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The top ten films about growing up

John McGowan gives a quick psychological tour of some coming-of-age classics

 

Our term is up and running in Tunbridge Wells and our Clinical Psychology doctorate course has recently welcomed a new group. When our students start we don’t plunge them instantly into the world of mental health, but instead spend a few weeks thinking about the different phases of life. What make us who we are? What helps or hurts us as we develop? What are the challenges of growing older? We do sometimes write about films on this blog which prompted me to reflect on which are the most psychologically acute movies about growing up? Which ones illustrate, maybe without even realising it, psychological theories of development? Which ones make you cringe with recognition? Here is my top ten.

Now this you have to see…

Maddog and Anne Cooke

One of the things we’re proud of on the Clinical Psychology Doctorate here at Salomons is our teaching unit on service user and carer perspectives.  One of the speakers recently had to cancel at short notice. I (Anne) had the idea of showing the trainees a service user/survivor-recommended film instead, and then discussing the issues raised.  As I often do, I turned to Twitter for suggestions.

Silver Linings: Is Sickness a Shield Against Stigma?

I’d been avoiding Silver Linings Playbook. Nothing against it particularly, it’s just that Very Serious films about mental health always feel like a busman’s holiday. I got corralled into seeing it by the missus though, more observant than me, who had clocked that a) it was warmly sentimental, and b) it featured a dance contest. These days plucky young hoofers channelling Patrick Swayze are all I ask of a film. And if someone is also (spoiler alert) saved by the love of a good woman, then my cup runneth over.