Almost Famous - Due 11/30 10pm

The movie Almost famous is also a movie about an individual with a strong passion for music. This movie is also different than the others because of the fact that this is about a young fifteen year old boy who is pursuing his dream to become a rock journalist. William Miller’s mom is very strict, but loving towards her son and daughter. She is against many things in society and wants her children to have good knowledge. William’s sister gets to the point where she does not want to live in the house anymore. She says their mother has robbed her of her adolescence. She does not want to live in the house with her mother anymore and eventually moves out. Her mother says that she is just plain rebellious. Chapter fifteen talks about the term positive psychology. This is the vision of the good life. It uses empirical methods of psychology to understand what makes life worth living. It is easy to say that William loves music. He loves it so much and his sister knows this and she even tells him to follow his dreams. He meets up with rock critique and editor of cream magazine Lester Bang. He tells him people will use him a lot and that these people are not his friends. He wants him to be honest and unmerciful. When William meets up with Stillwater the band they tell him we play for the fans, not the critiques. This does not stop William and he actually persuades them enough to let him come in. This is where his dream begins and he gets to follow along with the band. The next term I chose from chapter 15 is
self-actualization. This is the process of moving toward courage, achievement and become an autonomous person who is dependent on themselves. William is only fifteen years old when he leaves home to be a rock journalist. His mother is very worried throughout the entire movie and we see her calling him and giving William constant reminders of how he should not take drugs. William grows up fast and I think that for how old he is he did a very professional job in how he handled things and how he talked with the band. The next term I chose is deficiency needs. This is when a person has a need for safety and belongingness. William needed to be with the band so he could get their story for Rolling Stone magazine. He really becomes a part of something when Rolling Stone Magazine calls him and wants him to do a story on Stillwater. Russell and all of the other members are all a part of the band. This is what they do and they say that this is where they belong. This is their family and Penny, a girl who William meets up with also tells William that when he wants to go home he is not to leave, but is to stay with them. She tells him that we are your family. The next term is growth needs. This is when a person feels that they need to fulfill their personal potential. An individual puts forth energy into what they are capable of becoming. William put forth effort to become a rock journalist. His mother continues to call him and she then says that she knows what is going on. William loves his mother, but he knows that he is in a very special situation. Not many fifteen year old boys have the opportunity to follow a band and write their story. This was his dream and he was doing it! The band Stillwater wants to grow into an even more famous and well known band. They want to be on the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine, which they do achieve. The next term is helping others. This is when individuals are there for one another and help a person through their good and their bad times. Penny, who William later finds out that her real name is Lady Goodman, is in love with Russell, one of the band members of Stillwater. She asks William why he does not love her back and she becomes saddened and depressed about the situation. Russell is there for her and talks her through it. Near the end of the movie Lady Goodman just about overdoses on what looked like pills, but William calls for help and saves her. There are also many other relationships between band members and members of William’s family. The next term is criticism. This is when someone evaluates and analyzes someone. The band was analyzed by their fans and their critiques. William was analyzed by the magazine on if his story was good or bad. At first the band says that ninety percent of the story is not true, but they then state that it really is true and Williams story is great. The last term I chose is meaning. There are three needs of meaning that are stated in the book. They are purpose, values and efficacy. Purpose is when a person has future oriented goals. William had the goal of becoming a rock journalist, Stillwater had the goal of becoming the best band they could and to get on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine. Elaine even has goals for her boy William, which is to get home safely and graduate from high school. Value is what is good and important to someone. Elaine valued her son and daughter. Stillwater valued their band and their image, and William really valued the entire band and all of the friends he met along the way in striving towards his goal of becoming a rock n roll journalist. The last term efficacy is the capacity of producing a desired result. Stillwater again achieved their band’s goals and William achieved his career goals. I think it was awesome how William drew so close to the band members, especially Russell, that Russell actually came to his house to visit him in the end of the movie. Happy endings are always good and this one did end positively.

Terms used- positive psychology, self-actualization, deficiency needs, growth needs, helping others, criticism, meaning (purpose, values efficacy).
I watched the movie on www.youtube.com for free.

