“The Black Baloon” (2008) From a Psychological Perspective Essay (Movie Review)

Introduction

Autism is a devastating developmental disorder that can be diagnosed in any child regardless of social class, race, cultural or ethnic background. Its effects on personal development and relationship can be massive and may lead to stress among caretakers.

Moreover, personal life development is a complex interlink of personality, cognitive and sociological development that are molded by voluntary and involuntary environmental factors as this paper analyses from the movie The Black Baloon.

An individual’s development is a reflection of aspirations, successes and failures that a person and the community appreciate.

This paper evaluates the character of Maggie and the aspects of stress, preeclampsia, having an autistic child and her life stage using the cognitive, personality and sociological models.

Finally, the paper concludes by highlighting the importance of cognitive factors and emphasizes on mental health as well as moderating factors that anchor the ability of an individual to regain strong conscious of life even when under stress.

Brief background of the movie

The 2008 film The Black Balloon was directed by Elisa Down (Down & Jack 2008). It clearly depicts challenges faced by families living with autistic children.

The main question that the film raises is whether parents and other members of a family have the ability to cope with such challenges and come out victoriou in the end by being unified with love in spite of the kind of the adversity they face. As the title suggests, Charlie is like a black balloon whose opaqueness hinders one from seeing inner contents.

Besides, the presence of an autistic child in the family strains Maggie emotionally as depicted in the film bearing in mind that he has to devote all her attention to him.

The Black Balloon theme has been used to explore this sensitive issue and reveals how each of the family members has his/her own strategy to deal with the challenges caused by autism.

The generalization of literature on the issue

Although Erickson’s theory has been largely employed in the study as the main supporting framework, it has other varying elements of related theories such as the Freud’s theory of personality development.

Indeed, as Altiere and Von Kluge (2009. p. 142) point out, Erickson’s work was greatly influenced by the works of Sigmund Freud. This is evident especially in the first three stages of development whereby the symptoms and traits assimilated by an individual have great similarities in both theories.

According to Sigmund’s theory, personality is considered to be like an iceberg since it exists below the human capacity to address the resultant problems. In other words, personality is an integral element when assessing growth and development of an individual.

Most of the personality processes are below the conscious awareness of any human being to control. This is the same way an iceberg exists in an ordinary condition. However, Erickson strongly differs with Sigmund who observes that personality development only takes place during the first five years of an infant.

In contrast, the development of any individual is continuous and lasts throughout his lifetime as depicted by the Erickson’s eight stages of development (Baker, Seltzer & Greenberg 2011, p. 601).

The aforementioned stages are known to mould the full character trait of a person during the entire phase of growth and development. If the latter theory is anything to goby, then it implies that human personality is one of the mot complex aspects to alter in a human being.

Psychosocial developmental aspects using Erickson’s stages of development

According to Barkway (2009, p. 43), Erickson’s eight stages of development denote a holistic socialization process through which an individual undergoes in order to effectively fit in the society.

Unlike Sigmund Freud who believed that the development only takes place for a short period of time up to the age of five years, Erickson believed that development is a continuous process that occurs in an individual’s lifetime.

Erickson pointed out that all stages of human existence are unique and present an individual with particularistic challenges that determine their overall ability to address them (Greenberg, Seltzer & Hong 2001, p.229).

Notably, the Erickson’s eight stages of life development depict eight crises which are demonstrated by the traumas visible in many individuals with stress, preeclampsia as well as those going though a similar case to that of Maggie.

Louds et al (2007, p. 401) argue that the entire psychosocial crisis must be dealt with effectively at every stage in order to develop the correct system of addressing the needs of later stages.

Orsmond, Krauss and Seltzer (2004, p.245) also believe that when the crises are not totally or effectively resolved, they directly culminate into the symptoms of stress and other disorders at different life stages.

According to Seltzer et al (2001, p. 267), all the eight stages are anchored on the close interaction of three main facets of life development which usually occur in different stages.

To begin with, the somatic system is an important component that tends to control biological system whereby various processes constantly take place thereby exerting variant pressures to an individual.

At different stages, human body development presents variant developmental demands to effectively assume the required growth in an individual. In addition, the ego which forms the central reasoning and thinking demand of an individual is a major determinant of how an individual approaches the different problems that face them.

Indeed, as Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABC, 2009) explains that the ego forms one of the most important aspects of human development in the sense that it is possible to evaluate the costs and benefits of the different actions taken to ensure that only the best solutions are considered.

Finally, the societal facet views such an individual as part of the extended community which requires every person to live and operate within a given framework that is acceptable by all.

Though this has been cited to be much flexible especially in the modern communities where the boundaries have been extended especially for the social institutions; the administrative authorities that ruthlessly deal with the extreme cases of misbehavior posses major challenges to human beings at different stages.

