LECTURER : DR NORASHIKIN MAHMUD

COURSE CODE : UHAS 3042 – HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

MOVIE REVIEW – YOUNG ADULTHOOD

FORREST GUMP (1994)

DATE : 26/9/2020

SECTION : 42

NO NAME MATRIX NO

1. IMRAN HAFIDZ BIN MOHD FARID SX160921KAWS04

2. MOHD ZAKI BIN DERAMAN SX160389KAWS04

3. NOR HASLINDA BT TAJUDIN SX160405KAWS04

4. NUR SHAHIRA FATEHA BT SHAHRIZAL SX160417KAWS04

5. MUHAMMAD NUR IZZULFADHLI BIN ZAHARRUDIN 5X140909KAWS04

6. AHMAD FIRMAN ZAMZURI SX160911KAWS04

 Table of Content

Topic Description Pages

1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Psychosocial development theory 1

2.0 Synopsis 2

3.0 Issues And Problems 4

3.1 Trust vs Mistrust 4
3.2 Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt 5
3.3 Initiative vs Guilt 6
3.4 Industry vs Inferiority 6
3.5 Identity vs Role Confusion 6
3.6 Intimacy vs Isolation 7
3.7 Generativity vs Stagnation 8
3.8 Integrity vs Despair 8

4.0 Solutions 8
4.1 Trust vs Mistrust 8
4.2 Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt 9
4.3 Initiative vs Guilt 9
4.4 Industry vs Inferiority 10
4.5 Identity vs Role Confusion 10
4.6 Intimacy vs Isolation 10
4.7 Generativity vs Stagnation 11
4.8 Integrity vs Despair 11

5.0 Conclusion 11
1.0 INTRODUCTION

For the purpose of completing this assignment, we have chosen the movie Forrest Gump
directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. The movie explains about the life of Forrest
Gump that has been seen across numerous significant historic events. He is a bit slow when it
comes to process things and was told by doctors that he has low IQ since he was a child. He then
becomes footballstar before enlists himself in the US Army. For saving many of his platoons, he
received the Medal of Honor from the President himself. After his years of service, he then started a
shrimping business as he promised to his best friend during he service and becomes a millionaire.

Figure 1: Forrest Gump movie poster

1.1 Psychosocial Development Theory

Erik Erikson proposed a psychosocial development theory that is derived from eight stages
of development. The psychosocial theory characterizes an individual advancing through the eight
life stages as a function of negotiating their biological and sociocultural forces. Each stage is
characterized by a psychosocial crisis of these two conflicting forces. In each stage, Erikson
believed people experience a conflict that serves as a turning point in development. In Erikson’s
view, these conflicts are centred on either developing a psychological quality or failing to develop
that quality. During these times, the potential for personal growth is high but so is the potential for
failure. Erik explains that personality develops in predetermined order through Erik Erikson’s eight
stages of psychosocial development, from infancy to adulthood:

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 1. Trust versus mistrust - A child is uncertain about the world in which they live and looks
towards their first caregiver for permanence and consistency of care.
2. Autonomy versus Shame and doubt - Children at this stage are focused on acquiring a sense
of personal control over physical abilities and a sense of independence.
3. Initiative versus guilt – Where children support themselves more regularly.
4. Industry versus inferiority - Through social interactions, children begin to develop a sense of
pride in their achievements and capabilities. Children who are encouraged and supported by
parents and teachers develop a sense of competence and trust in their abilities.
5. Identity versus Role Confusion - Where adolescents search for a sense of oneself and
personal identity. The development from childhood to adulthood is most necessary, children
are growing more independent and begin to look at the future in terms of career, relationships,
families, housing, etc.
6. Intimacy versus isolation - Where people must begin relationships more intimately with others.
It is mostly relationships leading toward longer-term commitments with someone other than a
family member.
7. Generativity versus stagnation - Where people’s experience to conceive or produce things
gives back to the society around them. Through generativity, people develop a sense of being
a part of the bigger picture.
8. Integrity versus despair - It is during this point that people observe their accomplishments and
can develop integrity if they see themselves as leading a successful life.