“Almost Famous” has to be one of my all-time favorite movies. This movie in particular had a much desired happy theme to it. After all the depressing themes in our other movies, it was certainly nice to have a break. “Almost Famous” is full of humor and creates at atmosphere for music that I simply love. Also, the music is fantastic. Even though I didn’t grow up in the seventies, my parents got me hooked on some of the music from the decade. Personally, this movie makes me feel as though I was born in the wrong era. Not only is this movie entertaining, funny, and have a star-studded cast, but it does great with showing examples of items we have been learning about in our Motivation and Emotion class.
William Miller and his sister Anita, for example, are the perfect manifestation of a term we learn about in chapter fifteen. They both show aspects of self-actualization from the very beginning of the movie. Anita is sick of following her mother’s rules. She realizes that she is capable of living a life she wants instead of always catering to an overprotective mother. To live the life she wanted, Anita had to get out of her mother’s house. This shows great self-actualization because Anita demonstrated a clear inherent developmental striving. Her entire life, she was trying to create her own personality and her mother. By getting away, Anita was able to more fully recognize the different talents and interests in her life. She was able to reach the full potential she wanted of becoming a stewardess.
William was also a great example for self-actualization without even being aware of what he was doing, like his sister was. William got caught up in the glitz and glamour of the music world with the intention of listening to his mother by coming back home soon and not getting into any sexual or drug related activities. For a while, William listened to her. With pressure from the Rolling Stone to get the story finished and the members of the band to keep him on the tour, William defied his mother and stayed on the tour longer than he intended. By staying on the tour longer, William was able to experience the world he never knew he was missing out on. William is able to leave behind the timid world he was living in and, in turn, moved towards courage to create a career he wanted in journalism. He started to depend on himself to get the materials he needed to succeed.
Penny Lane was a great example of holism, which is also a topic covered in chapter fifteen of our textbook. She always thought she was in love with Russell and that the feeling was mutual. Penny was content with living a life of secrets, as she was not even willing to tell anyone her real name. It isn’t until Penny gets a wake-up call from William to realize that Russell didn’t really care about her and that she was capable of a life much better than the one she was living. Penny then discovers her true potential and no longer ties herself down with Stillwater and the rest of her fellow “Band-aids.” After Penny realizes this, she is able to follow her dream and finally go to Morocco like she always wanted.
We also get to see Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. We first see this transformation when Penny gets drunk and takes the medication after learning the harsh truth about Russell. She starts to overdose and the first need that needs to be addressed for her are physiological needs. She needs to get her stomach pumped to make sure she is okay and help her get back to her original healthy state. Penny also needs safety and security needs. William gives her this by being the one to phone the doctors and stay with Penny while she gets medical treatment. Penny also has friends check up on her to make sure she is okay. Love and belongingness also comes from William. After Penny feels downtrodden about the Russell incident, William tells her that she is much better than him and proves he cares for her. Penny is also reassured that she still has a lot of friends that care about her and her well-being. Then, Penny needs self-esteem. She builds her self-esteem by getting back at Russell when he wants to see her and make up for what happened. Instead of giving Russell her address so he can come to her, Penny gives Russell the address to William’s house so he is forced to confront William after he had wronged him. Finally, Penny reaches self-actualization when she makes the final steps to go to Morocco.
Russell is a great example of the concept of incongruence for the vast majority of the movie. Despite the clear signs that he is totally screwing up and blowing off his obligations, he still fails to recognize it. In fact, he ends up getting worse. Towards the end of the movie, Russell even lies to the people at Rolling Stone, saying all of the stories and quotes in William’s article were false. Russell clearly denies the true scope of his actions. During the final scenes of the movie, however, Russell does realize how his actions have had a negative impact on those around him. To make up for all he had done, Russell calls Rolling Stone to admit that what William had written was the truth. He also advises William to call Penny as he knows those two made a deep connection. Russell is finally willing to take responsibility and recognize how his personality and actions affected the outcome of events for everyone and held himself accountable for making things right in the end.
Finally, William’s mother shows a great need for control. We see this due to her overprotective approach to trying to raise her kids. At the beginning of the movie, she constantly nags her daughter Anita about the music she listens to and how Anita goes out with men. When Anita leaves the house, her mom shifts her desire for control over William. In order to become a successful musical journalist, William has to spend a lot of time getting close to the bands. He needs to befriend them and follow them on their tour, recording significant events and getting interviews. William also, of course, needs to spend time in the hotels with the bands and endure late nights attending their concerts. In order to attempt to maintain control over William’s newfound lifestyle, his mom constantly harasses him with different phone calls and notes. William’s mother is constantly saying the same thing, which is “Don’t do drugs and don’t have sex.” She also makes William promise to be home by a certain date as well as; call her biweekly, not miss any tests, and attend his graduation ceremony. When she finally realizes she no longer controls the lives of her children, as they are growing up and becoming adults, she starts to get upset.
In summation, I think “Almost Famous” was a simply fantastic movie. It had a much more upbeat feel than any other movie we have watched. It was also very clear that there were some strong motivational themes that related well with what we were learning. I would recommend this movie to any one of my friends who is looking for a movie that has strong themes of motivation, as well has a great soundtrack and a fantastic cast. From start to finish, this move certainly proved itself in my opinion.
Terms: Self-actualization, holism, inherent developmental striving, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (physiological, safety and security, love and belongingness, esteem, self-actualization), incongruence, congruence, need for control.

I really enjoyed watching the movie, “Almost Famous.” This movie was full of drama and excitement. While watching the movie I noted various motivational terms that relate to what we are learning in this class.
At the beginning of the movie, viewers watch as William Miller’s older sister left their home in search of a new life. Her behavior demonstrated her strong need for autonomy. According to Johnmarshall Reeve, autonomy is the decision of how we want to spend our time and effort. Reeve’s states, “We desire choice and decision making flexibility” (p. 145). William’s sister was tired to being told what to do by her mother, so she decided to make her own choices and follow her deepest desires. During the scene when William’s sister was saying her goodbyes, she leaned toward him and whispered, “Look under your bed, it will set you free.” It didn’t take long for him to find his sister’s box of music. William’s began to discover a stronger need for autonomy as well. At this time, I noted that William begins to exemplify holism. In fact, he begins to understand his personal growth and self-actualization. According to Reeve, holism is the discovery of one’s human potential (p. 420).
William seemed to demonstrate Reeve’s description of self-actualization. In the textbook, Reeve states, “The two fundamental directions that characterize self-actualization as a process are autonomy and openness to experience” (p. 421). In the movie, viewers watch William following his dream to be a journalist demonstrating his autonomy. I noted that William demonstrated openness when he creates friendships with the members of the rock band, Stillwater. Reeve describes openness as when “One leaves behind timidity and defensive appraisals and moves toward greater mindfulness, the courage to create, and realistic appraisals” (p. 421). William left his mother at home, as he joined the rock band on tour. Everyone on tour seemed to depend on one another. The dependency among the band members created more self-actualization and autonomy for everyone involved. Even Penny Lane, a groupie that traveled with the band, demonstrated a higher need for autonomy and self-actualization as she described her aspirations of living in Morocco.
In chapter fifteen, Reeve states six behaviors that encourage self-actualization. These behaviors include: make growth choices, be honest, situationally position yourself for peak experiences, give up defensiveness, let the self emerge, be open to experience (p 425). An example in the movie that relates to “make growth choices” is William’s movement toward self-actualization. It seemed difficult for him to think about leaving his mother, but William chose to follow his own desire. Next, an example from the movie that comes to mind relating to “be honest” is the scene where William’s mother drops him off at a concert and yells, “Don’t do drugs.” She spoke very honestly and strongly against drugs and alcohol, only trying to protect her son. An example for “situationally position yourself for peak experience” would be that William used his talented writing to become acquaintance with the Stillwater band members. William’s talented writing led him be assigned to write for Rolling Stone Magazine. In addition, the behavior “give up defensiveness” was demonstrated as I noticed William began to take his journal writing more seriously after being asked to write the article for Rolling Stone Magazine. Viewers see his anticipation when he learns about the exciting invitation to be featured, but his seriousness in creating the article became more evident at the end of the movie. The talented writing and creative words became his own. Also, the “let the self emerge” behavior was exemplified as viewers watched William physically separate from his mother while he was traveling with the band. His personal interests led him to emerge and look to others to form friendships. Finally, the behavior “be open to experience” is evident throughout the entire movie. The rock band tour experience was a totally different element that William had ever experienced before. However, William was not shy. In fact, it seemed that he took every opportunity to learn about everyone and to fulfill his journalism dream.
There were numerous scenes in this movie that related to the topics and have learned about in our class. Overall, I thought this was a good movie!
The terms used were: autonomy, holism, self-actualization, openness, six behaviors that encourage self-actualization.

