Emotional Spin Cycle:
Data
Collection and Analysis
April 30, 2002
By Atlas
Dr. Leon James, Instructor
Empires Wax and Wane |
Theory and Purpose
This report is the individualized supplement for report 1, which
focused on the spin-cycle and itâs relevance to cognitive scripts, behavioral
routines, cognitive appraisal, and emotional intelligence.Ê If this is unfamiliar, please review report 1 to refresh your understanding
of the emotional spin-cycle and three-fold self.Ê Report 1 highlighted the role of the media in developing
aggressive social scripts as a form of conflict ãresolutionä in children.Ê The wrong idea of what is acceptable, or
unacceptable behavior, is being transmitted by the media.Ê Parenting style, especially among low
income, African-American families may be a fundamental contributor to the
looming homicide rates among African-American males. Authoritarian/Indifferent
parenting style and aggression in children has been shown to have a very
strong, positive correlation.Ê Social
scripts may cause people to become ãmechanizedä to their jobs, possibly the
reason why there are ethical failings in corporate America, not caused just by
greed.Ê The dichotomy between the ãmaleä
social script (independence, adventure-seeking, goal oriented) and ãfemaleä
social script (relationship-oriented, dependant, resolving conflict) may also
be a cause of dating abuse, especially among college females.Ê
Childrenâs play behavior is important for learning
behavioral routines, morality, and social norms.Ê Programming A.I. with behavioral routines is much like how
children are ãprogrammedä themselves, only conflicting motivations can confuse
an A.I. and not humans.Ê Violence may
also be a behavioral routine that is learned since early childhood, which all
people have the potential to commit a crime depending on the presence of a
third party, time and place of the crime to be committed.Ê The effectiveness of Cognitive Processing
Therapy for rape survivors is related to the strength of victims schemas about
rape victims before the incident.Ê
Suicide is the 3rd major cause of death for people 18-25 in
the United States, and most of them are college students.Ê The culprit is depression, and once again
CPT is working on a way to kick the blues.Ê
Finally, a high intelligence quotient may be only 20% of a personâs
success, the other 80% is emotional intelligence.Ê Emotional intelligence is the ability to
discriminate oneâs emotions, and being able to analyze and interpret
others.ÊÊ In this report, the spin-cycle
is applied to my personal life and entertainment, particularly concentrated on
the 1999 Best Picture ãAmerican Beautyä (a short explanation is
warranted for that specific movie later on in this report).
The nature of human society (an oxymoron), according to what I learned
doing report 1, is that we operate on auto-pilot for most of the time.Ê Like in ã2001: A Space Odyssey,ä we are not
fundamentally different from the apes which we ãevolvedä from.Ê We are going from monkeys to robots, chimps
to micro-chips.Ê We program our children
like computers, and we have been programmed ourselves.Ê Socialization practices, inter-personal
relations, stress and conflict can all benefit by a swift kick in our
collective rectum.Ê We have nothing but
contempt for each other.Ê We send people,
strapped with bombs to detonate themselves in crowded shopping malls.Ê We deliberately slam civilian airplanes in
to densely populated, metropolitan cities.Ê
We send our children to be butchered in wars and to die in a hostile
country.Ê
The most prosperous country in the world, the United States of
America, is full of people whoâs only goal in life is to better than everyone
else.Ê Sneer, contempt, suspicion, and
fear is all we feel toward the person sitting next to us.Ê Why is this all happening? Sigmund Freud
single handedly drove up global paranoia, and his bitter pessimism has left a
residue in our popular culture and our evaluation of human nature.Ê But is there any reason why we should not
be understanding of Freudâs pessimism?Ê
Consume, buy, sell, stocks, trade, bonds!Ê Oh my!Ê These are the new
opiate of the masses.Ê No wonder why we
can so easily live in crowded, polluted conditions and be oblivious to the
poverty and misery at every street corner. We go on, not carrying, not even
noticing. ÊThat is the spin-cycle of
todayâs society.
Iâm afraid to see what our society will be like in the
future.Ê The United States is currently
the world's greatest superpower, but in 100, perhaps even 50 years from now,
the world's political geography will change. Americans are becoming lazy and
aloof, and our apathy will be the cause of our gradual self-destruction. We
treat each other with fear and suspicion, and our foundation of solidity is
sinking in a swamp of ideological muck.
In 50 years from now this country will become just like Western
Europe, slowly deteriorating under Socialism. These seeds were sowed during the
Red Scare in the 1950's and spawned the Hippy generation of the 1960's, who
were ardent Communist-sympathizers, and who today lead major think tanks,
occupy important journalistic posts, institutions, and are professors at
universities. With each successive generation, Communism's influence will
infiltrate mainstream culture (especially among college students) and paint
this country Red.
I'm not a McCarthyist, and I really don't care if we do become a
Communist country (the change of pace alone would be something to look forward
to), what I'm wondering is "Why is Communism so appealing to young,
American college students?" Perhaps social and economic freedom, which
tolerates revolutionary thought, is the cause. A majority of us college
students haven't grown up in an oppressive, totalitarian state, and when we
hear of the promises of Marxism it gives a real-life passion that we can use to
claim to our otherwise dull, materialistic lives. It's the strongest spice we
can add to life.
