Movie Review Movie Character Analysis Using Human Development Theory & Concepts
Concepts relating to the development
Life stages
From the Movie ′, I am Sam′, the main character named Sam Dawson, played by Sean Penn. The issues that arise in the film point to the stance of life stages. Naturally, it is expected that from the time a child is born, he or she is supposed to manifest periodical development in the mind as well as physically. As for Sam Dawson, it is indicative of highlighting that he did not follow these precepts. This is denoted by the highlight that although he was a middle-aged person from the physical development stage, his mind was like that of a seven-year-old. It is as a consequence of this observation that Lucy decides not to continue learning how to read since she did not want to be smarter than her father. At the time when Lucy was seven years, she noticed that he could seemingly do more than what would be done by the father. From the natural perspective, a person of Sam Dawson’s age was supposed to take decent care of Lucy, but his low mental capacity made it rather hard for him to meet the roles that were expected by him by the society. This suggests that Sam had stuck at one life stage as opposed to being living through all the expected stages to be able to assume adult roles as expected (Harold et al. 25). For instance, while at a party that was supposed to be attended by parents of the students in the institution, it later emerges that Sam Dawson is not aware that the rather weird clothes that he wears as well as the mannerisms that he ends up displaying all make Lucy look bad before her classmates. In point of fact, one student remarks by telling Lucy that her father was a retard. This is a succinct proof of the stance that Sam Dawson’s low IQ was indicative of the fact that he did not go through the relevant life stages.
Culture
Culture refers to the way of life that is appreciated by a community or specific group of persons. In the context of the locality where Sam Dawson subsists, it is evident that the movie is based on the fact that there is the natural expectation that a parent must be able to raise his or her children in accordance with societal expectations. In this case, it is clear that Sam Dawson tries his level best to make sure that he meets some of these requirements, but is dismissed by the court upon ruling that his mind was too low to enable him to raise a child of his own. Therefore, it is preferred that Lucy would be raised well in a foster home (Spielberge et al. 9). The other aspect that relates to culture can be seen where Sam Dawson is arrested at a restaurant after a woman greets him and asks if he was willing to have a good time. While this would be construed as a normal chat, the police claimed that he was taking part in prostitution by soliciting the services of a sex worker. This means that the culture of the society in question fundamentally loathed the habit of prostitution. Culture can still be construed from the viewpoint of the roles played by different parties (Gilligan et al. 31). There is no much information that is given concerning Lucy’s mother only that the audience is informed that she left Sam Dawson as soon as the child was born. In the event that the mother had played an instrumental role, it would have been decent to include and involve her in most of the narrations that denote the film. However, in view of the position that Sam Dawson remains as the responsible parent who is ready and willing to do all that it takes to raise his daughter, the society bestows him much responsibility than he would have managed to dispense on the basis of his rather low mental capacity.
Family relationships
The film makes desirable notations on family relationships. The first case is seen where Sam Dawson’s wife runs away, leaving him with the daughter. In this case, Sam Dawson had believed that he would raise a family with his wife it happens that Lucy’s mother was only interested in the shelter that Sam had awarded him as they were living together as husband and wife (Cheung 2293). Although this interaction was not based on love as typically expected in most family relationships, Lucy’s relationship with Sam Dawson is full of love and admiration (Jessie 75). For example, at the time when she was seven years old, Lucy decided to stop learning how to read perfectly so that she would not appear more intelligent than her father (Noonan et al. 71). In this quest, it is natural that Lucy and Sam Dawson had a rather strong bond that is expected in robust families. Also, at the time when Sam Dawson is described as a retard by one of the students in the school where Lucy was studying, it can be seen that this ended up hurting Lucy more than expected (Kader et al. 40). On the other hand, in the event that Sam Dawson did not care much about his family, he would have stayed back and done nothing about the fact that his daughter was supposed to be adopted. In the efforts to ensure that he was able to acquire custody of his daughter, he seeks the assistance of a lawyer who confirms to assist him on the basis of pro bono services.
Attachment
Sam Dawson’s character further displays the aspect of attachment, especially among the loved ones. At the time when Lucy’s custody had been transferred to another family, she could not live with the fact that she was being separated from the father. In this case, Sam Dawson and Lucy kept on arranging for private meetings where they would share a moment as a family (Bailey 665). Still, the attachment amid Sam Dawson and the child can be seen where they were almost inseparable, doing homework together, and defending each other in the cases and situations that arose from time to time. On the flip side, the position that Sam Dawson did not bother to look for Lucy’s mother after she left them means that there is no robust connection between them (Lindblom, et al. 316). Still, the character played by Lucy’s mother is a manifestation of lack of care and attachment in the event of family relationships.
