PSYCHOLOGY

Psychology Research Paper

Shawna Cabeldu
6972434
Psychology
Maggie.P
December 7th, 2014

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ABSTRACT

In this report I discussed the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and the diagnosis
of the character, Randle McMurphy. I gave a brief introduction to the movie with a
summary and I also talked about what his disorder is and what the main symptoms are
of it. I discussed why I wrote this report and how I benefit from it. To do this research
report, I looked up many credible sources and compared different journal articles. Once
I found information that sounded honest and true I turned to credible sources such as
ebcohost. I watched the movie twice and I went over different scenes, picking apart the
symptoms the character exhibits so I had concrete evidence from the movie and I
compared it to the symptoms that I had found in my extensive research. I found that
Antisocial Personality Disorder is the hardest to treat but there are psychotherapies and
some medications. I also learned through my research that disorders cannot always be
diagnosed easily. Personality Disorders can be hard to handle and hard to treat and
they can live like regular people, with different attitudes.

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INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this paper is to analyze One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and
talk about Randle McMurphys medical condition, Antisocial Personality Disorder. The
importance of this paper is to teach the readers the seriousness behind mental
disorders. They are everywhere and everyone should know that they exist. Disorders
are not easily diagnosed but with extensive research and examination, they can be
figured out and hopefully get better or disappear altogether. People with disorders can
live like anyone else and not even be noticed.
I watched the movie several times, piecing together traits that McMurphy showed
throughout the movie that someone with that disorder would do. I want to accomplish a
clear understanding of what the disorder does and how it affects the person with it and
the people around them. I also hope to learn a vague, yet clear, understanding of some
of the other psychiatric disorders out there. I chose this movie because you get to see a
whole bunch of different disorders, seeing as how it takes place in a psychiatric hospital.
I also figured that by watching this movie and analyzing it, it could benefit me down the
road in my future career because it gives me an understanding of several disorders. I
also got to learn how to research such an intensive disorder and learn about the
symptoms it involves and treatments that can be done.
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest is a movie that takes place in an Oregon
psychiatric hospital that is divided into two different sections, the ones who can be
cured, and the ones who cannot. The ward is ran by Nurse Ratched, a tough and
disciplined nurse. McMurphy realizes the Nurse is there to turn everyone against each

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other and is not a very nice person. He tries to get on her nerves by questioning her
every move until he finds out that he is a committed patient, stuck in the ward, until the
staff decides he is cured. McMurphy starts breaking the rules by taking the boys out on
an unapproved fishing trip, and starting fistfights with the aides. He is then sent to
electroshock therapy. McMurphy hooks his friend Billy up with a lady friend and when
Nurse Ratched finds out, she threatens to tell Billys mother and he ends up committing
suicide by slicing his throat. McMurphy attacks the nurse and tries to strangle her and
she then does a lobotomy on him, turning him into a vegetable. Chief suffocates
McMurphy in his bed so that he can die with some dignity rather than his life being
taken over by the Nurse and Chief escapes the ward, accomplishing Murphys wish for
him.
The four questions I will be answering in the discussion section are; 1) definition
of the disorder and the symptoms including subtypes causes, prevalence, and three
explanations as to why the disorder occurs, 2) talk about the character and movie giving
three examples of symptoms, 3) the impact the disorder has on the characters day to
day life, and 4) how the disorder is currently being treated.
The one academic journal article I read was about Antisocial Personality Disorder
and it discussed the diagnosis of the disease and it is much harder to diagnose it when
they are in a mild stage. It also discusses a study that they conducted showing that
hospitalization for people with this disorder does not typically help them; it makes things
worse for them. It also discusses some treatment planning techniques and how some of
the patients with the disorder felt personally (J. Reid Meloy, Ph.D, 1968-2005).
http://forensis.org/PDF/published/2007_AntisocialPerso.pdf