This paper is written to show the issues faced by Forrest Gump in this movie relating to the
psychosocial development theory proposed by Erik Erikson.

2.0 SYNOPSIS

In 1981, Forrest Gump sat on a bench at a bus stop, and decided to tell his life story to a
stranger who is sitting on the bench next to him. Forrest told her that he wore leg braces because
he had a curved spine and was unable to walk properly. He grew up in a boarding house in
Alabama with his mother, who taught him to always believe in himself, in spite of his physical
limitations. Forrest has a below-average IQ that hinders him from getting quality education. To get
him accepted into a public school, Forrest’s mother had to go the extra mile with the principal in
exchange for Forrest's admission.

Forrest met Jenny Curran on the first day of school on the bus. The two become fast friends
and they spend all their time together. Jenny was a beautiful girl and a good friend to Forrest, but

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she was struggling at home with a sexually abusive father. One day, when a group of children start
bullying Forrest, Jenny told him to run and he ran away, outrunning the bullies. In the process, his
leg braces miraculously fall off his legs. As time passes, Forrest and Jenny remain as good friends.
In high school, while running from some bullies, Forrest was noticed by a football scout and
accepted into college on a sports scholarship. During this time, the college gets desegregated and a
number of black students were admitted, a historic event at which Forrest is present. Forrest ended
up meeting President Kennedy after getting recruited onto the All-American football team. After
graduation, he joined the army and met a friend at boot camp, Bubba, a young black man who had
a dream of opening a shrimping business.

Forrest had an easy life in the army because he listened well and followed orders. While in
the army, Forrest found out that Jenny was expelled from college because she posed nude in a
magazine wearing her school sweeter. Forrest went to find Jenny in Memphis, where she was
singing with no string attached at an adult club. Forrest told Jenny he loves her and that he was
being sent to Vietnam.

In Vietnam, Forrest and Bubba were put under the command of Lieutenant Dan, an army
officer who has had an ancestor died in every American war. The platoon in which Forrest served
was attacked and his best friend Bubba was killed. In the midst of the attack, Forrest went back and
retrieved all his fellow soldiers, which earned him a Medal of Honor from the President. He even
saved Lieutenant Dan, even though Dan was intent on dying in battle, like his ancestors.

Forrest was sent to an army hospital after taking a bullet to his rear end in the battle. There,
he was in a bed next to Lieutenant Dan, who lost both his legs in the attack. At the hospital, Forrest
started playing ping pong and was really good at it. Back in Washington, after receiving the medal of
honor, Forrest was pulled into an anti-war demonstration where he ran into Jenny, who became a
radical hippie. She was also in an abusive relationship which Forrest tried to protect her from to no
avail.

Forrest played ping pong internationally, and when he returned to New York to interview
about his athletic prowess, he ran into Lieutenant Dan, who was in a wheelchair and living on
disability. He stayed with Dan for the winter holidays and the two of them became close. When
Forrest told Dan about his plans to buy a shrimp boat, Dan laughed at him and sarcastically told him
that if his dream ever comes true, he will be Forrest's first mate. Meanwhile, Jenny became addicted
to drugs and continued to go from one abusive relationship to another.

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 Forrest was discharged from the army and was asked to endorse a ping pong paddle, which
earns him $25,000. With this money, he bought a shrimping boat, keeping his promise to Bubba. He
named the boat Jenny, but has little success with it. Dan kept his promise to Forrest and he joined
him in his shrimping endeavors. When Hurricane Carmen destroyed all the boats except for the
"Jenny," Forrest becomes a successful shrimper. Immediately after his success came, Forrest
discovered that his mother was dying of cancer, and he returned home to her. Dan invested
Forrest’s part of the money into Apple Computers, earning Forrest a fortune.

One day, Jenny went to visit Forrest and stayed with him for a while. When Forrest proposed
to her, she declined, but they ended up speding the night together. The next day, Jenny left Forrest.
Distraught, Forrest started running around the country without stopping, except to sleep and eat. His
persistent running turns him into a celebrity, and he even caught Jenny's attention.