I enjoyed Almost Famous so much more than any of the other movies we watched for class. Not that I hated any of the movies, Almost Famous was just much more happy and not focused on sad and depressing things. The first term I connected to the movie is holism. I think William and Penny are both good examples of holism. Reeve states in the text that “it is the whole organism that is motivated rather than just some part of the organism.” This made me think of how passionate and motivated William was about writing a well written story on Stillwater. He completely immersed himself in their lifestyle in order to write the story for Rolling Stone. William discovered and developed his human potential when he toured with the band. Penny Lane is another example of holism because she did the same thing as William, except her passion and motivation came from Stillwater, specifically Russell whom she was in love with. She dedicated her life to them by following/touring with them.
The next term is positive psychology. Positive psychology is defined as seeking to articulate the vision of the good life and understand what makes life worth living. William demonstrated this by experiencing everything he experienced while he was with Stillwater. Coming from the strict home life he came from, pretty much everything he did while he was on tour was a first for him, even though he refrained from doing drugs like his mother told him. He experienced the whole entire rock lifestyle, which he never would have if he had not met Lester Bangs, went to the Black Sabbath concert, and persuaded Stillwater to let him come in with them. William experienced most of the positive emotions mentioned in the text such as enjoyment, hope, love, passion for work, self-determination, talent, creativity, etc. Positive psychology focuses attention on building personal strengths and competencies, which was William’s reasoning for going…to become a rock journalist. To succeed, people need to possess the characteristics I already mentioned and others…such as optimism, skill, perseverance, etc., which William did.
Self actualization is a term that fits perfectly in Almost Famous that William, as well as his sister Anita both exhibited. Self actualization is the process of leaving behind timidity, defensive appraisals, and a dependence on others that goes along with the process of moving toward courage to create, make realistic appraisals, and achieve autonomous self regulation. Anita shows this by leaving home. She finally decides that she can’t handle her mother’s obsession with making sure her children don’t listen to music, do drugs, or have sex. Anita is fed up with her mother’s overbearing attitudes and behaviors, so she decides to leave home and live her own life the way she wants. She desperately wants to be autonomous and not depend on her mother, so leaving home is the best thing for her to do. Anita shows her openness when she finally blows up at her mother and tells her that she is leaving. None of her feelings are repressed at that time. William also shows self actualization in the movie. He does this simply by leaving home at 15 and not depending on his mother for everything like he was used to. He left his life of being timid and always taken care of by his mother to a life of courageously pursuing a career he knew he was good at, journalism.
Maslow’s everyday behaviors for encouraging growth can be applied to Almost famous as well. These behaviors are make growth choices, be honest, situationally position yourself for peak experiences, give up defensiveness, let the self emerge, and be open to experience. William pretty much demonstrated all of these behaviors. He had to make many growth choices such as leaving home to tour with Stillwater and whether to write about everything he saw or leave things out to make the band look good. Being honest was very important in the movie. Lester Bangs stressed to William to always be honest and be unmerciful, William took his advice and was honest in his story. He definitely lets himself emerge because he is experimenting with his writing and is starting to realize how to be successful in journalism. He is kind of forced to be open to experience because he pretty much has to go along with whatever the band does. William shows his relatedness to others because he becomes emotionally connected and involved with the members of Stillwater and especially Penny Lane. Also by the end of the movie, the band, specifically Russell learns to respect William. I definitely enjoyed watching Almost Famous and will probably watch it again! I watched it on YouTube.

Terms: holism, positive psychology, self actualization, encouraging growth, relatedness, autonomy, openness

Almost Famous is a movie about a 15 year old boy, William who is hired by Rolling Stones magazine to follow the band Stillwater. William has grown up in a very strict household and has watched his older sister rebel against their mother. This movie has a wide variety of concepts from motivation and emotion. Specifically, chapter 15 in the textbook discusses growth motivation and positive psychology. Positive psychology is a new up and coming field in psychology. Its goal is to show what actions lead to experiences of well-being, to the development of positive individuals who are optimistic and resilient. The concept of self-actualization which is an inherent developmental striving is portrayed by William’s sister Anita at the beginning of the movie. Furthermore, it is a process of leaving behind timidity, defense appraisals and the dependence on others that is paired with the parallel process of moving toward courage to create, make realistic appraisals, and achieve autonomous self-regulation. Anita is tired of listening to the many rules her mother has made her live by including the type of music she’s allowed to listen to. Anita moves out when she turns 18 and plans on becoming a stewardess.

William also portrayed self-actualization to move closer toward his goals and dreams in life. He loved music and his sister helped remind him to continue pursuing those dreams. When William was asked to begin submitting writings while following the band Stillwater, they had no idea that he was a fifteen year old boy because he played it off during the phone conversations by lowering his voice. Throughout the movie, he was encouraged to grow as an adult. He was thrown into the partying and drug scene many times because he became close with the girls who followed the band around. The book discusses the six behaviors that encourage self-actualization. They include making growth choices, being honest, situationally position yourself for peak experience, giving up defensiveness, letting the self-emerge, and being open to experience. Another example from the movie where William showed that he was open to experience was when he lost his virginity. He was staying with the group of women and they wanted to show him a good time. Instead of speaking up and saying no, he went along with them. This may not have been the best decision because he was so young but it was a new experience for him.

Deficiency needs are also depicted throughout the movie. Deficiency needs are physiological disturbances and needs for safety, belongingness, and esteem. The need to belong comes through the movie when William is told that if and when he wants to leave, he should stay because they are his family. At the beginning of the movie William meets Penny who he becomes very close with. He becomes somewhat of a protector over her. At one point he is on a plane ride with the band members and the plane is experiencing a lot of turbulence and is making an emergency landing, but they feel like they may not make it out alive. The band members take that opportunity to get everything off their chest. In another scene they are playing poker and the guys bet the girls in exchange for beer. The next time William sees Penny he flat out tells her that the guys ‘sold’ her for beer. William wanted her to understand that the band members didn’t really think of her the way she thought of them.

Growth needs provide energy and direction to become what one is capable of becoming. William found out that his story for the Rolling Stone magazine was in the running for being the cover story. Learning this information and not being able to tell the band members, gave William the extra little nudge to fulfill the goal for himself. When it actually happened and he found out he got the cover story he was so proud and happy that he was able to reach that goal.

The band members of Stillwater show many signs of motivation throughout the movie. They seek feedback from their fans, more specifically the women that they hang around with. Penny made the statement at the beginning of the movie that they don’t sleep with the members, rather they try to be the stories and meaning behind their songs. The band members are also seeking love and belongingness. A couple of the members have girlfriends or are even married, but while being out on the road all the time, they seek out other relationships to attain that feeling that they are missing.

This movie was an enjoyable movie to watch. I had never seen it before and found it fun to find concepts from motivation and emotion throughout. Some of the movies we’ve watched this semester have been hard to sit through and watch but this movie wasn’t one of them. Almost Famous was a good example of growth motivation and positive psychology.