The United States doesnât have the fuel among it's younger
generation to remain a super-power. The main ingredient to remain a super-power
is nationalism, something that is deader than a dinosaur in this country. A
sense of brotherhood doesnât exist among Americans, we're full of suspicion
toward each other and hatred toward our government. Because of this we are
falling in to moral decay, we have the highest homicide, rape, and depression
rates in the world. Nationalism is for the most part, bad. But it's a necessary
evil if a country wants to remain on top. The doctrine of self-sacrifice for
the sake of the country is overwhelmingly powerful, so powerful that if used in
the wrong way can destroy itself (Soviet Union and Nazi Germany for example).
No country has mastered it.
What can be done to prevent this seemingly inevitable, downward
spiral?Ê Perhaps by reading Dr. Albert
Ellisâs book ãFeeling Better, Getting Better,
Staying Better,ä we could philosophically destroy Conditional
Self-Acceptance.Ê That would put a plug
on the drain for a little while by changing our peopleâs tendency to depress
itself to the point where we feel dependant on others for support.Ê Iâm all for keeping the Free-Market intact
as is, but Laissez-Faire (Unregulated) Capitalism is scarier than
Feudalism.Ê Iâd like to see us become a
State-Capitalist-Conservative economic structure, with a strong federal
republic and a Liberal beacon when it comes to societal concerns.Ê In other words, the way it is right now, but
isolationist.Ê When it comes to
international affairs, I say we pull out of the U.N. and ally ourselves with
democratic countries only, and trade embargo all slave-pen countries such as
China, Cuba, and the mid-East.
ãEmpires wax and wane; states cleave asunder and coelace.ä The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
|
The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living |
Data Collection and Analysis
The Three-Fold Self is one of the central theme to Dr. Jamesâs
ãSpin Cycle.äÊ What is the Three-Fold
Self you might ask?Ê Every individual is
encultured by their society to learn social scripts, norms, and behavioral
routines.Ê The Three-Fold Self is the
three areas of human functioning that is socialized.Ê Those three areas are thinking, feeling, and acting.Ê Each domain, though independent from each
other, integrates together in to the Three-Fold Self.Ê With this solidified mechanism, we use it as a lens that effects
the way we see the world and ourselves.Ê The Three-Fold Self interprets Others-And-The-World, and our
Self.Ê Personally, I think the
Three-Fold Self has validity to it.Ê I
think there is a difference between thinking and doing, doing and feeling, and
feeling and thinking.Ê Itâs possible to
feel desire for a girl, think thereâs no chance, and act like she doesnât even
exist.Ê Whither this particular example
is psychologically healthy is a separate issue, the purpose of the
example shows how thinking, feeling, and acting are separate domains that when
materialized together, serves a guide in seeing the world and the self.Ê The Three-Fold Self fits well into
Personality and Social Psychology.Ê Not
because Psychology is a field dominated by relativists who claim all
perspectives of human nature are equal but different, but because there is
a difference between thinking, feeling, acting, and we also have the ability to
control our thinking and acting.Ê The
Three-Fold Self has validity to it, and is not just a scientific fairy tale
like most other theories of personality.Ê
The Spin Cycle is the process which the Three-Fold Self goes in
between the Self and Others-and-the-world.Ê
The two general Spin-Cycleâs are negative and positive.Ê Each of these general spin cycles are
further broken down to negative-Self, negative-Others, positive-Self,
positive-Others (hence the 4 options).Ê
The word ãspinä is used to describe this phenomenon because we are
constantly rotating between the Four Options.Ê
ãCycleä is used because the way we see ourselves effects the way we see
the world.Ê In the middle of this
centrifugal force is the Three Fold Self.Ê
In relation to personality, it attempts to describe and predict how someone will
act, according to how they feel.Ê
However, it does not try to make a speculation of why the person
is behaving cynically or compassionately.Ê
I would not immediately place the Three-Fold Self and the Spin Cycle in
the field of personality, though it does have a lot of parallels.Ê However, it would be a good tool to use in
the clinical field and psycho-therapy.Ê
In relation to ãhabitä (doing unconsciously and compulsively), I guess I
would say itâs related to the Spin-Cycle because we just get accustomed to
doing things in a certain way and it begins to feel comfortable and
familiar.Ê To prevent disturbing the
Spin-Cycle, we just stick to the habit.Ê
In my view, the gender differences are subtle but strong.Ê Perhaps women are more inclined to act on
their thinking, and men more on their feeling.Ê
Women tend to be more practical, something that involves reasoning.Ê Men tend to be more idealistic, which in
contrast is subject to feeling.Ê The old
stereotype that women are more emotional and wishy-washy is bullshit.Ê Men are the oneâs who are emotional and
wishy-washy, but are better at hiding it or releasing it in more ãmasculineä
ways, like kicking someoneâs ass when someone frustrates them.Ê Men fall in and out of love faster than
women, and are more likely to commit suicide when their girlfriend dumps them.
