Character Analysis

Character Analysis

Introduction

The movie that has been selected is “As Good as it Gets.” This movie features a character named Melvin Udall, who has an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). After watching this movie, here is an analysis of OCPD as observed in character. The symptoms and possible treatments will also be discussed.

Manifestations of Pathological Behavior

Melvin Udall is a successful writer in the movie who suffers from an obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Melvin is, more often than not, cranky and also rude to the individuals that he interacts with. He dislikes interactions with people and also despises his gay neighbor together with his partner and dog. He has only one restaurant to which he goes to be served by only one waitress, Carol. Once, when Carol was unavailable, Melvin had to go look for her, and even though Carol was nursing her sick son, Melvin asked her to go back to the restaurant and serve him since nobody else could “touch his food.” He ensures that he has his own cutlery at the restaurant, which he neatly carries in a protective bag. Whenever Melvin is in public, he tries as much as possible to avoid any contact with people, repetitively shouting, “Don’t touch me” (Brooks, 1997). He wears disposable gloves while in public to avoid touching any surface. When he gets home, the first thing he does is dispose of the gloves and embark on a ritualistic cleansing of hands, using very hot water and different bar soaps, which he disposes one after the other to get rid of the contaminants. Melvin also indulges in his writing career and gets annoyed whenever someone knocks on his door, claiming that people should only get to his house when he dies and begins to rot.

 Possible Diagnosis

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder falls under cluster C personality disorders, often characterized by fearful and anxious behavior or thinking. The personality traits that characterize OCPD according to DSM-5 include perfectionism, preoccupation with details, inability to get rid of worthless objects, stubbornness and rigidity, excessive devotion to productivity and work, inability to delegate work to others, and over-consciousness (Diedrich & Voderholzer, 2015).). This disorder is often linked with a lessened quality of life, moderate impairment in an individual’s psychosocial functioning, and a significant economic burden (Diedrich & Voderholzer, 2015). OCPD is often associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder, with both diseases often having similar symptoms, such as fear of contamination and rigidity (Gadelkarim et al., 2019).

Melvin is often obsessive to a great extent with his job and productivity, which has enabled him to be a successful writer. However, this usually means shutting himself in his house while avoiding contact and interactions with other people, whom he considers a nuisance. This has brought major interpersonal problems between him and other people. Additionally, Melvin demonstrates high levels of rigidity or inflexibility. He feels that he only has to eat at a single restaurant and has to be served by a single waitress. He cannot eat at the restaurant when the waitress is not around and has to insensitively pursue her to ensure that she returns to the restaurant and serves him. This rigidity is also observed in his interaction with Carol. He believes that Carol needs to carry herself in a particular manner as a woman, which causes him major trouble while pursuing Carol for a romantic relationship with her. He also has a sense of righteousness in believing that there is a particular manner in which things need to be done. This makes him have an all-important attitude that could be assumed in a narcissistic individual. Melvin is also obsessed with perfectionism, which causes him to indulge in a cleansing ritual that could harm his hands. His desire for orderliness can be observed in the manner in which things are arranged in his house. These symptoms make it hard for Melvin to interact with others and function well in society.

Psychodynamic Theory

A psychodynamic theory strives to comprehend the symptoms of OCPD in terms of the maladaptive and excessive efforts to cope with perceived dangers that are posed by sexual or aggressive impulses as well as in terms of the distorted information processing together with rigid cognitive styles that cannot tolerate ambiguity (Pittenger, 2017). Furthermore, the psychodynamic model views OCPD as a phenomenon against the backdrop of normal childhood development and the vicissitudes of conscience information and culturally defined concepts of methodical transgressions or boundaries and pollution or cleanliness.

The psychodynamic model strives to explain the symptoms that take place among individuals with OCPD. According to this model, there is an interplay between the conscious and unconscious. The unconscious mind is said to play an integral role in individuals’ behavior. Individuals’ decisions, motives, and feelings are all said to be powerfully impacted by individuals’ past experiences and stored within their unconscious. Freud described such obsessive behaviors as stagnation in one’s anal stage. Verbal punishment and strict rules experienced during this stage are said to be easily transferred into strict, self-imposed standards and rules when the child transitions into adulthood. Through incidences of abuse in childhood, individuals with OCPD might feel the need to be obedient and perfect at all times. This need is then transferred into adulthood.

