Movie Analysis Paper and Discussion Board on Abnormal Psychology

Part 1: Movie Analysis Paper

Part 2: Discussion Board

Overview

Recalling and memorizing concepts about abnormal psychology is the easy part but evaluating and analyzing concepts regarding is far more challenging. Each student must submit a paper (Part 1) and a discussion board question and two discussion board responses (Part 2) for a total of 20% of your final grade. Be sure to check the guidelines. For this paper, you need to watch one of the following movies (listed below in Part 1) and answer the reflection questions about them in an essay format. Your essay should provide a comparison of how psychological disorders are presented in movie versus what you have learned about how they manifest and are treated in real life – based on information in your class textbook and one academic peer-reviewed article about the mental disorder portrayed in the movie (PART 1).

Assignments Goals:

• Become more familiar with different mental disorders via its portrayal in a movie.
• To think critically about the movie’s depiction.

Part 1

General instructions:

You will view a movie in which a main character struggles with some form of psychopathology and make sure that your paper answers the following prompts outlined “Reflection Prompts/Questions”. Your essay should provide a comparison of how psychological disorders are presented in movie versus what you have learned about how they manifest and are treated in real life – based on information in your class textbook and one academic peer-reviewed article about the mental disorder portrayed in the movie

Specific instructions:

Select and watch a movie from the list provided. Please make sure that your paper addresses the reflection prompts/questions below. Please provide some evidence or a rationale to support your answers – reference your textbook and academic peer-reviewed article. Your responses should demonstrate not only that you saw the movie, but also a thoughtful, cogent argument for why you answered the way that you did.

Movies to choose from:

• Girl Interrupted
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Silence of the Lambs

Refelection Prompts/Questions:

1. Summarize the movie. Clear evidence that you watched the movie.

2. Please select one character from the movie. What disorder/disorders were depicted?

Character: ________

Disorder(s): _______

3. Describe some of this character’s behaviors (2-3) that are indicative of “abnormality” or “impairment” (for the individual and/or others).

4. (a) Did the representation appear plausible or did it appear to be dramatized/used for entertainment purposes – why or why not?

Part 2

Movie discussion Board:

(a) On the same day the movie analysis paper,  each student should also submit a critical and open-ended discussion question on our Moodle website regarding the movie as it relates to the course material on mental illness (NOT a “yes/no” type of question). Write in formal language, in full sentences, and make sure to spell-check/edit your discussion question before posting it on Moodle. Your question should not exceed 50 words. I would strongly suggest that you write your question in a Word document, save it, then copy and paste it over to Moodle to make sure you have a back-up copy. These questions are meant to initiate a thoughtful and fulsome discussion on the movie, mental illness, and the media.

(b) Over the course of the following week, each student will post at least two relies to your classmates to generate an active, engaging, and intellectual discussion on mental illness as it is portrayed in the movies. Please do not exceed 100 word per response. Also, please be respectful and kind of your classmates.