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The second article I read was on the Canadian Mental Health Association
website. It discussed the deeper context behind Antisocial Personality Disorder and why
it happens. It gave examples on past histories of people with it and how it contributes to
their future. It also gave some facts on the disease (cmha, 2014). www.cmha.ca
METHODS
To start my research I started very basic by reading the textbook and seeing what
was written about Antisocial Personality Disorder. It gave a definition and discussed the
disorder but was very general. I then turned to the Internet by going onto the online
library at the school and reading several scholarly articles. I searched specific terms
such as Antisocial Personality Disorder and Treatments for ASPD. I used different
books and different websites to put together a well-researched, hard facts paper that I
found online by starting with Google and then finding scholarly articles. I started by
grasping an understanding of the disorder including signs and symptoms, such as
manipulation, charming attitude, and impulsivity, and then researched different
treatment methods. I found plenty of sources that had the information I wanted but they
were not credible which was very difficult so I made sure I stayed on the school online
library, the library at the school, and I used the textbook as a starting point.
I went to the school library and read a few books on Antisocial Personality
Disorder to confirm what I found online. I found it was harder to use a book because
online you can type in certain terms such as treatments and it comes up whereas in a
book, you have to surf through all of the pages. I kept a notebook on me so I could
scribble down thoughts and ideas even when I was not working on my paper. It helped

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me organize my thoughts and keep myself on track. I had a physical and mental list of
the things I needed to accomplish and what I needed to accomplish. I subtitled every
paragraph at the start so I knew what each paragraph consisted of and deleted them
when I was done my paper. I then went back and read the paper over twice, one time
for grammatical errors and the second time to make sure all my work made sense.
My group encountered many difficulties along the way and it was a very hard
process. We started off with a plan, when and where to meet, and we made our own
due date for the project so I had time to put everything together. For the research
proposal, only three of us participated out of the five and that was very frustrating.
Afterwards, I made a Facebook group so we could all keep in touch but nobody went on
and checked it or kept in touch in general. My group kept pushing the paper off and
after many attempts on my part and little effort on theres, I decided to message you and
ask if I could go on my own. I wanted the group to work but it was getting to a point
where the deadline was coming up and I wanted it done so I would have less stress. I
left the group and started working on the paper on my own. I offered the other group my
assistance if they needed it and everything ended on good terms.

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DISCUSSION

What is the mental disorder the character exhibits? Provide a researched

description of the disorder.
The mental disorder that the patient exhibits is antisocial personality disorder. As
stated in the textbook, it is a disorder in which individuals show no regard for the moral
and ethical rules of society or the rights of others (Bond, 2011, pg. 359). Most places
have a set of rules that are expected of most to follow in a professional and respectful
way. When people decide not to abide by these rules and do not care about the moral
and ethical rules, they are portraying a sign of this disorder. It is a disregard for ones
feelings and rights of others (Hare, 1991, Antisocial Personality Disorder). Some of the
traits one would have are superficial charm, manipulative, poor behavioral controls,
promiscuous sexual behaviour, and impulsivity.
There are many factors that cause this disorder ranging from an inability to
experience emotions appropriately to problems in family and relationships (Bond, 2011,
pg. 316). Other factors concentrate on socio-cultural factors, people coming from a
lower socio-economic group (Millon et al., 1998, pg. 317). There is no specific cause to
Antisocial Personality Disorder but it is believed that is a combination of many factors.
People with APD usually drink excessively, use drugs, and engage in promiscuous sex
by early adolescence. In adulthood, they typically are not capable of holding onto a job
and have a hard time obeying the law and keeping financially stable (Samuel. E. Wood,
2011, pg. 376).
There are 5 different subtypes to Antisocial Personality Disorder including;
Nomadic, Malevolent, Covetous, Risk-taking, and Reputation-defending. Nomadic

