The Black Balloon - Analysis of Charlie through Piaget and Eriksons Theories - Movie Review Example

Analysis of Charlie in the film, “The Black Balloon” using Piagets and Erikson’s theory University Affiliation Name Analysis of Charlie in the film, “The Black Balloon” using Piagets and Erikson’s theory Introduction An individual’s health and health outcomes are determined and influenced by complex interactions of a range of factors, specifically the social, psychological and biological factors (Barkway, 2004). In this regard, various theories have been advanced in an effort to explain the reasons for various behaviors that are manifested by individuals and which may threaten, enhance, or maintain their health and health outcomes. Among the theories of human behavior and development that attempt to explain various behaviors and development issues facing individuals with disabilities include Erikson developmental and Piaget’s cognitive theories (Barkway, 2004). These theories have also been used in explaining development and behavioral characteristics of individuals with autism. These theories can be used in analyzing behavioral and developmental issues facing characters with disabilities portrayed in films such as in the portrayal of Charlie, an autistic teenager in the film “The Black Balloon”. While in many cases questions have arisen regarding the extent which these films depict or represent the complex realities of individuals and families living with disabilities such as autism, the film, “The Black Balloon” has been acclaimed for its realistic representation of the challenges facing individuals with autism in its portrayal of Charlie besides realistic portrayal of the complexities of living with individuals with autism, therefore making it possible to analyze Charlie within the framework of the two theories.. In this paper, an attempt is made to explore the behavior and developmental issues facing Charlie, a character in the film “The black balloon” using Piagest cognitive and Erikson’s developmental theories while recognizing and identifying the psychological, biological and social context of health and the role that these plays in management and intervention of disabilities. The “Black balloon” is a film that compassionately deals with the ups and downs of raising two sons, one of whom is autistic. It steadily portrays the daily challenges of living with an autistic teenager. The implications for practice for a health practitioner from such an analysis are also identified. Overview of Autism and Autism spectrum disorder Autism spectrum disorder is described as a group of pervasive developmental disorders with central impairments in communication, social relationships, imaginations skills and a restricted range of interests and activities (Haddon, 2004).Autism spectrum disorder is estimated to be prevalent in 1-6 of every 1000 individuals while autism prevalence is estimated at 0.7 to 21.1 per 10000 children with 3 of every 4 of those diagnosed being males (World Health Organization, 2003). Diagnosis involves a comprehensive behavioral assessment of a child and depending on the pattern of behaviors manifested by the child on the core impairment areas, diagnosis ranges from autism, Asperger syndrome, high functioning autism, atypical autism and pervasive developmental disorder-Not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Autism spectrum is generally marked by such characteristics as unusual preoccupations, hypersensitivity to sounds, difficulty responding to touching and affection, unwillingness to make eye contact, extreme discomfort with unfamiliarity, monotone patterns in speech, muteness and incoherence, and obsessive compulsive repetitive behaviors (Haddon, 2004). In the movie “The black balloon”, Charlie’s is diagnosed with autism, characteristically marked by severe and sustained impairments in social and communication spheres, poor attention, anxiety, poor motivation, unusual response to different stimuli and delayed intellectual development, characteristics that are common in autism are manifested. Piagets cognitive and Erikson’s development theory and autism Piagets cognitive and Erikson’s developmental theories have been used in attempts to explain behaviors manifested by individuals with autism. The basis for using an integrative approach in analyzing disabilities such as autism is grounded on research in the last three decades that strongly indicate that evolving symptoms of disabilities and especially autism is influenced by interplay of experience and biology (Volkmar, 2004). Such evidence thus provide for an adoption of an interactive developmental framework with various implications such as recognition of the plasticity of evolution of symptoms, differences in progression of disability and outcomes dependent on the individuals biology of the disorder and the individuals social experiences. This framework further recognizes the role of early developmental courses in influencing the impact of outcomes compared to later events. This orientation places greater emphasis in understanding autism through the life developmental stages in order to identify autism-specific deviations within the early developmental process leading to acquisition of language, social and cognitive development (Volkmar, 2004. P. 382). Such an approach offers the benefit of understanding developmental process involved in the order while helping to conceptualize treatment options that would optimize the treatment outcomes. Analysis of Charlie using Piaget’s theory Piaget’s developmental theory offers the basis for explanation of diverse symptoms in autism in terms of the basic cognitive dysfunctions while recognizing the role of socialization in cognition (Morgan, 1985). Piaget was mostly interested in explaining the cognition and speech aspects of individuals. Piagets studied children to determine their cognition abilities based on theoretical ideas of ‘cognition process’ and ‘information processing’ centers in the brain (Berkway, 24, 2004). Piaget observed various aspects of children’s behaviors in an attempt to determine their cognitive abilities. From his observations, Piaget concluded that children of different ages thought in different distinctive ways from each other. He described these as a set of stages rather than a continuum from simple to complex (Berkway, 24, 2004). For instance, Piaget found out that below a certain age, children were unable to think of causality. At an older age, children could explain