White Oleander is an extremely thought provoking movie that demonstrates several examples of psychological principals. Astrid Magnussen is a 15 year-old girl living in California with her mother Ingrid. After murdering her boyfriend, Ingrid is sent to prison for life, leaving Astrid to go through several foster homes. In the process, she experiences religion, violence, drugs, suicide, and ultimately how it feels to be loved. In this analysis, I have chosen to focus on conformity and Erikson’s theory of development as Astrid journeys into adulthood.
Conformity is defined as changing or adapting our behaviors or attitudes so that they are consistent with the social norms of the groups to which we belong. Social norms include the attitudes and standards of behavior expected of members of a particular group. Conformity is vividly illustrated in the scene ( 7:00) where Astrid is living with her third foster family. Her foster mom, Rena, is obsessed with money and tries to sell anything she can just to get more money.One day at their yard sale, Astrid finds Rena trying to sell her dress that Claire (her previous foster mom) gave her. She initially does not want to sell it. Eventually Rena convinces her to forget about its sentimental value, and she sells the dress. As the movie continues, Astrid begins to conform to the habits and lifestyle of her foster family. She begins dressing more provocatively, dies her hair black and starts smoking. Astrid’s change in behavior to coincide with her new environment is an illustration of conformity.
Conformity takes many forms and affects many aspects of people’s lives. It commonly occurs in high schools. The clip below from the movie Mean Girls, illustrates an example.Katy never gossiped or said mean things before coming to high school. After being placed in a negative environment and hanging out with girls who talked badly about others, she began to conform to their behaviors and do the same.
Erikson’s theory of development proposes eight psychosocial stages of development. Each stage represents a developmental task or crisis that a person must negotiate. Each stage is a turning point with two opposing possible outcomes: greater personal competence or greater weakness and vulnerability. In the movie, Astrid is in the “identity versus identity confusion stage”( King 121). In this stage individuals are faced with finding who they are and where they are going in life.The exploration of careers and alternative solutions to roles are important dimensions.Astrid illustrates this in the finalscene (2:20)in the movie. She states, “I couldn't understand the beginning until I had reached the end” (White Oleander).Throughout the entire movie, she struggles to find her own identity and what her purpose for life is outside of what her mother wants her to be. She finally convinces her mother to “let her go,” and she moves to New York with her boyfriend to be an artist. Although she knows that a piece of her is always going to be with her mother, she has explored life and decides to move on and follow her passion.
King, L. (2008). The science of psychology: An appreciative view.Boston: McGraw-Hill.
During the movie White Oleander, Astrid is passed from foster parent to foster parent after her mother, Ingrid, is put in jail for the murder of her boyfriend. Her mother is an artist and pays little attention to Astrid and her needs. She seems to treat her like a toy. Something that is hers and no one else's but something that is not as important as she and her needs are. Astrid is useful as a source of entertainment when Ingrid needs it or as something that is around when she needs to feel loved. Astrid is never really viewed as a person with equal worth as Ingrid. Ingrid exhibits a Neglectful parenting style when raising Astrid. "Neglectful parenting is a style in which parents are uninvolved in their child's life. Children whose parents are neglectful tend to be less competent socially, to handle independence poorly and, especially, to show poor self-control." (King 125) Children raised under this style begin to feel that parts of their parent’s lives are more important than they are. Astrid feels that her mother’s art is much more important than she is. Based on the basic definition of this parenting style is effects Astrid very poorly. Ingrid is unable to give Astrid the love she needs and instead gives her little things that make Astrid think she is loved when in fact Ingrid is just using Astrid to make herself feel better. For example, when Ingrid puts Astrid as the centerpiece in her art piece she is giving Astrid a sign that she cares about her but at the same time she is insulting her because as Astrid pointed out all of the people in that collage are helpless and sad. Ingrid holds on to Astrid telling her “I made you. I'm in your blood. You don't go anywhere until I let you go”. She forces Astrid to conform to what she wants while giving nothing in return. Because of all of this Astrid is used to becoming like whoever the predominant person in her life is. As she goes from foster home to foster home her image and sense of self, changes as her foster parents do. She explains this to Ingrid when Ingrid is angry that she is becoming Christian like her first foster family, saying that she taught Astrid to think for herself. Astrid replies with “No you didn't. You raised me to think like you.” Astrid is unable to be independent until Ingrid lets her go, only once that happened could Astrid become her own person. Because of all of this when Astrid goes to live with her first foster parent, Starr, she conforms to her style and mannerisms and has a major lack of control over her self which causes problems later. In the scene I chose to demonstrate this Astrid is visiting her mother in prison to talk about whether or not she will testify in court for her. Astrid realizes that for once she has the power over her mother because she has something that Ingrid wants. So she forces her mother to tell her anything she wants to know. Mainly she wants to know who “Annie”, the woman she keeps drawing is. Ingrid explains that she was a woman in their neighborhood who took care of Astrid when she did not want to.
