Melvin Udall With Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior

Melvin takes his obsession of being clean to extremes; this is a very common manifestation of someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder. When Melvin goes out for breakfast he takes his own plastic utensils wrapped inside of a plastic bag, because he thinks that the silverware at the diner are not clean enough for him. This is another example of his fear of contamination.

It is important for him to touch upon these emotions, and make the audience feel the sorrow, dignity, and hope, however, it is more important for him to remain strong and uphold his powerful image as our leader. He strongly upholds this dominant character throughout the speeches entirety. His almost stone-like facial expression allows audiences to perceive him as dignified and they can therefore instill more trust in his capabilities as our nation's leader. Had former President Bush expressed all the emotions he was mentioning, the audience may have altered their perception of him by perceiving him as weak, such as if he were to render sorrowful expressions in front of the people who elected him as leader. It is important to keep in mind that at this time, Bush had only been president for a short matter of time and still had to prove himself as a qualified leader, therefore it made sense that he only verbally depict emotions such as sorrow. Former President George Bush accomplishes a well organized speech by his proper and effective use of pathos in addition to logos and

It’s very concerning how he can kill these individuals with no emotion shown, it shows his true

This scene also ties into his narcissism, glorifying himself as someone more powerful than he really is. He gives nothing, yet expects everything, creating lies on the spot to manipulate and deceive others for his own personal gain. He’s neglectful of his children, only caring for them in extreme circumstances. He shows little to no remorse or guilt for his actions, and always wants to get his way by playing the

Melvin Udall is more than your average next door neighbor. Instead, he is an antisocial successful writer who just so happens to be diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsion Disorder. There are aspects of the film that accurately depict OCD, but this film is flawed.

Melvin, from the very beginning of the film, exhibits clear symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, likely promulgated through social anxiety and various phobias. Some of the reoccurring symptoms Melvin displays include: germaphobia and a fear of being touched, avoidance of cracked surfaces, and a complete organization of his belongings. His fear of germs seems to be a major driving force in his obsessive-compulsive disorder. He doesn’t appreciate people entering his living space or touching him. He washes his hands relentlessly. Additionally, he does not trust the silverware to properly clean, so he insists on using new plastic ware each time he eats.

At the beginning of the film Mr.Udall encounters his neighbor dog who ends up releasing his fluids all over Mr.Udall. In this situation his discomfort leads him to act rather peculiar. As he enters his apartment room he clicks the locks five times and then runs his hands over scorching hot water. Mr.Udall even yelps “Hot!” and yet doesn’t remove his hands from the sink at all. These are clear visual signs of OCD. Individuals with OCD use their compulsions as a way to relieve stress/neutralize their unwanted thoughts. This is why during Mr.Udall’s most stressful moments his OCD was also extreme; one example being when the waitress confronted him after what he said about her son he began to zone out and whisper numbers as he taps his fingers on the table. He was indeed blocking out what she was saying and resorted to tapping fingers to calm down his emotions. OCD files under as an anxiety disorder. This is because anxiety is elevated by an over estimated problem, in which, causes both physical (sweating,dry mouth, increase heart rate,choking sensations), cognitive (inability to concentrate, clear

His fascination with cleanliness borders on paranoia, as evidenced by his insistence on using cellophane to protect his steering wheel from contamination. Additionally, Hughes displays symptoms suggestive of auditory processing difficulties, as he often needs to be told information multiple times before

Such as walking, talking, reasoning and the ability to make his own decisions nonetheless this was distorted due to what appeared to be a depressive episode. The stereotypes in the film for me was the depressive aspect and the helplessness and anti-social

One obsession that he suffers from is a fear of contamination. Melvin displays this obsession through the act of cleaning himself compulsively. He washes with very hot water and a brand new bar of soap every time he washes his hands. He uses the bar of soap for only a couple seconds, tosses it, and then opens a new bar of soap to use. When he showers, Melvin again uses very hot water and stays in the shower for an excessive amount of time. Another way

Living with any sort of anxiety disorder presents a number of difficulties that range from frustrating to absolutely debilitating, and anxiety disorders are often life-long conditions. In the movie “As Good As It Gets,” one of the main characters, Melvin Udall (played by Jack Nicholson), is portrayed as having severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). At the beginning of the movie we see him going through a routine of washing his hands and face during which he unwraps and uses a brand new bar of soap at every stage, throwing the old ones in the trash. This behavior was presented rather humorously in the film; however, in reality this would become debilitating very quickly. Not only is the behavior Melvin displayed expensive, it is time

Autocrats lead many countries in today’s world, creating atrocious environments for their citizens who follow them out of necessity. Wars start against and between these totalitarian rulers in a battle for power; for example, World War II stemmed from a power struggle between the Axis powers lead by Hitler and the Allied powers. These actions of war are manifested in William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, which narrates the story of a group of boys stranded alone on an island who must find a way to rule themselves and divide power. Golding writes Lord of the Flies as a historical allegory to World War II to illustrate the ascent of a tyrant through sinister means and the dehumanization of others; additionally, the novel exhibits the antagonism between hesitant, virtuous leaders and violent dictators that creates growing actions of war. The events in the book parallel those in World War II in order to reveal how individuals are pressured to act when forced to engage with destructive despots such as Jack in Lord of the Flies and Hitler in World War II.

Although the film also shows how a man like him can become soft, and then

Marvin Udall displays typical behaviors that many functioning obsessive compulsives have in common. Mr. Udall has obsessions which are, “persistent thoughts, urges that are experienced as intrusive and unwanted, whereas compulsions are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that an individual feels driven to perform in response to an obsession (American Psychiatric Association., 2013).” Very early in the film we see Mr. Udall struggles with contamination-related obsessions and participates in ritualistic activities which serve to lessen his obsessional anxiety. We see him engage in hand washing rituals with extremely hot water and several bars of soap which is only intrusive to him, to later in the film where he must take a shower before dinner and has the character Carol waiting on him for what seemed like hours. Mr. Udall has a ritual to eat at a certain restaurant everyday for breakfast, where he also must bring his own plastic silverware for fear of germs.

Having never experienced a positive way to express his feeling in his childhood it caused him to be so cold and empty in side. He was as inhuman and void of emotions as his small childhood pet.