Introduction to Psychology Psychology Coursework Paper (Coursework Sample)

Introduction to Psychology
Part A: An Analysis of Mental Illness as Portrayed in Fatal Attraction (1987)
Fatal Attraction is a movie that portrays a brief affair between Alex Forest, a single and successful career woman and Dan Gallagher, a married man. The relationship turns sour when Alex threatens Dan’s family because she becomes too attached to end the brief romantic stint. (Rebeza n.d)
The story begins one weekend when both Beth and Ellen (Dan’s wife and 6-year old daughter) are away for the weekend. Dan and Alex meet and have fun because they happened to both be free that night. They spend the night and the following day together and grow intimate with each other. However, when Dan attempts to break off the brief intimacy, Alex refuses, resorting to vindictive and possessive behavior instead. Her behavior becomes extremely dangerous as it progresses from placing demands on Dan for his attention and time, to the extent of claiming pregnancy and pressurizing him to take responsibility for it (Rebeza, n.d.).
The unfortunate thing is that the more she tries to get Dan’s attention, the more she pushes him away with her behavior. She becomes so angry that she can no longer have him and this pushes her to kill his daughter’s rabbit pet by boiling, pouring acid on his car, kidnapping his daughter and, eventually, trying to kill Dan’s wife. All this while, Dan has been trying to hide his infidelity from his wife. But at this point, he has no alternative but to confess and hope that this will take care of things. It is Beth who finally shoots Alex in the head when she arrived to kill her, thus ending her life (Rebeza, n.d.).