When Astrid moves to her first foster family Starr, a former alcoholic stripper who had discovered Christianity and tries to repent by becoming a foster mother, receives her. Starr lives with her three children and her boyfriend Ray in a trailer. During her stay with Starr, Astrid lives in relative harmony with her two foster brothers and her foster sister. However, she begins an odd relationship with Ray. This can be attributed to her need to feel loved to fill the void that her mother left as well as to her lack of self-control or social competency because of the way her mother raised her. Starr’s parenting style is much different than that of Ingrid’s. She is a more authoritative parent. "Authoritative parenting encourages children to be independent but still places limits and controls on their behavior. Children whose parents are authoritative tend to be socially competent, self-reliant, and socially responsible. "(King 125) While Starr may not be the best parent she was a good one by the basic definition. She was involved in all of her children’s lives, she cared and provided for them and she had rules but not ones that were impossible to follow. One example of this is when she is talking bout how Astrid should follow the church. She says, “He who believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall live. And don't you forget it, missy.” Starr tries her best to do well by her kids, taking them to the movies and buying them clothes as well as making sure they get to school and have everything they need. At the same time she does lay down some rules so that there is order in the household. Because Astrid is not with her for long, once she leaves she goes back to her original state. But before she leaves, Astrid manages to drive Starr back to drinking and in doing so tears her family apart. Even though Starr tried to help she could not out do what Ingrid had already done to Astrid. During the scene I chose to demonstrate this principle Starr is warning Astrid. She believes that Astrid is trying to take Ray away from her and is threatening to send Astrid away. While this may not seem nice she is only trying to protect herself and her family and what Astrid is doing is wrong. However, she shows her good side by agreeing to give Astrid another chance after she promises not to do anything to jeopardize the family.
White Oleander is a captivating movie about the bond between a less than perfect mother and her powerful and gifted daughter, Astrid. Astrid is young and impressionable, making it very easy for this dangerous mother to shape her into what she wants Astrid to become. Astrid's mother, Ingrid, is very cold-hearted to the world around her, which she views as being powerful,
"Love humiliates you. Hatred cradles you".
After Ingrid ends up in prison for killing her "lover" , Astrid is on her own in the world and forced to travel from home to home in search of both love and to find herself. Beyond being a craftily filmed movie with a plot line that will have you hooked until the end, the film is important for the many psychological principles that it portrays. Two psychological principles that I will discuss are a neglecting method of parenting and conformity.
Ingrid is a "powerful" woman, with endless judgments to express . She believes that religion, especially Christianity, makes you "Bible-thumping trailer trash" and she prides herself on her ability to think for herself. Ingrid lashes out on the world, because deep within she is powerless. She is full of so many emotions and so much hurt that she has no control of her words and actions. This is the basis behind the parenting style that Ingrid has used on her daughter. Ingrid's parenting style is neglect, my first psychological principle, which is best proven in the scene where Astrid shows up at the jail dressed as a goth. Although Ingrid thinks she knows her daughter best, she never asks what Astrid thinks, so she really does not know her daughter at all. Astrid expresses her memories of being left alone with somebody, other than her mother, when she was a small child. Ingrid is horrified that her daughter could recall this past, as she was merely a baby. Ingrid confesses to the accusation of leaving her baby alone and says that she could not handle the task of parenthood. She claims that Astrid was "latching on to (her) like a spider" and so she went to the beach where she could nap during the day and make love all of the time. In this scene, Ingrid proves to be permissive and uninvolved in Astrid's life, possibly leading to the insecure attachment that the mother and daughter are now facing. (This scene is available if you click here and watch from 0:03).
Astrid spends most of her life without a stable support system or a constant supply of love. She travels foster home to foster home in search of something that she is missing, a place she belongs. Through the different homes she goes to, each household has a different style of life that causes the young and vulnerable Astrid to mold to what's around her. The second psychological principle expressed in the movie is conformity. Conformity refers to changing and adapting your behaviors so that they are consistent with the norms around you. This principle is best expressed in the scene where she moves in with the Russian woman and her children. They are at the market where they sell clothing to make money. Astrid notices all of her beautiful dresses from Claire (her favorite foster mother) hanging up around the shop. She immediately attests and confronts the Russian mother. When a person tries to buy one of her dresses, with only a few words of encouragement, Astrid gives in and sells it for $100. This scene marks the turning point in her life, a point in which she completely lets go of her past and conforms to exactly what she sees in this new family. She starts a life of partying and wearing dark clothing and make up, just to fit in. (This scene is available if you click here and watch from 7:01).