The aim of my research is to find out how effective the
ãbridge-techniqueä is.Ê There are two
different bridge-techniques, the Red Bridge and the Blue Bridge.Ê Red Bridge is the Spin-Cycle we experience
toward others and the world.Ê Feelings
of arrogance, rage (Option 1) or compassion and resolve (Option 2) are on
either end of the Red Bridge.Ê The Red
Bridge is used for going from Option 1 to Option 2 by coming up with thoughts
that are incompatible with arrogance and rage.Ê
One can do this by thinking about positive experiences you had with the
person who you are feeling hostile to, or if you donât know the person by
realizing that most of the time your rage is irrational and unjustified.Ê The Blue-Bridge is for our thoughts and
feelings toward ourselves.Ê One can feel
depression/inadequacy (Option 3) or enthusiasm/self-confidence (Option 4).Ê By thinking of positive things about
yourself and your past success, you can combat pessimistic and cynical thinking
with optimistic and realistic thinking.Ê
Iâve never heard of this technique before taking this class, but I plan
on using it.Ê
I applied the bridge-technique whenever I was confronted with
thoughts that was counter-productive to my personal happiness and the
well-being of others.Ê To be
illustrative, I would sit (I was sitting basically the entire time for both
activities) with both feet planted evenly on the ground, hands resting on my
thighs, and my back leaning (but not slouching) against the back of my
chair.Ê I would breath in slowly for
four seconds, hold it for the same amount of time, and slowly exhale.Ê While doing this, I would think of
pro-personal happiness and compassion-toward-others type of thoughts.Ê The way itâs technically supposed to work is
by stopping my cynical or pessimistic thinking and turn it in to optimistic and
realistic thinking.Ê However, the level
of effectiveness is arbitrary and basically up to the subjective interpretation
of the person whoâs using it.Ê
Unfortunately, it may not be effective when it is most needed.Ê Advice is least heeded when most needed.
The only thing that can make the bridge-technique ineffective is
you.Ê Therefore, a major problem with
this technique is that it will only work for people who want it to work
and sincerely want to get better.Ê It is
useless for those who doubt itâs utility, the doubt alone will make it
ineffective.Ê I found myself at times
trying to combat the bridge-technique.Ê
Quite often, the devil that sits on my shoulder (like in the cartoons)
destroys the efforts of the bridge-technique by exploding the bridge with
doubt.Ê As to what are the origins,
thatâs more of a psychoanalytical question, but no, itâs not because of
unresolved Oedipal Complexes.Ê
Personally, I believe that itâs the rejection I received from girls that
has help construct this self-destructive neurosis in me.Ê There are also childhood family issues that
also contribute considerably, but here is not the place to fully discuss
that.Ê The way I would teach this
technique to a friend or a family member is to do it how I described in the
previous paragraph.Ê A combination
between meditation and ãrationalizationä (what the analytical psychologists would
call it).Ê The only people who would be
successful at it are those who want to get better, not through attrition, or
fear of not getting better, but the desire to be well.Ê As to what prevents people from wanting to
get better, thatâs a philosophical question that assumes that human beings
innately want to be happy, and that can not be definitely answered.Ê
The qualitative design used to collect my data is a combination
between Introspection, Naturalistic Observation, and
Baseline-Intervention.Ê Naturalistic
Observation is the study of behavior in itâs natural setting.Ê I will be recording my thoughts, feelings,
and actions (Three-Fold Self) throughout the day using a pocket memo and
writing a daily dairy each night.Ê
Baseline-Intervention is one method of studying the effectiveness of an
independent variable (in this case, the bridge-technique). I will go one week recording
my thoughts, feelings, actions, without using the bridge-technique
(establishing a baseline of how a normal week would affect me).Ê During the second week, I will continue to
record my Three-Fold Self, but utilize the bridge-technique whenever I am
experiencing Options 1 or 3 (negative toward others, negative toward
self).Ê This is the ãintervention.äÊÊ After recording how the second week
effected me, I will compare the 1st week (which had no intervention)
with the second week (which had the intervention).Ê Hypothetically, if the bridge-technique is helpful in
establishing Options 2 and 4 (positive toward others and self), than week 2 of
my report
should show that I had more positive thoughts, feelings, and actions than week
1.Ê Unfortunately, this is going on the
assumption that nothing traumatic happens to me during these two weeks, and
that the two weeks are ãnormal,ä regular, and that nothing unusual or
out-of-the-ordinary happens.Ê
Introspection is like studying the self.Ê It is rather ambiguous to describe, but itâs similar to keeping a
diary and reflecting on your actions, thoughts, and feelings that you
experienced through the day and making up theories (or excuses) to why you
thought, felt, or acted in a certain manner (see records).Ê
This is clearly prone to be biased and affected by reactivity, cognitive
dissonance, and rationalization, and most psychologists do not consider
introspection to be valid.Ê However,
when it comes to self-analysis, I think it is the most important method.Ê No one can best study you but yourself.