When the scene shifted back to the present on the bench at the bus stop, Forrest tells the
woman sitting next to him that he is in Savannah to visit Jenny, who wrote to him. When Forrest
goes to see Jenny, she introduces him to her son, Forrest. Jenny tells Forrest that the boy is his and
that she is sick with an unknown virus. The three moves to Greenbow and Jenny and Forrest get
married. Dan comes to the wedding with his fiancé. Dan is no longer in a wheelchair, but has
prosthetic legs.

Forrest lives happily with Jenny and Forrest Jr., but Jenny eventually dies. The last scene in
the film shows Forrest sending Forrest Jr. to the bus on his first day of school.

3.0 ISSUES AND PROBLEMS

3.1 Trust vs Mistrust

Forrest lives with his mother in Greenbow, Alabama. He is the only son and the family
earn money by renting their big house rooms to pass-by travellers. He was born with
crooked back, so he has to get leg braces when he was a child, making him walk in weird
way, which draws people attention on his daily life. The following scene marks the first stage
of Trust vs. Mistrust, where children develop a sense of trust when caregivers (Mrs. Gump)
provide reliability, care, and affection.

From the first scene of the beginning of Forrest’s recount of his story, he began from
getting his first leg braces, the scene follows up to the part where he was seen “different”
when he walks out from the clinic. Mrs. Gump tells her son to not need to worry about being
different. A lack of this stage will lead to mistrust, it is possible that he cannot trust his

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 mother if it the other way around, but not on this storyline and is not possible since most
children always rely on their older guardians, and Forrest only have his mother as his parent
at that time. This first development stage unravels when Forrest’s mother gave him leg
braces to help him walk, which she used to call them as “Magic Shoes”, which sounds more
appropriate for a kid at Forrest’s age, and during that first stage, his mother never treats him
differently, she is always trying to say things easier for him to understand and stood up for
her son when people looking at him with ill opinions. On this case, it can be seen that Mrs.
Gump is a great influencer on Forrest’s early stage, she gave him lots of positive life morals
and develops Forrest’s a first form of the real himself.

3.2 Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt

As the story goes on, Forrest’s mother always trying her best to help fit her son into
the society, therefore when they attempt to put him to public elementary school, his IQ is
below average based on school standard: 75 out of 80 from the minimum rate. Thus, her
mother to defends him on the principals saying that “5 points didn’t matter” which marks
second stage of Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt stage. Mrs. Gump tells the principal that
Forrest deserves better education.

According to Erik statement about this second stage where children need to obtain a
sense of personal control over physical skills and a sense of independence in order to avoid
the failure of shame and doubt in the process. From the scene, she was in doubt by denying
the principals stick to the rules talk and trying to console him that her son is worthy to attend
normal school like any other kids, she wants to make Forrest confident to himself by saying
“you’re no different than anyone else is” and trying to make him to think less of his father
whom abandoned his family by telling Forrest that he went on a “vacation” making him feel
less shame from losing his unannotated father.

Later, in the next part of the movie, the story goes on when he can finally attend the
normal public-school despite of his below average IQ. The present-day Forrest tells about
his first day of school, which he remembers most than his other old memories. When he
went on all public elementary school, he already felt the rejection on his first day on the bus.
His first attempt was to introduce himself to an intimidating, smoking bus driver that he
should not talk to strangers. This hesitation makes him feel different among other children,
as they not letting him to sit beside them and making him stand on the bus.

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3.3 Initiative vs Guilt
Forrest got on his first school bus and met Jenny for the first time. This scene resolves
to Initiative vs. Guilt stage, the third phase, where children need to begin asserting control
and power over the environment. Erik states that children who try to exert too much power
experience disapproval, can be resulting in a sense of guilt. Forrest have to hold back his
guilty thoughts against the other children, and the bus driver, who sees him differently.
Young Forrest on his third stage can be explained by his initiative, going to school. Making
friends did go smooth for him and Jenny, his initiative to make a new friend gives him
encouragement to attend school with his only friend. Success in this stage not only leads to
a sense of purpose, but also his progress to the fourth stage, and his purpose is to go to
school and befriend Jenny.

