How Does Andrew Act As An Angry And Irritable Man?

Andrew also experiences negative alterations through a persistent negative emotional state (e.g. anger, guilt) and a persistent inability to experience positive emotions (e.g. happiness, satisfaction). Additionally, PTSD calls for two or more marked alterations in arousal and reactivity associated with the traumatic event(s), this falls under criteria E., and contains six subcategories (APA, 2013). Andrew experiences all six alterations, which includes, irritable behavior and angry outburst, reckless or self-destructive behavior, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, problems with concentration, and sleep disturbances. Overall, throughout the movie we see Andrew act as a very angry and irritable man. An example is when Andrew requests
These are important factors to consider when painting a clinical picture. Andrew appears to be an intelligent and strong individual. However, he consistently shows irritability and hostility through externalizing behaviors both before being on the island and during, overall showing poor coping strategies. Andrew joined the Army and provided for his family, overall falling in a higher socioeconomic status as we see the beautiful lake house, fancy clothes, and nice possessions in Andrews flashbacks. Having a higher SES allows an individual better access to resources, facilities, and treatment plans. Andrew may also receive more resources and support as he identifies as white, male, and heterosexual, this is especially true during the 1950’s (when the movie took place) but still an issue of privilege and oppression within our American society today. However, it’s important to note, although he may be able to gain better access to resources, he may choose to not seek help in order to protect his masculinity. We see Andrew come home from WWII and fail to seek treatment for his trauma. His only true support seems to be his family, yet his wife is severely suffering from bipolar disorder. Evidence suggests a supportive family is immensely helpful when healing from trauma (Ray & Vanstone, 2009), this unfortunately wasn’t the case for Andrew. Literature on the impact of PTSD on veterans’ family relationships suggest major themes that emerge in relationships when healing from trauma include, 1. Emotional numbing and anger, 2. Emotional withdrawal from family support (Ray & Vanstone, 2009). We see this in Andrew’s flashback when his wife tries to support him (in a loving and caring way) by saying he’s not acting like himself anymore and needs to put the bottle down. However, the more she tries to engage the worse things would