Cassandra Stephens December 3, 2012 Psy. 120- Book Review Professor Dr. Priebe Summary: Tuesdays with Morrie, was based on a true story about friendship and lessons learned. It’s about a sports writer, Mitch and former sociology professor, Morrie, who is in his last days of life after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and their rekindled relationship after many years. They first met on the campus grounds at Brandeis University. This never forgotten relationship was simply picked back up at a crucial time in both Mitch’s and Morrie’s life. After seeing his professor in an interview on the show “Nightline”, Mitch is reminded of a promise he made sixteen years earlier to keep in touch. Since the airing of that …show more content…
The most significant of them all was dealing with ALS. ALS is a painful disease that attacks the muscles. Due to this disease he was unable to do the things he loved (dancing) and eventually daily activities (we often take for granted). He loses the instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). These include preparing meals, managing finances, going to work, and so on. He also lost his ability to do activities of daily living (ADLs), which include: eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, and being able to get in and out of a bed or chair (Steinberg, p. 554). A prime example of his lost of ADLs was when he could no longer wipe his bottom. Yet, another is when he talks about him needing assistance with his swim wear; as a result his privacy being lost. In addition to the complications that occur with the disease, the book also mentions signs of the primary aging process (gray hair). Regardless of his failing health he found happiness, joy and even humor in it all and until the end. In the book, Morrie is in his last stage of development, integrity vs. despair. Erikson believed each period in life was a struggle between two opposing factors. He regarded this psychosocial crisis in later life as integrity vs. despair. Due to the increased declines and losses that occur in this stage, it is easy for many to resort to despair. However, the challenge is to achieve and maintain integrity, which can be done by accepting the past,
The focus throughout Tuesdays with Morrie was on life. Many might see it as the story of death, but it is actually the story life. Morrie might talk a little on how he meets death, but what he is talking about is living at the end of his life. Mitch writes, “Now here we were . . . . . . Dying man talks to living man, tells him what he should know.”(Albom, 133) When a timer is placed on Morrie’s remaining days, he obtains a dying man’s perspective on what is truly important in life, and how to incorporate in life this importance. I looked for parts of the book that pertain directly to my life; I focused on this concept while reading this book. My thesis remained elusive. There wasn’t a Tuesday that jumped out at me, and then I came to the
The interview was conducted with a married female, 59 ½ years of age. The purpose was to document the subject’s lifespan history with recollections of significant events in her development. The focus was to identify any dystonic outcomes during any of the stages of Erikson’s personal developmental theory, theory of the mind, Levinson theory, attachment theory and Identity theory. It is anticipated that the questions could quarantine specific areas and incidents that may have obstructed any of the developmental theories thereby influencing the subject’s later view of adolescent, young adult and middle age. The focus for the paper is inspired by Erickson’s emphasis on the identity crisis as the “psychosocial
Even in Morrie’s dying state, the slightest brush of skin to skin contact with Mitch is enough to make Morrie happy. Morrie relays that without his wife, without his nurses, and most importantly without Mitch, he would not have been able to last as long as he did with his ALS. Another theme throughout the book is that Morrie teaches Mitch to live life his own way. Morrie is disgusted by america’s lust for greed, fakeness, and violence, and teaches to establish your own way of thinking. While the O.J. Simpson case was going on, Morrie completely shut himself off from the case, and instead focused on his family and friends. Morrie built his life on the foundation of love and forgiving, two things that are shunned in America, in Morrie’s eyes. Morrie teaches Mitch that creating his own values and beliefs leads to a much more enjoyable life than accepting mainstream America. One more theme evident in “Tuesdays with Morrie” is the theme that life is full of choices. Morrie says early on in the book that he had two choices when he got sick, feel sorry for himself or do something to try and help the world. Morrie choose the second
Howard Schultz stated, “In times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we’re made of “. Adversity is a time when everything seems to be very bad. It is a time where most want to give up because it is too hard for them to go on. Morrie Schwartz and Elie Wiesel are both faced with adversity, but in different ways. In the novel, Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom, Morrie is faced with a disease that is killing him. In the novel, Night, written by Elie Wiesel, Elie, himself, is faced with death and does not really know he is facing death. Both men are facing a huge difficulties, but they both handled it in different ways. Morrie and Elie are both faced with adversity, but they both use faith and other people
Eric Erikson was one of the most famous theorists of the twentieth century; he created many theories. One of the most talked about theories is his theory of psychosocial development. This is a theory that describes stages in which an individual should pass as they are going through life. His theory includes nine stages all together. The original theory only included eight stages but Erikson‘s wife found a ninth stage and published it after his death. The nine stages include: trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. identity confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, integrity vs. despair, and hope and faith vs. despair (Crandell and Crandell,
When you are unable to function without aid of someone you feel lifeless. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, Morrie a retired psychology professor from Brandis University is dying from ALS. A student Mitch is back for his final lesson from his old teacher. This lessons topic is the meaning of life. When faced with his known fate Morrie refused to stay in bed and was very active. He said “When you’re in bed you’re dead.”(Albom 131). I had a life experience where I was very sick and I realized his meaning of lifelessness and your dependency on others.
