Ok, now that you have seen the first "group session" run by Nurse Ratched, comment on the treatment methodology. Based on what you know about on a number of personality theories, does it make sense to use a group setting to help people confront and overcome their problems? What good, if any, could come from Nurse Ratched's "treatment?"
Post by Tuesday, May 12.
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All of the characters seem to be arguing when they start to discuss eachothers problems. It does not seem very successful, although if they all had similar problems it could be helpful. Nurse Ratched is very calm and just stares everyone in the eye and doesn't over react about anything, so I believe maybe that has a lot to do with the way they respond. Her expressions may have a lot to do with the way they act. Her treatment could get all of the patients to learn to listen to one another and learn from each other's problems.
ReplyDeleteLauren Doucette
ReplyDeleteI believe that Nurse Ratched’s treatment methodology is terrible; however, she is able to put on a façade. She has complete control over every aspect of the ward and she also has complete control over her own emotions. She is able to act like an angel while at the same time shaming the patients into submission. She knows their weak spots, and she takes advantage of it. The patients try to please her during the Group Meetings by telling their secrets but she makes them feel ashamed for no reason. I do not think that Nurse Ratched’s approach to treatment is effective. By using a group setting where people try to confront and overcome their problems, many people may feel ashamed and embarrassed. In many cases this group therapy could lead to more problems. I believe that there could never be any good out of Nurse Ratched’s treatment.
During the group therapies Nurse Ratchet seems to be asking questions that make the men embarrassed and are tended to do just that. They are made to pick out there faults and allow people to comment on them. Most of the times the other inmates just tend to laugh at them which caused the patient to become upset. The nurse knows if she makes the men feel little or insignificant so she has control over them. I think in a group therapy session this could be helpful if the other people could give back helpful feedback but most of the people don’t really understand what the problem is or how to solve it because they are mentally handy capped. In this situation I feel like it would be better to do a one on one thing for the more personal issues.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I know about personality theories, usung a group setting is really not the best way to help people overcome their problems. It is much harder to confront psychological issues in the presence of others, especially if the 'others' include Miss. Ratched. Since she is supposed to be the villian in this movie, it makes sense that she would force the patients to speak about their issues in a group circle like that. The topics that the men have to talk about are humiliating and degrading, which--it seems--is just that way Miss. Ratched wants the patiets to feel. It is clear that these group discussions aren't helping anyone, which just makes the character of Ratched so cruel.
ReplyDeleteNathan Doucette
ReplyDeleteI think that putting them all in a big group to discuss their problems is a terrible idea. Therapy is supposed to be personal and try to resolve a problem. Also, not only is it ackward to talk in front of all of those people, but also she has the group comment of the patients issue. Since they are not experienced, and they themselves are not perfectly sane, they are not getting good advice. I dont see anything that could come good out of her treatments. Seeing as they never help resolve their problems, all she does is embarass them and the rest of the group laughs.
The group therapy Nurse Ratched conducts does not help the patients at all. People with mental illnesses should not be responsible for helping other mentally ill people with their problems when they have plenty of problems of their own. The men listen to each other but then they argue a lot and nothing good comes out of it. Some of the more obnoxious patients even laugh at some of the problems and try to cause trouble. I don't think Nurse Ratched really intends to solve the inmates problems with the therapy. Therapy should be one-on-one to ensure confidentiality and diminish any embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteNot only is Nurse Ratched a very angry and mean woman, but her therapy techniques are worthless. Each one of the patients has a different problem, and each one needs to be assessed in a different way. Also these patients need special attention, which can not be obtained with a large group of people. Many of her patients seem to have social problems as well, and making them speak in front of a whole group of people must be terrifying. There is no doubt that how she treats these people is not helping, if anything it is only making them worse.
ReplyDeleteNurse Ratched's method of therapy is probably more harmful than helpful to the patients. Group therapy in which the patients' problems and private lives are exposed forces them to view themselves through others' eyes. I doubt this method of therapy would be helpful to the patients in overcoming their illnesses, and I fail to see any "good" that could come of this treatment. The group sessions mostly serve as a way for Nurse Ratched to manipulate and control the patients' behavior by embarassing them in front of their peers.
ReplyDeletei don't think Nurse Ratched's method of therapy is working very well in the movie. The group therapy method would work better if all of them had the same problem but since they don't they can't get the focus and amount of attention they really need. Most of them have social problems so speaking in front of a group of people also isn't the most comfortable place for them so they aren't able to say everything they need to because they are too scared.
ReplyDeleteWhen Nurse Ratched tries to do her little group session, the patients just start yelling at eachother and argue. She expects them all to focus on one person's problems when they have their own problem's, and she always brings up some bad from the patient's lives. Such as with Mr. Harding, she tried to focus in on how he didn't have a good sex life, and this brought up some anger from Mr. Harding. So I think that the way that Nurse Ratched does things is not an effective treatment for the patients.
