By: Vina

Chiron
 Table of Contents
06: Defense
01: Character Intro
Mechanisms

02: Movie Summary 07: DSM-5

03: Stage of Cognitive
development 08: How would the
character differ?
04: Attachment Style
09: Psychological
05: Hierarchy of Profile
Needs
Character Info

The movie follows the story of a

young black man who's growing up
poor in Miami during the War on
Drugs. He struggles with constantly
bullied for being gay, and having a
relationship with a boy he grew up
with named Kevin Jones alongside
his abusive drug addicted mother.
 Movie Summary

The film shows a young black man, Chiron through the three
important stages of his life: his childhood (“Little”),
adolescence (“Chiron”), and adult life (“Black”). The film
explores his struggles with sexuality, identity, and
relationships. Because of Juan and his girlfriend Teresa
showed Chiron kindness and support they created a strong
foundation for Chiron in his adulthood.
Development Stage: Concrete
Operational Stage

During this time in the movie Chiron shows his

understanding of the problems and situations
around him. In this stage of development we can
solve problems more systematically, we can think
about the steps in order to solve problems. Even
though Chiron is not talkative and is very shy he
is highly observant. Chiron is very aware of the
fact that his mother is a drug addict, and when his
mother is high Chiron often leaves home. This is
him understanding that there's a problem and
he's taking the steps to fix it, in this situation his
way of fixing the problem is by leaving home.
 In the scene pictured above Juan invites Chiron to have a meal with him and his
girlfriend Teresa. In Chirons life he has experienced things that most kids his age
couldn't even imagine living through. With these experiences he was about to piece
together exactly what he wanted to ask Juan. He asks Juan questions about sexuality,
something that most kids wouldn't even be able to understand. He then ask Juan if he
deals drugs, after Juan answers yes Chiron says “and my mom she does drugs” Juan nods
yes and Chiron puts his head down in disappointment. Even as a child he's able to piece
his experiences together and find answers to the situations around him. This shows him
in the concrete operational stage of development but it also shows how his trauma has
heightened this and let him comprehend the environment around him.
Stage of Cognitive Development:
The Formal Operational Stage
In the “Chiron section of the film, Chiron is
shown as a teenager dealing with identity
issues that involve his sexuality and complex
relationships. We see him being faced with
challenging decisions that would require a
deep level of thinking. An example of this is
Chiron trying to work through what he feels
towards his friend Kevin. He's stuck deciding
is he should express his emotions regardless
of society views or suppress them due to
society's expectations of a black man. This
internal conflict shows Chirons ability to
process decision making scenarios and being
able to understand multiple perspectives
before making a decision
Stage of Cognitive Development:
The Formal Operational Stage
Another trait of this stage of development is
the ability to reflect on your personal
identity. In the “Black” segment of the film
Chiron goes through a journey of
discovering himself and learning self
acceptance. As an adult we see him reflect
on the past and his experiences. The fact
that he's able to self reflect while
considering societies expectations and still
being himself shows he's in the formal
operational stage. Him being able to make
decisions based on his reflection shows a
certain level of cognitive ability that we
associate with this stage.
 Attachment Style
“Little” {Childhood}
In the “Little” segment of the film, Chiron is seen in a struggling
relationship between him and his mother Paula who is a drug addict.
Due to his mothers neglect and not being able to provide him with a
nurturing upbringing. And since his need for emotional support isn't
being met it leads to an anxious attachment style. This can affect future
relationships by creating a sort of push and pull situation where the
person develops trust issues due to fear of abandonment but also
desiring closeness to your partner. Comparing this to another character
in the film, Kevin who is Chiron's friend shows a more secure
attachment style. Kevin easily connects with people and can express
his emotions more openly compared to Chiron.
 Attachment Style
“Chiron” {Adolescence}

In the segment “Chiron” we see him getting launched into his sexuality and being
bullied by his peers at school. These experiences cause him to become an
extremely defensive and guarded person. He doesn't let anyone in to who he is
and how he feels. This further makes him avoid people. This creates a
anxious-avoidant attachment style. This can affect future relationships since
the person loses the ability to connect to people on a deeper level to protect
oneself and avoid possible harm. Comparing this to another character in the
film, Teresa who is Juans partener. She has a secure attachment style. She
provided Chiron with stability and support that he needed. Her style is the
complete opposite to his mother Paula which is meant to show just how
important it is to nurture a child and how it will later mold ones attachment
style.
 Attachment Style
“Black” {Adulthood}