3.4 Industry vs Inferiority

By going to normal school and having a friend marking his fourth stage of industry
versus inferiority, Erik states that children need to adapt with their new social and academic
demands. In order to avoid the inferiority among the other children. This proves that
“industry” or “competence” Forrest have had with his new social and academic needs, by
attending public school and befriend Jenny like “peas and carrots”, thus he has partly fulfilled
his fourth stage of development. However, it is not complete since inferiority can be seen on
his fragile self, and it turns out in the inferiority, Forrest was bullied. It was inevitable because
of his unusual self and his leg braces. But miracle does happen to him at that day when he
was bullied and escape by exerting against his will by running away from the bullies,
breaking his leg bracers and earning his “real” magic legs as he “ran like the wind blows”.
Forrest got bullied because of his leg braces.

From the following scene, he had overcome his inferiority and goes along very well
fulfilling his fourth stage of development. The present Forrest continues his story that he
believes something in miracles, as he would always say his favourite quote of from his
mother “Life is a box of chocolates” you never know what you will get. Forrest’s resolve on
finding his ability to run gave him the bit of freedom he never always has before.

3.5 Identity vs Role confusion

Forrest and Jenny were very close until their days to the high school as they became
teenagers, which marks the beginning on fifth stage of development. Forrest on his teen age
however, still bullied. Bullying is quite unavoidable for him to get by, but apart from running
away from the bullies, he found his purpose and his real himself from running and got to
college just by running, because he was lucky when the local Alabama college football team

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 was practicing near his neighbourhood and saw him running away from bullies, and he got
his chance to play football, and go to college at the same time, this part of the story marks
his fifth developing stage of sense of self and personal identity. Forrest inadvertently found
his way to college and start the beginning of his career and self-identity. This contradicting
stage is somewhat fragile for everyone on teenager age. Where every choices, opportunity,
influence and decisions can be made redundant at this fifth stage and can lead to role
confusion state.

Erik states that getting through this stage gives an ability or responsibility to stay true
to oneself, while failure leads to role confusion and insecurity. His weak sense of self shows
when he tried to visit Jenny to her all girl’s college, at that time Jenny was molested by her
friend in the car and turns out it was Jenny’s boyfriend. Unassuming about who that is,
Forrest opens the car and assaults the man, making misunderstanding between Jenny and
Forrest that “he doesn’t know any better”. Forrest’s deep affection towards Jenny are
inseparable, and he always thought of that since they met from the first time. So, what he did
was trying to protect her from someone, but Jenny and the man took it differently. Despite all
that, Forrest stays true to be himself. He never claims to be like or want to be like someone
else during this stage, and most of what he has been doing was done solely by his own will
and how society treats him.

3.6 Intimacy vs. Isolation

One time he decides to see Jenny whom got expelled from college because of her
scandalous photo, now she works at an adult club and Forrest blatantly thought that she
reached her dream as a folk singer, both starts to develop the sixth stage of Intimacy vs.
Isolation. Where both Jenny and Forrest trying to get closer than friend during this stage.
Forrest got a new friend in the army, and he realized that he cared more for Jenny. He told
her that he loves her, and he was sent to Vietnam, and Jenny seems to be living in a
whimsical, turbulent life. She goes anywhere and work for anything she can afford. The
distance between Forrest and Jenny starts to get further, as they reached adulthood and
began to experience isolation, Forrest always try to remember Jenny, even during his duty
on Vietnam, he promised that he always writes letters for Jenny.

The intimacy is not only for Forrest and Jenny, but also to his friend Bubba, Intimacy
are also related to friendship, and Bubba became his best friend in war when he was
assigned in Vietnam, Gump promised to him to go into shrimping business when the war is
over, as it may be. But Bubba’s death during his duty on Vietnam does not change his
promise and intent to keep them.

