One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest Movie Review

The movie, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest describes the inner details of a psychiatric ward. The total institution was extremely dull and also depressing watching how they were treated. The staff did not treat them as adults, but as children with no hope. The nurses were cold hearted and often even mistaking them as human beings.

The institution compares greatly to C.H Cooley's, "Looking Glass Self Theory", because the nurses do not interact with the patients the way they should. The patients believed that they are child-like and becoming even more insane due to the lack of help received from the staff. The patients starting following the interactions with MacMurphy instead of the unhelpful staff like they're supposed to. By observing MacMurphy's actions, they learned to not view themselves as an illness, but as human beings.

The head nurse and staff did try a few tactics to re-socialize ward residents to the appropriate behavior and roles for the institution. However, the tactics were not effective or helpful in favor of the patients. Everyday the nurse would hold therapy meetings in a circular form with the patients and discuss their problems on a personal level which seemed to always cause arguments between each patient. Medications are handed out to calm the residents as well. There is also electroshock therapy used as a negative reinforcement with the patients.

Out of Merton's five patterns of Stran Theory of Deviance, MacMurphy mostly showed the pattern of rebellion because there were alternate goals that he would want to achieve whether it would be nonviolently or violently to try and get what he wants. There was also the pattern of ritualism showed by the other patients. They did not seem interested at all with the goals of the staff and often did not cooperate, but for the most part they would maintain a stable behavioral level due to the fears of the staff.

The staff molded the patients into a master status as being insane. Instead of helping the residents they used unnecessary treatments that would only make them worse. They were forced to take medications without a fine explanation

of what they were. Electroshock therapy was completely dehumanizing as a negative reinforcement. All of the staffs tactics basically brainwashed them into a master status of what they're truly not, but they're believing that they are clinically insane. MacMurphy's

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