Grief and loss
Grief and loss all define a person’s development and growth. In this case, Sam Dawson was forced to live with the view that Lucy’s mother had been pushed to live with him just because she was homeless, and was interested in the shelter (Almeida 155). Although it was not easy for Sam Dawson to move on and care for the child singlehandedly, the movie later on displays Sam Dawson as a committed, and resigned father whose mental limitations do not stop him from being what he was supposed to be as naturally expected by the society (Francisco, Rita, Sara, and Pedro 56). When it comes to losing, regardless of the fact that Sam Dawson even goes ahead to get the assistance of a lawyer in a court case on custody, this does not work well. This is supported by the fact that he losses custody of his daughter, a reality that he does not easily accept. Sam Dawson’s characterization further denotes pain at the time when he was falsely accused of soliciting the services of a woman whose primary intention was to get him trapped (Matias 623). In reference to the stance that Sam Dawson’s mental stature was rather low, he was not able to defend himself. In effect, this left Sam’s daughter in excruciating pain.
Trauma
Sam Dawson’s roles in the film are marred with aspects of trauma, pain, and emotional stances. For example, upon losing his job, Sam was confused about the next steps to undertake to be able to support his daughter. However, the issue of trauma does not take long, as supported by the position that his experience enabled him to get another job (Gou, Lisa, and Woodin). Still, while at work with Lucy, he was nearly traumatized when he was confronted for touching the cleavage of a woman who had coffee spilled on her shirt as a consequence of Lucy’s mistake. The situation that followed losing custody for Lucy is the other aspect that fundamentally affected Sam Dawson’s mind to the extent that he almost developed a depression disorder. Nevertheless, this did not last for long as the society was ready to take over what would be identified as understanding Sam’s situations as unique. In this regard, the foster family later allows Sam Dawson to have custody of the child.
A multi-dimensional/bio-psycho-social-spiritual (BPSS) assessment protocol for Sam Dawson
The unique aspect of this character is that he does not follow the stereotypical development path that would be expected of a person of his age development path. For one, Sam Dawson is mentally challenged who has the mind of a seven-year-old. In view of the fact that the mother of his daughter left him as she was homeless, Sam Dawson is only forced to live with the daughter, Lucy, single-handedly. Notwithstanding these challenges, Sam Dawson was still ready to take care of his daughter by providing all the care and love that the child deserves. In this regard, the role of the biological assessment would be integral to understand how Sam’s IQ affects his behavior (Cousino 273). On the other hand, the psychological facets that characterize Sam include and are not limited to his attitude towards the environment as well as how the society responds to his needs. The spiritual assessment would be necessary to understand how his mind contributes to his interactions.
Relevant human development theories and concepts that I have used to understanding Sam Dawson
Several theories of human development apply to the present scenario, and they include the following: Piaget’s theory of cognitive model and Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective. In this context, Piaget’s theory of cognitive model suggests that the mind of children keeps on maturing from one age to the other. In this regard, the theorist states that although age is a changing variable, it is possible that the mental age can stagnate for some people. This is exactly the case with Sam Dawson. On the other hand, Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective denotes that the structure of society has a role in how people respond to things. As it stands, Sam’s situation was worsened by the fact that the society believed in his inability to raise the daughter. This was incidental to the instances and cases of trauma that later characterized his life as soon as he lost custody for Lucy. According to the Vygotsky sociocultural perspective, society can be made better by removing some of these limitations that are captured in the film.
The role I believe a social worker could fulfill with Sam Dawson, that is, how social work involvement could be beneficial.
I believe a social worker would be instrumental in reminding Sam Dawson that regardless of the fact that he has had trouble raising the child, he can still learn about the proper ways to ensure that he dispenses his roles as a father. In addition, I am confident that once a social worker reminds Sam Dawson about the ways to avoid getting in trouble, hence, not witness a moment where he is being denied custody in the future. In reference to the fact that Sam has an IQ of a seven-year-old, a social worker should be ready to intervene in the cases where he is dismissed from work.
Ecological Map
The Ecological system of Sam Dawson
Below is the ecological system that intricately applies to Sam’s situation.
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