|
Week 1:
Baseline observations: Sample activity A (negative red): day 1 || day
2 || day 3 Sample activity B (negative blue): day 4 || day
5 || day 6 Week
2: Intervention--practicing the bridge technique: Sample activity A again: day 1 || day 2
|| day 3 ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Sample activity B again: day 4 || day 5 || day 6 |
| Date: April 15, 2002 (Monday) Activity 1: Going to Barnes & Noble |
| Date: April 15, 2002 (Monday) Activity 2: Painting |
| Date: April 17, 2002 (Wednesday) Activity 1: Barnes & Noble |
| Date: April 17, 2002 (Wednesday) Activity 2: Painting |
| Date: April 19, 2002 (Friday) |
| Date: April 19, 2002 (Friday) Activity 2: Painting |
| Day 1 |
Stress |
Satisfaction with myself |
Dissatisfaction with others |
Productivity |
Coping w/ feelings |
Hope for the future |
Otherâs negativity |
| Activity 1 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
7 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
| Activity 2 |
7 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
| Day 2 |
Stress |
Satisfaction with myself |
Dissatisfaction with others |
Productivity |
Coping w/ feelings |
Hope for the future |
Otherâs negativity |
| Activity 1 |
6 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
5 |
| Activity 2 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
| Day 3 |
Stress |
Satisfaction with myself |
Dissatisfaction with others |
Productivity |
Coping w/ feelings |
Hope for the future |
Otherâs negativity |
| Activity 1 |
7 |
4 |
8 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
| Activity 2 |
8 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
| Mean scores |
Stress |
Satisfaction with myself |
Dissatisfaction with others |
Productivity |
Coping w/ feelings |
Hope for the future |
Otherâs negativity |
| Activity 1 |
5.3 |
3.6 |
4.6 |
4.6 |
4 |
2.3 |
4.6 |
| Activity 2 |
7.3 |
2 |
4.3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
INTERVENTION
INTERVENTIONÊ INTERVENTION INTERVENTION
| Date: April 22, 2002 (Monday) Activity 1: Barnes & Noble |
| Date: April 22, 2002 (Monday) Activity 2: Painting |
| Date: April 25, 2002 Thursday Activity 1: Barnes & Noble |
| Date: April 25, 2002 Thursday Activity
2: Painting |
| Date: April 26, 2002 (Friday) Activity 1: Barnes & Noble |
| Date: April 26, 2002 (Friday) |
| Day 5 |
Stress |
Satisfaction with myself |
Dissatisfaction with others |
Productivity |
Coping w/ feelings |
Hope for the future |
Otherâs negativity |
| Activity 1 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
| Activity 2 |
8 |
1 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
| Day 6 |
Stress |
Satisfaction with myself |
Dissatisfaction with others |
Productivity |
Coping w/ feelings |
Hope for the future |
Otherâs negativity |
| Activity 1 |
2 |
9 |
1 |
8 |
8 |
9 |
1 |
| Activity 2 |
1 |
10 |
1 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
1 |
| Day 7 |
Stress |
Satisfaction with myself |
Dissatisfaction with others |
Productivity |
Coping w/ feelings |
Hope for the future |
Otherâs negativity |
| Activity 1 |
9 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
| Activity 2 |
10 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
10 |
10 |
5 |
| Mean scores |
Stress |
Satisfaction with myself |
Dissatisfaction with others |
Productivity |
Coping w/ feelings |
Hope for the future |
Otherâs negativity |
| Activity 1 |
5.3 |
5 |
3.3 |
4.6 |
5.6 |
5.3 |
4 |
| Activity 2 |
6.3 |
4 |
3 |
4.3 |
7 |
6.6 |
3.6 |
| Mean Comparison |
Stress |
Satisfaction with myself |
Dissatisfaction with others |
Productivity |
Coping w/ feelings |
Hope for the future |
Otherâs negativity |
| Activity 1 |
[5.3]ÊÊ [5.3] |
[3.6]ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ [5] |
[4.6]ÊÊÊÊÊ [3.3] |
[4.6]ÊÊ [4.6] |
[4]ÊÊ [5.6] |
[2.3]Ê [5.3] |
[4.6]Ê [4] |
| Activity 2 |
[7.3] ÊÊ[6.3] |
[2]ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ [4] |
[4.3]ÊÊÊÊÊÊ [3] |
[2]ÊÊÊÊÊ [4.3] |
[2]ÊÊÊÊ [7] |
[2]ÊÊÊ [6.6] |
[5]ÊÊÊ [3.6] |
Redemption!
|
During the first week, my mind was pretty dark.Ê I was reading Sigmund Freud and finding him
amusing.Ê My brief version of
psychoanalysis and how the world works was even more pessimistic than Freudâs.Ê That night, I stared at myself in the
mirror, not out of vanity, but disgust.Ê
I developed delusions that the world was persecuting me because of I am
Black!Ê That was absolutely ridiculous,
especially since Iâm only half Black (and half Korean)!Ê The second day, my philosophic outlook on
life worsened because I was obsessing about DEATH.Ê Finally, by the 3rd day my mind just sank in the
swamp.Ê I was actively trying to
convince myself to never pursue the girl of my dreams (ãVenusä), and began to
form ideas that were anti-reality and suggesting that we humans should act like
animals!
Day 5, the first day of the bridge-technique intervention,
didnât help that much either.Ê However,
something dramatic happened during Dayâs 6 and 7.Ê Iâd like to say that the bridge-technique contributed to this
boost in morale, but I also think it was because I was afraid of dying without
pursuing the girl Iâm infatuated with and trying to be happy for once.Ê I suppose reading those books and
watching that movie changed the way I acted like a cry-baby about how no girl
could ever love me, so it may not have been the bridge-technique.Ê I canât explain it, but it was like a ghost
inside of me, Eros as the Freudianâs would call it, suddenly came out of the
dark, lonely corner and wanted to taste the fruits in life instead of just
looking up at the branches.Ê I think
there was stronger, internal forces within my psyche that made this
life-changing, happiness-pursuing revolution.Ê
I just happened to be experimenting with the bridge-technique at the
time of all of this.
