White Oleander Neglectful Parenting and Depression

The movie White Oleander tells the story of a mother and daughter both trying to survive as best as they can in a cruel world. Ingrid, the mother, fights many dark demons brought on by the men and drugs she has experienced while her sweet and innocent daughter Astrid is forced the bear the blunt of her mother's struggles. Always having to sit on the front lines and watch as her mother drags them into a life of revenge, a life that is all about herself. 

Once and for all, getting her revenge on men who have done her wrong, Ingrid kills her former lover, Barry, after he sleeps with her and then tells her to get out because he has a date. While her mother has been sentenced to life in prison, Ingrid is tossed from foster home to foster home taking bits and pieces from each one about what her life should be like. At her first foster home she experiences the seduction of her older, handsome foster dad and a jealous raging foster mom. This mixture sets off an explosion with Ingrid in the cross fire. The second foster mother is a loving and caring woman name Claire who teaches Astrid what it is really like to have a mother daughter relationship and the feeling of being loved. However, after Claire committees suicided Astrid is put into a foster family of a woman who is all about making money and doing whatever. Finally, Ingrid sees the damage that she has done to her daughter, the price she has had to pay for her mistakes. For the first time ever choosing what was best for Astrid and sacrificing the rest of her life in the mean time. 

Neglectful parenting style involves the parent having little involvement in the child’s life and is unaware of what the child is doing. This is a perfect example for this scene because here Ingrid is showing that she is more concerned about her own well being, rather than that of her child’s. As Astrid says “I new you were going to kill Barry, but you didn’t even care. You didn’t give a damn about what that would do to me.”   The fact that Ingrid forced her daughter to suffer for her mistakes shows that Ingrid's method of parenting was not existent and was thought of more as a friendship.The common outcome of children who have neglectful parents is anxiety about social comparison, lack of initiative, and poor communication skills. As seen in the video Astrid has changed her look dramatically and in earlier parts of the movie is extremely quiet. Also Ingrid shows signs of neglectful parenting when she told Astrid that at age 8 her father came to see her. However, because he had left Ingrid and broken her heart she refused to let him see her. Astrid quickly pointed out that is wasn't about her it was about a father and daughter reuniting and a child needs a father in her life. 

Another psychological principle that is seen in White Oleander is depression. As shown in this scene Astrid is extremely depressed. She has suffered the loss of a loved one, Claire. The first woman that she ever felt truly loved her and a mother like figure that she felt she could tell anything. When Paul, a boy in foster care, reminds her of their plans to move to New York together, she quickly shuts him down as if coming to an understanding that she will never and doesn't deserve happiness. Refusing to look at him and keeping her sentences short, giving off the vibe that she would rather be alone, which is a key symptom in depression. The feeling of hopelessness and withdraw from friends and family are also other key symptoms, which are shown in this clip. (starting at 2 minutes and 53 seconds). 

References: 

The Science of Psychology, author Laura A. King

Help Guide: Teen Depression  http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_teen.htm#sign_and_symptoms 

Learning about Depression                          http://www.pristiq.com/depression_symptoms.aspx?WT.mc_ID=41840D8E-AC2A-4715-8C35-FD0097CBEF89&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_ev=click