Maggie’s case in terms of personal development

Middle adulthood stage (generativity versus stagnation)

The seventh stage which occurs between the ages of 40 to 65 years provides an individual with the ability to have an extended view and therefore offer care to others as Erickson indicated in his developmental theory.

Successful completion of the earlier stages culminates into the adults demanding the children as they equally need them mostly on the basis of leaving a decent legacy.

Adults seek new identities whereby thoughts of death are overshadowed by their efforts to generate greater levels of goodwill in society (Seltzer et al 2004, p. 245). However, if this crisis is not addressed, people will mostly be self centered and therefore experience a strong sense of stagnation.

Maggie’s stage of development in the move is at the middle adulthood. It is important to highlight that the idea behind producing The Black Balloon movie was to contextualize the impact of autistic children towards family health.

Shattuck (2007, p. 1735) perspectives concurs with the feelings brought out in the movie that the burdensome demands of taking care of an autistic child cause considerable stress to a family. Since the prognosis of the same is poor, it might cause a lifetime effect such as stress.

The movie brings out the character Maggie as a married woman in her forties and who has the burden of raising two sons. At this time, she is also pregnant with her third baby. She is also depicted as a hardworking lady whose energy and time is devoted to the rearing of children and management of her household.

However, the fact that she has to care for an autistic child besides juggling with the difficulties of her career and other famly members exerts a lot of pressure and stress on her.

According Erikson’s theory of human development, Maggie appears to be in her middle adulthood stage best explained by generativity versus stagnation.

Smith and O’Relly (2008, p. 100) are quite categorical that members in this phase devote their energy to caring for children and making a career thus contributing to the development of the next generation.

The interpretation of Maggie’s personal development phase can be observed as generative in the sense that she strives to raise her children and manage her household. Besides, the fact that Maggie is a housewife has an effect of stagnation.

The consequence of this is that it impacts on certain aspects of her self-realization. It is imperative to highlight that the role of taking care of an autistic child is cumbersome. White, Keonig and Scahill (2007, p. 1858) relate it to ‘full-time employment’. Maggie appears to be in some form of forced full time employment.

From the film, it is also evident that Maggie’s freedom is limited since she is the only one who seems to get it right with Charlie. This situation compels her to ignore her health risk and the pregnancy condition that requires her to take complete rest because any minute she leaves Charlie with Thomas or Simon chaos always arise.

While this is new because even with normal children mothers are always under mental and physical stress while taking care of their children and they always put their needs after those of family members (Cohen, Brown & Smailes 2001, p. 981), it appears to be an issue of concern that drives her to committee meetings even when she suffers from the symptoms of preeclampsia.

Various researches have indicated that lack of self efficiency skills in an autistic child can attract debilitating impact on the family bond and social relationships.

As noted in the movie, the realization that Charlie may not be able to perform certain functions or even marry is some of the failures which can impact negatively on the psychological health of the parents and siblings.

Most mothers as in the case of Maggie have been found to suffer from stressful symptoms (Down & Jack 2008). Similarly, they might develop love and care towards the disordered individual owing to the fact that most of the attention is directed towards this child (Glantz 2009, p. 1365).

For instance, in the initial stages Thomas is unable to understand why Maggie is always very attentive to Charlie’s needs or why he is never punished for wrong doing like when he smashes the birthday cake on the wall.

Thomas’ resentment reaches at a point of no return when Charlie ruins the birthday party in presence of his girlfriend whereby he revenges by breaking Charlie’s video game.

Charlie’s case and its impacts

Elementary and middle school years (Industry versus inferiority)

This stage lasts between the ages of 6-12 years when the child gets to school and therefore is exposed to the wider community apart from the ordinary and familiar caregivers and parents.

Therefore, by being exposed to new environment that consist of more friends and different people, the child has a chance of learning and gaining more skills while being transformed to a world of peers. Charlie’s condition is a major setback to his effective completion of the stage.

Failure to effectively complete stage one to three aggravates strong sense of inferiority complex which may be very hard to address at the later stages.

According to Ayoub (2006, p. 679), a disorder is one of the major factors that keeps individuals from fully being industrious. Consequent guidance should be provided to enhance better decision making at this stage. Maggie is keen to take this line of action.

Adolescent stage (identity versus role confusion)

According to Erickson’s theory of development, identity crisis is the single most significant aspect that individuals must face in course of their life development.

At this stage, the healthy resolution of the previous stages conflicts to generate the necessary sense of trust, competence, control, and independence which must all be incorporated.

Success in the earlier stages therefore brings out a strong sense of identity and therefore readiness to plan for the future. However, prior failure will lead to further confusion where the adolescent will be faced with difficulties in making the correct decisions and choices (Sparks 2000, p. 307).

