Observation Techniques- Film Analysis
Patch Adams is an American film categorized under the biographical comedy-drama segment. The movie is set in the 1960s, although it was released in 1998. The overall storyline is about the struggles encountered by a heroic man who is determined to become a medical doctor treating people through pathos and humor because he enjoys helping people. He is sued by the scientific and medical community, who disagree with his treatment methods, although his patients, hospital nurses, and medical professionals appreciate his work. The main characters observed in the selected movies section are Patch, a mental patient with the desire to become a medical doctor and change how doctors treat patients and think about illness; Dean Anderson, the head of the Medical School; and Dean Walcott, a rigid Medical School dean who does not support Patch’s idea.
In the selected movie scene, Patch is questioned by the medical board for offering medical care to patients at his ranch. He defends his actions by stating that everybody who visits the ranch is in need of help (Movieclips, 2011). Patch depicts altruism by bringing out his selfless nature of providing medical care to patients at his home even though he does not have a license. He states that he offers whatever help he can to those who come to his house looking for help as long as his actions reduce their suffering and help the patients get better. Berofsky (2011) defines altruism as the act of caring about and helping others even though there is nothing in return. Patch does not expect anything from the patients he treats and focuses on offering the best care to everyone relying on him for physical or mental medical care.
The movie creates a new perspective on the role of a doctor and brings out various psychological principles. One of the evident principles is intrinsic motivation. According to Sugden (2018), intrinsic motivation is doing something because of the satisfaction an individual gets from it rather than for the benefit gained. Patch offers medical help to patients who visit his ranch because he derives satisfaction from seeing their medical condition improve, thus depicting intrinsic motivation. This leads to the conclusion that intrinsic motivation lays the foundation for altruism.
References
Berofsky, B. (2011). Is pathological altruism altruism? Pathological Altruism, 263-271. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199738571.003.0184
Movieclips. (2011, May 30). Patch Adams (8/10) movie CLIP – You treat a Person (1998) HD [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Pr9ruvxA3K4
Sugden, R. (2018). Intrinsic motivation, kindness, and reciprocity. Oxford Scholarship Online. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198825142.003.0009
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Question 
Observation Techniques: Film Analysis
This week, you will analyze a three- to five-minute segment of a movie or a television episode depicting attraction, intimacy, friendships, and/or altruism.
Observation Techniques- Film Analysis
After watching the movie section, create a report on your analysis. In your report:
Mention the name of the movie.
Describe the setting and overall storyline of the movie.
Describe the main characters in the observed movie section.
Describe the situation which you analyzed and interpret the action of the characters depicting attraction, intimacy, friendships, and altruism.
Draw conclusions based on social psychological concepts and theories.