Psychological Disorders In American Beauty

I chose to watch the movie American Beauty. It was completely different than I thought it would be. But it certainly shows different types of disorders. I thought only one person would have a disorder but in reality all the characters has some type of mental illness or personality disorder. Lester and Carolyn Burnham are on the outside, a perfect husband and wife. Lester’s wife Carolyn, who's cheating on him, hates him. His daughter Jane regards him with contempt, and his boss wants Lester to quit his job as he finds Lester of no importance. When one has nothing to lose, one might as well risk everything. Provoked by a pitiful life he has, Lester decides to make a few changes to keep his spirits high. The freer he gets, the happier he gets, which troubles …show more content…
He's sexually frustrated but tries to be peaceful. When things finally seem out of control he becomes rebellious. He smashes his plate on the wall. He even tells his wife “You don't get to tell me what to do ever again!” This is when he periodically gets out of the passive mode and speaks against his dominant and egoistic wife. This shows that he has a Passive Aggressive disorder. Passive Aggressive is when a person seems to actively comply with the desires and needs of others, but actually passively resists them. In the process, the person becomes increasingly hostile and angry. Carolyn is a real estate sales woman who is very ambitious. She is a very materialistic, impatient and self-centered lady. She doesn’t take into account the feelings of anyone, neither her daughter nor her husband. She wants everything to look perfect. She gets irritated if anything looks shabby. She portrays a narcissistic type of disorder. Jane hates her father and herself. She is disturbed with what’s going on between her parents and her father’s lust towards her friend. She gets embarrassed over her father falling for her best friend who is of her same