New York, NY (Top40 Charts) If you are a psychology major, there is only one thing that can make you truly happy - talking to people with problems, big and small, the more, the better! Practice makes perfect, they say. Unfortunately, today almost everyone has one big problem - the global lockdown. But you have already heard all about it. And while you are trapped at home due to the quarantine, you cannot go around talking to real, live people. So, what to do next? We have a perfect solution just for you, simple and elegant. Watch a movie!
Films are often worth a dozen books. Recent studies have demonstrated that watching videos is as effective when dealing with complex material as reading textbooks. Moreover, the research conducted by M. Tibus, A. Heier, and S. Schwan proves that video materials can help you comprehend even complex scientific matters. In addition, according to Cary Bazalgette, an expert in media literacy and educational use of movies, films have a range of benefits, which include an enhanced sense of achievement, increased motivation, and self-image. So, films are two-in-one: both useful and interesting.
Sir Ken Robinson, an acknowledged education guru, encourages young people to do things that are fulfilling. To learn effectively, you have to be fascinated by the subject you are researching and engaged in the process of study. If you feel that movies are your element, they are bound to help you comprehend and memorize complex material. And if you are still worried about that four-page-long assignment due tomorrow, you can always leave it to the care of a professional psychology essay writing service. So, do not hesitate, watch away!
1. Sybil (1976)
The DID/MPD diagnosis is one of the most popular subjects of cinematic portrayal, and yet rarely does a film come as close to the realistic representation of this serious mental disorder as this biographical drama. Its protagonist, a young woman Sybil Dorsett, was so seriously traumatized in childhood that she has developed sixteen personalities, including a little girl called Peggy, a young woman Marcia, haunted by suicidal inclinations, and Vanessa, a talented pianist. The film tells a dramatic and breath-taking story of her being treated by Dr. Cornelia Wilbur.
2. Rain Man (1988)
Since this classic was released in 1988, many films have been made to attract the public's attention to the challenges people with autism face on a daily basis. These films include such outstanding titles as Temple Grandin (2010), A Brilliant Young Mind (2015), and Please Stand By (2018). But Rain Man remains that extremely powerful and influential film that defines the modern perception of autism. Dustin Hoffman's brilliant acting has turned this movie into a legend. The shooting team was consulted by Dr. Rimland, the founder of the Autism Research Institute. Today, when every year more and more children all over the world are diagnosed with autism, this film has proved to be a major landmark in the struggle to make the invisible people noticed and appreciated by society.
3. Awakenings (1990)
Doctors are true miracle workers. They keep believing in their patients when many have given up on them. Robin Williams' character is one of such devoted professionals. Despite the general belief that his catatonic patients, afflicted by the encephalitis epidemic at the beginning of the XX century, are hopeless, he never writes them off. When a new medicine opens up an opportunity of bringing them back to life, the 'awakening' turns out to be a challenge both for the medical staff and the patients themselves. This biographical drama is both enlightening, touching, and heart-warming.
6. Good Will Hunting (1997)
Will Hunting, a young janitor at M.I.T., has two loyal friends: mathematics and his devoted psychologist. Abused as a child, Will has to deal with this trauma that prevents him from fulfilling himself and living his life as an accomplished individual. This movie will strike a chord with anyone interested in developmental psychology, but also with all those who believe that empathy and compassion should be the foundation for any productive relationship between a therapist and a patient.
5. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Not a single list of psychology films would be complete without this absolute masterpiece. If you have not watched it yet, you are incredibly lucky! If you have, you can always revisit this classic as many times as you wish, as the film is incredibly dense with ideas and emotions. A Beautiful Mind a mesmerizing chronicle of a brilliant mathematician's fight with schizophrenia. It investigates the effect that this mental disorder can have on everyday life, family, and relationships. John Nash, a Nobel laureate and a troubled genius, is poignantly and convincingly portrayed by Russell Crowe.
6. Kinsey (2004)
"Let's talk about…," runs the trailer to this provocative and enlightening movie, directed by Bill Condon. Liam Neeson plays Alfred Kinsey, a pioneer in the study of human sexuality. In the film, Kinsey argues that his research into this intriguing subject is so difficult because what the researchers have is only what people are willing to share with them. But the very same difficulty makes the process of research all the more fascinating. The eye-opening lectures of Professor Kinsey, the amusing confessions of the confused interviewees, the shocked colleagues, and the striking headlines are all there in the movie. So, if you are sitting comfortably there, let's begin…
7. A Dangerous Method (2011)
Psychology is the art of turning the untold secrets into the secrets told and analyzed. A Dangerous Method delves into the realm of untold secrets kept by the very icons in the history of psychology, Doctor Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Professor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), Jung's authoritative mentor and friend. The film sheds light on the birth of psychoanalysis from amidst the battle of the world's greatest minds over the treatment of a troubled Russian beauty brilliantly played by Keira Knightley.
For an aspiring psychologist, any film would be a field study. After all, all movies are about people or made by people, and everybody knows people are the psychologist's bread and butter. But it is much better to watch a film related to a psychological disorder, a method of treatment, or famous psychologists and their equally famous patients. We hope that our list of best psychology films of all time will help you spend quality time at home.
