Film Studies: Understanding the Difference
Introduction
Human behavior is such a complex element to explain. It could not be denied that through time, the aspect of defining human behavior has been subjected to several debates especially involving considerations over the process by which humans tend to change according to matters and people that surround them. Considerably, human behavior is highly adaptable. This means that it responds to both internal and external elements that identify strongly with how a person develops as an individual. The manner by which such influences become evidently impacting to a person is shown through the way he begins to react on matters and situations he needs to meet with everyday. With the uniqueness of each individual, it is hard enough to take on a particular pattern of reactions and say that such reaction happens in a general approach considering all other individuals facing the same problems. There could be some commonalities, but there will always be something different in the way one considers a particular situation compared to the other.
The situation becomes even harder to explain when extreme situations occur and distinct reactions happen. This is the reason why in the past, particularly unexplainable human behaviors become coined as somewhat influenced by the unseen spirits; they are at times noted to be the human reaction to something superficial. From then until now, film makers have developed a distinct liking to featuring particular themes that identify well with the concept of unexplainable behavior and how it could present horrific situations resulting to horrific reactions on the part of those who are involved in the case. Three of the most criticized films of their own time shall be presented in this discussion in relation to the theme that they present and the way they intend to manifest particular facts and align such ideas into how much horrifying occurrences in the human history and at present could actually be controlled by something unexplainable but acceptably existing. The three films include The Shining (1980), The Exorcist (1973), and the Berberian Sound Studio (2012). These films represent particular notions on how human reaction changes through time an how its development and adjustments come into the break of one’s sanity causing him to do unexplainable matters that no one in the sane mind would do.
Psychology and Human Behavior
Psychology as a whole is the branch of human science that intends to seek explanation behind the occurrence of particular matters in relation to how humans react to the situations they have to deal with in their daily lives. Considerably, humans tend to react to matters based on their personal understanding of certain things in relation to the situations they are involved with. Such understanding may be influenced by the way they were brought up and the way they accept new ideas from the external society they are dealing with. The common ways of reacting to such situations simply indicate a distinct manner of reciprocation of elements; whereas good situations promote good reactions while bad situations bring about more negative conditions of reaction on the part of the people involved in each case.
There are some cases however that cannot be easily explained under such theory of reciprocation. This is where abnormal psychology comes in. This sector of psychology tries to explore more on matters that have been considered unexplainable in the past. Notably, these cases involve conditions where traditional analysis may not be applicable. In this process of studying and observing changes in human behavior, experts try to expound their research and become more involved in relating the psychology of human behavior with other aspects which include biological situations [suggesting health issues or abnormalities] a person may be involved in. In this approach, the human brain and how it functions becomes the focal point. Explaining how the brain actually functions alongside the other senses and organs of the body provides a great foundation on the analytical approaches that abnormal psychology embraces.
There are instances when extreme reactions develop and extreme results are garnered from abnormal behavioral developments some people incur. Usually, when such matters occur, the possibility of a person developing mental disabilities is considered accordingly. Nevertheless, before any conclusion is released, psychologists make it sure that they have already exploited all other sources of abnormal reactions of individuals to particularly common situations in their lives. How such changes occur is then closely related by the psychologists towards determining factors in the history of such individuals.
When Extremes Happen
Extreme situations may be defined by the radical changes in one’s behavior that often affects others with whom he is living with. Such changes are considered extreme as they completely redefine the being of the person involved in the case. For instance, if one used to be loving and timid, a radical change may involve constant swearing and perhaps may even include violent advances that one takes against those that he loves. In relation to this, psychologists try to identify the situation on which category of situation they may fall into; the adaptive or the maladaptive behaviors that humans thrive in.
The idea of coping with the external and internal pressures of living identifies well with the capacity of a person to control himself; to becomes strongly able to defy the urge to do something probably unthinkable towards himself and towards the others existing around him. Once such capacity of coping is lost, the possibility of developing an abnormal behavior sips in. When a person is suffering from a particular physical condition which directly affects ones behavior, psychologists are asked to observe the situation and probably give suggestions as to how the element of stress could be lessened considering such situations. This process is called psychopathology. In undergoing such procedure, a patient undergoes close observation where his behavioral patterns are recorded; if proven that his behavior comes from a physical ailment, then resolving the situations may become easier to handle. There are rare cases though when the occurrence of such situations cannot be explained even with the adaptation of psychopathology and its implicative approach in identifying with the situations and stressors a person may be involved in.
Implicative Values of the Films in Psychology
The movie The Shining (1980) takes a horrific presentation on how a particular exceptional capacity of mind reading or mental telepathy could be both scary and questionable. It represents how particularly stressing situations cause people to panic and lose their senses thus beginning to do questionable actions that often result to outbursts that have direct effect on other individuals surrounding them. Dealing with the dead is one theme that this movie tries to represent; is it possible to talk, mingle or even be affected by the dead? Within the plot of the story, although the direction tries to point out how such occurrences could be relatively horrifying, it is specifically pointed out that when times of stressful occurrences happen, certain points of hallucination and loss of proper analytical capacities often happen at the same time. People involved in such situations begin to think and often times end up getting wrong ideas; the fight or flight decision becomes shaded with points of anxiety which is further influenced by the beliefs of others in a confined area where only a few people are able to exchange thoughts that define distinct possibilities defining the situation. Being stuck in a hotel in a snow blizzard caused the characters of the movie to panic and think of several possibilities including the unpleasant ones to happen. Although the presentation of the movie is definitely directed to pointing out that Jack, the main characters, actually mingled with the dead and even probably died because of their doing, it is still distinctively pointed out that his supposed curiosity and perhaps the unsettling feeling of being involved in such a stressful situation that caused him to take unrelenting decisions that later on causes his death due to freezing within the hedge maze.
