Forrest Gump Psychological Analysis

Forrest Gump is a classic film that follows the life of a mentally disabled man named Forest Gump. He tells the story in first person to several strangers he meets on a bus bench, he recollects moments of his life and of the people he encountered along the way that not only shaped his life, but changed theirs as well. The leading character is inspiring in the way he overcomes the obstacles in his life despite his mental disabilities making this an inspiring movie that never gets too old to watch.
As a child susceptible to mistreatment from the other children, he managed to combat his way through running, an astounding ability he has obtained which will assess him throughout his life. In his college years, he managed to be on the football team …show more content…
In certain parts of the movie, Forrest did have to monitor his volume whether it be too loud or too soft, which is what people with Asperger’s struggle with. In a report by Shinji Ijichi giving his medical opinion on Forrest’s mental diagnosis, he mentions the line, “"I got to pee" can be evaluated as a stereotyped and idiosyncratic use of language. His behavioral problems maybe include an inflexible adherence to routines or plans and a lack of comprehensive grasp of objects” (Ijichi). The narration from his perspective was not as expressive and somewhat disjointed which is a characteristic for people with intellectual disabilities. Not to mention everyone around him, as well as the audience comprehended the events that were occurring when Forrest himself didn’t, relating to the time when he unknowingly stumbled into a civil rights …show more content…
His mother didn’t seem to display any signs of alcohol or drug abuse, nonetheless she did everything she could to protect Forrest from harm. His illness is most likely due to a genetic condition or problems during childbirth. Since there is no absolute cure for people with intellectual disability or Asperger’s, I would recommend that Forrest continues socializing with people as much as he can and that he stays physically fit. Forrest was often doing interests in solitary like running or playing Ping-Pong, but if he continued those activities with his son, he would find himself mentally, physically, and socially stable. Forrest didn’t have issues with sudden outbursts or trouble managing his emotions, so cognitive behavioral therapy wouldn’t be a necessary