My three-fold self was once dominated by the compulsion to
destroy myself.Ê I was constantly
operating in Options 1 & 3, mostly Option 1 (negative toward self).Ê This compulsion is whom Iâll call
ãAtlas.äÊ My mind was an explosive
because of Atlas.Ê Iâll still try to use
the bridge-technique whenever I feel Atlasâs presence, but I think the reason
why this change came about was because of the fear of dying alone, sad, and
unhappy.Ê Like Piaget said, Iâm in the
Intimacy vs. Isolation stage.
I learned that my unquenchable thirst for love and happiness,
when it was deprived for so long, became so powerful that it overthrew Atlas. I
have a strong ability to endure years and years of disappointment, but I always
have persevered.Ê My tragic flaw was
that Atlas wanted only self-destruction, but he is no longer a part of my
life!ÊÊ I think a lot of people could
benefit from knowing about the bridge-technique, and it should
be taught in schools and the workplace.Ê
However, the bridge-technique is only good for combating simple, trivial
things that upset us even though they shouldnât.Ê For people like myself, who seemed to be beyond the reach of the
bridge-technique, it takes more than just rationalizing to yourself and
thinking about positive things.Ê Thereâs
something deeper inside of us than just that.
|
Look Closer |
A Closer Look at the Three-Fold Self and
Bridge-Technique in the movie ãAmerican Beautyä
Why ãAmerican Beautyä?Ê
The focus on this part of the report is to look at the spin-cycle and
bridge-technique in any form of media.Ê
I chose movies because movies are probably Americaâs favorite pass time,
and much of our culture gravitates toward celebrities.Ê They endorse our products, inspire and
nostalgic us.Ê We put their pictures on
our desktops, put up posters of them in our bedrooms, and use them as an
ice-breaker in the company of strangers.Ê
It is one of the rare offspringâs of American culture that creates a
common bond among us.Ê We may not have
the same skin colors, interests, cultural background, personalities or even
languages, but one thing for sure is that weâve all seen Star Wars!Ê Since movies are like the centrifugal force
of this country, the Academy Awards is sort of like a barometer of American
culture.Ê And thatâs where American
Beauty plays a part in this report.Ê It
was won 5 Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best
Actor, Best Director and Best Picture.ÊÊ
The Spin-Cycle is most applicable to ãeveryday lifeä and routine, and
what better movie (among Academy Award winners) better reflects everyday,
modern American, suburban life?Ê
I
will be analyzing four scenes in the movie which I think are the most relevant
to the Spin-Cycle.Ê The four scenes are
in chronological order, focused on Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), and portrays
his gradual development from being emotionally beaten to self-actualizing.Ê Each scene is a major a turning point in
Lester Burnhamâs life, and each scene ends with him using the bridge-technique,
or at least something similar to it.Ê
Note: Each scene description will only include the parts in which Lester
is either seen or heard. ÊMuch of this
script was taken from http://www.hundland.com/scripts/AmericanBeauty_final.htm,
and all the pictures were taken from http://us.imdb.com/Title?0169547
|
Scene 1 The movie opens with a birds eye-view of a
suburban neighborhood, slowly descending down to a tree-lined street.Ê We hear a dry, monotone voice introduce
itself (voice over):Ê ãMy name is
Lester Burnham.Ê This is my
neighborhood.Ê This is my street.Ê This· is my life.Ê Iâm 42 years old.Ê In less than a year from now, Iâll be
dead.äÊ Cut to: Lester Burnham laying in bed, we are looking down at him
from the ceiling.Ê An alarm clock is
buzzing, Lester blindly turns it off.Ê
He rolls over, looks at us, and lets out a sigh.Ê Itâs clear he is not thrilled to be
starting a new day.Ê Lester Burnham (voice over):Ê ãOf course, I donât know that yet.Ê And in a way, Iâm dead already.äÊ We quickly realize that Lester is speaking
to us beyond his grave, and we are reviewing the last year of his life.Ê Cut to: Lester in the shower, his body is a
silhouette in the fogged glass but itâs obvious that heâs masturbating.Ê Lester (voice over, amused): ãLook at
me.Ê Jerking off in the shower.Ê This will be the high point of my day, and
itâs all down hill from here.äÊ Cut to: Lester staring out the window,
watching his wife being over-friendly with the neighbors and engaging in
shallow conversation.Ê Lester (voice
over): ãMan, I get exhausted just watching her.ä Cut to: Jane (Lesterâs daughter) sitting at
a computer typing.Ê Lester (voice
over):Ê ãMy daughter Jane.Ê Only child.Ê Janieâs a pretty typical teenager.Ê Angry, insecure, confused.Ê
I wish I could tell her thatâs all going to pass· but I donât want to
lie to her.äÊ Cut to: His wife (Carolyn) and daughter are
waiting for him in the car.Ê Lester
comes out the front door with a briefcase. Carolyn: ãLester, could you make
me a little later, please? Because I'm not quite late enough.äÊ Lesterâs briefcase suddenly springs open
and papers spill all over the sidewalk.Ê
Carolyn looks at him with contempt and boredom.Ê Jane (sarcastic): ãNice going dad.äÊ Lester smiles up at them sheepishly.Ê Lester (voice over): ãBoth my wife and
daughter think Iâm this gigantic loser· and theyâre right.äÊ Cut to: Lester is in the back seat of the
car, asleep.Ê Lester (voice over): ãI
have lost something. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know I didn't
always feel this... sedated. But you know what? It's never too late to get it
back.ä ÊFade to black. |
Feeling:Ê Lester is feeling bored, sedated, and apathetic over life.Ê
Thinking:Ê He is thinking that he is a gigantic loser, and that he is ãdead
already.ä
Doing:Ê Lester masturbates in the shower and calls it the ãhigh pointä of
his day.Ê He sheepishly smiles at his
wife and daughter after his briefcase springs open.Ê He sleeps in the back seat on the way to work.Ê He hasnât said a single word to anyone the
entire morning.
