CALALANG, Ian Jasper M.

7 November, 2019
PSY 115.11 - A
Movie Reflection Paper
Generativity and Wisdom in “A Beautiful Mind”

A Beautiful Mind tells the story of John Nash, a mathematical genius from West
Virginia who struggles with schizophrenia all throughout his life, but pushes onward to
become an accomplished Nobel Prize winner, immortalized too for his theoretical
contributions that guided several fields of research even outside economics. In the film, we
see John transition from an awkward-but-smart Princeton student – still unaware of his
mental condition – into a data analyst, professor, and husband who has to face the reality that
he unfortunately has schizophrenia, entailing him to toil in his clash with his own mind while
continuing to live his life. However, despite his difficult situation, John still manages to
overcome his condition, subverting people’s expectations and continuing on to succeed in his
life, as well as embody the very positive characteristics of generativity and wisdom.

Even with his schizophrenia, John Nash is able to show us the aspect of generativity,
which is defined as “the responsibility for each generation of adults to bear, nurture, and
guide those people who will succeed them… as well as develop and maintain those social
institutions and natural resources without which successive generations will not be able to
survive.” John embodies this in the film as in his old age, he still wants to teach the “eager
young minds” of Princeton, saying that “I was hoping that there was still something I can
contribute,” and in how glad he is that his equilibrium theory was able to help advance so
many research efforts. Certain factors allowed John to achieve generativity despite his
condition. Firstly, John shows signs of having a commitment script, wherein he has a
motivation to create a positive impact for others, having immense empathy and compassion
for them because of initial difficulties that he faced in life. John’s negative experiences from
his being bullied as well as his mental condition led to him gaining a certain kindness and
humble understanding of others, allowing him to be as giving as he was. His compassion
even shows in his delusion of fighting Russia, because this ultimately involved him trying to
protect the citizens of the United States. This empathetic personality comes from how he
made his life events meaningful, turning his suffering into empowered compassion dedicated
to others who he does not want to suffer like him. The second factor that helped John was
selective optimization with compensation. As his condition worsened, John accepted that
some of his skills and capacities would no longer be there, so he found ways to compensate
for necessary losses. When Martin Hansen asked about his delusions, John states that “I’ve
gotten used to ignoring them, and as a result, they’ve given up on me.” He dealt with his
condition effectively in his own way in order to keep on with his life and work. He tried to
find the best method available, not relying on the easier way through meds and treatment, as
it made him a sort of zombie, and instead attempted the challenge of fighting the delusions
himself. The third and last factor is John’s socioemotional selectivity. John did not have a lot
of friends and bypassed many opportunities for social contact. He only has a few select
people who he truly cares for in his life, such as Bender, Sol, Martin, and most importantly,
Alicia. These few people he chooses to be close with are the ones who provide John with
high emotional benefits. Sol and Bender are very good friends to John, as well as Martin who
agrees to take him back in Princeton, even showing great concern for him during his first
public delusional episode. Alicia is a strong and loving supporter in John’s life, serving as a
powerful driving force in his life, sticking by him in spite of everything. His small support
system ultimately allows him to keep functioning and contributing to his work, without the
need of a bigger social circle. John’s commitment script, selective optimization, and
socioemotional selectivity, all together promote his generativity in spite of his severe
schizophrenia.

Besides generativity, John also shows the positive characteristic of wisdom, defined in
many different ways by different researchers. John embodies three theorized ideas of
wisdom. The first theory involves the third school of thought on wisdom that Compton
identifies, which is that wisdom is a specific instance of excellence. Wisdom here is the
excellence in the performance of one’s life, and John is an exemplar of this as he is able to
create his original idea in his equilibrium theory, be a renowned data analyst, be a good friend
and husband to the best he can, teach university classes, and even win a Nobel Prize – all
while he had schizophrenia. John can also fall under another theory of wisdom, that of
Pascual-Leone’s and their concept of the “ultraself” or “transcendental self.” This type of
wisdom involves higher information processing that allows the integrating of cognitive and
emotional processes, particularly with regard to love & care. Throughout and within his life,
John displays a deep understanding of both logic and emotion. His immense logic is more
apparent in his being a mathematical genius, being able to come up with an original theory.
And, on the other hand, underneath his aloof and awkward personality, John also has genuine
care for the people important to him, as seen in his friendships with Sol, Bender, and Martin,
as well as his devotion and appreciation for his partner Alicia. In his speech for his Nobel
Prize, John states “What truly is logic? Who decides reason? […] It is only in the mysterious
equations of love that any logical reasons can be found.” This statement exhibits John’s
complex and profound understanding of life within the compounds of practical thinking
integrated into meaningful relationships. The third theory of wisdom that John embodies is
Kramer’s, which is wisdom as the capacity to reflect on and grapple with difficult existential
life issues, and finding meaning in positive and negative experiences. John is able to
transform his negative experiences into life-affirming ones, seen in how he takes his serious
condition as a mere distraction in his journey of life, saying that his schizophrenia is “…just a
problem. A problem with no solution. But that’s what I do, I solve problems... All I have to
do is apply my mind.” He is able to see the bigger picture and focus on the more important
things in life, that in spite of his struggles, he is stronger (or more appropriately for John,
smarter) than his enemy (his mind), and that he has more to offer the world beyond his
impairment. Instead of wallowing in despair over his circumstance, he takes his disorder as
motivation for him to try harder instead of give up.

A Beautiful Mind has always been one of my favorite films, as I really like how John
and the other characters fight his condition together, and fight through it with love. The most
memorable characters for me were John & Alicia, particularly in the context of their
relationship. They and their relationship remind me of myself and my significant other,
though in a less intense sense (and me not having schizophrenia). How Alicia stuck by John,
in spite of his condition as well as the toll it was taking on her, was very moving for me the
first time I watched the film a long time ago. Watching it again reminded me of how my S.O.
stayed by my side and gave me great support when I experienced a very rough time in my
life, where I had almost no one else to be there for me. She gave me genuine care as well as
substantial advice, which were of great help in getting me to get better and bounce back from
my depressive episode. Even if it took a lot of her time and effort, she never failed to give me
the love and support that I needed, spending time and talking to me, and it’s one of the
biggest reasons why I truly treasure her. I really admired Alicia’s commitment and devotion
when I watched the film back then, and seeing it again now gave me an even deeper
appreciation for it because I experienced firsthand something similar. A Beautiful Mind is a
beautiful film (pun intended) and I’m thankful that it’s part of and integrated with this
subject’s requirements.