What About Bob Analysis

I chose the movie What About Bob to do a review on. The movie stars Bill Murray portraying Bob Wiley, that I will write about later on in the paper. Bob Wiley has an array of psychological problems that are shown through actions and inactions, which is where another character comes into play, his psychologist Dr. Marvin. In the movie, Dr. Marvin is played by Richard Dreyfuss, who has an appointment with Bob Wiley prior to leaving for vacation. While in the interview with Bob he asks him a few questions about what he experiences psychologically and offers him temporary help with a book called “Baby Steps”, as Dr. Marvin is planning on leaving on a family vacation for a month. Bob has very obviously grown an attachment to Dr. Marvin as the lengths …show more content…
Multiple phobias are common as their basis is focused around things that are emotional or fearful for the person, but without Bobs prior history it is hard to understand why they are so intense. In the beginning of the movie, Bob places a handkerchief over a doorknob prior to turning it, which shows signs of bacillophobia or better known as “germaphobia”. While the first sit down between Bob and Dr. Marvin, Bob recounts his symptoms like dizziness, blurred sight, and nausea that could fit in to somatization disorder. Bob shows signs of pathophobia when he says in the interview, “I worry about diseases.” Another DSM-V phobia that Bob could fit would be agoraphobia. Throughout the beginning of the movie, Bob shows signs of anxiety and the accompanying of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. According the DSM-V, there has to be the signs of anxiety in two out of five situations and Bob displays that both in the crowded elevator and while on the bus. OCD has two characterizations that include obsessions and compulsions, Bob shows both by ignoring thoughts that are intrusive and repetitive behaviors that he uses to help cope with his anxiety. An example of that during the movie is prior to getting on the bus, he keeps whispering to himself “Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps.” to help fight his agoraphobia. Lastly, Bob says that “If I fake it, then I don’t have it” while acting out the symptoms of tourettes, but …show more content…
With cognitive behavior therapy, focusing on the basis of fear and replace the fear with different thoughts and preconceived notions about the things they are afraid of. By replacing the thoughts, Bob may begin to see things under a different positive light. After at least 10 therapy sessions, I would then begin using exposure therapy to help solidify the positive light on the once fearful or anxious place or thing. Next, I would suggest hypnotherapy as it would help Bob do some self-exploration to help realize why he is afraid and anxious of the things he is. With the insight of why he feels a certain way paired with CBT and self-help would hopefully tackle the bad feelings and panic attacks he experiences with going outside and germs. Finally, with self-help Bob could learn how to notice signs of stress and anxiety to control them with breathing techniques and progressive muscle relaxation. Self-help is not going to eliminate the anxiety or what is causing it but it can help him work through the feelings. I think that with exposure with cognitive behavior therapy combined with hypnotherapy, and self-help techniques that also fall under cognitive behavior therapy Bob could really benefit and maybe overcome some of the phobias