In particular, they are faced with vocation problems and sexual orientation. Like in stage four, the adolescent easily becomes a subject of bad peer pressure that lead them conflicts with the community, the authority, and eventual cumulative stresses (Jara et al 2010, p. 270).

On the same note, as autistic children enter adolescent stage, new challenges arise as parents are in a dilemma on whether to send their children to mainstream or special schools (Ginette & Debra 2008, p. 55).

According to Capps (2009, p. 507), unlike the normal children who learn how to be self reliant, autistic children do not achieve this milestone due to cognitive underdevelopment, hence; they continue to place both physical and emotional demands on their parents.

Confusion presented by Autistic patients has been known to have great similarities with identity crisis posted in various stages of the Erickson’s eight stages of development.

In stage five of Ericsson’s eight stages of personality development as Raijmakers et al (2005, p. 711) explains, confusion is evident with the individuals lacking a sense of inner consideration of agency. It is clear that indeed, this sense of identity loss is directly correlated to poor earlier stages crisis resolution.

Identity is the ability of any individual to be able to address the correct industrial developmental avenue, generate the necessary intimacy, and fit within the holistic society configuration where its demands are effectively met without conflicting interest.

However, lack of the necessary cohesion and relationship with the others and environment puts an individual in a state of hegemony with their demands thereby displacing them into a state of confusion (Poston 2006, p. 1145).

In some instances as Kashanian et al (2011, p. 412) point out, there arises a sense of negative identity where an individual tries to generate or fit his traits within the groups that accept him/her. However, the negative identities make the individual to be looked down upon by the community as they directly negate its culture.

To add to that, identity confusion has also been indicated by lack of consistency in values posted by an individual, values that are un-harmonic with the societal demands, and lack of the necessary societal ideals.

Coping strategies

Resilience theory explains how families with special emphasis on parents can adequately cope with children who have been diagnosed with disorder issues and cases that cause stress.. Dekker and Sibai (2001, p. 209) indicate that developing coping strategies is crucial in determining whether an individual will recover from stress-producing situation without disintegration.

This concept in very interesting because it sheds light on why some families are able to cope well with stress than others. The film under analysis portray this concept very clearly since despite the chronic and consist stress that Charlie brings, Maggie is able to cope with the situation through flexibility.

Research has shown that the behavior of autistic children is always unpredictable; therefore, family members must exercise flexibility to be able to deal with uncertain behavior.

Besides, Maggie has also adopted a constructive approach to resilience. The theory states that an individual is capable of remaining healthy if he/she can positively cope with the environmental aspects that instigate stress by remaining optimistic amidst stress causing factors.

Furthermore, family resilience theory seeks to identity the elements that promote high level of resilience and this elements are treated as ideal of which other families can emulate incase they are faced with a similar situation.

Implications for healthcare practice

Addressing psychological disorders in society is one of the most critical aspects that contribute to the holistic well being of the people. Notably, the current rising levels of psychological disorders have culminated into intensification of research for the best methods of addressing them.

Some of the methods of handling the problem include behavioral and cognitive therapies Behavioral and cognitive therapies share vast considerations in common. Though behavioral therapy does not focus more on the internal consideration of an individual, it appreciates that an individual’s psychological behavior is vastly influenced by his internal state.

This is similar to the cognitive therapy which is based on the view that it is the internal state of an individual that dictates their behavior and therefore should be manipulated to address psychological disorders.

Beside, the concept of environmental influence is employed in both therapies. While it is the main basis for behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy employs it to identify those suffering psychological disorders or trace their progress after treatment.

According to Roberts and Cooper (2001, p. 53), both behavioral and cognitive therapies are different through the mode they approach problems related to psychological disorders.

In cognitive therapy, an individual is helped to overcome psychological disorders through identification and establishing change to the thinking, emotional response, and even behavioral patterns.

Notably, cognitive therapy seeks to address psychological disorder from internal consideration of an individual. For instance, clients may be assisted to deal with their beliefs or even their negative ways of thinking through their cooperation with the therapist.

The debate on which method between behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy is better has remained a real challenge to resolve for a considerably long period of time now.

Nejatizadeh et al (2008, p. 451) indicate that depending on thoroughness and the type of psychological disorder being considered, both methodologies have effectively been employed.

As a result, a combination of the two methods have been established and indeed been found to operate in a superior mode compared to either cognitive therapy or behavioral therapy when employed singly.

As Nejatizadeh et al indicate, cognitive-behavioral therapy is id being preferred by psychotherapists in addressing conditions such as stress, depression, identity disorders and even schizophrenia among others.

Conclusion

To sum it up, it is worth to mention that personal growth and development from childhood is a complex process that demands close monitoring especially in cases where physical or mental infirmities are noted.

