Examples Of Stigmas In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

“At its heart, the question of whether the same can be distinguished from the insane (and whether degrees of insanity can be distinguished from each other) is a simple matter: Do the salient characteristics that lead to a diagnosis reside in the patients themselves or in the environment and context in which observers find them?” (Rosenhan 1)

‘social groups create deviance by making the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance, and by applying those rules to particular people and labelling them as outsiders. From this point of vie, deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by others of the rules and sanctions to an ‘offender’. The deviant is one to whom the label has successfully been applied, deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label. (Becker 1963, pg 9)

Randle picks up a woman who in her first greeting asks the patients if they are all “crazy” and they respond by nodding their heads. This shows that these individuals have come to adopt being “crazy” as part of their identity, because of being institutionalized and given that label. Further suggestion of this idea is in the scene where Nurse Ratched reveals to Randle that many of the in-patients are at the psychiatric hospital on a voluntary basis, and only few of them are committed, showing their internalization of their identity as mentally ill patients. Another point that can be drawn from the film is the way, which Nurse Ratched conducts the group therapy sessions. The sessions did not appear as beneficial or therapeutic to the individuals participating in them. It is evident that Nurse Ratched, an individual in a position of power, manipulates the patients into confinement in the hospital through her group therapy sessions. She consistently revisits past traumas and difficulties for the patients, which reinforces the symptoms they believe they suffer from which causes them to feel unstable and unable to leave the hospital. Thus, through these examples in the film, it is suggested that individuals admitted to psychiatric hospitals have come to adopt their mental illness as a defining feature of their identity.

Another significant factor affecting the change of the men on the ward is freedom. Freedom allows for the men to not feel confined like lab rats. The appearance of McMurphy allows for the men to feel less vulnerable to nurse Ratched manipulation techniques as he places happiness and confidence in each one of their hearts. Grinning and Laughter is not the only way McMurphy encourages independence and freedom as he also does this through giving the members a

These behaviors lead him to his time jail, where he continuously got into brawls with the other inmates. Although all of McMurphy’s excessive fighting can be viewed as a problem, it does not make him insane. When McMurphy was sent to court, the judge ruled him insane because of his inability to control his aggressive outbursts. In the text McMurphy states, “...the court ruled that I’m a psychopath. And you think I’m gonna argue with the court? Shoo, you can bet your bottom dollar I don’t” (Kesey 13). He knew that the court ruled him a psychopath to get rid of him. Society tries to get rid of people who are different by labeling them as insane and checking them into a mental institution. Another example of society trying to get rid nonconformists, is the lifeguard he stated, “I’m committed, I’d of left here before now if it was up to me” (Kesey 171). The only way to get out of there is to conform to society's "normal" behaviors. They want to get rid of anyone who doesn't conform to their normal everyday behaviors. The only way to get out of the hospital is to be “fixed” and the only way to be “fixed” is to conform. Throughout the novel, Nurse Ratched saw R.P. McMurphy as a menacing nuisance and knew that she had to “fix” him, but there was nothing to fix, he just did not like being told what to do. Society feels the need to fix

The main character, McMurphy, represents ideas of sexuality, freedom, self-determination. Nurse Ratched represents ideas of sexual repression, authoritarianism, and conservation. Billy Bibbit’s behavior represents and shows the influence and effects that guilt has on people. Ruckly, is a chronic patient that suffers from having too much electroshock therapy, and in his mental state holds a “Jesus Christ” pose, arms out forming a cross. He cannot move unless the “nails” are removed from his hands. The Aides Warren and Williams represent oppression and the unfairness that was to colored people back in the day. How this is represented is the patients use slang towards them and call them “boy.” When the Aides speak they use incorrect grammar and slang. Also due to the oppression and unfairness that they have dealt with all their lives they are very bitter and cruel people. They abuse the patients behind Nurse Ratched’s back and are constantly taunting and teasing them, doing nothing to help the patients already corrupted mental state. Finally, when the Nurse is being choked, the Aides, fed up with doing the same amount of work and getting paid less, and having to obey everything Nurse says, just watch and let it happen behaving almost pleased about the

It is important to know our selves and express ourselves. McMurphy understood that aspect fully before entering the ward. He could not understand why the others could not understand they were not as crazy to society as they thought they were. Eventually the experiences the patients had with McMuprhy, helped them come to terms with themselves. In our society, we pretty much have the exact issue going on where people believe in order to be considered normal we must conform to their standards to