In conclusion, through a childhood of neglect and the need to conform, the movie shows Astrid growing up and eventually becoming a woman who was able to put together all of the pieces of the puzzle that she had been missing. At the end of the film, Astrid cries when she finally admits "She let me go". Both Astrid and her mother have learned what it means to have a true bond full of love. True love means not lying for your mother to get her out of something that she did wrong. It is about sacrificing time together as a family to do what is right and best, for the first time in Astrid's life, for the BOTH of them. "White Oleander is posionous. I don't know why people grow it."
For a brief synoposis of the movie, please feel free to watch the movie below:
Quotes and other information borrowed from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283139/quotes
White Oleander is a film that is inventive and was beautifully filmed, artistically speaking, but it is much more than just a moving story captured with inventive camera work. When one looks at the characters individually it is apparent that each person is complex and can be analyzed scientifically using psychological principles. This film is abundant in scenes and characters that clearly demonstrate specific psychiatric principles: however, I have chosen to focus on the presence of Depression, specifically Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Narcissism.
The character Ingrid, an artist who was sentenced to prison for murdering her boyfriend, is a Narcissist. Narcissism is a Cluster B personality disorder that is characterized by individuals with an unrealistic sense of self-importance, the inability to accept criticism, a tendency to manipulate others, and that lack empathy (King, 2008, p. 556). Narcissists also tend to value their beauty and talents more than the average person, believe himself or herself to be “special” or “different,” need constant admiration, and are arrogant. “Research shows that narcissists become aggressive when they feel an ego threat—confronted with proof that they aren't special—or feel they aren't getting enough respect. In the lab, they are willing to punish other experimental subjects with a noise blast when they think they've been put down” (Vogel, 2006, p. 2).
Ingrid displays many characteristics of a Narcissist throughout the movie, but they are particularly apparent in the final prison visit scene where she tells Astrid about her childhood, including information regarding Astrid’s estranged father. It was almost impossible for Ingrid to admit that she loved someone who did not want her back. I believe the fact Astrid’s father tried to rekindle his relationship with Astrid really made Ingrid irate because she could not accept that anyone could love Astrid more than they loved her. Ingrid’s inability to accept that she was not important to a man she once loved shows some of her Narcissistic qualities.
Ingrid also tells Astrid that she left her to another woman’s care for over a year when Astrid was just a baby. Her reasons for doing so were incredibly selfish and included needing to have no responsibilities, she was going insane by having someone who demanded her attention when she did not want to give it, and not being able to focus on herself. Ingrid was not able to emphasize with the needs of a child and felt like she was too “special” to be subjected to raising a child without time to devote to her artwork, which relates directly to her Narcissistic personality disorder.
Click here for a link that will direct you to Psychology Today’s website about personality disorders. The article entitled “A field guide to Narcissism” is a great tool in identifying characteristics of Narcissism written in a format that is easy to follow.
Claire, a struggling actress, is a very sensitive woman who suffers from Depression and eventually commits suicide. Depression is a mood disorder that is characterized by constant feelings of sadness, changes in appetite, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, devastating hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts. I believe Claire suffered from MDD, which is when an individual suffers from “a major depressive episode and depressed characteristics, such as lethargy and hopelessness, lasting at least two weeks” (King, 2008, p. 540).
The scene where Claire reveals that she may be depressed is the scene in which she commits suicide by overdosing on alcohol and prescription pills. “The most common psychological disorders among individuals who commit suicide are depression and anxiety” (King, 2008, p. 547). I have included this statement because it clearly supports my theory that Claire was depressed. Also, Claire’s suicide shows the depth of her sadness and hopelessness, and considering this was not her first suicide attempt, the probability that Claire suffered from MDD before killing herself is highly probable.
The following link will take you to a website that provides more information pertaining symptoms of Depression and possible treatments.
References
King, L. (2008). The science of psychology: An appreciative view. Boston: McGraw-Hill.