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people feel like they have been jinxed from the start and it was fate that brought on the
disease. They also are usually dropouts or misfits. Covetous people are typically very
greedy and they feel great pleasure in taking things rather than having. They also
usually feel deprived of things and intentionally denied by people. Malevolent people are
belligerent and resentful. They desire revenge and are often fearless and gutless in
what they do. Risk-taking means that they are bold and daring. They are very impulsive
and very dauntless. Reputation-defending means they think they are unbreakable.
Nobody can touch them or hurt them and they are infallible (Hesselbrock.VM, University
of Connecticut, 1994)

Which criteria (symptoms) of the disorder does the character exhibit? Back this
up with scenes from the movie.
Randle McMurphy exhibits many of the symptoms of Antisocial Personality
Disorder. Throughout the movie he has zero regard for the rules of society and for the
rights of others. In a way, he cares about the people in the psychiatric ward but he does
not have their true well-being at heart. He is doing it for himself because he is having
fun messing with their diseases and it is all a big joke to him. The three biggest
symptoms he shows are superficial charm, manipulation, and impulsivity.
His superficial charm starts from the moment he walks into Docs office by
pretending to be interested in the picture of the fish on his desk. He makes small talk
and keeps a huge smile on his face the whole time because he wants the Doc to like
him. He makes a few jokes in an attempt to get the doc to like him and takes the whole
situation very lightly. One of his jokes when the Doc asked why he was sent away he

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says well, because I fight and fuck too much (2:00, Randle McMurphy) which in his
mind, he thinks is witty and clever. McMurphy is a very smooth talker and he makes the
Doc, who seems like quite the serious person, smile quite often at his inappropriate yet
funny jokes. Another example of his superficial charm that he exhibits is right before he
is about to get shock therapy, he is still making light of a serious situation and you can
tell by everyones expressions that they like it. Most people would be very nervous and
probably very resistant if they had to go through something as hurtful and scary as
shock therapy.
All throughout the movie McMurphy shows signs of impulsivity in almost
everything he does; he does not like to think things through before he does them, he
acts on impulse. When they have group sessions, he always says what comes to mind
without thinking it through. He starts group chats and turns the conversation in a whole
new direction within a couple of minutes. Also, when McMurphy decides to take the
boys out to the boat to go on a fishing trip, that was most definitely impulse. He
surprised the boys and when he had the opportunity to take the bus, he did. When
McMurphy got angry about the death of his friend, he started to strangle Nurse Ratched
when she suggested that the boys go on with their regular routine. His original plan
was to escape but when that did not work out, he got angry and started to strangle the
Nurse. It was not a planned intention; it was something he decided to do at the last
minute.
McMurphy is a very manipulative guy throughout the movie. He likes to convince
the other patients to do things and manipulate them into what he thinks they should do.
He learns the way everyone functions and he uses that to his advantage to get what he

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wants. An example from the movie of McMurphys manipulation is when he convinced

everyone to vote for the right to watch the big game. Although some people did not fall
into his manipulation, he got a few others to pretend they cared enough to vote. When
he lost, he rounded up a bunch of the patients to pretend to be watching the game. He
liked to play mind games and word things so that everyone would fall into what he
wanted. He created himself to be a man of power and manipulation. He also
manipulated everyone into thinking that they were going on a field trip and that the
Nurses approved it. When everyone got onto the bus and realized McMurphy was
conning them into thinking something that was not true, they realized he was
manipulating them and they got all worked up.

Impact the disorder has on characters day to day life

Antisocial Personality Disorder can affect ones life greatly. It makes them not fit in
with other people and makes them judged by others. Randle McMurphys life would
have been a lot easier without this disorder. His whole adulthood he was getting in
trouble with the law and in and out of correctional facilities. McMurphy got himself into
the psychiatric ward because of many different reasons including; he was belligerent,
rude, did not listen, and lazy at the work farm, and he was in a penitentiary, he also has
5 arrests for assault, and he also went in for statutory rape. The work farm felt that he
needed to be evaluated mentally. He went against all rules and values of the places he
was put in to. The professionals felt he was faking his psychotic behaviors so he could
get out of doing work. McMurphy had been through many hardships because of his
condition because he did not know how to listen or respect other people, which got him