Throughout the book, “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom, the main character, mitch seems to undergo many changes. After college, he began to pursue a career in the music industry, but has reassessed his choice to have a more stable career as a news reporter. However, as work gets too overwhelming and strike outbreaks begin at his workplace, Detroit Free Press, he decides to take a break. One late night when he was skimming through television programs, he stumbled upon an interview of his old college professor, Morrie. Planning to catch up and fulfill an empty promise of how Mitch promised that he would visit Morrie after college, they start to meet on Tuesdays in order to rekindle the class about the meaning of life. Through those Tuesdays, Mitch realizes that he is not creating a fulfilling life and changes his perspective on what to value in life.
The symbolic interactionism is an excellent sociological perspective that allows us to focus on micro activities and to analyze our society which is the product of everyday’s life. Tuesdays with Morrie is more than a simple book, more than a romance one; it is a great book that teaches us many of life’s greatest lessons. An analysis of this book using the SI perspective and concepts such as meaning making, status, impression management, looking-glass self, role taking, role making, and self-presentation helps us understand the real meaning of Morrie’s words and lessons.
The point of view was exclusively presented through Mitch. Mitch had the ability to communicate Morrie’s perception, how Mitch described himself, and how Mitch compared himself before and after Morrie’s death. Mitch described Morrie’s personality and how he had felt about things by describing most of his earlier experiences with Morrie and by describing his personality after Morrie had been diagnosed with ALS. Throughout the memoir, Mitch characterized his personality as being a person who “never [cried]” (51), “traded lots of dreams for a bigger paycheck, and… never… realized
Tuesdays with Morrie tells the real story of Morrie Schwartz. Morrie was a university professor who was dying of ALS (Lou Gehrig 's disease). Instead of being afraid of death, he faced it head on and decided to make the most of his time left. After seeing a Nightline episode featuring his old professor, Morrie, the author, Mitch, decides to pay his old professor a visit. Mitch is intrigued by Morrie 's attitude towards death and his life lessons, so he decides to visit Morrie again next Tuesday and record what Morrie has to say. This turns into a weekly meeting between Mitch and Morrie and eventually these meetings were turned into the book, Tuesdays with Morrie. Mitch - the author of the book and Morrie 's old student. Mitch is distracted in his life and focusing on things that Morrie feels are unimportant (work, fame, and success). Though focused on the wrong things, Mitch has a good heart and Morrie helps him find himself again “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.
As human beings age, according to Erik Erikson, they go through developmental stages that help to create and transform their personalities. If needs are met and the ego is gratified, then the individual is able to move on to the next challenge. Onward they march in life and in stage until they find the end level: integrity versus despair. This has been categorized as adults 65 years and older by Erikson. Here, people are to reminisce and judge their lives in terms of merit or disappointment. Erikson himself had a lot to comb through in his later years.
When was the last time that you had a true heart to heart with someone? When did you last truly feel an emotion? How many times have you sent a laugh to someone through the phone without even smirking? The world we live in is becoming less and less human. As technologies develop we develop with them and find ourselves to be lost without electronics. This is leading us down a path that will dehumanize the modern population leaving the human race more like robots. I believe that Tuesdays with Morrie may be able to help change the path that we are on.
The final psychological conflict in Erikson’s theory, ego integrity versus despair, involves coming to terms with one’s life. Adults who arrive at a sense of integrity
In life, we must all ask the question as to whether or not we have
In the book, Tuesdays with Morrie the readers follow the lives and relationship of Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom. Morrie was a professor in Brandeis University where Mitch attended. The story goes on as to how they lose touch over the years and eventually find each other again and build a strong relationship. This friendship begins when Mitch finds out Morrie is sick and his health is slowly deteriorating. Over the weeks, the two-new found friend will hold conversations about love, life and family.