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Media Review of Psychology The movie One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is based on the experience of a criminal that elected to move to a mental institution to avoid serving his time at a prison work camp. The criminal, Randall P. Mc Murphy, or Mc Murphy, as the other inmates call him, was under the impression that his sentence would be converted to the amount of time he would need to spend in the institution. What he did not realize was that once he was admitted to the institution, he would not be released until the medical staff felt he was safe for society. Mc Murphy goes about living in the institution, and creates a society among several of the patients, which has a large impact on the structure of the institution. His relationships with the other patients in the ward develop into a society where thoughts and opinions grow and interfere with the flow of the institution's rules and regulations, and friction is made between the authorities and the patients.
Mc Murphy strives to overcome the head nurse, Nurse Ratchet, and finds himself understanding the mentalities of the others in the ward. This movie's theme is about insanity and how people on "the other side" of the wall view the term "insanity." I feel that One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest is filled with many psychological connotations. This movie is set in a mental hospital where Mc Murphy was admitted to be psychologically evaluated because of violent behavior. Upon his arrival Mc Murphy noticed that the patients were very robot-like in their actions. The hospital is extremely structured where the patients daily life was monotonous. We will discuss the various connotations by answering the following questions that have been asked.
A variety of treatment techniques were present in the mental facility. I will examine those of Mc Murphy, Nurse Ratchett, and the head doctor. Nurse Ratchett and the head doctor had similar treatment techniques. Regardless of the condition of the patient both Nurse Ratchett and the head doctor treated the patients as inferiors. The patients were seen as robots, and were treated the same way regardless of the patients state of mental health.
Nurse Ratchett continuously ordered around the patients instructing them on their daily activities. She showed no emotion towards the patients and had them do what she saw fit, forgetting what was right for each patients individual needs. The head doctor felt that each patient was in need of a psychiatric intervention. He felt that each patient was a lab rat, by treating them with unnecessary procedures. These procedures often led to circumstances that left the patients unable to make rational decisions. Contrary to Nurse Ratchett and the head doctor, Mc Murphy treated everyone as equals, but with a respectful manner to boost their self confidence.
Even though his condition appeared healthier than most, his actions refuted this fact. Mc Murphy advocated group participation in activities making sure that each individual was involved in a way that would better their condition. For example, Chiefs beginning to play basketball is a major accomplishment on the part of Mc Murphy. His constant encouragement finally drove Chief to play. Another example is the group discussions. Mc Murphy tried to incorporate everyone into these discussions simultaneously.
This can be seen when he rallied everyones support to try to convince Nurse Ratchett to let them watch the World Series on television. The two psychological interventions that were administered to Mc Murphy while in the mental institution were a lobotomy and shock therapy. A lobotomy is the removal of the portion from the frontal lobe of the brain. (Friedman, p. 339) This procedures main goal is to eliminate aggressive or violent behavior. This invention took place in 1935 by Dr. Antonio Egas Money.
However, by the late 1940 s the realization those individuals undergoing lobotomy procedures took place without initiative became apparent. (Dunnette, p. 177) Although the methods of a lobotomy have changed the basic underlying idea of neurosurgery exists today in the form of psychosurgery (Kadzin, p. 89). Shock Therapy uses electric current or drugs to control psychotic disorders. In 1933, Dr. Manfred Same used drugs and instituted insulin shock to control mainly Schizophrenia. In 1938, Drs. U.
Cerletti and L. Bini used electroshock therapy to treat severe depression (Dunnette, p. 220). Alternating current through the brain using parallel electrodes causes immediate unconsciousness and convulsive seizures. Treatment frequency ranges from extreme, such as two to three per day, to mild, such as three times per week, for two to six weeks. The introduction s of tranquilizing drugs have all but completely eliminated the use of electro convulsive therapy, as well as insulin shock (Kadzin, p. 173). Mc Murphy was brought to the mental institution because he had been involved in too many altercations with his fellow inmates at his prison.
The doctors at the prison wanted to have Mc Murphy psychoanalyzed to see if there was evidence of any psychological disorders. During his analytical viewing, Mc Murphy appeared normal, but with sarcastic tones in most of his speech towards the nurse. After his analysis, it was popularly agreed that Mc Murphy did not belong in the institution. Nurse Ratchett, being the sadistic, self-indulged person that she was, interrupted the discussion between the doctors and claimed that she could make progress, by continuing her treatment with Mac. Her opinion was based on a personality conflict between herself and Mc Murphy. Although Mac refused to conform to the pre-established ways of the institution, Nurse Ratchett acted more sadistically.
She thrived on personal control over the patients, disregarding their diagnoses and prescriptions for recovery (or stabilization of their conditions). Nurse Ratchett and Mc Murphys primary reason for living varied in the fact that he believed that life should not be taken so seriously. You should relax and enjoy life as it comes to you. Mc Murphy disagreed with the conventional rules of society. The beliefs of Nurse Ratchett were the opposite of Mc Murphy. She valued a strict and extremely orderly daily routine.
Ratchett saw life as something that should be structured and not tolerant of radical behavior such as Mc Murphys. Her primary reason for living was to have a successful life. However her view of a successful life was to be able to dictate daily activities of her patients. In conclusion I believe that the film had a few very important meanings. The primary theme was Mc Murphys struggle with Nurse Ratchett. Their conflicting personalities forced Mc Murphy to adapt to live with the conditions put forth by Nurse Ratchett without completely conforming.
The theme of camaraderie existed based on the evidence that Mc Murphy could have escaped the institution several times, but he felt the need to aid his fellow inmates during Nurse Ratchett's reign. Similar to the theme of camaraderie was Mc Murphys attitude to help his friends (inmates) begin to believe in themselves and to develop a sense of individualism. Overall Mc Murphys motivation to both better himself and others exemplified his want to spite Nurse Ratchett, and eventually fill his need for self-gratification to help his friends. The psychological connotations incorporated into the conceptual framework of the movie make it a rather hard one to watch and analyze. Words Count: 1, 278. Bibliography: Dunnette, M.
Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1994. Friedman, H. Encyclopedia of mental health. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1998.
Kadzin, A. Encyclopedia of psychology. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
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