McMurphy’s personality provided freedom, life, joy, and the power the individuals in the institution needed to stand up against the strict establishment. McMurphy takes risks, and encourages the patients to embrace. When McMurphy first arrives at the institution, the patients all followed a structure in the institution where interactions with others were limited. The patients were isolated, didn’t interact with one another and each patient had their own daily routine. This society was made up of order and regulations and each patient had a common identity of insanity, seeking medical treatment. McMurphy influences all the other patients and helps to change the society. During his time in the institution, McMurphy develops relationships with the other patients and

Social constructionist conceptions of deviance “assumes that popular ideas about deviance are created based on the

society, as well as sanity vs. insanity are greatly expressed through the characters actions and events in the novel, as seen from a patients eyes. Randle McMurphy, the main character of the novel portrays the theme of the individual against society through his dealings with Nurse Ratched and the hospital. “The main action of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest consists of McMurphy's struggles against Nurse Ratched. Her ward at the hospital is a society in itself. McMurphy challenges the rules from the beginning” (Malin 224). The effects of the battle between McMurphy and Nurse Ratched is expressed in the reactions of both characters, as well as the changes brought to the ward. “But she stops. She was flustered for a second there. Some of the acutes hide grins, and McMurphy takes a huge stretch, yawns, winks at Harding” (Keasey 45). The individual vs. society theme is clearly displayed here though McMurphy's struggle against the rules of the asylum, and against the rule of Nurse Ratched. This represents a a man, or individual, fighting for his own rights when faced with the views and obstacles forced upon him by a tyrannical society with strict guidelines. The second major theme in this novel, tied to the individual vs. society, is the theme of insanity vs. sanity. “Sanity vs. insanity is a topic that is established by society itself, set by public values and rules on what normalcy should be and what insane should be qualified

Deviance can be defined as an absence of conformity to the social norm. Not all deviant behavior is necessarily illegal or harmful to individuals, these behaviors can range from standing in another’s personal space to murdering another individual. In some cases, it can be looked upon as a positive change or a unique and favorable act. Although, considered deviant because it is not the social norm, it still can have a very positive social aspect or lead to social change. Culture and the societies within these cultures have a significant impact on what is considered deviant and what is acceptable or even lawful behavior. The degree of deviance is measured by society’s reaction towards the action and the lawful sanctions that may take

Deviance is socially constructed because it is defined and outlined firmly by society’s norms. As a result, a deviant act in one society may not be considered deviant within a different society. Societies define themselves through the shared common values of the individuals and in order for a society to maintain these values and cultural identity they create and maintain boundaries (Erikson, 2005, p17). These boundaries allow individuals to relate to each other in an articulate manner and so that they may develop a position within society (Erikson, 2005, p17). The boundaries are created by individuals’ behavior and interactions in their regular social relations. Deviance then becomes the actions which society perceived to be outside of its boundaries. In other words, an act is viewed as deviant when it falls outside of those commonly shared values and norms which created the boundaries. This is because the society is making a declaration about the disposition and arrangement of their boundaries. Boundaries are not fixed to any society rather they shift as the individual’s redefine their margins and position on a larger cultural map (Erikson, 2005, p20).

Deviance is the behavior and the standards of expectations of a group or society. It is also behavior that is considered dangerous, threatening or offensive. The people that are deviant are often labeled to be weirdos, oddballs, or creeps. In the United States, people with tattoos, drug addicts, alcoholics, and compulsive gamblers are all considered deviant. Sociologists believe that everybody is deviant from time to time. They believe each person will violate a social norm in certain situations. People are considered deviant if they don't stand for the national anthem at a sports event, dress casually to a fancy restaurant, or skip classes. One category of deviance is Crime. Crime is a violation of norms

"...social groups create deviance by making rules whose infraction creates deviance, and by applying those roles to particular people and labelling them as outsiders. From this point of view, deviance is not a quality of the act the person commits, but rather a consequence of the application by other of rules and sanctions to an 'offender. ' The deviant is one to whom that label has been successfully applied; deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label."

Throughout the movie, “King of Kong”, which was based on the competition for the world championship of Donkey Kong, observations could be made that can fall under the category of deviance. Deviance is defined as any action that is considered outside of the norm that can lead to disapproval from other members of society. Several examples of this term can be found throughout the movie, such as control theory, labeling theory, and anomie.