"White Oleander" is a film directed by Peter Kominsky, centered around a girl, Astrid, who must deal with the repercussions of her narcissistic mother's actions. Astrid struggles to cope with the murder that her mother committed and the stressful situations that ensue. Astrid learns to recognize her mother's narcissistic, self-centered tendencies and lessens her own burden by separating herself from her mother. "White Oleander" is not only compelling because of its entertaining plot, but also because of its insight into certain psychological disorders. The character of the mother, Ingrid, displays many qualities of a narcissist while daughter Astrid displays traits of post traumatic stress disorder. When examined through the eyes of a psychotherapist, "White Oleander" proves to be a valuable tool in examining these disorders.
Narcissism in the character of the Mother, Ingrid
Ingrid, the mother of Astrid exemplifies many of the traits of a narcissist. In this scene, some of the traits that are considered to be narcissistic are subtly portrayed. To be diagnosed as having narcissistic personality disorder, a person must exhibit at least five out of the nine traits described in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fourth Edition) (Vaknin). Ingrid displays many of these traits, perhaps enough to qualify her as having the personality disorder, in a scene in which she talks with her daughter, Astrid (as seen below).
Astrid has come to visit Ingrid in the prison, and talks to her about her life with her foster family. As Ingrid embraces Astrid lovingly, she whispers to her "Don't cry. we're not like that. We're the Vikings, remember?" It is clear in this situation that Ingrid views the pair of them as somewhat more special than the rest of humankind, evidence of Ingrid's own self-importance, a characteristic of narcissism that becomes all the clearer as the scene progresses. This interaction represents another classic characteristic of narcissism, the feeling that one "is unique and, being special, can only be understood by [...] other special or unique, or high-status people," in this case Ingrid's own flesh and blood, her daughter (Ashmun).
When Astrid asks about prison life, Ingrid responds that "“There’s no hypocrisy [in prison]. Kill or be killed, and everyone knows it.” Ingrid displays her lack of empathy here, and also appears unemotional and tough-minded as narcissists often do. To Ingrid, everything is black and white, another common attribute of narcissists (Narcissistic Personality Disorder).
Ingrid cannot handle criticism of herself, but she is overly critical and contemptuous of others, as evidenced when Ingrid berates the family taking care of Astrid, calling them "bible-thumping trailer trash."
Ingrid also lacks regret and shame for killing a her former lover. When Astrid says she is praying for her mother's redemption, Ingrid responds, “Fuck my redemption. I don’t want to be redeemed. I regret nothing.” Ingrid also acts out in a burst of anger, showing the signs of temper tantrums due to criticism common with narcissists (Vaknin).
At the end of the scene, Ingrid tells Astrid, "I’m the only person you know who can keep you honest [...]Don’t forget who you are, Astrid. You are my daughter and you are perfect," further demonstrating Ingrid's own feelings of self-importance and perfection, transferred to her daughter through inheritance (Ashmun).
It is clear that Ingrid may have narcissitic personality disorder. How did she get it, though? There are several theories of the causes of narcissitic personality disorder. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is not known what causes narcissitic personality disorder. It is seems, however, that Ingrid's problem stems from when her first husband left her, and that her narcissism is a cover for a sense of secret shame and humiliation. Ingrid's problems do not seem to stem from a dysfunctional childhood and attachment problems (as theories such as Freud's psychoanalytic theory suggest) (Vaknin).
Narcissism Scene Continued (End time- 2:20):
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in the character of Astrid:
Astrid seems to show signs of post traumatic stress disorder, an anxiety disorder that develops after a traumatic event (Page). In this case, the traumatic event that Astrid experiences is the violence between her mother and the lover. We first see Ingrid experience a symptom of PTSD when she is trying to fall asleep and and experiences a disjointed flashback to a scene of violence between her mother and her mother's lover. A flashback is defined as "reliving a traumatic event in one's past" (Tull). As with many PTSD flashbacks, Astrid's flashback is triggered from sensory input that reminds her of the initial stressful event (Tull). In this scene, it is the noises of lovemaking from the next room that remind Astrid of the sounds from the initial violent event which cause her to have a flashback. It seems as if Astrid also experiences a feeling of disocciation, defined as "a feeling disconnection from one's surroundings," as she has her flashback (Tull).
As is common with PTSD, Astrid also shows signs of having trouble sleeping and having
nightmares. Other points in the movie provide more evidence for the claim that Astrid may
have PTSD, such as "constricted ability to feel emotions" (as evidenced in her relationship with
Paul) and "sudden changes in lifestyle" (As she frequently changes her outward appearence) (Page).
PTSD Flashback Clip:
Citations:
Ashmun, J. M. (2004). What is a personality disorder? Retrieved May 10, 2009, from
http://www.halcyon.com/jmashmun/npd/dsm-iv.html
Cohen, S., Gaylord, E., II, Harms, K., & Markey, P. (Producers), Donaghue, M. A., & Fitch, J.
(Writers), & Kosminsky, P. (Director). (2002). White oleander [Motion picture]. United States:
Gaylord Films. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from Youtube Web site: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=na--Do2-6bM
Narcissitic Personality Disorder. (2007, November 27). Retrieved May 10, 2009, from Mayo Clinic Web
site: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652/
DSECTION=symptoms
Page, S. R., Dr. (2005, November 29). Children and post-traumatic stress disorder. Retrieved May 10,
2009, from Chils Trauma Acamdemy site: http://www.childtrauma.org/CTAMATERIALS/PTSDfn_03_v2.pdf
Tull, M., PhD. (2008, April 29). Definition of Flashbacks. Retrieved May 11, 2009, from About Web
site: http://ptsd.about.com/od/glossary/g/flashbacks.htm
Vaknin, S. (n.d.). Narcissistic personality disorder- diagnostic criteria. Retrieved May 10, 2009,
from http://samvak.tripod.com/personalitydisorders12.html
No comments:
Post a Comment