Vogel, C. (2006). A field guide to Narcissism [Electronic version]. Psychology Today, 1-4. Retrieved May 4, 2009, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=20051209-000005&page=4
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. (2009). Learning about Depression: Symptoms ofDepression.Retrieved May 4, 2009, from http://www.pristiq.com/depression_symptoms.aspx
White Oleander chronicles the adolescence of Astrid, a young girl living in California. Her journey toward adulthood is rather difficult and unique. Astrid lives with her mother, Ingrid, until Ingrid murders her boyfriend and is sent to prison for life. After losing her mother, Astrid goes from foster home to foster home, facing near death experiences, starvation, and drugs along the way.
While White Oleander is an interesting film focusing on the perils of growing up and learning to love, it also features several excellent examples of psychological principles and disorders. As the film shows, Astrid encounters many unstable foster parents throughout her adolescence.
I found one of the most intriguing foster parents to be Claire Richards, a former successful actress living with her husband, Mark.
At first, her relationship with Astrid is strong. Claire takes Astrid out for new clothes, enrolls her in art classes, and provides her with a comfortable new bedroom. As Astrid’s stay with Claire progresses, it becomes evident that Claire is battling depression, a common mood disorder in which the individual suffers from an unrelenting lack of pleasure in life (King). Claire has feelings of worthlessness and guilt (especially in regard to her marriage). She suffers from low self-esteem, seems to have poor concentration, and has low energy. I believe she is suffering from dysthymic disorder, a more chron
ic depressive disorder. This disorder is marked by a depressed mood that lasts at least two years, accompanied by periods of a normal mood lasting no more than two months (King). It seems that Claire is in a normal mood upon Astrid’s arrival. Her symptoms become more pronounced after she visits with Ingrid at jail. Then, over an argument with her husband, the audience learns that Claire’s mood has fluctuated over the past few years. Her husband remarks that things are returning back to the way they were (Claire’s depressed state).
There are several psychological factors that may explain Claire’s depression. For one, I believe that life’s stresses played a role in her mood disorder. Claire cannot have children of her own, has struggled to find work as an actress, and is often left alone while her husband travels for work. All of these stressors reduce the positive reinforcers in her life, leading her to become withdrawn. Cognitive distortions are also playing a part. Claire starts to view her life in a self-defeating way and has negative expectations for her future with her husband. Ingrid also points out the many things going wrong in her life during their visit together. These negative thoughts about her work and marriage accumulate and lead to greater feelings of depression. Finally, Claire’s gender attributed to her depression. Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression. Depression is even higher among women who have unsatisfying jobs or are in unhappy marriages (King).
No scene is more telling of Claire’s depression than the one in which Astrid finds her crying in bed alone. She is clearly lost deep within feelings of hopelessness and loneliness. Claire holds Astrid tightly to her, looking for some form of comfort to make her feel better. She tries to reassure herself that everything will be okay (White Oleander).
The final piece of evidence pointing toward a mood disorder is Claire’s suicide. Astrid awakes in the morning to find that Claire has overdosed on prescription drugs. Severe depression can make individuals feel so hopeless that they want to end their lives (King). Here is the part of the movie where Claire's symptoms are most apparent. She argues with her husband, is manipulated by Ingrid, and, at the end of the scene, Astrid finds her crying in bed.
Astrid’s mother, Ingrid, is a complex and intriguing character in White Oleander. She is the source of Astrid’s pain and suffering, as she has been abandoning Astrid her entire life. It is in Ingrid’s nature to behave the way she does because she has a personality disorder. Personality disorders are “chronic, maladaptive cognitive-behavioral patterns that are thoroughly integrated into an individual’s personality” (King).
People suffering from these types of disorders are usually troublesome to others and their pleasure sources are harmful or illegal. Ingrid leaves a path of destruction in her wake. It is also clear that her pleasure sources are illegal because she murdered her boyfriend, Barry. Within the realm of personality disorders, Ingrid falls within the dramatic and emotionally problematic cluster. She is a textbook narcissist. Warning signs of a narcissist include an unrealistic sense of self-importance and an inability to handle criticism. Narcissists such as Ingrid also manipulate people and lack empathy (King). Other common traits include a preoccupation with fantasies that focus on power, beauty or love, arrogant behavior and attitude, and the expectation that others will go along with what he or she wants. Needless to say, narcissists have trouble maintaining healthy relationships (WebMD).
I find that Ingrid exhibits many of these symptoms. She has a preoccupation with love, evidenced by her interactions with Barry. She obsessively follows his every move and her emotions depend upon how he is acting toward her at any given moment. When Barry blows her off for several days in a row, Ingrid makes it a point to punish him by killing him. She is boastful to Astrid about how independent and strong she is. She also believes she is unique and special because she is an artist.