Terms: positive psychology, self-actualization, deficiency needs, growth needs, feedback

Almost Famous is a great movie for showcasing the concepts of Chapter 15 in the main character, William Miller. Miller is a 15 year old high school senior who finds that the road to self-actualization can be hard. Miller first starts writing about rock and roll as a hobby for his school newspaper. He enjoys writing so much that he decides he wants to make it his career. This enjoyment can be explained by positive psychology. Writing is an area where he can show competence and meaning. He’s in his element (flow) when he’s working on writing a story. From the enjoyment and satisfaction he gets out of writing about music, we can see why he’s naturally inclined to want to write. Music is his other love, and combining the both gives Miller the best of both worlds. Self-actualization is a process that Miller goes through in the show. According to our textbook (Reeve, 2009) there are two directions that characterize self-actualization. These two directions are autonomy and openness to experience. Autonomy, in the book, is defined as the ability to “move away from heteronomy and toward an ever-increasing capacity to depend on one’s self and to regulate one’s own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.” Autonomy was pretty hard for Miller at first. Part of the reason was that his mother had a very hard time letting her son go. She would call him, tell him what to do, and leave messages for him. This was her way to try to hold him to her, despite her assertion that she didn’t want to do that. Miller finally had to realize that he was able to do what he wanted, and that gave him more confidence to be the person he wanted to be. I think the scene that best showed Miller’s autonomy was when he was walking with Penny Lane and they got into a fight. He told her, “I’m not sweet.” It was then that he realized that he didn’t have to be what everyone else wanted him to be, he had to be what he wanted to be. The other direction of self-actualization is openness to experience, which the book defines as “receiving information (including feelings) such that it is neither repressed, ignored, or filtered, nor distorted by wishes, fears, or past experiences.” I felt the best scene that showed Miller’s openness to experience was when Penny was sick, before the doctor got there to pump her stomach. He told her that he loved her. Once he made that leap, where he stopped repressing that feeling and told her, he realized that he could leave behind the old, shy, William and become totally the person he wanted to be. Both of these scenes culminate in the airplane scene. William accuses all of the bandmates of using Penny Lane and not caring at all about their fans. He tells them that while they were busy with Bob Dylan, he was busy saving Penny’s life, and that he loved her. I think, that in that moment, William Miller realized self-actualization. He left behind all his fears and timidity, and dependence on others and become instead someone who had courage to tell it like it was, make realistic appraisals, and he finally was able to achieve self-regulation. This led to other important self-regulations, like writing the truth about the band, and later, being able to forgive Russell and keep his friendship.

Terms I used: positive psychology, self-actualization, autonomy, openness to experience.

After watching the movie, Almost Famous, I was able to relate topics from chapter fifteen to it. This movie also related to other major topics that I have learned throughout the semester. In my opinion, the main character, William Miller, shows that he struggles with what is known as holism. William has difficulties living life while combining his actual self and ideal self. It is apparent William’s mother is to blame for some of these struggles. She tries to make William be the perfect child who keeps his distance from every little thing that his mother feels is wrong or unmoral. William is unable to do that because of the lifestyle of people he follows around in order to compose a well written article. William is also unable to maintain a healthy id, ego, and superego because he cannot grow and mature while always fulfilling the expectations his mother demands of him.

One of the hardest steps William has to realize is that he has to make his own decisions and live life according to him instead of his mother. William’s mother hindered her son from maturing because she tried to protect him from everything in the world. Fortunately, William displayed a great amount of self-actualization. He decided he would attempt to be a confident journalist who relied on himself to become successful. Part of the process behind self-actualization is leaving behind shyness and a dependence on others and striving with courage to achieve self-regulation. In school, William was a shy student who depended on his mother. While touring with bands, William became an intelligent and confident journalist who made his own decisions.

Congruence can help motivate an individual to accept their personal characteristics, abilities, desires, and beliefs. Incongruence is the opposite and occurs when a person rejects their personal characteristics. One person who shows a lot of incongruity is character Penny Lane. Her entire life is based on the facade she has created. Her mask makes others publically aware that she follows famous bands around and enjoys attention. Sometimes strangers mistake her as a groupie because her façade is not entirely clear. Penny’s incongruity leads her to doubt herself and feel depressed. She is obviously in love with Russell, but since he has girlfriend she has to fake her feelings and ignore the emotions she has for him.

According to the textbook, I would say that William is a growth seeking individual while Penny is a validation seeking individual. William is moved by his personal motivations that strive for learning, improving, and personal potential. The movie shows that William wants to become a successful journalist and he feels a sense of progress once he is allowed backstage for the first time. He has a sense of worth when he is asked to travel with the band while they are on tour. Penny on the other hand bases her sense of worth on the relationships she shares with others. When her relationships suffer her feelings of worth, competence, and likeability suffer too. That can explain why she tries to kill herself after finding out Russell used Penny in a bet for a case of beer. It is obvious that Penny has a high need of relatedness. Even when she is not allowed to tour with the band she still goes to New York to meet the band on her own. This shows that Penny uses the band and Russell to satisfy her need for relatedness. Without the band she is lost and without Russell’s attention she feels hopeless because it is difficult to see if he cares about her or not.

Terms: Holism, self-actualization, congruence/incongruence, façade, growth seeking v. validation seeking, relatedness

Moalst famous was probably the best movie we have watched so far this year. The overall theme of the movie was happy and up beat, though there were some serious parts, and there where actually times when I laughed out loud which is something I have come to not expect from these movies. The music and the acting were both also awsome, over all I was a happy camper. The first several terms I identified were from the earlier chapters but as the movie progressed I found terms from the later chapters. The very first thing that struck me as the movie started was the difference in the need for autonomy between william and his sister. While William seemed content to do what he was told by his mother his sister was not. While the lay person would say she was rebelious someone from this class would describe her as having a high need for autonomy. While williams need for autona

"People who chose to devote their life to the pursuit of the American Dream suffer more psychological distress than others" The members of Stillwater were living a life of popularity, fame, and money. Their lifestyle began to wear on them after time and cause them distress. They argued about what everyone had done to eachoter and the band. They had secrets that they had to keep from eachother, their families, and their fans. After William gives Rolling Stone the article he had written on them, the band freaks out because they don't want the whole world reading the truths that he had exposed.

Self Actualization is the process of leaving behind timidity, defensive appraisals, and a dependence on others. It is paralleled by the process of moving toward courage to create, make realistic appraisals, and achieve autonomous self-regulation. In the movie, William shows self actualization. He is timid and does what his mother says and relies on her advice and opinion. As he gets older he gets interested in music and follows it as a journalist even though his mother disapproves because it would interfere with him becoming a lawyer. He leaves home to tour with Stillwater and write an article on them. He continues to go with them for a while after his mother kept calling. But he was still able to gain some autonomy by controlling his actions while being away from her for such a time. William knew that he wanted to write about music and that he could write something great if given the chance. He was able to realize his talents and potentials. It ended up with an average band making teh cover of Rolling Stone. Without his mom influencing his thoughts and information he gained more openness.