the relationships between causes of events such as explaining how one event can cause another event. Piaget thus argued for a stage model of explanation of the behavior of children. Piaget asserted that cognition development followed the process of adaptation and equilibrium. Adaptation is made up of the process of assimilation and accommodation. The process of assimilation is where an individual applies earlier concepts in learning new concepts while accommodation involves altering previous concepts when faced with new information. Charlie is unable to assimilate new concepts or even altering old concepts in light of new ones. This is evident since despite attempts by his brother, father and mother to teach him not to engage in various actions, he is adamant and proceeds with activities that he wishes. For instance, when he is told to get his hands out of his shorts, he ignores them. Such failure in adapting to social cues is evident throughout the film. Finally, Piaget saw equilibrium as an important concept in cognitive development as it aided in matching a child’s adaptive functioning to the situational demand thereby facilitating a child’s effective adaptations (Berkway, 2004). Piaget thus identified four series of cognitive stages of development that all children pass in the same order albeit at different rates. The four distinct stages are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations and formal operations stage. Sensorimotor stage runs from 0 to 2 years. At this stage, a child learns by doing; touching, looking, and sucking and so on. The child posses a primitive cause-and –effect understanding at this stage. At nine months, object permanence appears (Berkway, 2004). Individuals with autism suffer from arrested development thus remaining at the sensorimotor stages. This is evidenced in repetitive play evidenced by Charlie such as when playing with the toy in the house. In explaining the diverse symptoms of autism through Piagetian model, autism symptoms are explained through Piaget’s two factor theory of operative versus figurative functions (Morgan 1985). The theory asserts that an early arrest of the earlier stages of development, specifically the sensorimotor level accompanied by an arrest of operative functions contribute to the interference of subsequent development of high level symbolic, social and conceptual skills while continuing the progress of figurative functions ( Morgan 1985). The preoperational stage, which is the second stage, runs between 2 to 7 years and it is marked by use of symbols and languages. Charlie is unable to communicate through use of language due to underdevelopment. Egocentrism is evident at this stage and the stage ends with increase in conservation. The third stage is the concrete operations stage which runs from 7 to 11 years. The stage is marked by concrete thinking demonstrated by ability of a child to demonstrate reversibility, conservation, serial ordering and a more mature understanding of cause and effect. In autistic individuals such as Charlie, there is an indication of limited abilities to demonstrate concrete thinking. For instance Charlie is unable to understand cause and effect as seen when he runs in front of a speeding bus. The final stage runs from 12 years and above and is referred to as the formal operations stage. It is manifested through the ability of the individual to demonstrate abstract thinking, which includes deductive reasoning, abstract thinking, classification and comparison. The inability of Charlie to perform any of these functions is also clearly manifested in the film. Analysis of Charlie using Erikson’s theory Besides use of Piaget’s theory, Erikson’s theory aims at identifying the various stages or series of life conflicts that entails an individual’s development. Erikson asserted that human development could be divided into different stages each represented by distinct life conflicts marking various milestones extending to adulthood. As individuals grow from childhood, they are able to deal with issues or tasks based on their stages of development and these may have good or poor outcomes depending on an individual’s previous history and the environment (Berkway, 2004. P. 29). The main patterns of behavior manifested by individuals are in the domains concerning physical changes, physical behavior and skills, cognitive skills, interpersonal and emotional skills and social skills (Berkway, p. 21, 2004). In individuals with autism, difficulties are experienced in resolving the conflicts leading to poor outcomes. Since successful resolution of conflicts at each stage is crucial in development of relevant family and social relationships, friendship and cognitive development, inability of autistic individuals to resolve these conflicts contribute to inability to develop relevant social relationships. This is evidenced through Charlie’s inability to develop social relationships as evidenced in the film “The Black Balloon”. Additionally, inability to develop social relationships further contribute to poor cognitive and mind development considering Vygotskys theory on the importance of social relations as a prerequisite of development of mind and cognitive abilities. Among the eight stages, five stages are evidenced from infancy to adolescence. These are the stages that Charlie, who is 16 years, should have successfully reconciled their conflicts. The first stage is the infancy stage. Infancy stage entails a conflict of trust versus mistrust. The main hurdle at this stage is thus to develop a sense of trust. The social environment should be set up optimally such that an individual is able to go through life with a sense of trust. In Charlie’s case the environment especially rom outside the home environment is not conducive thereby denying him opportunities to interact with other individuals. This is evident such as when the family moves into their new home, where children from the neighborhood and even thee neighbors show negative attitudes towards Charlie and the family. Also, in another instance when his brother is leaving for school, students throw stones at Charlie who is in a school bus indicating a lack of environment that is conducive to foster Charlie’s development of trust. Charlie has little social contact outside the family thereby denying him opportunities for social support and cooperation from other individuals that may enhance his cognitive and social development. Charlie is unable to successfully resolve the second stage of