The movie The Exorcist (1973) on the other hand presents a young girl who has been presented to doctors for check up but has not received any specific diagnosis. The supposedly impossible case that the girl is undergoing has been judged to be the work of something that is out of the ordinary, something that is not human. Regan, the patient, was then subjected to exorcism whereas a supposed spiritual expert would exorcise the ‘bad spirits’ within the patient’s body and spirit. Nevertheless, within the story, several bits and pieces of the history that defined the young girl’s life depicts the possibility of such change in behavior to come from particularly traumatizing events. Psychologists believe that when a particular trauma occurs, the brain intends to respond accordingly. The response is however dependent on the individual; for instance, if the person does want to accept the situation as it is, then moving on from such event becomes easier to handle. However, there are those individuals who chose to run away from the situation through covering up what happened; perhaps even forgetting everything else and try to live life normally. In instances like this, a person endangers himself to possible outburst in the future when he would not be able to contain such prolonged belief of hiding the truth. One way or another, a stressor would emerge which would set such trauma free and haunt the person back only with more violent response to the situation that may have bonded the individual for years.
Meanwhile, in the movie Berberian Sound Studio (2012), a person suffering from social dilemma is presented to have faked a façade that would cover his unsettling reactions and condition of response to people around him. Gilderoy, the primary character in the movie, was set differently that defines his indifferent reaction to the people surrounding him. Being a sound director, this individual spends much of his time alone, secluded from the society. When he gets out, he deals with matters and people differently. The way he treats his voice talents to actually bring out well defined sounds from them for the enhancement of the specifically points out how a person who has a distinct detestable idea towards society would tend to manipulate others when he is in his comfort zone. People who tend to set themselves apart from the society feel an unsettling perception of the world and the people surrounding them. They do not feel comfortable at all with the company of others; hence, when given the chance to mingle or connected with other humans, they tend to react violently that at times, it may involve manipulation of the situation they are in just so to control their emotional outburst through distinctively placing pressure on others. This reaction often identifies with the desire to pass on their insecurities and unsettling feelings to others.
Understanding the Course of Analysis
Based on the films examined, people tend to behave according to things and situations surrounding them. The reaction they chose to take often comes from what they know and what they expect to happen next. Basing their decision on what they like to happen in the future gives them a distinct sense of control thus lessening their uncertainties. When such elements cannot be found and individuals who are at the brink of deciding lose sight of this particular matter, particular imbalance in behavior often occurs. At times, when faced with distressing situations, individuals begin to set factual living aside; this means that they tend to create a world of their own, a distinct representation of the fight or flight reaction.
The indication of reaction that one embraces when faced with particularly challenging situations would directly affect his overall behavior. His distinct understanding of the current situations and how he decides to take in the truth about it would largely affect his future and the way he is to face it. In the stories that define the films observed in this discussion, it could be understood that humans have different ways of determining the way they should react to stress. While some tend to hide from the crowd, others tend to run away from the situation to the point of victimizing others and some others simply develop anger that is not necessarily directed to anyone or anything specific, just the idea of being able to pass on the pain and the pressure that one experiences.
Through the existence of modern researches dedicated to these issues concerning abnormal psychology and the way it is applied in determining human behavioral changes, it could be understood that development on how abnormal behaviors are explained could be taken from distinct background check on the individuals involved in the case. Knowing these points of information would not only provide a distinct source of foundation that would make the analysis much clearer but would also give the persons involved a chance to take on better decisions and to pick up matters where they left. Developing mental disabilities along the way, especially when instances of traumatizing events happen, becomes a common trend among humans at present. The films presented for the analysis of this matter specifically provides the proof that humans could change for the worse if their condition of thinking is not realigned to a normal pattern after probably experiencing something horrifying or deliberately traumatizing in the past.
Conclusion
Human psychology intends to make it easier for humans to understand the whys and the how[s] of their behavioral patterns. Relatively, this study continues to explore particularly unexplainable situations that redefine a person’s being entirely. Simply living the explanation in the hands of the ‘spirits’ is simply unacceptable for the experts handling this particular course of analysis. Finding proper evidence is necessary. Humans, tangible as they are, should base their reactions on tangible matters or at least explainable backgrounds that would identify well with how they develop through time.
Meanwhile, as much as startling human psychology is, film makers will continue to use themes relating to human behavior and its extremities to fascinate the mind’s wonderment on why and how could some people do some horrifying things especially inflicting others with pain. The study of criminal investigations continue to thrive on such idealism that when it comes to losing one’s sanity, the validity of one’s actions being labeled as ‘uncontrollable” becomes a plausible excuse for one’s misbehavior. Relatively, such condition of thinking is expected to become a basis of investigations for many years. In a way, psychological data still remains to be a stronger proof compared to explanations on the existence of supernatural elements afflicting humans and meddling with their behavioral adjustments.
References:
Bennett, Paul (2003). Abnormal and Clinical Psychology. Open University Press.
Hansell, James; Lisa Damour (2005). Abnormal Psychology. Von Hoffman Press
Barlow, David H.; Vincent Mark Durand (2004). Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach. Thomson Wadsworth.