Deficiency Needs are physiological disturbances and needs for safety, belongingness, and esteem. Penny expereienced deficiency needs when Russell didn't bring her to New York with him. She lost her sense of belongingness which made her feel safe and have a high esteem. After dinner and Russell not acknowledging her, Penny went back to her room and took a substance. Doctors had to come pump it out of her stomach so she wouldn't die.

Conditioned Regard is shown in the movie as well. The mom socializes her children through creating internal compulsions. William always listened to his mom when he was young and she viewed him as the good child and showed him affection through out the movie. Her daughter was rebellious and had different ideas and values than her mother and therefore received less affection from her.

The band showed a control causality orientation because they relied on external guides. THey made decisions based on incentives, rewards, and social expectations/concerns. They felt pressured to get antoher manager if they ever really wanted to be big. The manager talked about how Mick Jagger, convincing them that all big bands needed one. At first they all had wanted to keep their original manager and continue to travel by bus because it wasn't about the money, it was about the fans. But they ended up giving in.

Relatedness is the need satisfying experience in which one feels emotionally connected to, interpersonally involved with, liked by, and respected by another person. Penny and William showed relatedness because they were interpersonally involved with eachother. They liked and respected eachother. Penny felt close enough to tell William her real name. She had never told Russell and had been following him for quite some time and she had only known William for a short time. William cared enough about Penny to leave the band dinner, chase her to her room, take care of her, and call a doctor to save her life.

The need for achievement is the desire to do well relative to a standard of excellence. Toward the end of the movie, Russell began to achieve being a better person. He tried to mend his relationship with Penny and helped William by telling Rolling Stone that all his comments were true. THe band went back to traveling by bus. When William asked him what he loved about music and he answered everything, where do I begin? instead of his earlier response of the chicks. After being in chaos for so long and almost dying in the plane, the band was energized to get back on track and focus on their music and fans like how they started out.

The band shows intrinsic motivation because when they started playing it was for fun and enjoyment. The members had a need to produce music because it was interesting to them and they were good at it.

Once the band became more known, they showed extrinsic motivation because they played for money and women and fame. They needed money to survive and get better equipment for their shows.

Terms I used: Extrinsic Motivation, Intrinsic Motivation, Need for Achievement, Relatedness, Control Causality Orientation, Conditioned Regard, Deficiency Needs, Openness, Autonomy, Self Actualization, Distress.

Even though there's not a specific section on the psychological need of belongingness, it was still mentioned in our textbook. Belongingness is the need to have warm, interpersonal relationships. Throughout the movie, William had a high need for belongingness and struggled to satisfy it. He didn't really fit in at school or have any friends and this concerned him. He just really wanted to fit in, be considered cool, and to have a sense of belonging. Thanks to Penny, the other band-aids, and Stillwater, he was finally able to satisfy this need and feel like he actually belonged. The need for belongingness is also considered a deficiency need. William had a high need for belongingness because not having a sense of belonging inhibited his growth and actualization. So, once he satisfied this need, by becoming friends with Stillwater and the band-aids, he was able to grow and acquire some self-actualization.

Some external events are environmental sources of motivation that can bring about and direct behavior. For Anita, William's sister, their mother's parenting style was an environmental source of motivation. Their mother was very overprotective and banned many things from their house including rock 'n roll. Anita became fed up with their mother and her beliefs and decided to leave with her boyfriend. Their mother's parenting style motivated Anita to rebel and leave home.

The movie seemed to take on a humanistic perspective (based on humanistic psychology) especially in regards to William. The humanistic perspective deals with striving towards growth and self-realization and away from fakeness, self-concealment, and fulfilling the expectations of others. Being on the road with Stillwater and the band-aids, allowed William to learn more about himself (self-realization) and grow by being away from his mother and seeing the world in a sense. William also learned from Lester Bangs to be honest (no fakeness) and to do what he wanted to do. Lester also advised him to not become friends with the band and band-aids because they'd use him to further themselves (don't fulfill the expectations of others). Basically, Lester had a humanistic perspective because he strove to do/not do those things and wanted William to have the same perspective.

Russell never reached his full potential because he didn't have a supportive internal or external environment. He was a great musician who could've made it really big on his own but continued to stay with the band. It didn't seem like he had the guts to be on his own (nonsupportive internal environment). He also didn't have anybody telling him that he could become big on his own (nonsupportive external environment). He said he became part of the band to avoid personal responsibility. By avoiding the personal responsibilities that come with being on his own (solo musician) and remaining with the band, he wasn't able to grow and reach his full potential.

There are six behaviors that encourage self-actualization. Some of them are evident in William. One of the behaviors is to be honest. Lester told William to always be honest and he took that to heart. By being honest, he was able to grow and further himself in his aspiration to become a rock journalist. For example, when he tried getting in backstage to interview Black Sabbath, he was denied entry by everyone even Stillwater. However, once he told them that he really liked them and what they're doing with their music, he was able to get in backstage. So, by being honest, William was able to get in to get some good information to put in his article, thus, furthering his potential career. Being honest encouraged growth. Another behavior that encourages self-actualization (growth) is to let the self emerge. William listened to his own interest in rock 'n roll and his aspiration to become a rock journalist. He didn't look to others to tell him who to become. For example, his mother and Lester suggested he become a lawyer. He didn't listen to them and instead listened to his own interests and aspirations. So, by letting his self emerge, that encouraged him to grow. Another behavior that encourages self-actualization is to be open to experience. For example, William left home and skipped school to go on the road with Stillwater thanks to "Rolling Stone". He went to parties and allowed the band-aids to deflower him. He also opened himself up to Penny and Russell. Basically, he was spontaneous and open to new experiences. So, by being open to experience, that also encouraged him to grow.

Penny seemed to be a self-defined individual. Self-defined people are autonomous and maintain independence in their interpersonal relationships and social roles. This definitely describes Penny. She did her own thing and lived a pretty nontraditional life. In other words, she lived her life how she wanted to and accepted her internal definition of herself.

The relationship Lester had with William supported William's actualizing tendency. The relationship was a helpful and informational one that let William become more mature and more open to experience. Lester's helping involved letting William discover and be himself. For example, William always called Lester for help and advice and he was always willing to help him out. Lester told him to stay away from "Rolling Stone" and to not become friends with the rock stars. Even though William didn't heed his advice, Lester was still able to help him in a way. That is, William discovered himself the hard way by not heeding Lester's advice. He discovers that he remains uncool even after becoming friends with the rock stars since they befriended him to use him. Basically, Lester and William's helpful relationship supported Williams' actualizing tendency.