Bridging
technique:Ê Lester realizes that he wants to change the
condition of his life, but he doesnât exactly know how and what it is heâs
looking for.Ê But it is an important
first step.
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ This scene shows that Lester is in
Optionâs 1 and 3, negative toward self and negative toward others.Ê However, he is mainly in Option 1, negative
toward self.Ê He thinks that he is a
gigantic loser, and he has no enthusiasm over life.Ê He lays in bed with the alarm clock buzzing, trying desperately
to hold on to the dream he was having, and sighs deeply when he knows that he
has to get out of bed and start a new day.Ê
He may also be in Option 3, by saying that his daughter is angry,
confused, and insecure, and that he gets exhausted just watching his wife converse
with the neighbors.Ê Lester feels
sedated, which is probably depression.Ê
This is the starting point in his life which he first realizes he must
change it, and that his happiness is the ultimate price he will pay for his
bored, self-disturbed life.Ê The first
time we see Lester is when heâs waking up, which is symbolic to what his
character does about his life.Ê He wakes
up and smells the roses.Ê The catalyst
for his mid-life crisis occurs when he meets his daughterâs friend Angela after
watching Jane perform during half-time.Ê
Lester drools and lusts after Angela, and often has intensive,
transfixed sexual fantasies, though not of the lewd kind, but a more heavenly,
soft-core peaceful type.Ê Roses and
Angela are often paired together in the same scene (she is the rose Lester
wants to smell), and in one of the most memorable scenes of the movie, Lester
is laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling while rose petals float down to him
like rain.Ê We see that heâs imagining
Angela, laying on the ceiling as if in reverse gravity, alluring and teasing
Lester.Ê She is naked, but her erotic
zones are covered by rose pedals.Ê This
may be dirty-old Lesterâs bridge-technique, where he fantasies about young,
teen-age girls and channels this lust by trying to re-discover his teenage
years. He thinks that sleeping with Angela is what would make him happy.
|
Scene 2 Lester and his wife are sleeping in bed.Ê Lester is having a sexual fantasy about
one of his daughterâs friends, Angela.Ê
Carolyn (his wife), opens her eyes widely as she hears what sounds like
the rhythmic brush of the bed sheet as Lester vigorously masturbates.Ê She lifts her head up at him and her face
his wrought with disgust.Ê Carolyn: ãWhat are you doing?äÊ (Awkward pause). Lester: ãNothing.ä Carolyn: ãYou were masturbating.ä Lester: ãNo I wasnât.ä Carolyn: ãYes, you were.äÊ Lester looks at her with an I-give-up look. Lester: ãAll right, so shoot me. I was whacking off!Ê Thatâs right I was chocking the
bishop.Ê Shaving the carrot.Ê Saying Hi to my monster.ä Carolyn: ãThatâs disgusting!ä Lester: ãWell, excuse me, but some of us still have blood
pumping through our veins!ä Carolyn: ãSo do I!ä Lester: ãReally?Ê
Well Iâm the only one who seems to be doing anything about it.ä Carolyn gets out of bed, repulsed. Carolyn (voice rising): ãLester. I refuse to live like
this. This is not a marriage!ä Lester: ãThis hasn't been a marriage for years. But you
were happy as long as I kept my mouth shut. Well, guess what? I've changed.
And the new me whacks off when he feels horny, because you're
obviously not going to help me out in that department.ä Carolyn: ãOh. I see. You think you're the only one who's
sexually frustrated?ä Lester: ãI'm not? Well then, come on, baby! I'm ready.ä Carolyn (furious): ãDo not mess with me, mister, I will
divorce you so fast it'll make your head spin!ä Lester: ãOn what grounds? I'm not a drunk, I don't fuck
other women, I don't mistreat you, I've never hit you, or even tried to touch
you since you made it so abundantly clear just how unnecessary you
consider me to be! ÊBut. I did
support you while you got your license. And some people might think that
entitles me to half of what's yours.ä Carolyn sinks in to the couch, stunned.Ê Lester knows heâs won for once, and it
feels good. Lester: ãSo, turn out the lights when you come back to
bed!Ê Okay?!ä Close on Lester, smiling contently. |
Feeling:Ê Lester is feeling hostility toward the way his wife has been
treating him.
Thinking: Lester is thinking that he
should no longer keep his mouth shut and be his wifeâs pawn.Ê Heâs ãchangingä to a new person.
Doing: Lester masturbates and
isnât ashamed of it when his wife catches him.Ê
He argues with his wife about their marriage and how she is making his
life miserable.Ê He actually wins the
argument because he knows his wifeâs weak spot, and for the first time he
smiles.
Bridge
technique:Ê Lester is no longer in Option 1 (negative
toward self) after this incident.Ê He
knows he is the only one who cares about his happiness and is finally taking
the steps toward attaining it.Ê He is no
longer cooperating with his mistreatment.
