a timid state. On the other hand, the Tuohy family expected Michael to thrive in football and become a star. This predicament can be illustrated where; Michael fails to identify the school which he wants to attend. Michael was confused because he did not believe the Tuohy family would continue supporting him until the end. After a lengthy consultation, he agreed to attend Mississippi with a football scholarship. According to Knight (2017) (1057), by choosing the Mississippi school, he combated the doubt of identity by accepting to be a full member of the Tuohy family and continue the family legacy in football.
The movie ends when the family drops Michael off at school on his first day in college. The family is confident that leaving Michael alone will enable him to continue in enveloping his psychological actualization. Because the family had met all the needs, Michael got an opportunity to set and actualize his dreams. All the people around Michael believed in him because they supported him economically and socially.
References
D'Souza, J., & Gurin, M. (2016). The Universal Significance of Maslow’s Concept of Self-Actualization. The Humanistic Psychologist , 44 (2), 210-214. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/hum0000027.
Dunkel, C. S., & Harbke, C. (2017). A Review of Measures of Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development: Evidence for a General Factor. Journal of Adult Development , 24 (1), 58-76. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/510804-016-9247-4.
Knight, Z. G. (2017). A Proposed Model of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Linked to Erik Erikson's Eight Stages of Psychosocial Development. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy , 24 (5), 1047-1058. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2066.
Hancock, J. L. (Director). (2009). The Blind Side [Film] . Warner Bros. Copy.
