What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
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Psychology 2301
1 December 2014
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In the movie
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape one major psychological disorders was identified. The psychological disorder, autism, was found in a main character named Arnie
Grape.
In Arnie’s case he struggles to understand social conventions and social expectations, and therefore simply ignores them the majority of the time. Arnie also demonstrates underdeveloped language skills for a boy about to turn eighteen years old. He frequently talks slow and does not have a very large vocabulary. Arnie also imitates what he has just heard or seen another individual say or do. He is constantly looking up to his brother, Gilbert Grape, and imitating his words, posture, and body language. For example, Gilbert constantly reminds Arnie about saying thank you when something nice is done for him; when Gilbert doesn’t know what to say to
Becky after the time they have spent together, Arnie reminds him, much like Gilbert used to remind him, “Say thank you, Gilbert. Say thank you.” Gilbert has taught Arnie to socialize with other people; something that Arnie learns through imitation of his role model.Arnie also shows imitation with his father’s death. He knows that his father committed suicide by hanging on the attic of the house; when Arnie is asked by Gilbert to go down there to help Tucker, he immediately recreates his father’s death by imitating a hanging noose and him hanging from there. This shows again that Arnie has learned to imitate an event that happened years ago.
Arnie has a selfcentered view of the world. He cannot see the world through another person’s eyes nor feel empathy toward other people’s feelings. An example of Arnie’s selfcentered views is when When Arnie begins yelling that their father is dead at the table; he does not seem to understand the distressed look on her mother’s features; he can’t understand
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