Rainman Psychology
RAINMAN, AND THE ELEMENTS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Abstract
Rainman is a film about two brothers brought back together after the death of their father. As an adult, Charlie Babbitt was living the hard and fast life of a successful business man until the death of his estranged father, led him to meeting Raymond, his autistic savant older brother he did not realize he had. In the beginning of the film, Charlie works to change and mold his brother into what Charlie feels would be most convenient in order to get what he wants from Raymond. Charlie attempts to teach him about life, but it is Raymond that teaches all of us the biggest lessons of all. Autism changes the lives of the caregivers, the families, and all who have the courage and patience …show more content…
One defining scene in the movie opens with Charlie and Raymond in a restaurant and a box of straws falls to the ground. Without even being asked, Raymond instantly computes the number of straws that fell on the ground. The brilliance of a savant, while spectacular, occurs within a very narrow range when one considers all the skills humans generally contain possess. It occurs generally in the areas of mathematical calculations, music, drawing, sculpting, mechanical ability or prodigious memory (Treffert, 2006). There is also another scene at a casino, where Raymond’s extraordinary ability for calculations is depicted. While playing Blackjack, Raymond is able to effortlessly count the cards. Intriguingly portrayed, this film shows a man who lacks tacit intelligence, the practical knowledge and skills to deal with everyday problems (Lahey, 2012), yet at the same time, is able to perform these incredible feats. Savant syndrome is a condition where people with severe mental illness or major intellectual handicaps have spectacular abilities and brilliance which stand in stark, startling contrast to their handicaps (Treffert, 2006). Charlie’s father institutionalized Raymond after Raymond accidently burned Charlie as young child. Back then, Charlie was not able to pronounce “Raymond” so he would say “Rainman”. As Charlie matured to an adult, his memories of Raymond faded and ran together to where Charlie did not recall having a brother Raymond, instead he remembered having an imaginary friend by the name of Rainmain. Interference Theory is when forgetting is due to similar memories interfering with the storage or retrieval of information one is looking for. It is described as memories running together (Lahey, 2012). Decay theory is the gradual process of non-used memories fading away over time and more than likely, another reason that, once separated,
Abstract
Rainman is a film about two brothers brought back together after the death of their father. As an adult, Charlie Babbitt was living the hard and fast life of a successful business man until the death of his estranged father, led him to meeting Raymond, his autistic savant older brother he did not realize he had. In the beginning of the film, Charlie works to change and mold his brother into what Charlie feels would be most convenient in order to get what he wants from Raymond. Charlie attempts to teach him about life, but it is Raymond that teaches all of us the biggest lessons of all. Autism changes the lives of the caregivers, the families, and all who have the courage and patience …show more content…
One defining scene in the movie opens with Charlie and Raymond in a restaurant and a box of straws falls to the ground. Without even being asked, Raymond instantly computes the number of straws that fell on the ground. The brilliance of a savant, while spectacular, occurs within a very narrow range when one considers all the skills humans generally contain possess. It occurs generally in the areas of mathematical calculations, music, drawing, sculpting, mechanical ability or prodigious memory (Treffert, 2006). There is also another scene at a casino, where Raymond’s extraordinary ability for calculations is depicted. While playing Blackjack, Raymond is able to effortlessly count the cards. Intriguingly portrayed, this film shows a man who lacks tacit intelligence, the practical knowledge and skills to deal with everyday problems (Lahey, 2012), yet at the same time, is able to perform these incredible feats. Savant syndrome is a condition where people with severe mental illness or major intellectual handicaps have spectacular abilities and brilliance which stand in stark, startling contrast to their handicaps (Treffert, 2006). Charlie’s father institutionalized Raymond after Raymond accidently burned Charlie as young child. Back then, Charlie was not able to pronounce “Raymond” so he would say “Rainman”. As Charlie matured to an adult, his memories of Raymond faded and ran together to where Charlie did not recall having a brother Raymond, instead he remembered having an imaginary friend by the name of Rainmain. Interference Theory is when forgetting is due to similar memories interfering with the storage or retrieval of information one is looking for. It is described as memories running together (Lahey, 2012). Decay theory is the gradual process of non-used memories fading away over time and more than likely, another reason that, once separated,