The Shawshank Redemption is a classic psychological film and television masterpiece. After watching this movie, our hearts were shocked. While we feel the amazing will of the hero Andy Duffy, we also analyze the psychological details in this film.
At the beginning of the film, the prosecutor mentioned the criminal motive when he stated his analysis and reasoning. Criminal motivation refers to the internal reasons that cause and push criminals to commit crimes to meet certain needs, and it is an important driving factor in the criminal psychological structure. Andy's criminal motive is of course dissatisfaction with the relationship between his wife and lover.
Then, in the prosecutor's analysis, there is a detail of evidence: the magazine of a gun can only hold six bullets, and each victim was shot four times, so the criminal stopped to load the bullets in order to shoot again. In this process, if it is out of impulse. Criminals may realize their mistakes and stop their behavior. Therefore, the prosecutor judged that this was an act of revenge, and this reasoning made full use of psychological knowledge related to criminal motives.
When Andy was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Shawshank prison, the criminals there had a habit of teasing new people and never giving up until they got what they wanted. People in prison want their self-esteem back, too. They were suppressed and controlled by prison guards in prison. When new people come, they want to bully others and meet their psychological needs.
Perhaps it is because prison life is too boring, or perhaps, as Freud described, "sex" is human instinct, so homosexuality-"sister flower" will also appear in Shawshank prison. Homosexuality is a sexual orientation, which refers to love, lust or admiration for the same sex. Homosexuality in prison is situational homosexuality, which is acquired because of environment or experience. For example, a person who always stays in an environment where the ratio of men to women is unbalanced, is always surrounded by the same sex, and is always stimulated by the same sex, can easily become a situational homosexual. The gay relationship of "Sister Flowers" not only satisfies their desires, but also makes them form factions and depend on each other in prison, so they dare to vent their anger on people who are not pleasing to the eye.
When rebuilding the factory roof, Andy heard the prison guards discussing the issue of paying taxes, so he took the initiative to help warden Hadley evade taxes. The adventure almost killed him, but in the end, he won three bottles of beer for his cellmate. Maybe, as Rhett said, Andy did it just to find the feeling of being a human being, even if it was only for a short time. Moreover, dealing with prison guards this time won Andy a friendship, satisfied his self-esteem, and finally got some souls from him who has been bullied. This is the first time to see a smile on Andy's face. After all, freedom is always the happiest and represents the realization of self-worth. Everyone has needs that make him feel important. At the same time, beer also makes workers feel as if they are rebuilding the roof of their house. When they drink beer, they feel that their self-esteem is satisfied and they feel free.
The highlight of the film is Andy showing "The Wedding of Figaro" in the prison guard's office. This time, we saw that the smile on his face was a smile with a sense of victory. He used his value in prison guards and the trust he gained from it to make his friends feel free again-even for a moment. Music makes people in prison feel that the fence has disappeared. All day long, they faced reprimands from prison guards. They haven't enjoyed such wonderful music for a long time. This sudden music made them forget their situation instantly and feel relaxed and free.
The above are some details of the psychological knowledge embodied in the film. But the most important psychological point in the film is institutionalization-the process of social life of groups and organizations changing from a special and unfixed way to a universally recognized fixed model. Institutionalization is a mature process of groups and organizations, and it is also a standardized and orderly process of the whole social life.
When old Brooks was paroled, he tried to keep himself in prison by hurting other prisoners. Because he looks after the library in prison, he is a decent man with knowledge, but he is nothing outside. Poor Brooks has been on tenterhooks all day since his release. He often woke up in nightmares and finally had to hang himself. After parole, Rhett also found that for 40 years, he had to ask for instructions every time he went to the toilet. He must face the cruel reality, and he will never be able to adapt to life outside prison. Every day, he just wants to break the parole and let people around him send him back to prison. Only in that familiar place does he have to worry all the time.
We find it strange: isn't freedom everyone's ideal? Why would anyone escape this freedom? Psychologist Fromm clearly pointed out in his book Escape from Freedom that human beings have a tendency to escape from freedom. Because he believes that if human beings want to escape from loneliness, they must give up themselves and escape from the freedom of the soul; If we want to maintain our independence and pursue freedom, we will inevitably fall into a lonely and helpless situation. Compared with the lonely situation, most people prefer to escape freedom. Therefore, people need order and laws and regulations. Under the constraints of these rules and regulations, people will get the minimum sense of security and live step by step.
Brooks, institutionalized in prison, can't adapt to the free life of the outside world at all, because obeying the rules has become his psychological authority and a life order. Once you lose it, you will lose the most basic sense of security. Therefore, he would rather choose death than endure this "freedom". As Rhett said, "These walls are very interesting. At first you hate them, then you get used to them. After a long time, you start to rely on them. "
It is sad to be institutionalized in prison, but Andy's living in such an environment has not changed his firm belief, which is also the second psychological point of the film. Victor Frank, a famous psychologist, once put forward such a theory: "In any extreme environment, people always have the last freedom, that is, the freedom to choose their own attitude." In other words, when a person is extremely miserable and helpless, he can still decide his attitude towards life by himself.
Andy Duffy spent 20 years digging a tunnel that Rhett thought could not be finished in 600 years.
Our will is always exhausted by various facts bit by bit, and our ideals will eventually be abandoned or forgotten by ourselves. Then, like the prisoners in Shawshank prison, we will lazily accept the various arrangements that fate has given us. This is life-the life of most people. But Andy Dufresne, he didn't take the road that most people are taking. He was a different person from the beginning. He chose silence in the face of reality, but this does not mean compromise. He seems very weak. He firmly accepted the reality in prison: the fact that he became a prisoner, the gap in his heart, constant harassment and beatings by perverted homosexuals, and frequent new injuries on his body ... This is his life. He silently accepted all this without saying a word of protest, even other prisoners felt incredible. Facing this unbearable reality, he still looks forward to a bright future.
In fact, from the beginning, we saw Andy's persistence and optimism in obtaining library funds. He wrote to the warden again and again for the sake of the prison library. I don't know how many letters he wrote, but he finally got what he wanted. How many people can do this persistence and perseverance?
Rhett once warned Andy that "hope is a dangerous thing, and hope makes people crazy". Andy didn't refute, but he didn't give up his firm determination. He firmly believed that he could leave there, and he never gave up his efforts. In the last letter to Rhett, he wrote: "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best thing in the world, and good things never die!" " Their attitudes are in sharp contrast, which also shows us that in The Shawshank Redemption, Andy not only saves himself, but also saves his cellmate Rhett mentally.
This film shows the great inner world of a great man with an ordinary plot, telling everyone in life that only oneself is their own God, and courage and strength are the greatest salvation.