A discrepancy existed between William's present state and ideal state. His present state was that he was uncool, didn't feel like he ever belonged, and didn't have any friends. His ideal state was to become cool, feel like he belongs, and have friends. Since his present state didn't match his ideal state, a discrepancy existed. This discrepancy made him want to change his present state so that it would match his ideal state. To get rid of the discrepancy, he became friends with Stillwater and the band-aids. This allowed him to become cool, feel like he belongs, and have friends, thus, his present state now matched his ideal state.

Penny had a high need for autonomy. One scene that shows this was when she told William that she was going to New York for Russell. William told her that Russell didn't seem to want her to go to New York because his girlfriend would be there. She ignores that fact and goes to New York to see Russell anyway. This shows that Penny doesn't like being told what to do. Her behavior was autonomous since her wanting of Russell guided her decision to go to New York. Another scene that shows Penny's autonomy was when she was getting her plane ticket to Morocco. This shows that she does what she wants when she wants.

Overall, this movie was really good! I loved the storyline and the music that was played throughout the movie!

Terms that I used: belongingness, deficiency need, self-actualization, external events, humanistic psychology (perspective), growth (internal and external environment and potential), self-definition, actualizing tendency, discrepancy, present state, ideal state, and autonomy

Almost Famous has to be one of the premier rock n’ roll films of the last few decades showcasing the lifestyle of an up and coming rock band in the seventies. The story the film tells is remarkable in itself but the character depiction of William Miller is impossible not to love. Williams a tremendously bright individual you develops an affection for music through his sister. We find William as a 15 year old senior and mainly a loner. He finds his counterpart in rock journalist and head of Creem magazine Lester Bangs.
Self actualization is a process of leaving behind timidity, defensive appraisals, and a dependence on others and is paired with the process of moving towards autonomous behavior and self-regulation. Two fundamental directions that typify self-actualization are autonomy and openness to experience. Both work to relieve dependence on others and the ability to move towards great mindfulness and leave behind timidity. When we first see William at the Black Sabbath concert we perceive him as timid as he has his first interaction with Penny Lane. But by the end of the show and the end of the film we see William achieve self actualization. He’s much more open to new experience such as life on the road accompanying the band, sex, parties, hotel lifestyle, and the lifestyle of a working journalist. He really embraces the whole situation and becomes very independent at the mere age of 15. He gained autonomy as he left his mother’s watch and toured with the band. He was patrolling himself in one of the most high-risk situations imaginable. He was very autonomous as he was writing his own story for Rolling Stone magazine, making his own life decisions while being responsible, and in his growing perceptions of the band and Penny Lane.
Maslow’s Need Hierarchy includes; Self-Actualization Needs, Esteem Needs, Love and Belongingness Needs, Safety and Security Needs, and Physiological Needs. Self actualization Needs are included in the Growth Needs and Esteem, Love, Safety and Security, and Physiological Needs are included in the Deficiency Needs. People require deficiency needs because their absence inhibits growth and development. William was deficient in belonging and esteem. He was much younger than his peers and never fit in which lead to decrease in esteem having few friends. Although we never see these two being major issues. Growth needs propel individuals to fulfill personal potential. William had an immense amount of potential which his mother was worried he would waste if he embarked on his trip. But he knew he was an excellent writer and had an enormous opportunity given to him which he needed to fulfill. His growth needs were met by the end of the story; he wrote a story that had enveloped him for the past couple of months and it was what he wanted to write even though initially it was discredited.
Positive psychology looks at people’s mental health and the quality of their lives to ask “what could be”. It searches to build people’s strengths and competencies. Anita showed positive psychology and discrepancy when she was living and home and made the decision to move to San Francisco. She knew she was destined for more than the average life and was tired of being controlled and manipulated by her mother. She had a strong desire to rebel and was unhappy with her current state. She achieved her ideal state as she left home and became a stewardess. She knew she wanted to obtain independence and live on her own terms. Her mother was extremely neurotic and uptight which conflicted with Anita’s attitude towards life. Elaine was very conservative and restricting which didn’t seem to bother William as much. It drove Anita away and she felt like she drove William away when he left for the tour and wasn’t keeping in constant contact with her.
Neuroticism can lead to higher levels of stress, anxiety, fear, and more pessimistic emotions. Optimism on the other hand is a positive attitude that is associated with what one expects to happen in their life. Penny Lane is very optimistic in all aspects of her life. She sees positivity in her relationship with Russell, she’s always very eccentric and outgoing, she goes on tangents about adventures to Morocco as well as other destinations, and isn’t worried about what’s going to happen in the future as she holds the idea that everything will work out as it should.
Self-definition and social definition are personality processes related to how individuals conceptualize who they are; socially defined persons accept external definitions of who they are. Self-defined individuals resist external definitions and favor internal definitions of the self. William is perceived as a social defined individual and even discusses with Lester Bangs about how “uncool” they both are and that rock stars will treat you as a friend and as cool but that he should know better. He subscribes to the social expectation that he’s “uncool” and reiterates the fact several times to Penny Lane. Russell and Penny Lane on the other hand are self-defined individuals. Penny Lane is very free spirited and isn’t the least bit concerned with how she is perceived by others. As long as she’s pleased with her self and with the way she is living that’s all that matters. Russell does play for thousands of fans and is somewhat defined by his personal image he’s always done what he wanted and saw himself as a much better musician than the rest of his band mates. He isn’t influence by and band member, manager, or fan (besides Penny Lane).

Almost Famous was a great movie to watch and analyze. The main story lied within William’s self-actualization and growth through touring with the band. The diverse set of characters and unruly circumstances made it an easy task.

Terms used: Self-Actualization, Self-definition and Social-definition, Discrepancy, Positive Psychology, Neuroticism, Optimism, Maslow’s Need Hierarchy

I just realized that my blog got cut off and only a paragraph was actually posted. This is my full blog:

