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Project Background and Overview

Applicant: Erin C. Hunter
Mentors: Dr. Jaime Diaz and Dr. Michael Passer

 “For better or worse, movies and television contribute significantly to shaping t he public’s perception of the mentally ill and those who treat them.”

Steven E. Hyler

Project Proposal
Student Statement

Background and Rationale

 All too often, people who suffer from psychological disorders have to struggle not only with the actual symptoms of their disorder, but also have to deal with social stigma and negative stereotypes attached to the disorder.   Though we have come a long way from the days when people with psychological disorders were locked away in institutions and openly mistreated, our society today continues to grossly misunderstand people with psychological disorders.   As a result, people with psychological disorders are commonly discriminated against, treated unfairly, and seen as dangerous, “crazy” people.  Even worse, the social stigma regarding psychological disorders is often a reason why people are reluctant to seek treatment (Mann & Himelein, 2004). 

 One of the means by which the prejudice and misconceptions regarding people with psychological disorders are created and maintained is film.  Film is a powerful way to communicate with the general public, and some have even claimed film to be the most influential means of mass communication (Cape, 2003).   Psychological disorders and psychological issues have long been a topic addressed in film.  Unfortunately, some films, such as “Psycho” and “Nightmare on Elm Street,” distort or misrepresent the symptoms of psychological disorders and server to perpetuate beliefs that people with psychological disorders are violent, dangerous, and unpredictable individuals.  However, precisely because film is such a powerful communication tool, it also has the ability to counteract these stereotypes and to more accurately educate the public about psychological disorders.  Additionally, film can provide the viewer with a chance to empathize with the individual suffering from a psychological disorder by allowing him/her to experience the world through their eyes.  One example of such a movie is the film “A Beautiful Mind,” which presents living with schizophrenia in a compassionate and insightful light.

 Project Description and Objectives

 Misconceptions regarding people with psychological disorders occur not only in the general public, but also in psychology students who have taken courses on the topic of abnormal psychology.  Merely learning facts about psychological disorders is often not enough to change deeper seeded beliefs.  For this reason, the current proposal involves the development of a new course aimed at breaking down the ways in which psychological disorders are perceived, the discrimination faced by people with these disorders.  Popular films will be the primary means through which this aim is approached in order to present course material in a mode that is most accessible to the students while also allowing the student to more deeply connect with the issues.  

The proposed course would be entitled, “Psychopathology in Film,” and would be a 400 level psychology course consisting of approximately 25 students. The goals of this course would be four-fold: 1) to enhance the student’s basic understanding of psychological disorders and abnormal behavior in general, 2) to critically analyze and understand the effects media/film have on the student’s own personal perceptions of psychological disorders, 3) to critically analyze and understand the effects media/film have on perceptions of people with psychological disorders in the general public, and 4) to have the student evaluate his/her perceptions of and behaviors towards people with psychological disorders in his/her real life.

In order to reach these goals, the course would be structured as a biweekly discussion-focused class.  The initial week of the course would provide an introduction to psychological disorders and how they are diagnosed, as well as an introduction to the history of portrayals of psychological disorders in film.  In the weeks subsequent, film clips depicting people with various types of psychological disorders (anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, personality disorders, etc.) will be viewed and discussed in class.  Additionally, students will have assigned readings each week regarding the disorder being discussed in addition to watching film clips depicting that particular disorder.  The last few weeks will turn from the portrayal of people with psychological disorders in film to the portrayal of psychiatrists and psychotherapists in film.  Discussion in these weeks will focus on the message films communicate regarding psychiatrists and psychotherapists and the impact these messages could have on whether or not a person experiencing psychological problems would seek out treatment.

 Assessment

The success of the course will be evaluated based on accomplishment of the goals previously mentioned, and assessed in the following ways: 1) class discussion, 2) a journal kept by students noting both their initial emotional reactions to the film clips and class discussion, as well as secondary reactions students have upon a review their initial reactions from a more psychological standpoint, 3) a paper presenting a critical analysis of issues discussed in class as they relate to a film not covered on the syllabus, and 4) a paper analyzing what they have learned about the impact film has on their own perceptions and behaviors, as well as those of the general public. 

 Project Implementation

The course has received the approval of the Psychology Department, and is tentatively planned to be offered in either Spring or Summer of 2007.  Further development of the course is planned to occur in the preceding quarters of that academic year.  Throughout the project, the fellow and her mentors, Dr. Jaime Diaz and Dr. Michael Passer, will collaborate on the following duties: 1) development of curriculum along, 2) selection of reading materials, 3) course organization, 4) selection of appropriate teaching strategies and electronic resources, 5) design of assignments and grading policies.  The fellow will be the sole instructor of the course, but will be observed twice by Dr. Diaz and provided feedback.  CIDR will also be utilized mid-course to provide additional feedback to the fellow.  Dr. Diaz and the fellow will meet regularly during the quarter when the course is being offered to discuss issues related to the course and the teaching development of the fellow.  Further consultation from faculty in Film Studies will also be sought.  

Student Statement  

Teaching Background:

As a fourth-year in the Child Clinical Psychology program here at the University of Washington, I feel that I am well qualified to undertake this project.  The education that I have received in my program has provided me with ample knowledge in the area of abnormal psychology and psychological disorders.  I have also served as a teaching assistant for numerous courses offered by the psychology department, including Introduction to Psychology, Research Methods, Abnormal Psychology, and Psychobiology of Women.  Additionally, I served as a Psychology 101 CLUE mentor for part of the 2004-2005 academic year.  During that year, I was awarded the honor of serving as a departmental 101 fellow, whose duty it was to oversee and be a resource to new teaching assistants for the course as well as be involved in test development, grading, and occasionally lecturing to the class.  In 2005, I also received a departmental Distinguished Graduate Student Teaching Award.   I have also presented at several national conferences and advised an undergraduate honors student on her research project. 

 Reasons for Interest:

One of the primary reasons why I am proposing this project is because I simply love to teach.  Also, I feel that this course would be one that would be one that was not only fun and engaging to the students, but also enrich the student’s understanding of psychological disorders and their own perceptions and behaviors regarding people who suffer from these disorders.  Additionally, I am a huge fan of film, and am eager to test its usefulness in engaging students in complicated material. Further, I believe that this project would be a wonderful opportunity for me to further develop my teaching skills and get the opportunity to design and instruct my own course.  Within the psychology department, there are not many opportunities for graduate students to serve as the primary instructor of a course.  There are even fewer opportunities for graduate students to develop their own curricula and then to actually teach it.  The skills I would gain from developing and instructing my own course would be invaluable in my professional development and in my preparation to become a faculty member in the psychology department of a college or university.

 Tasks to be performed by the Applicant:

 The applicant will develop and teach the course “Psychopathology in Film.”  The applicant’s tasks will include: 1) curriculum development, 2) identification of teaching resources available at UW, 3) selection of reading materials, 4) selection of relevant film clips, 5) leading in-class discussions, and 6) grading student journals and papers.

 References

 Cape, G. S. (2003). Addiction, stigma and movies. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 107, 163-169.

 Hyler, S. E. (1988). DSM-III at the cinema: Madness at the movies.  Comprehensive Psychiatry, 29, 195-206.

 Mann, C. E., & Himelein, M. J. (2004). Factors associated with stigmatization of persons with mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 55, 185-187.

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