Essay on Journey Into the Mind of Marilyn Monroe

Hollywood is a very powerful modern day institution, where a star's image can characterize, shape and circulate societal myths and ideologies. The construction of a star's image as a commodity of their societal myths and ideologies has the extraordinary power to exert messages so that even the smallest details become significant yet not overtly obvious. How a star's image is produced and then consumed can justify a society's relationship with that image and therefore aid in explaining the social construction of what society deems as their 'reality'. A star's image is created through a range of representations churned out by Hollywood. Capitalism from the commercialization of these images has made Hollywood the dominant force it is

The film Sunset Boulevard (1950), directed by Billy Wilder, Norma Desmond exemplified a Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) by being demanding, intense and unstable. These behaviors that are consistent with the elements of abnormality include suffering, social discomfort, dangerousness, and irrationality and unpredictability. The first element that is consistent with Norma Desmond’s character is suffering. Desmond being one of the greatest movie stars in history suffers as she experiences the fall from stardom. She also suffers from identity disturbance as she reaches an unstable self-image notion. In one scene when Desmond recognizes for a moment about her age, she claims, “Look at me. Look at my hands, look at my face, look under my

Psychological disorders are very real and present in many people we come in contact with daily, however, are very rarely talked about. Learning about these disorders can help us to understand others and ourselves better by telling us why we do and think the things we do. One effective way that we can observe and learn about psychological disorders is through movies. “Mommie Dearest” was directed by Frank Perry. It is centered around the actress Joan Crawford, who suffered from various psychological disorders. Joan’s daughter, Christina, wrote a book about her mother and her many problems and it was later turned into a movie. It is very effective to use movie analysis as a way of learning, especially in psychology, because it provides a great way to observe without distractions. When you’re looking at disorders, it’s difficult to find a person who has many of these disorders and will allow you to observe them. Psychological disorders can be split into two major groups, personality disorders and mood disorders. Personality disorders are patterns of traits that can get in the way of your social or work life and may interrupt the individual’s normal lifestyle. Mood disorders are inconsistent and unreliable changes in mood by the affected individual. (Rathus, 1998). With all of this being said, it brings me to my point that I will be talking about for the rest of this essay. Joan Crawford demonstrates the personality disorders of histrionic, narcissism, and OCPD. When it comes to mood disorders, Joan demonstrates bipolar disorder.

One can point out many factors could have led or contributed to Marilyn Monroe being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. As stated in her back ground history she had many stressful events throughout her childhood and adult life. Monroe’s childhood was filled with poverty. The simple fact of Monroe’s mother being diagnosed with a mental illness posed a greater treat of her

Remembered as the elegant blond red-lipped bombshell iconic singer, actress and sex symbol of the 1950s. Her talent and legacy is still carried on by her highly legendary pop painting by Andy Warhol and influential flying skirt photos. But some remember her tragic death the most. Her name was Marilyn Monroe. She was only 36 when she was found face down dead in her Los Angeles home on August 5th 1962. The official coronas report stated that Hollywood’s face had gone through a probable suicide by swallowing 40 barbiturates which caused her stomach line to haemorrhage intensely enough that she couldn’t last long enough for the ambulance to arrive. But was this the full story? Multiple voices including Clemens the first police officer in the scene

The most predominant features of Marilyn Monroe’s personality can be explained by extraversion and neuroticism with Eyesenk’s model of personality. If they are explained in order, first of all, she was extremely extroverted; she could easily carry on conversations with others despite her difficulty for developing close relational ties. She was enthusiastic, talkative, social, assertive and motivated woman. Her extraversion may also explain that why she is still remembered, talked and imitated today. Secondly, Marilyn Monroe has severe neuroticism. “People who score high on neuroticism tend to be anxious, temperamental, self-pitying, self-conscious, emotional, and vulnerable to stress- related disorders” (p.428-9). She had a tendency to experience negative, intense, puzzled feelings and was inconsistent with her feelings. She was often very depressed and in bad mood. Because of these reasons, she used drugs and alcohol. In these conditions, her childhood experiences may have a big impact on her neurotic personality. Lack of unconditional love and support from her parents, her mother’s serious medical and psychological disorders, the state of being exploited by others may make her more nervous, anxious, and emotional etc. Finally, I believe that psychoticism, which means being antisocial, hostile and

Lena Horne was born on June 30, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Teddy and Edna Scottron Horne. After her father left her at the age of two in order to pursue his gambling career; her mother leaving soon after that to pursue her acting career; she went to live with her grandparents. Through her grandparents influence she became involved with organizations like the NAACP, at an early age.

Marilyn Monroe did not start her life as a well-known star. She was born to Gladys Pearl Baker a mentally unstable women. When Norma Jeane was seven years old her mother was hospitalized after being diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic. “No one ever

Marilyn’s career as an actress spanned over 16 years. She made 29 films and 24 of those were released in her first 8 years as an actress. Everyone in this day and age can agree that Marilyn Monroe was an amazing actress. Many people try to play her in movies and pose as

She has one of the most recognized faces in the world. Over forty years after her death, Marilyn Monroe‘s life and death is still in question. Her trademark platinum hair and beauty mark, her famous skirt-blowing scene, which eventually she became ashamed of because no one could see the woman who was intellectual had feelings and worked hard behind the glitter, the gold and the smiles. Everyone knew this Marilyn Monroe, but did anybody know Norma Jeane Baker? Marilyn Monroe was a Hollywood icon, maybe even a legend, but who was this luminous woman, and was the happy woman that everyone knew capable of killing herself?

Drowning in depression, she became reliant on prescription drugs and alchol to function somewhat normally. This issue became a detriment to both Marilyn’s personal life and her career. 20th Century Fox agreed to dismiss her from further projects. In desperation, she turned to the president for support.

Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, is known as the greatest American sex symbol of all time. Monroe had a very difficult childhood. She spent most of her days in foster care and orphanages, dealt with challenges such as not

This had a serious effect on Monroe’s early life. Her mother had several debilitating mental illnesses which affected her ability to care for, then named, Norma. Eventually, her mother was institutionalised, forcing Norma into foster care. There she faced rather awful care, neglect, emotional and sexual abuse, et cetera. During Norma’s reinvention into the Monroe we know today, she was often haunted by the fear that her mother’s disease was hereditary and she would be stricken with the same fate as her mother.

A prestigious Marlene Dietrich once exclaimed to the world, “glamour is what I sell, it’s my stock in trade.” Dubbed the title, “the best dressed man in Hollywood,” Dietrich challenged social norms and traditional moralities, frequently dressing in men’s suits, tuxedos, and top hats. Coming from abroad to the “City of Angels,” Hollywood embraced Dietrich as an exotic and provocative, but charming European celebrity. Throughout her years of fame, she utterly captivated the world with her legendary films, becoming the highest paid actress of her time. Known for her beauty and allure, Marlene Dietrich became not only a cultural symbol, but a global icon, braving conventional ideals while bringing a shocking, but vivacious and lively youth to Hollywood.

There are many factors which may have had an effect on Marilyn Monroe’s psychological state. I will attempt to prove in my case study and treatment plan, that if Marilyn Monroe had lived in the time period we live in today she would have been better able to be overcome her struggle with mental illness. If treated for Borderline Personality Disorder (F60.3/ 301.83) at an early age it is possible that Norma Jean Baker would most likely lived a healthy long life.