Abstract The paper provides a detailed synopsis and analysis of American author Ken Kesey's novel, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". The paper includes basic plot elements such as settings and characters, but also includes a psychological analysis of the main character Bromden ,including his disorder & possible treatments.
Table of Contents: I. Plot Synopsis II. Psychological Themes Throughout the Book A. Society's Standards Oppress the Individual and Force them to Mould to its Form. B. Women are Matriarchs and they must be Defeated by Men's Masculinity. III. Conflicts/Tensions A. Big Nurse v McMurphy B. Rabbits v Wolves IV. Character Analysis"Chief Bromden A. Were their Traits and Ideas clearly Stated or Implied" B. He Could be Diagnosed with Catatonic Schizophrenia. C. What type of Treatment Should be Given to the Character? V. Author Background
From the Paper "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest's action takes place in an Oregon mental institution. At the beginning of the novel, the narrator, Chief Bromden"an Indian who pretends to be mute and suffers from disillusions"is trapped in Big Nurse's control. She is the head nurse and dictates everything that occurs in the ward. In the beginning chapters, McMurphy is admitted into the mental institution. McMurphy is the opposite of the other patients. He is a brassy, big, hardheaded gambler. The head psychiatrist suspects that McMurphy is faking insanity to escape the rigors of the work farm, in which he was placed after being convicted of statutory rape."
Abstract This essay critically examines the film, "Don?t Say a Word", by looking at the contemporary notions of modern psychology used both as the focus of the film's dramatic plot, and also in the way it plays out the themes of madness and sanity that run throughout the film.
From the paper:
?In "Don"t Say a Word.? Michael Douglas portrays a New York psychiatrist. He has a beautiful, young, and innocent daughter. He also has a mad, beautiful, nearly catatonic patient. This mental patient resides in a locked ward. She does communicate occasionally, but not in any comprehensible, normal fashion. Instantly the theme between madness and sanity is set up between the two girls, one young and innocent, one young and unappealing. It also introduces the theme of catatonia relatively recent in the plot.?
Abstract This paper examines the film, "American Beauty", directed by Sam Mendes. It looks at one of the Oedipal structures in the film and considers why this particular relationship holds such fascination to the viewers. The relationship studied is that of the Fitts family. The father, a career Marine, rules the family with a strict hand, but he is unable to control the fact that his discipline has turned his wife into a nearly catatonic figure and his son into an extremely successful drug dealer and voyeur. The paper shows that by the film's end, the son has rebelled against the father and managed to destroy him, in a remarkable completion of the Oedipus myth, as reinterpreted by Freud.
From the Paper "The classic aspects of the situation are part of their attraction for audience members. The struggle between father and son is one that always favors the triumph of the younger, newer generation; this triumph remains dramatically satisfying. The scene in which Ricky finally (and literally) rises above his father, vanquishes him, and strikes out on his own, is tremendously rich as a cinematic set piece because it adheres to the outlines of the myth so effectively. The entire relationship is fascinating also because of the power of two exquisitely fine actors in the role of father and son. Cooper endows Colonel Fitts with a taut militarism that is both hateful and comprehensible at the same time. When he appears in one of his last scenes, broken, tortured, and soaking wet, he is heartbreakingly wonderful to watch. Though the events that have led him to this moment make the character deserving of every second of torment, he is also deeply sympathetic because of his flaws."
Abstract This paper offers a second diagnosis of Herman Melville's story "Bartleby the Scrivener" and suggests that, in basic literary terms, it is the lawyer not Bartleby that is the dynamic character in the tale. Bartleby, the existential symbol, may collapse but only the lawyer can change.
From the Paper "Second, although standard definitions nominate the lawyer as the round, major, and dynamic character of Melville's tale of a law office, Bartley is equally round, as least with the limits of his illness, and he also changes in his deterioration. Technically, if he is not the major character, he is the essential character, dipped in that "power of blackness," the phrase Melville used in a review of "Mosses from an Old Manse" to praise Hawthorne."
Abstract This paper discusses the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and focuses on several psychological tests that are used to discern schizophrenia from other forms of mental illness. The paper discusses how the psychological tests, while not a valid tool for a diagnosis independently, can greatly assist psychologists and psychiatrists in ensuring a complete and accurate diagnosis.
From the Paper "In addition to exhibiting one or two of the symptoms above, a patient must also show signs of social or occupational dysfunction, occurring after the onset of the symptoms in the first set of criteria. These dysfunctions can include employment issues, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, or poor self-care. The symptoms must have persisted for at least six months, with at least one month of at least two of those symptoms listed in Criteria A. In the remaining months, known as residual periods, the patient may only exhibit only negative symptoms (DSM-IV-TR, 1994)."
