Exploring+The+Psychological+Impact+&+Themes+of+Film

= = =The Psychology Behind The Cinema=

=The Overview= The cinema has had a remarkably profound effect on contemporary society. However with impacts on the opinions and attitudes, there is a remarkably high amount of psychological themes utilized in the cinema. While the intensifying and intellectually stimulating enjoy a "Psychological Thriller", there are psychologically intrinsic themes and overtones that have made a tremendous impact on the market and demographic of such viewings. Plots centered around coping with mental illness or psychiatric adjustment have been popular, the audience whom receive these messages have spread from adult age to children. The morals and values in the cinema have been centered on controversial issues but have shown much scientific evidence of behaviorism and the social learning theory especially when dealing with younger audiences.

Behaviorism & The Social Learning Theory
While there are many contributors to the concepts of Behavioral Conditioning. One of the most famous proponents of learning prior to experience was Albert Bandura's BoBo Doll experiement. While this study focused on learned aggression and violence in children whom are repeating behaviors previously modeled by others. Bandura found that there must be certain conditions in order to effectively model behavior. These conditions: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Bandura noted "reciprocal determinism" as formula for learning. We learn by watching and then later reciprocating the behavior we observed.

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=Movies Expressing Strong Psychological Issues= = =

There have been a group number of movies that have been centered just on the mystery of mental disorders. Although it is surface level, educational documentaries have been used in colleges and universities in order to further understand mental disorders, treatment initiatives, and therapeutic techniques in living with a mild, moderate, or severe mental disorder. While the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is consistently revised, many psychiatrists research have spilled into the cinema as a vehicle to examine the previously unknown. Movies expressing life with a thought or mood disorder have become quite common. Existential psychologists are infatuated with the utilization of film in order to express fundamentally challenging disorders in a modification of cognitive behavioral therapy.The cinema has made common personal stigmas such as life institutionalized and familial challenges when facing mental deficiences more common and less stigmatizing.

Below is a list of movies that are particularly popular for their expression of life adjustment with a mental disorder: //** Running With Scissors - ** Coping with a life with psychological disorders and unethical therapy // //** Sybil - ** A real life examination of an adult female living with Disassociatve Identity Disorder // media type="youtube" key="m1_Z6-v4uT0" height="442" width="542" align="right" //** The Long Kiss Goodnight - ** Disassociative Identity Disorder // //** The Experiment - ** Based loosely on Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study // //** Silence of the Lambs - ** Psycopathology, Antisocial Personality Disorder // //** The Three Faces of Eve - ** Disassociate Identity Disorder // //** Crash - ** Attitudes, Prejudice, Racial Discrimination // //** As Good As it Gets - ** Obsessive Compulsive Disorder // //** Memento - ** The uitilization of short and long term memory // //** Matchstick Men - ** Obsessive-compulsive disorder // //** American History X - ** Prejudice, discrimination, attitudes // //** One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest -** Abnormal Psychology // //** Train- ** Social Anxiety Disorder // //** Control - ** Antisocial Personality Disorder // //** Girl, Interrupted - ** Psychological Disorders // //** Spun - ** Drug Addiction and Withdrawal // //** Normal - ** Gender Identity Disorder // //** Thirteen - ** Issues of adolescence // //** Donnie Darko - ** Abnormal Psychology // //** Benny and Joon - ** Abnormal Psychology // //** Heavenly Creatures - ** Shared psychosis // //** Capturing the Friedmans - ** Pedophilia // //** A Beautiful Mind- ** Schizophrenia // //** Iris - ** Alzheimer's disease // //** Secretary - ** Sadomasochism // //** Rainman - ** Autism //

With the birth of educational film concerning documentaries and fictional plots in dealing with mental disorders, there has been a genre of film born in society. The Psychological Thriller has become a popular and even favorite of many movie watchers. Psychological Thillers are defined bythe psychological elements related to the mind or internal brain proceses. The conflicts are commonly conflicts within their own minds. The conflict and drama is the director's effort to convey what has happened to the characters. The plots usually focuses on character whom is not longer relying on their physical strength but rather on their mental capacity in which is constantly at battle. The suspense can be decieving and entertains those whom enjoy intellectually stimulating literature. While the psychological thriller is usally not known as a scary film, it is rather for those whom want to intellectualize. Most psychological thrillers deal with themes of death, identity, the internal reality and perception, and one's existence and purpose of life. An excellent example of a psychological thriller would be "Shutter Island" and "Premonition.

