Psychological Theory Analyses: Pursuit of Happyness Movie Essay Example

that time (Sharone, 2013). On the other hand, the movie depicts a proper presentation of relevant psychological theories on stressful events such as the hard economic times that Chris Garner was going through in the USA.

Additionally, this paper will concentrate on the main correctional or therapies that the affected party in the film ought to have received to relieve themselves from the stressful conditions. The main actor in the movie was Will Smith and his young son Jaden Smith represents the son of Chris Gardner. In the analyses of the main theoretical perspectives represented in the film, the paper shall analyze the case study at hand and its depiction in the contemporary world.

Personality Structure Psychoanalytic Theory

In the film, the main character Chris Gardner suffers mental distress and occasionally changes his personality traits due to the hardships he goes through. After his wife, Linda, left, Chris struggles everywhere moving with his son and applying for all sorts of jobs but is always unsuccessful. In one instance, he takes a taxi ride from San Francisco to some place in the city, but fails to pay the tax driver because he had no money. Chris Gardner was not a thief, but the economic hardships of life, such as being homeless because he could not pay his rent and be left by his wife caused him to change his personality.

According to Sigmund Freud psychoanalytic theory, the personality traits of individuals can change the good or bad depending on the situations that they face in the external environment (Ormrod, 2004). Freud further asserts in the theory that changes in personality structure are driven the individual’s internal and outer drives and

needs. In the movie, Chris Gardner, who was an initially polite person changed his personality structure because of the psychological torture he was going through.

Psychological Learning Theory

According to the psychological learning theory, learning is a cognitive and emotional aspect that can happen due to the occurrences, events, and influences in the external and internal environment (Hall, 1998). In the movie scenario, the young Christopher was psychologically able to learn about the challenges affecting his dad, and he was able to offer moral support despite being a five-year-old. Although Christopher was five years old when his father’s apartment was closed by the landlord due to almost endless rent arrears; he seemed to understand what his father was going through and kept his father emotionally supported. In one instance in the movie, Christopher and his dad Chris Gardner are in a base for the homeless. Despite the fact that food was petite, the young Christopher seemed cooperative and ate the available food. This is a young kid that had learned of the distress the father was going through, and he was very supportive.

Frustration-Aggression Theory

In the movie, the scenario of Gardner being highly irritated can be explained by the frustration-aggression theory which states that aggression in individuals was a result of the frustrations to the person’s efforts of attaining personal goals (Niemiec, 2013). Before Linda, the wife of Chris Gardner left due to the economic challenges facing her family; Chris Gardner had suddenly turned out to be very aggressive and volatile. In fact, Gardner seemed much stressed in the movie as he tried to explain to his wife that things would get better despite the hard economic times

they were going through.

Even at the slightest provocation from the woman, Chris looked irritated at a high rate. This was probably due to the many frustrations he had in life, such as, his car being taken away because he could not afford the parking fee and the challenge of having a job that could not cater for the needs of the family. The life of Chris Gardner was a proof of a stressed man whose efforts and ambitions were never realized. Chris Gardner wanted to secure a good job that would cater to the needs of the family, but unfortunately, that was never the case years later as depicted in the movie. The theory tries to explain the leading cause of extramarital violence as an indication of frustrated families just as in the case of Chris Gardner.

Psychological Theory Of Unemployment

The theory illustrates the various stages one goes through after lacking employment opportunities. According to the deprivation models, the morale of individuals deteriorates significantly after losing job opportunities. Therefore, unemployed individuals slowly lack a social direction and lose hope in life. In the movie, this scenario was very well illustrated where Chris Gardner lost confidence and became socially unbearable to his wife. Aggressiveness and irritability were the most affected aspects in Gardner’s life due to unemployment and hard economic times. The solution to this problem as per the psychological theory of unemployment is visiting psychological therapy experts where individuals are advised on maintaining self-confidence in and restore the worth in their lives. In dealing with the stressors of being unemployed, individuals can restore hope and get back to their normal lives even in the states of

unemployment and distress (Dooley, 2008).

Psychological Therapy as Remedies to Unemployment

Although Gardner was able to secure a job later, started his stock company and became a billionaire in the USA, his case depicts a wider reflection of a frustrated generation going through hard economic times, marital and peer pressures of being rich. Had the government installed counseling services for the unemployed, frustrated youth in the USA, the individuals like Gardner could probably not face the mental distress. Psychoanalytic counseling would have been an excellent remedy for the problems that Chris Gardner was going through. It is quite vital to establish counseling institutions for mentally disturbed and stressed people to get the appropriate counseling services aimed at improving their psychological welfare (Layard, 2006).

Conclusion

'The pursuit of Happyness' is real-life story movie about an American young dad, Chris Gardner, who was struggling to make ends, meets in hard economic times. In the analyses of the film, the paper has tried to analyze in depth how the various psychological theories are depicted through the distressed Chris Gardner and his son Christopher. Frustration-aggression theory, the theory of learning, as well as Sigmund Freud's theory of personality structure changes, has been focused based on the main character in the movie. Similarly, the various recommendations on dealing with the psychological challenges facing the unemployed population have been handled in the paper. For instance, the provision of Psychoanalytic counseling should be provided by the government for free. This will enable thousands of frustrated Americans to acquire reprieve through the counseling services.

References

1. Dooley, D., Catalano, R., & Rook, K. S. (1988).Personal and aggregate unemployment and psychological symptoms. Journal of Social Issues, 44(4), 107-123. Retrieved from:
   

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1988.tb02094.x/abstract