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 3.7 Generativity vs. Stagnation
Lieutenant Dan appears through most of the second half of the film alongside Forrest.
There is a lot of turbulence in his life after Vietnam. Dan’s open personality revealed that his
“Generational Flashes” explains that his forefathers were dying in major American wars. He
feels that was his destiny and because Forrest took him away from that he dives into
alcoholism and deep depression, making prejudice towards people and God about being
“unfair” on his life, not to mention about his crippled state from losing both of his legs during
the war. Gump however, does not seem to care the current situation on his stubbornness as
he ran back and saves as many members of his platoon as he could from certain death
never considering his own safety for a minute. Forrest realizes that Dan is prejudiced about
his crippled state, and he concerned about the difference they share.

Erik states that the failure of generativity can lead to profound personal stagnation,
masked by a variety of escapisms, such as alcohol and drug abuse, and sexual and other
infidelities. This is one of the problematic things about the film to some: Forrest is always
able to make it through these hardships with his head held high but lieutenant Dan drops into
depression about his post traumatic trauma about the war that makes him crippled, thus he
draws into alcohol and drug abuse.

3.8 Integrity vs Despair

After his success on becoming a ping pong athlete, and approaching his eighth and
final stage, the Integrity versus Despair. Forrest got discharged from the Army and returns
home. He endorses the local company that makes ping pong paddles and earns his
advertising money. Later, he spends his fortune to fulfill his late friend Bubba’s promise to
buy a shrimp boat. In this part of the story, it can be seen that Gump is a person who can
keep his promises, what he trying to do is doing something significant and beneficial from
the experience and influence from his life, it is called “Integrity”. Or the acceptance of one’s
one and only life cycle and of the people who have become significant to it as something that
had to be and that, by necessity.

4.0 ISSUES AND PROBLEMS

4.1 Trust vs Mistrust

The outcomes of this stage can have effects that influence the rest of an individual's
life. Because of this, it is essential for parents to provide responsive, dependable care. As a
parent or caregiver to a child, there are a number of things that we can do to help our child
develop a secure sense of trust. These include:

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1. Taking care of your child's physical needs. Feeding, bathing, and comforting your child
helps them learn to trust that their needs will be met.
2. Paying attention to signals. It is also important to ensure that we are meeting our child's
communication needs. Noticing these signals, whether they are cries, body movements,
coos, or even words helps your child learn to trust that you will listen and communicate with
them.
3. Play with our child. It is also essential to meet our child's social and emotional needs.
Smiling, playing, and making eye contact help your child build important social connections

4.2 Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt

Gaining a sense of personal control over the world is important at this stage of
development. Children at this age are becoming increasingly independent and want to gain
more control over what they do and how they do it.

There are a number of things that parents can do in order to foster success during this
stage of psychosocial development such as:
• Provide opportunities for children to be independent. Allow them to make food, clothing,
and toy choices and provide reassurance that they have done a good job.
• Be supportive during potty training, but not punitive for accidents.
• Offer safe outlets where children are able to play independently with the support and
guidance of a trusted caregiver.

Offering reassurance and having faith in your child's abilities is crucial to the
development of a sense of autonomy and confidence. Parents who are negative or who
punish a child for simple mistakes can contribute to feelings of sh-ame or self-doubt.

4.3 Initiative vs Guilt

Success in this stage leads to a sense of purpose, while failure results in a sense of
guilt. What does Erikson mean by guilt? Essentially, kids who fail to develop a sense of
initiative at this stage may emerge with a fear of trying new things. When they do direct
efforts toward something, they may feel that they are doing something wrong. While
mistakes are inevitable in life, kids with initiative will understand that mistakes happen and
they just need to try again. Children who experience guilt will instead interpret mistakes as a
sign of personal failure, and may be left with a sense that they are "bad.

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4.4 Industry vs Inferiority

At this stage, it is important for both parents and teachers to offer support and
encouragement. However, adults should be careful not to equate achievement with
acceptance and love. Unconditional love and support from adults can help all children
through this stage, but particularly those who may struggle with feelings of inferiority.
Children who are overpraised, on the other hand, might develop a sense of arrogance.
Clearly, balance plays a major role at this point in development.Parents can help kids
develop a sense of realistic competence by avoiding excessive praise and rewards,
encouraging efforts rather than outcome, and helping kids develop a growth mindset. Even if
children struggle in some areas of school, encouraging kids in areas in which they excel can
help foster feelings of competence and achievement.