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into a lot of unnecessary trouble. In the movie it does not describe his childhood but I
am sure it was very unstable and not very well guided.
Before he was committed to the psychiatric center, he had a life. His girlfriend
shows up when he takes the boys out fishing and that is the only glimpse we really get
that he had an outside life. The disorder affects his day-to-day life in the ward because
everything that is done by the nurses frustrates him and causes arguments and
disagreements. He has a very hard time understand the guys in the ward but he tries so
hard, succeeding with some patients and not others. This disorder led him to have to go
through shock therapy and even a lobotomy. This disorder makes him live a very
unfulfilled life. Randle is a very wise guy that has a lot of brains but he does not use
them for his own good, instead he gets himself into trouble.

How the disorder is being treated (3 different treatments)

Antisocial Personality Disorder is the most difficult personality disorder to treat.
There are different ways to treat ASPD, which include psychotherapy, cognitive therapy,
and sometimes medication. It is a very hard disorder to treat and treatments do not
always succeed. Many people who seek help with this disorder are usually seeking help
for another issue such as depression or alcoholism.
Psychotherapy consists of helping the individual understand the disorder and
understand the consequences of their behavior. This helps them to control their disorder
and make things better for themselves. Psychotherapy allows the patient to explore
their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, which allows them to get to know themselves

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better and get a better insight. Psychotherapy also teaches the person how to handle
lifes challenges appropriately.
Cognitive therapy was originally for people with depression but has recently been
tied to help Antisocial Personality Disorder. This type of therapy relies on guidelines set
by the therapist including times of meetings, active participation, and necessary work
outside of the sessions. This therapy, similar to psychotherapy, allows the patient to
work on seeing the consequences of his or her behavior. The cognitive approach has a
main goal of helping the patient understand how he creates his own problems and it is
not everyone elses fault. It also makes on understand how his distorted perceptions
prevent him from seeing himself the way others do. Cognitive therapy allows the patient
to have someone supportive in their life, which will enhance their want to participate and
try. It is a therapy that implements change in behavior, which is a major issue with
people that have this disorder.
There are also some medications that a person with Antisocial Personality
Disorder can take. It does not directly fix the disorder but it can help with certain
conditions that are associated with it. Some of these medications can include
antipsychotic, anti-depressant, or mood stabilizing medications. There are no specific
medications one can take to cure the disorder altogether.

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Conclusion

Randle McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest had antisocial Personality
Disorder. This is a disorder that causes one to have a complete disregard for the law
and for others and have a disregard for society as a whole. McMurphy showed
symptoms of this disorder many times throughout the movie while he was in the
Psychiatric Hospital such as when he took the patients on a field trip that was not
approved or made aware of. I feel I have accomplished all of my goals for this
assignment other than the fact that my group did not stay together.
I learned many new skills such as how to research a disorder thoroughly and
figure out what sources are credible. I learned how to research different treatments as
well. I also learned how type a big paper but divide it into sections to make it more
organized and put together. If I were to do a project like this again, I would pick a group
that I know I would work well with and I would pick partners that were willing to try as
hard as I was. Overall, I am very proud of the work I did and I am very impressed with
the way I went about doing this paper and organizing my time management. This paper
taught me general information about different disorders, mainly Antisocial Personality
Disorder, and how to research a specific topic properly and watch for signs of symptoms
in a person.

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References

Department of Psychiatry, Farmington USA, Subtypes of antisocial personality

disorder, 1994, 2:497-484
J, Reid Meloy, Ph.d, 2013, Antisocial Personality Disorder, 82, 3013, p.1-20
Hesselbrock.VM, University of Connecticut, 1994
Samuel. E. Wood, 2011, pg. 376
Millon et al., 1998, pg. 317
Hare, 1991, Antisocial Personality Disorder
Bond, 2011, p.351