Borderline Intellectual Functioning In Forrest Gump

Many people may say one is a retard without knowing the truth behind the actual word. Intellectual Disability, also known as Mental Retardation, is a very serious psychological disorder that few are faced with for life. Intellectual Disability is characterized by a below-average level of intelligence (a mental ability) that lacks skills necessary for daily living. An IQ is the standard way to measure the level of intelligence one may have. Roughly 95% of humans have the IQ between 70 and 130. (Meyers and DeWall, 2014). The other five percent are either absolute genius or intellectually disabled. Being intellectually disabled can be caused in many ways

The Main character in Forrest Gump by Winston Groom is Forrest Gump. Forrest's exceptionality is not specified, it is said that he has a IQ of 70 and it is implied that he has some sort of autism but he most likely has Asperger’s Syndrome because he has difficulty communicating and trouble going through social situations. He is verbal but he has a language processing disorder that makes his responses seem less intelligent then a “normal” person’s responses. He also interprets figurative phrases like many people with Asperger’s do (Aspennj.org, 2017). Forrest Gump has a kind pure childlike heart, he just wants to have a kind and honest life by always trying to do the right thing, the one thing he doesn’t like is being called an idiot. In the

According to the website for the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, IDD is defined as: intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers a range of everyday social and practical skills. Furthermore, there are three major criteria for intellectual disability: significant limitations in intellectual functions, significant limitations in adaptive behavior, and onset before the age of 18. IDD is not determined by an IQ test; however, it does help in measuring mental function. A test score below of around 70—or as high as 75—indicates a limitation in intellectual functioning. (http://aaidd.org/intellectual-disability/definition/faqs-on-intellectual-disability#.VZvvE8JRHrc).

Forrest Gump is a man that lives in Alabama who suffers from Intellectual Disability. Forrest’s disability is noticed by his mother, teacher and peers. As a child Forrest had an extremely low IQ of 75 and had difficulty learning. Due to his physical and mental disabilities Forrest often got bullied and alienated from his peers.

Forrest Gump was born with a low IQ and a spine condition that impaired his ability to walk. This made him stand out in the small town of

In the movie Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks portrays a character that was diagnosed with a low IQ score of 75 as a young child. Throughout the movie the character Forrest Gump is sought of as having a disadvantaged life because of his low IQ and his mild intellectual behavior disorder however, his actions proved that he is far from disadvantaged and was able to live not only a normal life but an adventurous one. Despite suffering from his mild form of intellectual behavior disorder Forrest Gump did not have many friends growing up however, he was able to have a few lifelong friends and was able to have an impact on not only his country but the community in which he grew up in. The disability was only addressed at the beginning of

Forrest Gump is a complex and interesting lead character and provides a unique contrast to typical early adulthood behavior. In the film, from the time he attends college, towards the end of the film where he begins his role as a father, Forrest goes through normal events that occur in the lives of many young adults. His reaction and development is different from most however, and he goes through interesting events and experiences. This contrast between typical life events and a slower than normal development shows that some expectations about cognitive abilities may not be as important. Even those who are considered "slow" by the mainstream population can be successful and live a life full of typical life events that fall within a typical

At the beginning of the movie, young Forrest had to wear braces on his legs because his doctor discovered he was physically handicapped. His mother discovered he had an intellectual disability. Intellectual disability is defined as a significantly below-average intellectual function with limitations in areas of adaptive behavior such as self-care and social skills, originally before age 18(Sigelman &Rider). Forest had an IQ of 75 which made his

Have you ever watched a movie that was made off of a book, but the movie was better? Well if you have ever watched and read Forrest Gump, you would find out that the movie has well surpassed the book. In both stories the main character Forrest Gump goes through a series of misfortunate events that eventually turn him into an American hero and millionaire. In each event of his life he meets new people and befriends them due to his kindness and stupidity. This also could be for the reason of feeling bad for him, but is not mentioned in either story. Even though he has an IQ of below normal, he still can be very smart in certain

An intellectual disability, like the one had by Roland Johnson and about one percent to three percent of people, is defined as “a disability that is present at birth or occurs in the developmental period (before the age of 18) and is characterized by significant sub-average intellectual functioning, existing concurrently with related limitations in 2 or more areas of adaptive functioning” (Daul). Roland Johnson, though his life was hard, did not let his “limitations” limit him.

Forrest’s struggles with both physical and mental disabilities. Forrest attended school before the “radical school reforms of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s”, and long before No Child Left Behind was implemented, but he still had to deal with the concept of rationalization in education (Ravitch

Nathanial displayed deficits in executive functions. Executive functions are higher-level cognitive skills (Toglia et al., 2013). Individuals with deficits have limitations in viewing other perspectives, generating alternative solutions, and having reduced coping skills. Executive function impairments influence an individual’s social participation, daily activities, and occupational performance (Toglia et al., 2013). Nathanial showed dysfunction in social interaction and displayed social inappropriateness. Tamminga and Medoff (2000) research showed the psychosocial disability could come from the cognitive dysfunction. He had difficulties looking at individuals directly and participating in social conversations. During the movie, Nathanial wore white face paint and spoke more to a figurine than to other human beings. He had difficulty with self-regulation and decision-making. Self-regulation is the ability to monitor, evaluate, and self-correct actions. Nathanial would have a difficult time regulating his emotions, usually when his diagnosis of schizophrenia was brought up.

Forrest Gump is an exceptional movie that includes a wide range variety of character diversity. Upon my examination of the movie, the first aspect I’d like to deliberate on is the developmental psychology of early adulthood. In the early adulthood life stage, individuals are typically between the ages of 20 and 35. Individuals in the early adulthood life stage are more than likely to possess good health, live a healthy active life, and are career oriented. Early adulthood life stage focuses on the formal cognitive stage, though there is much deliberation among many developmentalists.

From the beginning of the film, it is evident that Forrest suffers from a mild form of mental illness. This characterization is apparent throughout the movie, as Forrest is often viewed as an idiot. While trying to get into the local public school, Forrest is initially denied admission due to his IQ being lower than the required level for the school system. Although the principal of the school never explicitly calls him an idiot, the implication is so strong that even Forrest himself understands the principal thinks he is too dumb for school.

Character – A person, animal, or creature that takes part in the action of a story, play, or other literary work. Forrest Gump played by Tom Hanks is one of my favorite all time characters. I chose for stomp as my choice to illustrate the elements of character because he is the main character that takes part in the whole action of the story. Forrest Gump is child like, and innocent. His heart warming outlook on life is inspiring. Forest Gumps naïve way of thinking enables him to have no prejudice against minorities, foreigners or different religious beliefs.