• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

University of Central Florida STARS HIM 1990-2015 2015 Perception of Mental Illness Based Upon its Portrayal in Film Erika Hanley University of Central Florida Part of the Sociology Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015 University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in HIM 1990-2015 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Recommended Citation Hanley, Erika, "Perception of Mental Illness Based Upon its Portrayal in Film" (2015). HIM 1990-2015. 609. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/609 PERCEPTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS BASED UPON ITS PORTRAYAL IN FILM by ERIKA HANLEY A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Honors in the Major Program in Sociology in the College of Sciences and in the Burnett Honors College at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2015 Thesis Chair: Amy Donley ABSTRACT Perceptions can be influenced by the media concerning different groups of people. As a result of the importance of the media in how individuals obtain information and formulate opinions, how different groups are presented whether negatively or positively is important. This research examines the portrayal of mental illness in films and the impact that such portrayals have on the perceptions of mental illness of the viewers. Mental illness representations can be found quite prevalently among film and the way in which it is represented can be important as to how populations perceive those with mental disorders. This thesis looks to explore perceptions of mental illness and beliefs from those who have viewed films that portray characters with mental disorders. Through the use of an online survey, one hundred and ninety five participants provided data for this study. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that individuals who had seen more films portraying mental illness would have more knowledge and sympathy regarding mental illness compared those who had seen less films portraying mental illness. It was also hypothesized that social stereotypes surrounding mental disorders would be present in the knowledge that individuals had more so than factual data about mental disorders. Women were predicted to express more sympathy than men. A statistical analysis program was used to analyze the resulting data including the use of correlations and t-tests. Evidence indicated that the amount of films viewed portraying mental illness did not have an impact on knowledge or sympathy regarding mental illness. Perceptions of mental illness are still a relevant topic and the awareness of facts surrounding mental disorders should continue to be spread. ii DEDICATION For those battling daily against the confines of mental illness, may your voices be heard and your mind one day free, For Abu and Lela, who showed grace and courage in the face of adversities and inspired me to be the woman I am, And for my parents, who have gone above and beyond to ensure I have the platform to succeed and encouraged me to pursue happiness. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude towards those who made this thesis possible. Thank you to my thesis chair and mentor Dr. Amy Donley, who encouraged excitement and curiosity, provided opportunity for growth, and answered every distressing early morning email with a calming solution. Thank you to the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Jason Ford and Dr. Ty Matejowsky, who have given their time and expertise to improve my work. To Denise Crisafi and Kelly Astro, whose impeccable work in the Honors in the Major program makes independent research an enriching process. To the bosses from 203, who were an emotional support system and assisted in spreading survey links and messages about my aspirations. Thank you to my parents, whom I can’t truly thank enough, for all they have done for me and all they will do for me. Without you, nothing in my life would be possible. I extend my appreciation to those whom I met along the journey of researching and writing this thesis, as many filled me with belief and assurance that what I was investing my time and heart in was truly worth it. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 2 Hollywood and Mental Illness .................................................................................................... 3 The Negative ............................................................................................................................ 3 The Positive ............................................................................................................................. 6 Ideas of the Perceptions of Mental Illness .................................................................................. 7 THEORETICAL ORIENTATION ............................................................................................... 11 THE CURRENT STUDY ............................................................................................................. 13 RESEARCH QUESTION ............................................................................................................. 14 HYPOTHESES ............................................................................................................................. 15 METHOD ..................................................................................................................................... 16 MEASUREMENTS ...................................................................................................................... 19 Demographics ............................................................................................................................ 19 Independent Variables ............................................................................................................... 19 Dependent Variables ................................................................................................................. 20 Control Variables ...................................................................................................................... 21 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 22 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................................... 33 v CONCLUSIONS........................................................................................................................... 36 APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE USED IN “PERCEPTION OF MENTAL ILLNESS BASED UPON ITS PORTRAYAL IN FILM” ............................................................................ 39 APPENDIX B: FILMS USED IN QUESTIONNAIRE AND THEIR DEPICTED MENTAL DISORDER................................................................................................................................... 59 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 62 vi INTRODUCTION Since the 1920s, whether directly or indirectly, mental illness has made its way into the plots, subplots, and characters of films (Livingston 2004). Tagged as “bait” for film awards, 10% of the 317 Academy Awards between 1929 and 2009 were awarded to films either depicting a character with a mental disorder or to films that had mental illness as a topic (Byrne 2010). While these films have enjoyed relative success and many have earned achievements, the question still remains as to how the depictions of various mental disorders have influenced the perception of mental illness outside of the fictional realm. Are these films, revered by critics and audiences alike, providing their viewers with accurate information about mental illness? Are stereotypes that are salient in the nonfictional public sphere presented and perpetuated in these films? Do these films change the behavior of the viewers towards those with mental illness? The current study addresses this last question. While there has been a lot of research to date examining the content of films themselves, much less research has been done examining the potential impact viewing these films has on those who watch them. This study addresses this gap by comparing people’s views on mental illness to the films that they have seen that depict mental illness in some way. 1 LITERATURE REVIEW Nearly one in every five Americans suffers from a mental illness in any given year (Klin and Lemish 2008). Nevertheless, there continues to be an almost taboo reaction to the topic of mental illness as it is surrounded by stereotypes, or a set of negative and commonly unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about a topic. Sieff’s (2003) research eluded that media representation of mental illness may be a contributing factor to the negative perception especially considering media-based perceptions are dependent on media frames used in communicating information about mental illness. Media frames, a concept put forth by Goffman (Goffman 1986), refer to the way in which information is presented and organized by the

Load more

  71

Copy Link