I Am Sam Psychology

I’ve always loved the thrill of a challenge, and what’s more challenging than attempting to study the most mysterious thing known to mankind: the human brain? Dr Oliver Sacks said ‘If a man has lost a leg or an eye, he knows he has lost a log or an eye; but if he has lost a self – himself – he cannot know it, because he is no longer there to know it.’ Without memory, what are we at all? Memory makes us the person that we are; we build from our past experiences and use them to adapt our personality, and the complexity of it all is what intrigues me to pursue psychology at university and into a career as a neuropsychologist. In 2009 a family member of mine was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease. This was one of the first elements that sparked

“It takes a village to raise a child.” I never quite understood that saying when I was growing up, but my experiences teaching and working in school settings have showed me how true it really is. Obtaining a degree in school psychology will allow me to give the support that students, families and educators need to ensure that every student will thrive.

Your memory of your first day of high school would be an example of which of the following types of memory?

The name of the film selected for this case study is I am Sam. (2002) The protagonist of the film is Sam Dawson, who is played by the actor Sean Penn. Sam Dawson is a developmentally or intellectually challenged adult male, who has a young daughter, primary school aged, named Lucy. Sam and Lucy live together without her mother, who is a homeless person. There is not extensive information provided in the film regarding Sam's upbringing, but based on his present situation, he is a well adjusted person in a middle class atmosphere. It seems he has enough assets to provide for himself and his daughter in a fairly independent basis. His daughter, Lucy, is happy and taken care of, but the tension begins when Lucy exceeds Sam's mental capacity. Her peers ridicule her and her father because of his intellectual deficiencies, calling him a "retard." The character's family consists of Lucy primarily, and some of Sam's other disabled friends who all help each other. One of Sam's greatest and most prominent "likes" is that he is a huge fan of the band The Beatles. One of his strengths is his love for his daughter. Another strength, although it is perceived as a weakness by others who might prey on him, is that he goes through life with a sense of awe and naivete. Of course, this is a result of his disability, but even still, he could have

put your opinion in e.g. I believe this perspective can help an individual who has a fear or phobia by seeing why the individual is so scared. I also think that the behaviourist perspective can help measure changes of a behaviour. On the other hand I feel that the behaviourist perspective doesn’t take in the biological perspective.

As Sam and Rita are preparing for the trial, Sam states that he feels he is smarter than Lucy in some ways. He then tells Rita he is in some ways smarter than her, too. Here, Sam is displaying the confident side of himself. On the other hand, Sam seemed to parallel my assumption that disabled people can be fragile in ways that are not related to their disability. We see this after Sam loses hope of winning his case as he says to Rita, “You don't know what it’s like when you try and you try and you don't ever get there! Because you were born perfect and I was born like this. People like you don't know what it’s like to get hurted, because you don't have feelings. People like you don't feel anything!” Many people tend to perceive disabled people lacking emotion or feeling, or that their emotion is just part of their disability. It seems that Sam thinks that feeling sad is part of his disability, but what he doesn’t know is that everyone experiences intense emotions. He lacks the realization that anybody getting their child taken away from them would have feelings similar to his. His statement raised questions in my mind about how all disabled people perceive able bodied people. Sam also displayed one of my assumptions that “disabled people are more comfortable around each other compared to being with abled people”. Sam’s best friends in the movie all happen to be disabled in some way as

Lawrence fiddled with a toy while listening to the radio. After the broadcast was over, he softly mumbled something, though he generally kept to himself. I listened closely since his autism typically prevented Lawrence from stringing even two words together. He had recited the entire radio program, virtually word for word, even mimicking the tone of the broadcaster's voice. My jaw dropped. At that moment I knew that I wanted to learn more about Lawrence’s autism condition so that I could help him grow, but I also hoped to dedicate myself to studying the brain both from a physiological and psychological standpoint.

It's fascinating that humankind has had an easier time entering outer space than trying to develop a complete understanding of the human brain; and this paucity of information is what drove me to pursue the field of psychology, the fact that resting in my head is one of the world's most ironic enigmas. How can we know so little about the thing that makes us who we are? On the first day of my AP psychology course, my teacher informed us that “In this class you may be left with more questions than answers, and if you can't handle that, this may not be the class for you.” And when he said that, it was clear to that I was in the right place. You see, a riddle is no fun if the solution is obvious.

To me psychology in itself is a beautiful mosaic piece hanging in museum and a Mozart’s symphony piece paying in the background. My interest in clinical psychology dates back to my years in high school, where I excelled in psychology. When I was a senior, I took a second-year course in psychology at my high school. This advanced-level AP psychology class was engaging and interesting, and earned an A. Since then all I can remember, I have been motivated to understand human thought, feeling, and behavior. It seemed only logical that I pursue a career in clinical psychology.

As Lucy progresses in age, she fears being smarter than her father, Lucy’s increasing academic ability becomes an issue

Sam's self-concept is quite complex. There is no doubt in his mind that he is capable of raising his daughter, and providing her with the tender, love and care that she needs. To him, no one understands Lucy as well as he does, nor do they know how to adequately take care of her. As shown in the interview scene, Sam seems to think no one truly understands what it's like to have a mental disability. As he says in the interview, “You don't know what it's like when you try and you try and you try and you don't ever get there because, because you were born perfect and I was born like this.” He also states that, “People like you (Rita) don't know what it’s like to get hurted...people like you don't feel anything.” These things were said in a moment of anger and distraught, and it told us a lot about how Sam feels deep down about his disability.

Raising a child is never easy, but like everybody, Sam Dawson (Academy Award nominee Sean Penn) has learned to adapt. Sam and his daughter Lucy (Dakota Fanning) have gotten through the basics, though not always in the conventional way, with the help of Sam's tightly-knit group of friends. Though Lucy's life has never been what anyone would ever call "normal," it has always been animated with humor and full of love.

Differentiate between Freud and Erikson's approach to psychoanalytic theory in this lesson. You will examine and compare developmental stages side by side and have the opportunity to test your knowledge with a quiz at the end.

In the future, I ultimately intend to be a psychologist. With being a psychologist, I am taking on the responsibility on how to lead people into having an overall better life and promote positive change for them. Psychologists often specialize in studying and examining the brain and human behavior. That being said, psychology is a very important branch of science that attempts to help us stay sane!

Personally, I loved the movie, I Am Sam. I loved how it portrayed someone who has developmental disabilities and what some issues they run into in their life. I liked how dramatic and emotional the movie was. When a movie is emotional like this one, it makes the audience pay attention more and wonder what happens in the end so it makes them finish the movie or book. I liked how it showed the problems or issues Sam had trying to take care of Lucy. It broke my heart when she said, she did not want to read the word because her dad could not read it. She did not want to be smarter than her father which I thought was amazing.