4.5 Identity vs Role confusion

Teen behavior often seems unpredictable and impulsive, but all of this is part of the
process of finding a sense of personal identity. Parents and family members continue to
exert an influence on how teens feel about themselves, but outside forces also become
particularly important during this time. Friends, social groups, schoolmates, societal trends,
and even popular culture all play a role in shaping and forming an identity. Those who
receive proper encouragement and reinforcement through personal exploration will emerge
from this stage with a strong sense of self and a feeling of independence and control. Those
who remain unsure of their beliefs and desires will remain insecure and confused about
themselves and the future. Resolving the crisis at this stage of development involves
committing to a particular identity. This might involve committing to a career path, deciding
what social groups to associate with and even developing a sense of personal style.

4.6 Intimacy vs. Isolation

Learning to be open and sharing with others is an important part of the intimacy
versus isolation stage. Some of the other important tasks that can play a role in succeeding
or struggling at this point of development include:

• Being intimate: This is more than just engaging in sex; it means forging emotional intimacy
and closeness. Intimacy does not necessarily have to be with a sexual partner. People can
also gain intimacy from friends and loved ones.
• Caring for others: It is essential to be able to care about the needs of others. Relationships
are reciprocal. Getting love is important at this stage, but so is giving it.

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 • Making commitments: Part of being able to form strong relationships involves being able to
commit to others for the long-term.
• Self-disclosure: Sharing part of the self with others while still maintaining a strong sense of
self-identity.

4.7 Generativity vs Stagnation

During this stage, adults strive to create or nurture things that will outlast them; often
by parenting children or contributing to positive changes that benefit other people.
Contributing to society and doing things to benefit future generations are important needs at
the generativity versus stagnation stage of development.

4.8 Integrity vs Despair

During the integrity versus despair stage, people reflect back on the life they have
lived and come away with either a sense of fulfillment from a life well lived or a sense of
regret and despair over a life misspent. Successfully resolving the crisis at this stage leads
to the development of what Erikson referred to as ego integrity. People are able to look back
at their life with a sense of contentment and face the end of life with a sense of wisdom and
no regrets. Erikson defined this wisdom as an "informed and detached concern with life itself
even in the face of death itself." Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a
sense of integrity.

Successfully completing this phase means looking back with few regrets and a
general feeling of satisfaction. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting
death. Those who are unsuccessful during this phase will feel that their life has been wasted
and will experience many regrets. The individual will be left with feelings of bitterness and
despair

5.0 CONCLUSION

The study concludes that the film’s primary plot is within the eight stages of development
analysis, as Forrest gets wrapped up in these events over the course of the film, it mainly
focuses on the personal life of Forrest Gump who have gotten through his eight stages of
development, mixing with versus and the main development in each stage. Gump’s
stubbornness in life and his honesty are developed from his accomplishment on getting through
the first to fifth stages of development, which mostly builds someone’s personality.

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 Regardless, Forrest takes an almost child-like innocence to the people around him even
in the cases of war, violence and prejudice, creating his development failures, it is because from
his development stages, the people around him who misjudges him about his uncanny
personality leads into prejudiced views or ideals. Especially his thorough opinions about how
people see him in general. He is aware of these things and knows right or wrong ideals, but
Forrest live a simple and uncomplicated life despite all he has been through: He wants to be a
good son to his mother; he desires to be with the love of his life, Jenny, to have good friendships
with his fellow soldier Bubba and Lieutenant Dan. His lack of intelligence in terms of critical
thinking and solving problems are low; but he has the ability to display maturity, show emotional
intelligence and is able to show kindness and love towards others despite his differences with
them.

Overall, the characters stages of development in the movie are not so earnest and
beautiful on the beginnings, but letting on, the characters reveals the common indomitable
behaviour to never back down or give up from any life obstacles. From the final analysis, the
writer concludes that the stages of developments tend to contradict with the society, family,
morals, and course of life. One of the strengths of psychosocial theory on eight stages of
development is not only provides a broad framework from which to view development
throughout the entire lifespan, but it also allows people to emphasize the social nature of human
beings and the important influence that social relationships have on development.

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