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ After this scene, Lester begins to turn his life upside down, while turning every one elseâs around too!Ê He quits his job, black mails his boss, buys the car of his dreams, starts working out, smokes pot, and is always seen with a beer bottle in his hand.Ê Usually seen in a clean cut, suit and tie, heâs now walking around in slippers and shorts.Ê Though heâs finally moved out of Option 1 (negative toward self) into Option 2 (positive toward self), he still hasnât achieved Option 4 (positive toward others).Ê Basically he went from ãIâm not OK, youâre OKä to ãIâm OK, youâre not OK.äÊ His Option 3 (negative toward others and the world) becomes intensified.Ê The first thing he wants to do is to sleep with his daughterâs best friend, Angela.Ê He believes that by doing so, he would rediscover the ãthingä that heâs been missing.Ê Second, he black-mails his boss for sixty-thousand dollars, sells his wifeâs car (which she never drove) so he could buy the car of his dreams (1970 Pontiac Firebird).Ê At another intense scene of the emergence of the ãnewä Lester, he throws a plate of asparagus across the dinning room after his wife screams at him for quitting the job he hated.Ê Lesterâs hatred toward himself becomes projected outward to others, and develops a pedophiliac crush on his daughterâs friend.Ê Lester changes from Option 1 (negative toward self), to a combination of Option 2 (positive toward self) and Option 3 (negative toward others).Ê In other words, he becomes a like a hedonistic, two-year child.Ê Doing so, he further alienates his wife and his daughter (in one scene he calls Jane a ãreal bitch just like your motherä).Ê Though we laugh at Lesterâs attempts to find happiness, we also feel sorry for him.Ê
|
Scene 3 Carolyn comes home and sees a 1970 Pontiac
Firebird in the drive way.Ê When she
enters the house, she sees Lester sprawled out on the couch with a strange
little smile on his face.Ê The living
room seems more ãlived in.äÊ Lester
has a beer resting on his belly and a remote control (for a remote controlled
car) in his hands.Ê Carolyn has begun
to change her life around too, and has come back from her affair with her new
boyfriend (whom Lester doesnât know about).Ê
This is the first scene the ãnewä Carolyn meets the ãnewä Lester.Ê Carolyn looks at him angrily, but says
nothing. Lester (innocently): ãWhat?ä Carolyn (flushed): ãAh, whoâs car is that
outside?ä Lester: ãMine. 1970 Pontiac Firebird. The
car I always wanted and now I have it. I rule!ä Carolyn: ãWhere's the Camry?ä Lester: ãI traded it in.ä Carolyn: ãShouldnât you have consulted me
first?ä Lester: ãHmm, let me think... No. You never
drove it·. (suddenly) Have you done something to your hair?Ê You look great.ä Carolyn (briskly): ãWhereâs Jane?ä Lester: ãJane not home.Ê We have the whole house· to
ourselves.äÊ (He looks at her
playfully.Ê Carolyn gives him the same
contemptuous/bored stare when he dropped his briefcase, but Lester just
smiles.Ê Whatever power she had with
that look is gone). Lester (cont): ãChrist, Carolyn. When did
you become so... joyless?ä Carolyn (taken aback): ãJoyless? I am not
joyless. There happens to be a lot about me that you don't know, mister
smarty man. There is plenty of joy in my life.ä Lester (leaning toward her): ãWhatever
happened to that girl who used to fake seizures at frat parties when she got
bored? And who used to run up to the roof of our first apartment building to
flash the traffic helicopters? Have you totally forgotten about her? Because
I haven't.ä (Lester leans closer to her and the
atmosphere becomes suddenly charged.Ê
Carolyn tries to pull back, but she is drawn to him.Ê But just before their lips touch·. Carolyn (softly): Lester, youâre going to
spill beer on the couch.Ê (Sheâs
immediately sorry that she said it, but itâs too late.Ê The moment is gone). Lester: ãSo what? It's just a couch.ä Carolyn: ãThis is a four thousand dollar
sofa upholstered in Italian silk. This is not "just a couch." Lester: ãItâs just a couch!Ê This isn't life. This is just stuff. And
it's become more important to you than living. Well, honey, that's just
nuts.ä (Carolyn, on the verge of tears, runs out
before he can see her cry). Lester (calls after her): ãIâm only trying
to help you.ä |
Feeling:Ê Lester is feeling enthusiastic over life!
Thinking: Lester is thinking he can
heal the scarred relationship between he and his wife.
Doing: Lester buys the car of his
dreams, compliments his wifeâs new look, and tries to kiss her.
Bride-technique:Ê Lester thinks of the fun times he had with his wife, crossing
from cynicism and pessimism to compassion and resolve.Ê He tries to ãhelpä his wife learn an
important lesson about life.