 Interventions

The psychodynamic approach is usually modified to apply structure to introspection and free association. The goals that are linked to an alteration in character are often established, and the therapist, in collaboration with the client, works towards the set goal. Research shows that psychodynamic therapy that is goal-oriented and structured can help lessen impairments associated with OCPD (Verheul, R., & Herbrink, 2017). Psychodynamic therapies such as transference-focused psychotherapy, analytic psychotherapy, and group psychotherapy purpose to aid the client in comprehending and reflecting on their inner mental processes and making links between their current and past difficulties (Alex et al., 2010). Dynamic and insight-oriented therapies such as psychoanalysis are usually recommended among the best treatments for OCPD.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is also another intervention that is commonly used among patients with OCPD. This intervention encourages patients to challenge their central beliefs. Research shows that CBT has often been effective in lessening symptoms like depression, anxiety, and personality disorders related to individuals with OCPD (Diedrich & Voderholzer, 2015). Group CBT has often shown improvements in agreeableness, extroversion, and emotional stability.

Through psychodynamic therapy, Melvin is likely to have lessened symptoms of OCPD. The therapist can help Melvin identify his perceptions of particular situations and assess why it causes him a lot of worry to lack control over such situations. The goal would be to help Melvin to develop a heightened sense of self-awareness. By incorporating talk therapy into such therapy sessions, the therapist can help Melvin accept that each and every person, including him, is prone to making mistakes. This is only part of being a human being. For instance, the therapist may come up with a situation in which excessive control would result in ignorance of intimate relationships, resulting in failure and inefficiency, which Melvin strives to avoid. This would help Melvin, who is trying to pursue Carol since his control and rigidity caused him to be at odds with Carol. The therapist can also help Melvin to learn to avoid excessive criticism of himself.

Conclusion

In sum, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder is one of the disorders that causes major dysfunctionalities in an individual. This disorder is often characterized by perfectionism as well as rigidity. In the movie “as Good as it Gets,” the character Melvin suffers from OCPD. This makes his interpersonal relations with other people quite difficult. Even though he is a highly successful writer, he does not thrive in human interactions, and this causes him to lead an abnormal and dysfunctional life. Using DSM-5, Melvin has been diagnosed with the disorder. The psychodynamic theory has been used to explain some of the symptoms, like rigidity. Through psychodynamic therapy and cognitive and behavioral therapy, a client with OCPD can have lessened OCPD symptoms and lead a more normal life.

References

Alex, R., Ferriter, M., Jones, H., Duggan, C., Huband, N., Gibbon, S., … & Lieb, K. (2010). Psychological interventions for obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (5).

Brooks, J.L. (Director). (1997). As Good as it Gets (film).

Diedrich, A., & Voderholzer, U. (2015). Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: a current review. Current Psychiatry Reports, 17(2), 1-10.

Gadelkarim, W., Shahper, S., Reid, J., Wikramanayake, M., Kaur, S., Kolli, S., … & Fineberg, N. A. (2019). Overlap of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and autism spectrum disorder traits among OCD outpatients: An exploratory study. International journal of psychiatry in clinical practice, 23(4), 297-306.

Pittenger, C. (Ed.). (2017). Obsessive-compulsive disorder: phenomenology, pathophysiology, and treatment. Oxford University Press.

Verheul, R., & Herbrink, M. (2017). The efficacy of various modalities of psychotherapy for personality disorders: A systematic review of the evidence and clinical recommendations. International Review of Psychiatry, 19(1), 25-38.

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Locate a book, movie, television, or streaming series that portrays a character with a personality disorder or childhood disorder (e.g., characters from the movies Mean Girls, Girl Interrupted, Conspiracy Theory or TV/streaming shows: Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Good Doctor, Atypical, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend).

In an essay of 1,000-1,250 words, address the following:

Manifestations of pathological behavior for the character.
Possible diagnosis for the character with justification (use current DSM diagnostic codes).
Psychological model that best explains the cause of the symptoms/behaviors. Based on this model, explain a possible treatment plan, including some ways the character can modify these behaviors to cope.
Use the GCU Library databases and include two to four scholarly sources from the GCU Library to support your claims. In addition to the scholarly resources from the library, you can include past classroom materials, your textbook, and credible internet-based sources (.org, .edu, .mil, .gov).

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide located in the Student Success Center.