autonomy versus doubt and shame, which Erikson asserted is the second stage of development. The stage is crucial for further development and this conflict is not properly resolved in autistic individuals. The stage is marked by independence and is manifested by a child not being too dependent on the caregiver when conflict is successfully resolved. The third stage is also almost similar to the second stage and often occurs around 3 to 5 years and is referred to as the early childhood stage. It is marked by increased independence and ability to show initiative versus guilt depending on whether the conflict is successfully resolved. Contexts for initiative are crucial at this stage. For instance, a child at this stage should be able to perform basic tasks without the help of others such as peer interaction, initiating events, games and so on (Berkway, 2004. P. 28). Poor resolution of these two stages is evident in the film the black balloon, where Charlie, who is autistic, is entirely dependent on the parents and other family members for nearly everything. Initiative, which is common in this stage lacks in the case of Charlie. For instance, Charlie has to be washed when he defecates on himself after being left by his brother in a locked up room. He also has to be given medicine every now and then by the mother since he is unable to independently handle this tasks by himself. In fact, his mother asserts that Charlie will always remain under their care for his entire lifetime after Thomas displays anger at his mother for rebuking him instead of him after Charlie had defecated on himself. Erikson’s fourth stage, which occurs at the age of 6 to puberty, involves the conflict of industry versus inferiority. When successful, children at this stage are able to execute and carry out tasks that include use of logical, social, cognitive and other skills (Berkway, 2004, p. 28). Autistic individuals such as Charlie, in the film, are unable to execute tasks that require social, cognitive and logical skills. Evidence of lack of development of such skills is evident in the film. This includes instances where lack of social skills is evidenced in an instance where Charlie is consistently making noise and creating disturbances despite warnings from his father and his brother. The fifth stage, as defined by Erikson occurs during adolescence and is marked by a conflict of identity versus identity confusion. This involves how individuals are agreeable to others on aspects such as on whom they think they are and what individuals talk about themselves to themselves and what one thinks about whom they are and what they can do (Berkway, 2004, p. 29). It also means taking on adult like roles, responsibilities and ability to do a good job out of the roles. Charles is further unable to successfully resolve this stage. He is unable to take on any adult roles and in fact has to remain under the care of the parents throughout. For instance, even what should appear as simple tasks such as washing is performed by Charles mother or his brother. Implications for practitioners Understanding various theories that attempt to explain the developmental issues and behaviors manifested by individuals with disabilities such as autism is crucial in influencing the choice of interceptions that a healthcare practitioner ill adopt in serving clients. By understanding distinctions between the behavior mediating factors, it is possible to come up with interventions that may aid in management of disabilities. Further, acquisition of knowledge on aspects of health may facilitate in mediating and enhancing the health outcome of the patients under their care by facilitating and advocating healthy social environment, and assisting clients to engage in behaviors that support and enhance positive health outcomes while ceasing behaviors that result to increased health risks. Conclusion It is clear from the analysis of the film and the character of Charlie, using Piaget’s theory and Erikson’s theory that an individual’s health outcome is determined by interaction of complex range of factors that include psychological, biological and social factors. The social aspect is evidently a critical factor in determining the development of cognitive abilities both in Erikson’s approach and Piagets approach. The use of these theories is evidently useful in determining the choice of intervention mechanisms to be adopted by a health professional while also seeking the social support mechanisms that may facilitate better intervention and management of disabilities such as autism. Further, evidence from the analysis of Charlie and the social support suggests that social support plays a crucial role in influencing health outcome of an individual. This is supported by numerous researches recognizing the social aspect of health as a pertinent issue in management and intervention among clients with disabilities such as autism. References Mark Haddon. 2004.Autism Victoria. Information sheet. “The curious incident of the dog in the night time’ Random house publishers. Patricia Barkway (ed). ‘Psychology for health professionals’ editor World Health Organization (WHO) (2004). MMR and Autism. World Health Organization. Retrived from http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/mmr/mmr_autism/en/ Morgan, B. Sam. 1986. Autism and Piagets Theory: Are the two compatible? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, vol. 16, No 4. Memphis State University. Catherine, R,G., & Francesca, H.,& Andrew, p., Anita, J.,& marsden, . “Everyday Memory.’ 2011, Impairments in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism \development Disorder. 41:455-464. Volkmar, Fred, 2004, Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders: Assessment. 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Diagnosis involves a comprehensive behavioral assessment of a child and depending on the pattern of behaviors manifested by the child on the core impairment areas, diagnosis ranges from autism, Asperger syndrome, high functioning autism, atypical autism and pervasive developmental disorder-Not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Autism spectrum is generally marked by such characteristics as unusual preoccupations, hypersensitivity to sounds, difficulty responding to touching and affection, unwillingness to make eye contact, extreme discomfort with unfamiliarity, monotone patterns in speech, muteness and incoherence, and obsessive compulsive repetitive behaviors (Haddon, 2004).