Almost Famous was probably the best movie we have watched so far this year. The overall theme of the movie was happy and upbeat, though there were some serious parts, and there where actually times when I laughed out loud which is something I have come to not expect from these movies. The music and the acting were both also awesome, over all I was a happy camper. The first several terms I identified were from the earlier chapters but as the movie progressed I found terms from the later chapters.
The very first thing that struck me as the movie started was the difference in the need for autonomy between William and his sister. While William seemed content to do what he was told by his mother his sister was not. While the lay person would say she was rebellious someone from this class would describe her as having a high need for autonomy. While Williams need for autonomy starts out low it grows throughout the movie. His need for autonomy with his mother seemed consistently fairly low but with others, especially when rock journalism was involved, he showed a higher need for autonomy. William wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of his goal of becoming a rock journalist.
This is where goal setting was shown in this movie. When William’s sister left him all of her rock albums his love for writing merged with his new love for rock and roll and he set a goal for himself to become a rock journalist/critic. I think his idol at this point was Lester Bangs, famous rock journalist from his home town. William sent Lester articles from his school paper he writes for and when he meets Lester in person he gets his first feedback. Lester says William is a good writer and pays him to do and interview with Black Sabbath for experience. Though he doesn’t get that interview this is where he meets Penny Lane and the band Stillwater, setting into motion the rest of the movie. The article he wrote for Lester gets him noticed my Rolling Stone Magazine and they offer William $1,000 to write a piece for them. William uses his connection with Stillwater to write his piece. Throughout the movie they give him feedback that he was trustworthy and make him feel cool. Being cool was another of William’s goals. He was two years younger than all the kids in his grade and was picked on for this in combination with the fact that he was exceptionally smart. When his sister leaves home she kneels down, looks him in the eye, and says “one day you will be cool.” This is why he valued others feedback about his “coolness”, he had a goal to be cool.
Williams goal to be a cool rock journalist lead to two different kinds of motivation for his writing. In the beginning he was intrinsically motivated to write. He was not being paid and he said that it didn’t make the kids at school like him so he really had no reason to do it other than he liked it. After he begins to be paid for it, first by Lester with Cream Magazine and then with Ben from Rolling Stone Magazine, his motivation shifts from intrinsic motivation to extrinsic motivation because there was a reward for writing. If he wasn’t being paid however he would have probably been more relaxed throughout his trip with Stillwater.
I felt that the entire movie revolved around the process of William’s self-actualization. Self-actualization is part on an individuals’ developmental process or book describes as “. . . a process of leaving behind timidity, defensive appraisals, and a dependence on others . . .”, which was evident in Williams behavior throughout the movie. In the beginning he was very timid, probably due to his mother’s disapproval of rock, but his interactions with Lester gave him the confidence to go to a show as a journalist where he is just happy to be included. As the movie goes on however William becomes bolder with standing up to others. An example that sticks out in my mind is when he yells at the girls who ask him to take the laundry down with him. His self-actualization seems to be complete in the scene in the airplane when the all thought they were going to die (which was absolutely hilarious!) where he stands up to Russell about the way he treats Penny. He is no longer timid about his opinions but stands up boldly for what he believes.
At the end of the movie when William and Lester are talking after Stillwater told Rolling Stone he made everything up William says “I knew I wasn’t cool, even when I thought I was cool I knew I wasn’t cool.” This statement along with the sad emotion he is displaying is a product of the incongruence between his ideal self and his actual self. His Ideal self is a cool rock journalist but his actual self is a nerdy 15 years old. This is why the girls give him the nick name Opie, like the wholesome little boy Opie from the Andy Griffith show. That statement also shows that he is a self-defined individual even though while with the bands and Penny he seemed like more of a socially-defined individual. He is Self-defined because ultimately he knows he is not a cool guy that’s with the band, but a journalist who is not that cool, and the way the band and the girls act around him doesn’t change his mind.
Terms used: Autonomy, Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, Self-Actualization, Ideal Self, Actual Self, Incongruence, Self-Defined, Social-defined

William's mother, Elaine, socializes his sister and him in a private world detached from, and devaluing of, mainstream culture's hedonic approachto life. Popular culture to Elaine symbolized the unclean, unfulfilling approach, opposite the structured, seemingly manageable lifestyle she provided for her and her kids. However, her overemphasis on education and denial of creative development manifest in conditional regard for traditional pathways of social mobility and utter rejection of other means is apparent from scene one (or two). Neglecting her children of a "normal" childhood, she chooses instead to rationalize the logic underlying her behavior and share her "insight" with them. As opposed to allowing her children to develop personal meaning in their own lives, she fabricated their identities to a mold in her own ideal image. Discovery and accomplishment were to flow from these rigidly constructed archetypes. In her own expectations, personal striving was reduced to the self-actualization of conditions of worth she had imposed on the children.

Part of William’s emergence of self relates to his advancement in the school system because there is “too much padding in the grades” according to his mother; he learns at age twelve he is in fact eleven. This explains so much: why he does not need a comb for his upper lip; why his peers call him a narc; ultimately, the robbery of his adolescent years. Lucky for him, “adolescence is [only] a marketing tool,” his mother reassures. The need for positive regard is only realized among his mother and sister. Crediting rock and roll solely with its relationship to drugs and promiscuous sex, Elaine saw her "cliff notes" on how to live life as the socially defined way to well-being. The "no environment" was fashioned to teach the children all of the things she had learned over her lifetime in an attempt to help them avoid such unnecessary obstacles along the way: she did not realize this was all a part of the process, part of the journey on the way to discovery and accomplishment. Her impositions of purpose, values, and efficacy on her children—paired with conditional regard as a socialization strategy—largely worked to undermine the personal control she had exercised over them in their youths. While William largely internalized the values and efficacy through integrated regulation, existentially speaking he was searching for meaning beyond the proscribed pursuit of practicing law. Though his mother half-heartedly encouraged his growth as a journalist, the musically fashioned environment his sister fostered prior to her exodus pushed him towards searching for eudaimonic well-being.

Elaine’s parentally defined conditions of worth reduced William’s strivings to a saturated education-sponge; nose deep in the classics, retaining his naiveté appeased his mother, his eventual occupational prestige even more so. Along these lines, not doing drugs was also central to Elaine’s strivings for Little Willy. In such environs, the conditions were such as to push William away from the self and towards the external, away from the actualization tendency—the forward thrust of life. The motivational conflict arising within William’s identity was made ostensible in the phone tag and limited contact he and his mother "enjoyed" while touring; he had to journey elsewhere for a more supporting environment for his personal strivings to materialize.

Upon meeting Lester Bangs, and showing up in time for the “death rattle” of rock n’ roll, William begins to understand how branching out to new relationships will support this actualizing tendency. Bangs informs him of his honest face before telling William that nothing about him is controversial. At any rate, the initial extrinsic motivation of 35 bucks for a thousand “honest and unmerciful words” does little to undermine William's intrinsic motivation. Getting through the first show, “Oppy” meets Penny and quickly gains rapport with Stillwater. Instead of gaining privy to an interview in the beginning, William takes on the role of Russell's therapist/mentee/friend as he struggles with his perceived lack of band talent surrounding him. Through helping others the fifteen year old gains maturity (some of this may stem from the deflowering experience as well), at one point he becomes better integrated into the band than its own members, and he is more open to experience as a result. With Penny’s help, he begins introjective regulation of his “coolness”. Though he is cast as the enemy throughout, the band develops increasing relatedness to William, especially Russell. The journalist becomes a good citizen of the road, yet he is always listening. The emotional connection to the band increases largely unabated until Penny Lane is sold off as livestock. He is involved, respected, and valued by other(s) more than they ever realize: he is the intermediary between the band and the cover of the Rolling Stone. His unfaltering presence is exemplified in Russell’s dismissal of an interview: “go away I’m in too truthful a mood.”

