Psych Film Assignment: Rain Man PDF

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Instructor: Greg Epstein
Spring 2017
Required Textbook: Hooley, Butcher, Nock, & Mineka (2016). Abnormal Psychology. (17 th ed.). Pearson.
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Film Assignment: Rain Man

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The movie, Rain Man, portrays the challenging yet touching relationship between a brother and his estranged autistic savant older brother. The story starts introducing Charlie Babbitt, an enthusiastic car dealer, who recently learns of his father’s death. As his relationship with his father became very distant, Charlie did not seem to be concerned about his father’s death as much as he was about his will. According to his father’s will, Charlie would receive the 1949 Buick Roadmaster convertible along with his prized rose bushes. As for personal assets, estimating $3 million, they would be placed in trust for another individual. While trying to understand the lack of his share in the will, Charlie discovers that the $3 million was for his unknown brother, Raymond, who was residing at Wallbrook—a psychiatric institution. Charlie realizes that his brother Raymond suffers from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and has Savant syndrome. Determined that he deserves his share of the $3 million, Charlie takes Raymond away from Wallbrook on what becoming an eye-opening trip to the attorney’s. Their first stop at a hotel shows the audience the beginning stages of Charlie’s relationship and attitude towards Raymond; becoming quickly frustrated with Raymond’s requests and lack of communication. Raymond, having a high-functioning form of autism, observes strict practices and daily routines as he is not open to changes in his environment. Further in their trip, Raymond finally discloses how he was separated from his younger brother due to an unintentional burn incident during a bath when Charlie was younger; this event forced Raymond to be admitted to Wallbrook. Later on in their trip, Charlie’s selfishness is seen when he decides to use Raymond’s extraordinary skills to use at a casino in Las Vegas. The relationship growing between both brothers continues to grow after their night at the casino. Charlie’s attitude towards Raymond changes once again as he becomes much more supportive, cooperative, and engaging with Raymond. Upon finally talking with his attorney, Charlie comes to the conclusion that he would rather have custody over

Film Assignment: Rain Man

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his brother than the share of his father’s will. However, the same cannot be said about Raymond, as he was given a choice of whether he would like to stay with Charlie or go back to Wallbrook —his end decision was to go back to Wallbrook after being persistently pressed by the doctor. At the end of the movie, Charlie becomes humbled by the fact that his relationship with his brother has grown to be strong and promises to come visit Raymond in two weeks. The movie’s portrayal of Raymond and his experiences with autism provides the audience with an overlook about society’s stigma associated with mental disorders and tries to surface the many aspects of autistic individuals that many communities fail to recognize. Upon his first encounter with his little brother Charlie, Raymond was met with questioning and skeptical eyes. Charlie failed to understand the mental disorder of autism and believed it to be curable. Throughout his journey, those who encountered Raymond were typically unaware of the illness and believed he was simply “crazy” or, as Charlie would call him, “retarded.” These same individuals seemed to not have been educated on autism and its biological development at birth. The movie displays several ways Raymond copes with his nervousness and unfamiliarity with the world. In order to go about his day-to-day activities, Raymond adheres to a “tightly controlled environment and daily routine” (MenuDramatica®The Next Chapter in Story Development). His activities include engaging in “Who on First” when put in an unfamiliar environment or situation, reading books, going to bed at exactly 11 o’clock, and several other activities. While these minute and tedious activities may seem unnecessary to others, they provide a sense of security and identity for Raymond. The character, Raymond, is depicted as having a high-functioning form of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is important to understand that this disorder is a biological development, rather than a psychological one—simply put, this disorder arises from a mutation

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of a pair of chromosomes; it cannot be developed as an individual grows. In order to classify and organize an individual’s behavior, psychologists refer to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5). This manual presents a standardized and foundational criterion for many different mental diseases and disorders. As for classifying Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the basic criteria include: “Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts,” and “restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities,” “symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.” (Diagnostic Criteria). Each criteria is further explained in the manual based on behavior types, activities, and frequency of the actions. As explained before, Raymond’s ability to function daily depends on an obsessive set of behaviors. ASD results in psychological impairments (difficulties with social interactions, repetitive behaviors, and much more) that seem to fit Raymond’s behaviors. Having a set routine, a method of coping with unfamiliar situations, difficulty in maintaining relationships, and repetitive motor movements all help classify Raymond as having a form of autism. From a cognitive perspective, Raymond was intellectually capable of storing and retrieving information efficiently. An example of this was shown when Raymond was able to memorize the phone book Charlie provided him with and recall the waitress’s phone number upon their encounter. Another instance was when Raymond was able to solve complex mathematical problems provided by the doctor. There is also a behavioral aspect to the movie, since Raymond’s autism affects his behavior based on certain situations. Unfamiliar situations was simply a threat to Raymond, and as a way to cope, he occasionally would start yelling and hitting his head. As with any movie, there are supporters and critics of the story and/or of the

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performances. In the sense of dealing with mental illnesses, the ordeals and emotions that Charlie Babbitt had endured while on his journey with Raymond were realistically portrayed throughout the movie. When Charlie first learns about Raymond’s autism, he becomes easily frustrated with the lack of answers and “I don’t know” from Raymond. He often raises his voice and becomes aggressive with his brother when pushed to a limit. However, as time goes on, Charlie becomes much more understanding and learns to correctly cope with Raymond. This transition from frustration to acceptance is most often evident in families or individuals who are caring for those affected by autism. On the other hand, two flaws that stood out to me was first, the form of “treatment” provided to Raymond in the movie and second, the idea that those affected by autism are also savants. In the movie, Raymond was not provided full, hands-on treatment as would be provided to those with autism. Instead, he was placed into Walbrook, a psychiatric institution, where it was not shown the type of therapy provided to him. For instance, in the movie, Raymond is only shown in his room once, where Charlie was introduced to Vern. Aside from watching his TV shows at their scheduled timings, not much else was portrayed when it came to Raymond’s treatment. Moreover, the biggest misconception in this movie is that the audience is led to believe that those with autism spectrum disorder can also be savants. Having autism and having Savant syndrome are not mutually dependent. As explained previously, those diagnosed with Savant syndrome exhibit unusually profound cognitive abilities and skills. In Raymond’s case, being diagnosed as a savant, his skills included remembering phone numbers, dates, names, and excellent mathematical calculations. Unfortunately, the stigma against mental health disorders will continue to be prevalent in society as the tendency of many individuals is to focus on the negative, adverse side effects. From a lack of strong communication skills to repetitive behaviors, the effects of autism on

Film Assignment: Rain Man

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individuals are typically seen as a hindrance to one’s quality of life. Although autism spectrum disorder is much more widely understood and accepted today, Savant syndrome is still a topic that many individuals fail to recognize. In fact, many continue to hold onto the belief that some mental illnesses can be cured. Unlike a common cold, mental illnesses cannot be treated with simple medication. There are many factors—biological, cultural, and environmental—that influence the emergence of mental disorders and diseases in an individual. Throughout the movie, I quickly recognized that an open mind and patience are two factors that play very critical roles in mental health. Together, they ease the process of dealing with mental illness, especially in the long run. I believe that this movie, Rain Man, does an excellent job of portraying the mental illness and the evolution of one’s and/or society’s mentality towards it. By showing both sides of the story—Charlie’s experience and Raymond’s experience—the movie does it’s best to capture the awareness and helps to dispel the misconceptions of mental health prevalent in society today.

Film Assignment: Rain Man

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