In the movie “The black balloon”, Charlie’s is diagnosed with autism, characteristically marked by severe and sustained impairments in social and communication spheres, poor attention, anxiety, poor motivation, unusual response to different stimuli and delayed intellectual development, characteristics that are common in autism are manifested. Piagets cognitive and Erikson’s development theory and autism Piagets cognitive and Erikson’s developmental theories have been used in attempts to explain behaviors manifested by individuals with autism.

The basis for using an integrative approach in analyzing disabilities such as autism is grounded on research in the last three decades that strongly indicate that evolving symptoms of disabilities and especially autism is influenced by interplay of experience and biology (Volkmar, 2004). Such evidence thus provide for an adoption of an interactive developmental framework with various implications such as recognition of the plasticity of evolution of symptoms, differences in progression of disability and outcomes dependent on the individuals biology of the disorder and the individuals social experiences.

This framework further recognizes the role of early developmental courses in influencing the impact of outcomes compared to later events. This orientation places greater emphasis in understanding autism through the life developmental stages in order to identify autism-specific deviations within the early developmental process leading to acquisition of language, social and cognitive development (Volkmar, 2004. P. 382). Such an approach offers the benefit of understanding developmental process involved in the order while helping to conceptualize treatment options that would optimize the treatment outcomes.

Analysis of Charlie using Piaget’s theory Piaget’s developmental theory offers the basis for explanation of diverse symptoms in autism in terms of the basic cognitive dysfunctions while recognizing the role of socialization in cognition (Morgan, 1985). Piaget was mostly interested in explaining the cognition and speech aspects of individuals. Piagets studied children to determine their cognition abilities based on theoretical ideas of ‘cognition process’ and ‘information processing’ centers in the brain (Berkway, 24, 2004).

Piaget observed various aspects of children’s behaviors in an attempt to determine their cognitive abilities. From his observations, Piaget concluded that children of different ages thought in different distinctive ways from each other. He described these as a set of stages rather than a continuum from simple to complex (Berkway, 24, 2004). For instance, Piaget found out that below a certain age, children were unable to think of causality. At an older age, children could explain the relationships between causes of events such as explaining how one event can cause another event.

Piaget thus argued for a stage model of explanation of the behavior of children. Piaget asserted that cognition development followed the process of adaptation and equilibrium. Adaptation is made up of the process of assimilation and accommodation. The process of assimilation is where an individual applies earlier concepts in learning new concepts while accommodation involves altering previous concepts when faced with new information.

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