Human Psychological Development in Forrest Gump
Section One: 4 areas of Human Development
Social development is how an individual’s relationship changes with others over time and how their skills interacting with others develop. In the film Forrest Gump, Forest clearly had limited social skills and minimal people he could call a friend. On his first day of school, Forrest met a young girl named Jenny whom asks Forrest to sit next to her on the bus, this was the first example of Jenny initiating contact with Forrest and the beginning of a great friendship that would grow overtime. Their relationship at a young age began with Jenny always looking after Forrest due to his disadvantages in life, an example of this is when Jenny tells Forrest on …show more content…
As the film progressed and Forrest matured into adulthood, there are examples of him developing a self-understanding. In a scene where Forrest notices Lieutenant Dan upset, he says “Lieutenant Dan didn’t want to be called a cripple like I didn’t want to be called stupid”. (Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump, 1994). This clearly shows that Forrest understands his limitations and compares his own struggles with Dan’s. Another quote mentioned by Forrest is “because I had been a football star and a war hero and a national celebrity and shrimping boat captain and college graduate, the city fathers of Greenbow, Alabama decided to get together and offered me a fine job”. (Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump, 1994). This quote shows that he understands the accomplishments that he has achieved in life and how his self-esteem has been boosted because of the recognition he has gained. The third quote is when he says to Jenny “Why don’t you love me Jenny, I’m not a smart man but I know what love is”. This quote is another example of Forrest showing a low self-esteem because of his unintelligence, however it shows his understanding of his …show more content…
Forrest was an all American college footballer and the best running back in the country, he then joined the defence force and received the medal of honour for his courage and bravery. After this, Forrest went to the Olympics to represent the United States in ping pong, this was followed by creating and owning the most successful shrimp company in the world. Forrest felt most useful when he was in the army. This is shown when he says “For some reason I fit in the army like one of them round pegs. It’s not really hard. You just make your bed neat, remember to stand up straight and always answer every question with, yes drill sergeant”. (Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump, 1994).The film demonstrates that Jenny continued to struggle with her identity. Jenny was raised with an abusive father, this is in contrast to Forrest who was raised with constant love from his mother. Jenny did not complete multiple psychosocial stages during her development, because of this, when she entered adulthood she experienced self-doubt and a lack of respect for herself, which is clearly seen when she leaves Forrest after sexual intercourse. In trying to find her true self, Jenny goes through identities such as being a hippie and a stripper. This shows that Jenny struggled in the stage of identity vs.
Section One: 4 areas of Human Development
Social development is how an individual’s relationship changes with others over time and how their skills interacting with others develop. In the film Forrest Gump, Forest clearly had limited social skills and minimal people he could call a friend. On his first day of school, Forrest met a young girl named Jenny whom asks Forrest to sit next to her on the bus, this was the first example of Jenny initiating contact with Forrest and the beginning of a great friendship that would grow overtime. Their relationship at a young age began with Jenny always looking after Forrest due to his disadvantages in life, an example of this is when Jenny tells Forrest on …show more content…
As the film progressed and Forrest matured into adulthood, there are examples of him developing a self-understanding. In a scene where Forrest notices Lieutenant Dan upset, he says “Lieutenant Dan didn’t want to be called a cripple like I didn’t want to be called stupid”. (Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump, 1994). This clearly shows that Forrest understands his limitations and compares his own struggles with Dan’s. Another quote mentioned by Forrest is “because I had been a football star and a war hero and a national celebrity and shrimping boat captain and college graduate, the city fathers of Greenbow, Alabama decided to get together and offered me a fine job”. (Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump, 1994). This quote shows that he understands the accomplishments that he has achieved in life and how his self-esteem has been boosted because of the recognition he has gained. The third quote is when he says to Jenny “Why don’t you love me Jenny, I’m not a smart man but I know what love is”. This quote is another example of Forrest showing a low self-esteem because of his unintelligence, however it shows his understanding of his …show more content…
Forrest was an all American college footballer and the best running back in the country, he then joined the defence force and received the medal of honour for his courage and bravery. After this, Forrest went to the Olympics to represent the United States in ping pong, this was followed by creating and owning the most successful shrimp company in the world. Forrest felt most useful when he was in the army. This is shown when he says “For some reason I fit in the army like one of them round pegs. It’s not really hard. You just make your bed neat, remember to stand up straight and always answer every question with, yes drill sergeant”. (Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump, 1994).The film demonstrates that Jenny continued to struggle with her identity. Jenny was raised with an abusive father, this is in contrast to Forrest who was raised with constant love from his mother. Jenny did not complete multiple psychosocial stages during her development, because of this, when she entered adulthood she experienced self-doubt and a lack of respect for herself, which is clearly seen when she leaves Forrest after sexual intercourse. In trying to find her true self, Jenny goes through identities such as being a hippie and a stripper. This shows that Jenny struggled in the stage of identity vs.