John Nash

Setting:

The setting of the film took place in Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1950 and in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge from 1951 to 1959.

Main Characters:

John Nash - The schizophrenic who later got a Nobel Prize for his mathematical prowess.

Alicia Nash - The student of Nash who later becomes his wife and helps him overcome his illness.

Parcher - The Defense Department agent who was also imagined by Nash

Charles - Nash's roommate whom he also imagined.

Main Problems:

There is a lack of social interaction with his classmates. Nash also has the inability of accepting defeat. He also has the tendencies to have a world of his own, and he also brings to life imaginary friends or people in his illusion of being one who has the responsibility of keeping the world safe.

Conclusion:

Nash is a paranoid schizophrenic. His college roommate Charles, his roommate's niece, and the Defense Department agent were all imagined. Nash is hospitalized, and undergoes intense experimental treatment with mixed results. In his later years, he's able to control his illness and goes on to win a Nobel Prize for his economic theories.

Description of Behavior:

Nash could function socially in the outside world, but he became engrossed in his science to the point where he became distracted. His abnormality was clear in the movie where he is shown to talk to illusionary individuals. Clearly, to some, his behavior was not adaptive, but to a fellow scientist in the same field, perhaps they could relate to the method in which John Nash received his inspiration.

Evidence of Disorder:

The film shows John Nash throwing furniture out his window, and clandestine trips to an imaginary drop off point for his decoded messages. The movie also leads one to believe that Nash felt people were out to harm him.

Signs:

Nash is having delusions that he is the key to world safety during the Cold War, and he is also having the illusions that a government agent needs him to decode some top secret code, as well as imagining himself talking to the agent or to his imaginary roommate. He also has bizarre behavior and avoids people. These signs are often found with schizophrenia.

Causes:

Research suggests that the genes one inherits strongly influence

...