On 12 Oct 2002 at 5:43, Allen Esterson wrote: > On the subject of movies (whether fictional or allegedly factual) > depicting psychological themes, I think the first thing that should be > emphasized to students is that however compelling it may appear, it is > only a film <snip>
> The most egregious > example in recent times is the film �Shine�, which propagated the > discredited notion that the schizo-affective disorder from which the hero > David Helfgott suffered resulted from the brutal treatment he received > from his father. Bravo, Allen, for pointing this out. Of course the cinematic practice of blaming the family only reflects a view which was long dominant in psychology. The only thing that's unusual is that, for once, they pick on the father to blame, rather than the mother (can you say "schizophrenic-genic mother"?). As we've discussed here, the film "A Beautiful Mind" also took liberties with its depiction of schizophrenia, converting auditory hallucinations into the less common (but more dramatic) visual ones. Art is art, but I think producers of purportedly true accounts should be required (right after the line in the credits where they assure us that no animals were injured) to list the points in their depiction where they knowingly strayed from the truth for artistic reasons. That wouldn't have helped in the Helfgott film but it might have in the case of "A Beautiful Mind". -Stephen _______________________________________________________ Stephen L. Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470 Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661 Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lennoxville, QC J1M 1Z7 Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at: http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips ________________________________________________________ --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