Out on the road, William’s self-initiated freedom to learn is apparent in his countless, seemingly meaningless post-it notes and his ability to separate himself from the vices of life on the road; like the band, he is solely responsible for the writing process and ensuring a desirable outcome. As a touring adolescent, cooperation within the context of his peer group (the band) is essential to gaining interview access. He is much more than a journalist, as he proves when he and Russell check out a fan’s house party. Russell enjoys a few too many hits of acid and William becomes his babysitter.

Though William employs autonomy as his causality orientation, the band seems to govern itself with control-based causality; in the same vein, William is growth-seeking while the band is validation-seeking in their personal strivings. The young journalist does everything in his power, after countless rejections by Russell, to conduct a meaningful interview, a real think piece; his personal strivings are related to learning , improving, and reaching his personal potential as a journalist and an intimate being. Situations and opportunities for personal growth are not confined to writing, they also surface in relationship development and exploration of the unknown in fashioning his own self-identity. Learning and self-improvements accompany him as he patiently follows the mid-level band and its journey to stardom; a sense of progress revives his efforts as he writes through the night upon arrival in San Francisco.

Conversely, the band is increasingly concerned with behavioral incentives (i.e. sold out shows, ganja and girls) and meeting social expectations; simply put, the band just wants to be portrayed as looking cool. Validation seeking characterizes the interactions of band members, critics, managers, band-aids, and the rock and roll public. Interpersonal situations are always used to measure personal worth, competence or likeability in relation to the social yardstick, Russell. Yet, William and the band are both forced to confront the pressures to comply with the demands of what should be done. Whereas Stillwater adheres to imposed social definitions of themselves William's favoring of self definitions privilege him into more autonomy and independence in his actions--minus his brief laundry duties; this also explains his decisive and successful goal-oriented actions and subsequent outcomes. He is constantly working towards something larger than himself; the band internalizes his "taking notes with his eyes" as a threat to their existence will failing to understand that individual sentiments and secrets within the group would cause their temporary demise.

Stillwater is merely a facade: there is no consensus on the reality of their individual, perceived abilities, desires, characteristics, and beliefs. No one is on the same page; the band is a back-stabbing dead end with a manager to manage their original manager. Though the band will regroup, William is already two steps ahead: he has attained self-actualization; first of all, through his incessant developmental striving--he has experienced the nuances of "the good life". Much to his mother's delight his achieving of autonomous self-regulation saves him from the bitterness and petty bull shit which serves to undermine group cohesion (i.e. drugs and alcohol as sustenance). As he becomes related to, and intimate with Lady Goodmen his autonomy and openness are delved into and assigned significant meaning . William has become the existentialist of eudaimonic meaning seeking challenges, fully engaged, and experiencing FLOW as he and Russell sit down for one last interview.

Terms: hedonic, conditional regard, pathways, rationalization, personal meaning, discovery and accomplishment, self-actualization, conditions of worth, positive regard. Purpose, values, efficacy, encouraging environment, personal strivings, actualization tendency, extrinsic motivation, intrinsic motivation, introjected regulation, relatedness, self-initiated freedom, autonomy, control, growth-seeking, validation-seeking, self definitions, social definitions, facade, eudaimonic, engaged, FLOW

The movie Almost Famous was my favorite movie of the year for this class. I am glad to end on this note. While watching the movie after reading chapter 15, and the entire book, I watched the movie from a perspective which included what I have learned throughout the semester. It is interesting to think about how I watch movies differently now. I was able to pick out concepts from chapter 15. Furthermore, I picked out concepts from chapters 1, 3, 10, and 11.
The concepts I used from Ch 15 are, personal fulfillment, Humanistic psychology, Positive psychology, self-actualization, autonomy-oriented, relating to others in authentic ways, and interpersonal relationships. First, examples of personal fulfillment were present in the movie. The most obvious one to me is at the very end when it shows Penny leaving for Morocco. Next, there were also examples that jumped out to me that reminded me or humanistic-psychology. William saw potential in himself to be successful no matter what. He knew had potential and he was going to prove it. We also see examples of positive psych in the movie. The example that jumps out most to me is when William’s sister tells him, “One day you’ll be cool”. This to me tells William of what could be. Next, self-actualization is a concept that is evident throughout the movie. William learns to embrace who he is. There are times when he struggles with it, but throughout the movie he comes a long way. One example of this is when William had to accept his real age. He says, “This explains so much.” Another example of self-actualization is when they are in the hotel and William tells the girls “What am I to you”? At this point William has to accept that he really is not what he thinks he is to them. There is also a lack of self-actualization in Penny. She lacks embracing who she really is the whole movie; no one even knows her real name. Next, there are examples of autonomy-oriented things trough out the movie. One of these is when the guy tells William to be “Honest and unmerciful.” Another example of autonomy is when Russell tells William, “Write whatever you want”. There also examples of relating others in authentic ways. One example of this is when the Penny tells William “You’re one of us.” This implies to me that they are relating to each other in an authentic way. I also believe that there is another very good example of this when Russell tells the guy who wants to be their new manager, “It’s not about making money, it’s about making music and turning people on.” To me this means Russell is trying to connect with his fans in an authentic way. Finally, from chapter 15 the last concept that stuck out to me is interpersonal relationships. A very good example of this is when William tells Penny, “I love you”. The connection that is made between the two is shown when William is running in the airport alongside Penny’s airplane.
There are also concepts from chapter 11. Feelings are obviously played out through out the movie. There are both bad and good feelings present in the movie. There are bad feelings when William just wants to go home. There are also good feelings when everything is going right for the band. Expression of course are also very present throughout the movie.
Concepts from chapter 10 are present throughout the movie. The concept that stuck out to me the most from this chapter is identity. William finds his identity early on in the movie, as “the Journalist”. Then William picks up the nickname as “the enemy”, which he embraces. There is also an example of identity with Nick, who is “The Lezplin fan”. The last concept from this chapter that I noticed was self-regulation. The example of this that sticks out to me is at the end when Williams’s sister tells him, “Your living your life, you’re free from mom.”
The final example from the book comes from chapter 3. The example I would like to talk about is Dopamine. Anytime any movie has drugs involved, dopamine is bound to play a factor. When Russell I on drugs he says, “He is taking notes with his eyes.” Russell also tells everyone, “you’re real” when he is at the party. That was an example of dopamine.

The concepts I used form the book are, personal fulfillment, Humanistic psychology, Positive psychology, self-actualization, autonomy-oriented, relating to others in authentic ways, and interpersonal relationships, feelings, expression, identity, and dopamine.