ReplyDeleteI can understand how therapy can help heal a condition or feeling but that works better in an individual setting. Group therapy does work in settings like AA for example but those meetings are run a different way. The way Nurse Ratched runs the meeting creates an unhealthy and hostile environment. Instead of healing the patients, it only makes them feel worse about themselves when she brings their individual problems to light. The way she runs these meetings is just a way to control them all.
ReplyDeleteJulie Do
ReplyDeleteNo, absolutley not! I think that Nurse Rached should give each and everone of them private counseling because seriously, look at the way she does the group counseling. Instaed of being sweet, gentle, and considerate, she does the opposite. She was brutal, harsh, cold, and embarrassed them. For instance, poor Billy Bibbitt, it seems like she aleays bring up his mom in a manner that would lower his self-esteem and make him feel bad. Also, what good would that do for them? Don't you think they feel bad enough, especially being in a mental institution?
While group therapies have proven to be quite useful and effective in other settings, I must say for the variety of mental patients they host at the facility, I do not believe this to be the best way to help the men. Surely, certain men in the facility have mental capacities in which group therapy registers with them and allows them to socialize with other patients. However, those with more severe mental conditions, paranoia, or extreme shyness may regress due to such a high pressure setting. The group therapy is not even conducted in a positive manner within the movie. Nurse Ratchett isolates their weaknesses and then exploits them. That is not a type of therapy that would help anybody. Therefore, while I believe group therapy a positive tool in certain cases, you have to consider the patients and determine its usefulness on a case by case basis. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, I feel it is definitely not the right time or the right person to be giving group therapy.
ReplyDeleteThe group therapy could be a useful treatment had it not been comandeered by such an authoratative figure such as nurse ratchet. People with mental problems are most likely very insecure, and I feel that group sessions could create a sense of security and confort should ones problems be willing shared and accepted among other people without judgement being given. Unfortunately, Ms. Ratchet is abrasive and confrontational. She does not allow the patients to volenteer information, she attempts to force it out of them. The patients should be free to confront there problems on there own time, not forced into a situation they are uncomfortable with. Eventually, they will ahve to face their problems if they hope to ever get better. But, the enviornment in which they face these problems should be open and accepting, not cold and judgemental.
ReplyDeleteeveryone is fighting and no one is listening to eachothers problems and nurse ratched doesnt even break them up, she just sits there and acts calm. i personally dont like her,i think shes giving the patients bigger problems
ReplyDeleterichard votta
Mike
ReplyDeleteIn the process of group therapy one can compare one's own problems with those of others, seeings as how it is easy to relate to others if they are in the same situation as you, it makes sense that a group of patients would be benifitted by participating in group therapy with people in similar situations. This is not possible without mediation though, which nurse rached does not provide. Without her mediation the group just ends up arguing and yelling at eachother an nobody benifits. In the end though McMurphy ends up being in some way their mediator and sucessfully "cures" Cheif.
Brittany Condon
ReplyDeleteNurse Ratchets methodology of having group therapy is a terrible idea. Who would want to sit in a circle of people they have to deal with everyday, and explain why they think they are so mentally ill? Nurse Ratchet seem slike she is trying to help them to eventually get better, but she is on such a power trip that she doesn't realize it's not doing anyone any good.. While patients may benift from hearing about each others problems insome small way, it does not help the person that is laying out their problems on the table to be subsequently laughed at. I know that I for one could never discuss my problems or issues in my life in front of a dozen or so other characters. Given, they may be mentally ill, but they should still be provided the right of privacy. Nurse Ratchet pushes people to the edge, and instead of feelinog better about themselves, they feel worse. She drove Billy Bibbit to suicide. Group therapy was a horrible method, and it benefitted no one.
Shirley Pouliot*
ReplyDeleteNurse racets methdodology in having this group section i think is not a good idea. All nurse ratchet does is ask them questions that embaress them and make them feel insecure while everyone comments on them and laughs at them. Nurse ratchet is trying to make them better but really its not helping them at all because they all have different problems so its hard to help everyones problems get resolved. These are mentally ill people but they should still have their privacy and nurse rachet trys to push them to the edge with her questions and trying to get them to talk but instead of making them feel better about themselves it just makes them feel worse. Even know i do think group therapy can help patients be able to talk about there problems and benefit with this, i think that the group secions should contain people all with the same sort of problem so they can all discuss and try to figure out why they are so mentally ill. having everyone with different problems just gives others the opportunity to make fun of others and there weaknesses. Billy babbit get driven to suicide after all the group sessions and it shows that it didnt work and didnt help him at all. Mccmurphy to me wasnt mentally ill and he actually helps Chief be better. Nurse ratchet doesnt know how to help these patients. All she ends up making is chaos that can deffinetly be avoided.
The methodology that Nurse Ratched uses in the group settings does not accomplish what it should. It causes more fighting and confusions than anything else. It should be a way for people to openly discuss the problems that they have so that they can overcome them but Nurse Ratched ends up making everyone so uncomfortable that they cannot function as a cohesive group and the whole situation falls apart. If they all had the same experiences and could provide advice to each other then the group dynamic might be a good thing but they all have different problems and the group setting just makes them start to fall apart.
ReplyDelete