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= = =//Psychology in Children's Film/Subliminal Messages//= Disney and all children's literature have a serious impact on the development of a children's cognitive and emotional growth. Children can develop language, social skills, and values by viewing cinematic material. Children's films express a deep emotional significance especially Walt Disney movies. The late Wmedia type="youtube" key="qsy3BblcjCA" height="390" width="480" align="right"alt Disney is currently subjected to much debate concerning the sublminal messages and mind control in his children's film. While Walt Disney was believed to been a victim of child abuse, //Pinocchio// has a seen that is truly exemplary of a particular incident of Walt Disney's brutal beatings received by his father. //Bambi// was written as an emotional outpouring from a Austrian Jew whom was writing more for an adult audience than children. The movie paralleled many experiences of persecuted Jews being hunted and sexual brutalized. Current experts have examined the film to express issues concerning incest and pedophilia. Disney's version of //Bambi// has been described by Speilberg as having an emotional effect of watching Bambi as a child and crying the entire time. //Peter Pan// interestingly was used to shift directions from the propaganda about World War II and add some minor violence to attract audiences as the movie studie was in severe debt. Children have taken violence witnesses on the movie screens and replicated the the acts in their behavior or art. The deep psychological wounds on a child have influenced psychology of children profoundly in the 21st century. Violent media is constantly under extreme suspicion for causing children to act aggressively. Bandura's work with adolescents has not proven long term outcomes of violent viewings, however, the impact the movie has on children is extremely significant in their development. Film ratings have been used to categorize the maturity level of children in correlation to the violence and provocative themes expressed. While children literature shows much concerning growth, many subliminal messages have been inserted for unknown rationalizations. Children are unlikely to comprehend the utilization of such messages or conceptualize their purpose, therefore groups have taken action against forms of "mind control" in children literature.

Even Disney is criticized for their exemplification of gender roles and racial stereotypes. The violent battle between two men for love of a women is reflected in many plots. The two videos below show exemplary versions of subliminal messages and society's reinforcement of gender stereotypes.

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=Political Psychology= Many Americans seeking insight attend movies that express political opinion. Perhaps much of the viewings are collected with propoganda and minimal research. However, it is proven that the psychological impact these movies have had on audiences could change opinion, beliefs, and perceptions of American Government. A terrific example of this form of political psychology is Oliver Stone's film JFK. In a study, many respondents found the that the film aroused anger and changed beliefs toward conspiracy theories. The film altered moods, beleifs, judgements, perceptions on the assasination. The themes of political movies can add a persuasive message to political judgements. Many whom engage in watching Poltically based documentaries and films developed a helplessness effect concerning their intentions to take part in a governmental election or make a political contribution. media type="youtube" key="1vW2ryP16Vk" height="390" width="480" align="left"

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=Conclusion=

Whether debated or ignored, there is a strong psychological impact the film industry has had on viewers. By violence or propaganda amongst any age of viewer, ther is an emotional impact on emotions. The psychological consequences on children or adults emotions, cognitions, and perceptions have been reinforced by Psychological film.

=Resources= http://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHHdovKHDNU&feature=related http://www.smccd.edu/accounts/merrill/PSYCHOLOGY%20AND%20MOVIES.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwJ9RJgsmOQ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_thriller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAB30u_hH7c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zf2nCiBJLo Scholarly article taken from JSTOR : "The Psychological Impact of Viewing the Film //JFK:// Emotions, Beliefs, and Poltical Behavioral Intentions" http://allpsych.com/journal/violentmedia.html http://www.winmentalhealth.com/childrensmoviesmediaeffects.php