Beautiful Mind Movie Review



Beautiful Mind Movie Review

The purpose of this paper is to relate the concepts of Schizophrenia, found in Chapter 11 of Kring, to the character John Nash in the movie Beautiful Mind.

Part I Psychological Analysis and Schizophrenia

Medications

In the entirety of the movie, the character John Nash has been asked to take certain medication. The names of the medication are not discussed in the movie itself but it is understood that the pills go a long way in suppressing his hallucinations.

Negative Symptoms

John Nash presents symptoms of Avolition, apparent in the scenes where he cannot focus on his work and is distracted by his hallucinations that ask him to crack “coded messages” intercepted from the Soviet Union. Nash also displays signs of Alogia. Throughout the movie, Nash is portrayed as an individual who does not like to talk much and prefers to answer with short, concise statements.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

The lead character does not receive any explicit cognitive behavior therapy from a qualified professional. Rather, John Nash performs, what can be said, personal therapy through understanding that the individuals in his visions do not age. This realization was what proved that his visions were nothing more than his imagination.

Hallucinations and Other Disturbances of Perception

Nash had frequent hallucinations and the movie shows that they started out early in his academic career. He believed he had interacted with a roommate, his roommate's niece and a secret government agent; all of whom were just a part of his hallucinations. Most of his hallucinations with his roommate, and his niece, had been positive. The hallucinations involving the secret agent were much more enticing, threatening and affected his lifestyle for the worse.

Social Skills Training

Though no social skills education was provided to Nash, he had trained himself to ignore interacting with his hallucinations and continue with his work.

Family Therapies

Similar to the above, no such inclination of family therapy is evident in the motion picture. However, it is worth noting that Nash's wife played a pivotal role in his recuperation. Had she not supported him throughout his turmoil, the man would not have been able to contribute to economics in the manner that he did.

Asociality

John Nash is the prime example of asociality. The man was incapable of making friends with his earlier colleagues, primarily because he strived for success and results. Later, his illness prevented him from mingling with everyone he ...