One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Psychological Analysis

In the film adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Pat McMurphy (played by Jack Nicholson) is convicted of statutory rape and sentenced to a short prison sentence. No stranger to prison, however, McMurphy or “Mac” decides to fake a mental-illness and be committed to a mental hospital in order to avoid the harsh conditions of prison. While in the mental hospital, Nicholson’s character begins to befriend his fellow mentally ill patients and, in doing so, inspires them to achieve greater things in their lives. However, Mac’s time in the mental institute is not without its’ challenges, such as the stern faced Nurse Ratched who opposes how Mac brings inspiration to the other patients, which she sees as rebellion to her authority (Forman, 1975). During the movie, Mac and other patients exhibit key psychological principles that explain the causes of their behavior. These principles seen throughout the movie include psychotic disorders, examples of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and theories of morality. One patient in the mental facility is Harding who is about 40 years-old and a voluntary patient. In one scene, the patients are in a group therapy session when Harding brings up the relationship with
This Hierarchy of Needs consists of a pyramid that displays the certain levels of needs that humans strive to achieve with basic needs such as food being at the bottom (Meyers, 2011). According to Maslow, once physiological needs are met, one can move up to the next level until that need is met and then the next level, etc. One level on Maslow’s Hierarchy is, “Belongingness and love needs”, which exhibits the need for people to be loved by someone. According to Maslow once this is achieved, one can finally move to the need for esteem and respect from others and then finally to “Self Actualization” or finding the inner potential in oneself (Meyers,