Ingrid’s self-centered behavior is clear in the scene when she admits to Astrid that she once abandoned her for a year or so when Astrid was only a child (White Oleander). Astrid was left with Annie, a neighbor, while Ingrid spent a year at the beach relaxing and enjoying herself. Here, Ingrid put herself even before her young daughter. She felt entitled to taking time to herself, giving no regard to how it may affect Astrid. Narcissists act only to better their own life and do not care to think of others.
Ingrid shows a brief sign of moving away from narcissistic personality disorder at the end of the film, when she does not force Astrid to testify on her behalf. It is an appropriate way to end the film, as Ingrid may finally have learned to love someone other than herself.
Works Cited:
King, Laura. (2008). The Science of Psychology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
(2002). White Oleander. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.
(2005). Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from WebMD Web site: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/narcissistic-personality-disorder.
I Am Sam is a movie about a mentally handicapped father named Sam and his struggle to keep custody of the love of his life, his daughter Lucy. Lucy and Sam were abandoned by Lucy's mother upon her birth, and fought from day one to stay together, despite everyone telling them they couldn't make it.
For all that Sam lacks due to his mental handicap, he makes up for in the love for his daughter. In relating the relationship between Sam and Lucy to Ainsworth's stages of attachment, it is clear that Lucy is securely attached to Sam. Many people in Sam's life, including child services, try to argue that because of his handicap Sam cannot provide Lucy with the adequate tools to be successful and thrive in her development. Although it is true that Sam's mental capacity prevents him from being able to answer Lucy's complex questions or challenge her to think outside the box, his ability to love her overcomes all of his deficits, and thus gives her a secure attachment. This attachment is clearly seen in Lucy, as she is completely comfortable venturing away from Sam and being independent becuase she knows he is a safe base to return to. Ainsworth argues that secure attachment is the most important part of a child's development, for it gives her a stable sense of self and security. Thus, although Sam does not have the "normal" functioning abilities of most parents, his ability to unconditionally love his daughter is really all she'll ever need.
Besides the love she gets from Sam, Lucy also gets an immense amount of love from her godmother, Annie. Annie lives down the hall from Sam, and is presented in the beginning of the film as an agoraphobic. Agoraphobia is defined as the fear of having a panic attack in a location where there is no safe escape. In severe cases, such as Annie's, the patient becomes confined to her home as she is too afraid to be in public at all. For Annie, home is her "safe place," and venturing out of that place produces more anxiety than she can handle on a day-to-day basis. In this scene, however, Annie shows her love for Sam and Lucy when she leaves her home for the first time in years to testify in court. The amount of anxiety Annie is facing is clear when she gets off of the elevator, as well as when she is sitting in the court room. She is shaking, stiff, and in a constant state of paranoia. Unlike Annie, most patients with severe cases of agoraphobia never leave their safe place. Luckily for Sam and Lucy, Annie faces her fear so as to prove to the court how much Sam and Lucy deserve to be together.
Throughout the entire movie, Sam's never-ending love for his daughter, his friends, and Annie especially seems to result in nothing but good things. Not only does he provide his daughter with a sense of emotional security, but he provides Annie a temporary "safe place" in the courtroom so that she can help Sam regain custody of Lucy. Maybe the Beatles had it right when they sang "all you need is love"
White Oleander is an extremely thought provoking movie that demonstrates several examples of psychological principals. Astrid Magnussen is a 15 year-old girl living in California with her mother Ingrid. After murdering her boyfriend, Ingrid is sent to prison for life, leaving Astrid to go through several foster homes. In the process, she experiences religion, violence, drugs, suicide, and ultimately how it feels to be loved. In this analysis, I have chosen to focus on conformity and Erikson’s theory of development as Astrid journeys into adulthood.
Conformity is defined as changing or adapting our behaviors or attitudes so that they are consistent with the social norms of the groups to which we belong. Social norms include the attitudes and standards of behavior expected of members of a particular group. Conformity is vividly illustrated in the scene ( 7:00) where Astrid is living with her third foster family. Her foster mom, Rena, is obsessed with money and tries to sell anything she can just to get more money. One day at their yard sale, Astrid finds Rena trying to sell her dress that Claire (her previous foster mom) gave her. She initially does not want to sell it. Eventually Rena convinces her to forget about its sentimental value, and she sells the dress. As the movie continues, Astrid begins to conform to the habits and lifestyle of her foster family. She begins dressing more provocatively, dies her hair black and starts smoking. Astrid’s change in behavior to coincide with her new environment is an illustration of conformity.