This paper concludes by indicating that addressing psychological disorders in society is very critical if people are to remain harmonious, stress-free and highly productive.

Notably, both cognitive and behavioral therapies have been practiced with great levels of efficacy as part and parcel of reducing stress. However, their combination appears even better in term of addressing psychological disorders.

References

Altiere, M & Von Kluge, S 2009, ‘Searching for acceptance: Challenges encountered while raising a child with autism’. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, Vol. 34 no. 2, pp. 142-152.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABC), 2009, Autism in Australia. Web.

Ayoub CC et al. 2006, “Cognitive and emotional differences in young maltreated children: A translational application of dynamic skill theory”, Development and psychopathology, vol. 18 no. 3, pp. 679-706.

Baker J, Seltzer M & Greenberg S 2011, ‘Longitudinal effects of adaptability on behavior problems and maternal depression in families of adolescents with autism’, Journal of Family Psychology, vol. 25 no. 4, pp. 601-609.

Barkway, P 2009, ‘Psychology for Health Professionals’, Sydney: Elsevier Australia.

Capps, D 2009, “Norman Vincent Peale, Smiley Blanton and the Hidden Energies of the Mind”, Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 48 no. 4, pp. 507-527.

Cohen P, Brown J & Smailes E 2001, “Child abuse and neglect and the development of mental disorders in the general population”, Development and psychopathology, vol. 13 no. 4, pp. 981-99.

Dekker, G & Sibai, B 2001, “Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of pre-eclampsia”, The Lancet, vol. 357, no. 9251, pp. 209-215.

Down, E. & Jack, J. 2008. The Black Balloon. Web.

Ginette, GF & Debra, AE 2008, “Development of an educational/support group for pregnant women in prison”, Journal of Forensic Nursing, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 55-60.

Glantz MD, et al. 2009, “Mental disorders as risk factors for later substance dependence: estimates of optimal prevention and treatment benefits”, Psychological medicine, vol. 39, no. 8, pp. 1365-1377.

Greenberg S, Seltzer M & Hong J 2001, ‘Bidirectional effects of expressed emotion and behavior problems and symptoms in adolescents and adults with autism’, American journal on mental retardation, vol. 111, no 4, pp. 229-249.

Jara DL et al. 2010, “Pre-operative quality of life and psychological factors that influence patient decision making in LASIK”, Eye, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 270-5.

Kashanian M et al. R 2011, “Risk Factors for Pre-Eclampsia: A Study in Tehran, Iran”, Archives of Iranian Medicine, vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 412-415.

Louds J et al. 2007 ‘Transition and change in adolescents and young adults with autism; longitudinal effects on maternal well-being’, American journal on mental retardation, vol. 112, no. 6, pp. 401-417.

Nejatizadeh A, et al. 2008, “The genetic aspects of pre-eclampsia: achievements and limitations”, Biochemical genetics, vol. 46, no. 7-8, pp. 451-479.

Orsmond, G, Krauss, M & Seltzer, M, 2004 ‘Peer relationships and social and recreational activities among adolescents and adults with autism’ Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 245-256.

Poston L et al. 2006, “Vitamin C and vitamin E in pregnant women at risk for pre-eclampsia (VIP trial): randomised placebo-controlled trial”, The Lancet, vol. 367, no. 9517, pp. 1145-1154.

Raijmakers MTM et al. 2005, “Amino Thiols, Detoxification and Oxidative Stress in Pre-Eclampsia and Other Disorders of Pregnancy”, Current pharmaceutical design, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 711-734.

Roberts, JM & Cooper, DW 2001, “Pathogenesis and genetics of pre-eclampsia”, The Lancet, vol. 357, no. 9249, pp. 53-56.

Seltzer M, Krauss W, Orsmond I & Vestal K 2001,’Families of adolescents and adults with autism: Uncharted Territory’ International review of research in mental retardation, vol.23, pp. 267-293.

Seltzer, M, Krauss, W, Orsmond, I & Vestal, C 2004, ‘Peer relationships and social and recreational activities among adolescents and adults with autism’, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34(3), 245-256.

Shattuck, P 2007, ‘Change in autism symptoms and maladaptive behaviors in adolescents and adults with an autism spectrum disorder’, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorder, vol. 37, pp.1735–1747.

Smith, S & O’Relly, R 2008, ‘Australian autism handbook: the essential resource guide to autism spectrum disorder. Jane Curry Publishing, Edgecliff: N.S.W.

Sparks, JA 2000, “The deconstruction of magic: Rereading, rethinking Erickson”, Family process, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 307-311.

White, W, Keonig, K & Scahill, L 2007, ‘Social skills development in children with autism spectrum disorders: a review of the intervention research’, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 37, no. 20, pp. 1858-1868.