Summary
Psychological disorders are the leading cause of abnormal behavior among individuals. Schizophrenia is one of the psychological illnesses that alter the way people behave. According to the World Health Organization (2019), the disease is a severe and chronic mental disorder that affects approximately 20 million persons worldwide. Additionally, the chances of schizophrenia patients dying early are 2 to 3 times higher than the general population. Distorted perception, thinking, language, emotions, behavior, and sense of self are key factors that characterize the disorder. Various media pieces, such as the soloist, depict elements of schizophrenia to sensitize the public about the disorder and how it impacts individuals. An evaluation of a character in the soloist, Nathaniel Ayers, and different perspectives of abnormal behavior can help understand schizophrenia and its treatment or management approaches.
The soloist is an American-based film produced in 2009. The film is based on a true story of a person diagnosed with schizophrenia. The movie starts by featuring Lopez, one of the main characters, frustrated due to the lack of captivating story in his column that could help him save his job (Wright, 2009). He goes out to look for inspiration from the streets, where he meets the schizophrenic character, Nathaniel Ayers. Ayers is homeless, speaks hurriedly, avoids eye contact, and repeats topics about unrealistic topics. While Lopez believes that he has found a lead story, Ayers is confident that he has found a friend. Lopez and Ayers become acquainted, and they develop a unique relationship, making them inseparable.
The flashback about Ayers’ childhood showed when the symptoms of schizophrenia started. During his adolescence, Ayers became more focused on music than anything else (Wright, 2009). He withdrew from others and could spell his full name aloud to himself. Ayers then started experiencing auditory hallucinations while participating in music rehearsals at school. He could hear the commanding voices of men, women, and children. The hallucinations began to impair his performance at school as they became more frightening and deprecating (Wright, 2009). As a result, he dropped out of school and ran away from family and friends, ending up on the streets. Ayers opposed the idea of Lopez getting a house at the lamp apartment. Although Lopez helped him continue performing music, sometimes Ayers could walk off stage when schizophrenic symptoms exacerbated. Ayers became annoyed and violent when he was told to sign a paper indicating that he had schizophrenia. He feared committing to a psychiatric hospital and threatened to kill his friend when he saw him again (Wright, 2009). Indeed, Ayers accurately portrayed all the symptoms associated with schizophrenia.
Psychological Perspectives on Schizophrenia
Psychodynamic Perspective
This theory explains psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia as a manifestation of invasion of the conscious mind by dreams and unconsciousness. Another approach accentuates the importance of early relationship patterns. According to Lincoln and Pedersen (2019), the theory assumes that the internal representation of experiences with families and friends and current relationships contribute to the psychotic symptoms and tension in the mind. This perspective holds that abnormality occurs when a conflict between the id ego (represented in the unconsciousness) and superego remains unresolved. Rupani and Sousa (2017) indicate the early part of the oral stage (primary narcissism), when ego and id are not separated, is linked to schizophrenia. The ego controlled id’s impulses and ensured a balance between the latter’s demand and the superego’s moral restrictions. However, its disintegration makes one lose touch with reality, explaining the symptoms of schizophrenia.
Psychodynamic therapy focuses on helping schizophrenic patients to gain self-awareness and understand past experiences that influence their present behavior. The treatment fosters new and positive relationship involvement among individuals diagnosed with the disorder. Lincoln and Pedersen (2019) suggest therapists need to adopt an empathetic, respectful, and supportive attitude when dealing with schizophrenic patients to re-enact the internalized relational patterns. Therefore, the interaction between patients and therapists is vital in helping the former recover from the illness.
Biological Perspective
This perspective holds that all behaviors, feelings, and thoughts have a biological cause. Biological factors such as the brain, hormones, and chromosomes significantly influence human behavior. Biological theorists believe that most behaviors portrayed by individuals are inheritable through genes (Lincoln & Pedersen, 2019). Therefore, they explain a person’s behavior using neurological terms, the brain’s structure, and physiology. Biological psychologists consider the level of a neurotransmitter, dopamine, as the cause of schizophrenia. Therapists who adopt this perspective would use drugs to treat Ayers’ condition. These drugs are antipsychotics, and they would help in relieving symptoms such as hallucinations.
Humanistic Perspective
This psychological theory of abnormal disorders emphasizes evaluating the whole person to understand and treat mental conditions. Humanistic theorists believe that self-image and inner feelings play a significant role in influencing individuals’ behaviors (Lincoln & Pedersen, 2019). The perspective holds that people are responsible for their happiness and well-being and have an innate capacity for self-actualizations. Therefore, negative feelings about oneself and failure to achieve self-actualization can trigger abnormal behaviors such as withdrawing from family and friends. Therapists would use a patient-centered approach to treat Ayers’ condition. They would employ genuineness, accurate empathy, unconditional positive regard, and focus on personal when dealing with the patient to help him gain congruence between the ideal self and authentic self (Lincoln & Pedersen, 2019). The therapists should help him achieve personal growth and reach his full potential, promoting a positive self-image and feelings.
Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective
This perspective considers various mental functions, such as attention, memory, and perception. It focuses on cognitive processes, including encoding, storage, and retrieval of information in mind. Therefore, cognitive impairment has a significant role in the development of schizophrenia. Patients with the conditions portray cognitive deficits in episodic memory, working memory, and inability to regulate or control their behavior (Lincoln & Pedersen, 2019). Schizophrenic individuals also experience problems in their information processing speed. The perspective accentuates stressors overload in the cognitive process as a cause of unusual experiences. Cognitive-behavioral intervention for Ayers’ condition would focus on teaching him how to modify behaviors such as social withdrawal that contribute to negative emotions (Lincoln & Pedersen, 2019). The therapist would teach him to learn how his thoughts, feelings, and behaviors impact each other.
Sociocultural Perspective
This perspective holds that social and cultural factors contribute to the development of psychological disorders such as schizophrenia. Additionally, the way people perceive and understand symptoms of schizophrenia differs across cultures. Dein (2017) indicates that culture influence how people identify, experience, and content hallucinations. It also shapes the way individuals understand the experiences, the distress they elicit, and how they respond. While in some communities, symptoms such as hallucination are associated with schizophrenia, others do not perceive them as abnormal. Therefore, therapists upholding this perspective would first understand Ayers’ perceptions about hallucinations, explain they are associated with mental disorders and prescribe antipsychotics to alleviate the symptoms.
The psychodynamic perspective is the best approach to help understand schizophrenia and how the condition can be managed. This theory acknowledges the role of past experiences, especially during childhood, in triggering mental disorders such as schizophrenia. It also explains how understanding these experiences can help patients gain self-awareness and understand what triggers their abnormal behaviors (Rupani & Sousa, 2017). Therefore, a therapist who would treat Ayers should apply this perspective to help him continue effectively with his music career.
References
Dein, S. (2017). Recent work on culture and schizophrenia: Epidemiological and anthropological approaches. Global Journal of Archaeology & Anthropology, 1(3), 64-68. Web.
Lincoln, T., & Pedersen, A. (2019). An overview of the evidence for psychological interventions for psychosis: Results from meta-analyses. Clinical Psychology in Europe, 1(1), 1-23. Web.
Rupani, K., & Sousa, A. (2017). Psychodynamic theories of schizophrenia – Revisited. Indian Journal of Mental Health (IJMH), 4(1), 6-15. Web.
The World Health Organization. (2019). Schizophrenia. Who.int. Web.
Wright, J. (2009). The Soloist [Film].