|
home archive writing pictures about me random quotes music links irc guestbook validated |
Jamal Wallace - A Humanistic Approach January 30, 2001 I have chosen to take a humanistic approach to analyze Jamal Wallace through the eyes of Claire Spence, a young girl with whom Jamal could most closely relate in his new environment, and William Forrester, an author and former college professor. I would like to argue that, while Claire has endured much due to her position as daughter of a very important member of the board of the school, Jamal has endured much more that I suspect would attract psychological study. The relationship between Jamal and Claire can be identified with an idea that Carl Rogers promoted, client-centered therapy. In such therapy, the therapist is not seen as an analyst or judge, but rather as a supporter and friend. Claire is quite obviously very much of a supporter from the beginning, and never less than a friend to Wallace. She provides the nourishment that would be expected and is one of the leading influences that help Jamal to continue his drive for success, his drive to fight the system at his new school. Forrester, on the other hand, is not necessarily seen as a friend from the beginning, but he is certainly their to tap Jamal's potential for all that can be squeezed from him. One consistent theme of humanistic psychology seems to be that deep down, underneath the surface and shell that everyone sees, the individual is fundamentally good. Jamal can clearly be seen as a genuinely good human being, despite the neighborhood in which he has been raised. Another consistency of humanistic psychology is an emphasis on change and development. While Jamal is a very sound individual trapped in a place that he certainly should not be from the beginning, he finds room to develop his talents and his thoughts, and he definitely goes through some significant change(s) throughout the movie. Following the humanistic approach, human beings are not seen as static characters, but as people in a process of growth, which is natural and needful. During Jamal's transition throughout the film, it can be clearly seen that he needs Claire's presence, but not nearly so much as he needs the presence of William Forrester. (I would also argue that Forrester needs Jamal, as can be shown clearly in Forrester's final letter to Jamal.) Another idea of humanistic psychology exhibited by Jamal is abundance motivation. Rather than being motivated by deficiency and a search for a cure for it, Jamal has an achievement motivation, a need for varied experiences, and an enormous curiosity. So in attempting to realize his potential, he is not trying to fix himself, but he is trying to explore that which he does not yet explored so that he may experience it. If we can be who we really are, we will find ourselves doing things that genuinely satisfy us and give us enjoyment, and then we shall have all we really want. This is the attitude of Jamal Wallace. He always enjoyed playing basketball with his friends, but his true love was with literature. When he let go of basketball to devote himself to his dream, he found himself genuinely satisfied with his new life of writing, and by the end of the movie, Jamal Wallace had all that he really wanted. © III Enterprises & neotope.com |
nickd zone38 neotope sheepless spasticreb waferbaby hornygoat nealznuze slashdot IGN Games BetaNews kuro5hin baseball Fox News OpinionJournal WorldNetDaily |