In the “Black” segment, Chiron presents himself as a tough gangster as a way

for him to block out who he used to be. He is guarded and shows no
vulnerability. This is an avoidant attachment style. He uses this style to block
out any emotional pain. The effect this would have on future relationships
would be a strain in emotional connection. This makes it hard to even form
relationships with people since you would step away from intimacy.
Comparing this to another character in the film, Juan has a secure style but he
also has his own internal struggles. Juan builds a strong base for Chiron's
future but due to Chirons experience it makes it harder for him to become
secure.
Hierarchy of Needs

“Little”
Hierarchy of Needs

“Chiron”
Hierarchy of Needs

“Black”
Defense Mechanisms {Displacement}
Displacement is when you take something and
redirect that unwanted impulse toward
something more acceptable. I believe that this
is shown in the “Black” segment of the film.
This segment is the complete opposite to what
we saw in the “Chiron” segment of the film.
We saw chiron as almost a weak character
since he was getting beat up and bullied but
now we see him become a tough drug dealer. I
feel that this is Chiron's way of displacing. He
is taking his sexuality and impulse for
connection and putting it towards something
that is more acceptable for his environment
which is a drug dealer. For him to be black and
gay it would go against the stereotypes he was
raised on and instead became a gangster who
are viewed as tough
 Defense Mechanisms

Another mechanism we see in the “Black” segment of the film is projection.

Projection is attributing an unwanted trait ir thought to someone else. He
projects a tough persona to hide his vulnerability. He makes himself to be
someone who fits the ideal mold of what a masculine man should be. He
takes who he truly is and shoves it down this character he has built as a way
for him to protect himself from the judgement of others. Though he is on a
journey of self discovery he does it in the way where he doesn't have to
expose who he truly is to himself.
 DSM-5 {PTSD}

Throughout the entirety of the movie we see Chiron go through multiple

traumatic events some of which include being bullied, struggle with
identity, his environment, and his while relationship with his mother.
According to the DSM-5 the criteria for PTSD includes: exposure to
traumatic events, avoidance behaviours, and negative moods. WHat
Chiron experiences in the segments “Little” and “Chiron” likely played a
major part in contributing to the criteria associated with PTSD
 DSM-5 {Social Anxiety}

Chiron shows avoiding behaviors which cause him to struggle with

opening about his emotions. Since he became so guarded he did not form
any connections with people especially romantic connections. According
to the DSM-5 this is a sign of social anxiety. Social anxiety includes having
difficulty in social situations, fear of judgement, and avosing tendencies
which Chiron displays more heavily in the segments “Chiron” and “Black”.
 How would the Character Differ?

If Chiron grew up on the other side of the world I personally feel he

wouldn't be as complex of a character like he is. Drugs are a very
prominent thing in America even though it's illegal, where in other parts
of the world the law enforcement has more control on the community.
Even if Chiron grew up in another state his life would be different. Living
in a area that is so exposed to drugs was the first downfall for him. His
mother completely abandoned him for drugs. On the other side of the
world where only having kids with someone that you're married to might
have helped him to. If Chiron had stronger father figure in his life maybe
he would have a person to talk about his problems instead of growing
distant from people like he has. In the end I feel that if Chiron grew up
somewhere else he would be very different due to how culture shapes a
person's environment.
 Psychological Profile
Chiron from moonlight goes through an incredibly difficult journey
through the movie. In most cases this would make a movie hard to watch
since it's so emotional but because of characters like Juan and Kevin who
are a source of light through Chirons dark journey it creates a more
engaging environment since you want to see how Chiron will pick himself
back up from a situation. Still, there are some really intense scenes that
make you almost want to look away, for example when Chiron is being
punched by Kevin or anytime his mother is yelling at him. We feel
sympathy in these scenes and because we care we want to look away so
whatever we see next doesn't “happen”. The movies deeply emotional
approach to it's characters lets the audience create a connection with
Chiron making the watching experience memorable and keep us thinking
after.
The End.