Ordinary People Assignment

For this assignment you will be watching the movie Ordinary People (1980) in class. The link to the movie is posted on our Canvas site. Be sure to use the questions below to guide your attention as you watch the film.

The written portion of this assignment must be computer-generated, double-spaced, 12 point font with 1-inch margins, and written in APA format.  The final document should be 7-8 pages (1500-1800 words) with a word count shown at the end of the paper.  This page count does not include the Title page or Reference page. The word count should not include the set of questions. A grading rubric is provided on the Canvas site for the class. This assignment must be submitted in Canvas and MUST generate a Unicheck score.

Steps for writing the paper:

Question 1

Create a title page which includes: The title of the assignment, your name and your Instructor’s name. (3 pts).

The body of the paper will focus on answering the questions below:

Question 2

Summary of the movie plot, in your own words (1/2 page maximum) (5 pts)

Question 3

A. Discuss 3 possible psychological disorders that Conrad could be diagnosed with and justify your answers by linking the disorder to his symptoms. (9 pts)

B. Based on the majority of symptoms that Conrad shows in the movie, choose the psychological disorder that you think Conrad was diagnosed with. (6 pts)

Substantiate your answer with information from the film and your textbook. Make sure you cite the textbook in your answer.

Question 4

A. How does Conrad cope with his illness and what steps does he take to be treated? (5 pts)

B. What impact does the treatment have on his life? (5 pts)

Support your answer by citing specific examples from the movie.

Question 5

A. What type of therapy is Conrad’s therapist using? (5 pts)

B. Describe specific techniques and evaluate their effectiveness for Conrad.  (5 pts)

C. What other therapy could the therapist have used? (5 pts)

Substantiate your answer with information from the film and your textbook. Make sure you cite the textbook in your answer.

Question 6

A. How does Conrad’s illness impact his relationship with his mother and father? Make sure you discuss his mother and father separately! (5 pts)

B. Conrad’s father goes to see the therapist himself. Evaluate the impact this had on his relationship with Conrad’s mother (5 pts)

C. If Conrad’s mother had gone to see the therapist when her husband asked her to, what impact do you think it would have had on the family? How might the therapy have changed the ending of the movie? (5 pts)

Question 7

A. Apply the diathesis-stress model to explain how Conrad developed his disorder.

B. What advice would you give to someone in the future who suffers from a trauma and/or disorder Similar to Conrad’s. Cite 4-5 concepts from the book to explain your answer. (20 pts)

Reference page, reference citations, grammar/spelling, written communication (17 pts): Include an APA style reference page which includes the videos and your textbook. (12 pts) You must also cite the movie and textbook using APA style within the body of the paper and your paper will be graded for grammatical and spelling accuracy (5 pts)

PLEASE NOTE: The only 2 sources you should be citing in this assignment and on the References page is the textbook and the movie!

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