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ The ãnewä Lester meets the
ãnewä Carolyn in this significant scene, and we learn that Carolyn hasnât
changed at all.Ê Lester is now in
Optionâs 2 & 4, but these are quickly reduced back to Option 3 when his
wife walks out on him for explaining, briefly, his new philosophic view on
life.Ê This time, he does the
bridge-technique in front of his wife, by recalling the fun times they had
together and flattering her about how great she looks.Ê Carolyn, who enters with a very negative
spin-cycle, almost crosses the bridge herself through association by Lester.Ê The bridge-technique can be contagious (in a
good way), but only temporary for those who are feeling it through
osmosis.Ê
|
Scene 4 Interior-Burnham House ö Family Room öNight Lester unbuttons Angelaâs blouse, she seems disconnected
from whatâs happening.Ê Lester pulls
off her blouse, exposing her breasts.Ê
Lester looks down at her, grinning, unable to believe heâs finally
going to do what heâs dreamed of so many times.Ê And then· Angela: This is my first time. Lester (laughs): Youâre kidding. Angela (whispers): Iâm sorry. Lester looks down at her, his grin fading.Ê Angela looks embarrassed and
vulnerable.Ê She is not the mythical
carnal creature of Lesterâs fantasies; this is a nervous child. Angela (contâd): I still want to do it· I just thought I
should tell you· in case you wondered why I wasnât· better. Lesterâs face falls. Thereâs no way heâs going to go
through with it. Angela (confused): Whatâs wrong?Ê I thought you said I was beautiful. Lester (tenderly): You are beautiful. Lester grabs the blanket from the couch and drapes it
over her, covering her nakedness. Lester (contâd): You are so beautiful· and Iâd be a very
lucky man· (Lester shakes his head, humiliated). Angela (crying): I feel so stupid. Lester takes her by the shoulders (seriously):
Donât.Ê You have nothing to be sorry
about.Ê Angela keeps crying, Lester hugs her. Lester (smiles): Itâs okay, everythingâs okay. Interior-Burnham House-Kitchen-Night Angela, fully clothed, is sitting at the kitchen counter,
eating a sandwich. Angela: Wow, I was starving. Lester: Want me to make you another one? Angela: No, no, no.Ê
Iâm fine.Ê Lester: You sure? Angela: I mean, Iâm still a little weirded out, but
(sincerely)· I feel better.Ê Thanks. A long beat· Lester studies her· Lester: Howâs Jane? Angela: What do you mean? Lester: I mean, howâs her life?Ê Is she happy?Ê Is she
miserable? Iâd really like to know. Sheâd die before sheâd ever tell me about
it. Angela (shifts uncomfortably): Sheâs· Sheâs really
happy.Ê She thinks sheâs in love
(rolls her eyes at how silly the notion is). Lester (quietly):Ê
Good for her. ·An awkward beat· Angela: How are you? Lester (smiles, taken aback):Ê God, itâs been such a long time since anyoneâs asked me that·
(thinks)· Iâm great. Angela (suddenly): Iâve got to go to the bathroom.Ê (Angela leaves) Lester (laughs to himself): Iâm great. Something on the counter catches his eye, itâs the same
black and white photo seen earlier of Carolyn, Lester, and Jane taken several
years ago at an amusement park.Ê Itâs
startling to see how happy they look.Ê
Lester sits and studies the photo.Ê
He suddenly seems older, more mature, and then he smiles: The deep,
satisfied smile of a man who just now understands the punch line of a joke he
heard long ago. Lester (contâd): Man oh man· (softly) man oh man oh man· The barrel of a gun raises to the back of his skull.Ê Angle on a vase of roses, a deep crimson against the
white tile wall.Ê Then a gun shot
suddenly rings out, echoing unnaturally.Ê
Instantly, the tile is sprayed with blood, the same crimson as the
flowers. |
Thinking: Lester is thinking that
Angela is not the sexual animal he always thought she was.Ê He then thinks about how his daughter feels
and what her life is like.Ê He thinks
about the times when the family used to be happy, and that he is ultimately
satisfied with his life.
Feeling:Ê He is feeling guilt and remorse over his infatuation with Angela
and getting her in to his bed.Ê He feels
compassion and resolve for himself, Angela, his wife and his daughter.
Doing: Lester does not have sex
with Angela, he asks her about his daughters life, and is happy to find out
that Jane is in love.Ê He picks up the
photograph of the family and smiles contently.
Bridge-technique:Ê Lester treats Angela with compassion when sheâs crying.Ê This leads him to think about his daughter
and evaluates that his life was full of beauty.
In
this final scene, we learn that dirty olâ Lester ainât so dirty after all!Ê Itâs pretty amazing how the opening and
closing scenes of the movie complement each other but have so much similarity.Ê In scene 1, Lester wakes up (symbolic of
what he does for his life and his happiness), but is miserable.Ê In scene 4, he is deeply happy and
satisfied, but is murdered (i.e., he goes back to ãsleepä).ÊÊ Scene 1 opens with the panoramic view of
the sky and Lesterâs neighborhood, with Lester talking about how he feels
ãdead.äÊ Scene 4 closes with the same
shot, as Lester is describing how beautiful it felt to have been alive.Ê Lester is definitely in Options 2 & 4
because he feels enthusiasm for his life and compassion for others.Ê
That
is the thing that he has lost.
Home | Report 1 | Records | Class home page
References:
Dr.
Leon James home page (General Instructions): http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy16/g16classhome.html
ãDepression,
Information, and Supportä http://depression.about.com/
ãFeeling
Better, Getting Better, Staying Betterä by Albert Ellis
ãThe
Idiots Guide to Near Death Experiencesä by P.M.H. Atwater
ãFreud
For Beginnersä by Richard Appignansei
The
ãAmerican Beautyä final script, by Alan Ball
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ http://www.hundland.com/scripts/AmericanBeauty_final.htm
ãAmerican
Beautyä pictures http://us.imdb.com/Title?0169547