In Golden Pond, there are three particular characters that are in the film, which consists of Norman, Ethel Thayer, and their daughter Chelsea Thayer Wayne, who are in Golden Pond. There is a particular approach that corresponds to the understanding of the human development cycle and psychosocial development through an analysis of the Thayer family. The approach is known to argued that human beings go through several series of development in which s crisis is addressed and over come in order for the individuals to move forward in the development cycle is theorized by Erik H. Erikson.
In the “Golden Pond” film, there are the eight stages of life that corresponds to the main characters to help them resolve the crisis in order to develop a healthy life cycle. The first stage in the development is Basic Trust versus Mistrust. The age is form birth to 18 months. The second stage is Autonomy versus Shame and doubt. The age is from 18 months to 3 years, which consists of the crisis that the individual develops a balance of independence and self-sufficiency. The third stage is initiative versus guilt, which is through the age of 3 through 6 years.
The four stages is industry versus inferiority and the fifth stage is adolescence, which is identity versus identity confusion. The six stages is young adulthood intimacy versus isolation and as for the seventh stage is adulthood generativity versus stagnation. The last stage is old age, which is known as integrity versus despair. These are seen in different stages throughout the main characters in different scenarios that correspond to the Erikson’s stages. This film concentrated on the phases of human development and its relationship to human behavior in the couple Ethel and Norman.
The aging couple, Norman and Ethel is in their old age stage and experienced a decline in physical performance due to several diseases and mental disintegration. Ethel The first character that grasps my attention was Norman Thayer who was experiencing a crisis of integrity versus despair the film. This stage in which Norman is going through is the stage of development in late adulthood. Unfortunately, Norman is not responding well to the current crisis he is experiencing and carries negative resolution. This all seems to accumulate when Norman and his family goes to Golden Pond to celebrate his 80th birthday.
There at his birthday celebration is when Norman realized he is getting older and older by the minute. It is clear that Norman is obese with the thought of death and is much in despair with it. Norman is in the final stage of the Erikson’s life cycle, of Old Age. The old age stage is highly researched upon, which is Norman first symptom is memory loss. Norman demonstrates several health symptoms and changes in his behaviors due to his aging. His changes of behavior are not in a good manner but more in a negatively behavior.
Norman is an old man who is very forgetful with his family and himself. As a result of this Norman tends to not get among with his family members especially his daughter, Chelsea. The forty-two year old daughter, Chelsea is troubled by her father’s carless actions. According to Erikson’s eight stages Chelsea is in her sixth stage. She is as well considered to be in the isolation stage as she is divorced with a new boyfriend, and broken relationship with her father. She has some drastically psychological work to do before she can enter the Erikson’s stage of generativity into adulthood.
Chelsea still hasn’t completed the challenged in her life dealing with her family problems she faced in her adulthood. In response to her trouble adulthood, Chelsea has isolated herself from her family instead of creating that bond greatly needed to complete her adulthood. Instead of fixing the broken relationship with her father she has chosen to walk away from her family. Her relationship with her father caused her to have self-image issues and blames Norman for it. Now, Chelsea carries around her feelings from her tragic past adulthood to her present time.
As she faces personality disorder she carries out her feelings of bitterness, anger, and resentment. When Billy Ray Jr. was left at Golden Pond with Norman and Ethel he was able to escape his own feelings of frustration and neglect. In result, Billy was able to form a meaningful connection to Norman. Regardless the tension between Norman and his daughter Chelsea, Norman has created an unbelievable bond with Billy Ray Jr. Norman was a great influenced on Billy Ray Jr. because it helped him changed and see that someone actually cared for him. Norman relationship with Billy Ray Jr. as helped to resolve Norman crisis with his daughter. Unsatisfactorily, Billy and Norman have become best buds, which jealously are greatly seen to affect Chelsea as she sees the affection and attention that Billy is being received. Chelsea believes her own father is selfish and does not care about her nor that he is proud of her.
As the time passes, Chelsea began to feel rage toward the way Norman fully gives attention to Billy, which he neglected to give Chelsea the attention she desperately needed from her father. Time with Billy Ray Jr. ives Norman gives the opportunity to reflect his relationship with his daughter. Soon Chelsea comes to confront her father on the issue that has been tormenting her adulthood. Unfortunately, Chelsea sees that her father never seen her as a daughter and had a limited success as the son he always wanted. To prove to her father, Chelsea does a backflip dive into the lake and to her surprised she finally sees happiness in her father eyes. As reward for Chelsea achievement Norman gives her his diving medal after she accomplish the back flip that was impossible to do as a child.
At the end, Chelsea and her father relationship was amended when she finally made her father proud. After watching Golden Pond it impacted me on the understanding of human lifespan development. The major characters and their relationships, helped comprehend the role of the human lifespan. The relationship between the characters showed some moments that witness human growth and change through out the movie. Human lifespan development covers the various issues discussed in the movie like for example the challenges of growing old and dealing with aging parents with developing illness.
From the movie I was able to grasp how human lifespan development takes role in not just the movie but in my every day life. The stage of developments that were focused more in the film was Young Adulthood, Maturity, and Old Age. The development tasks covered are Intimacy vs. Isolation, that corresponds with falling in love, or maintain a relationship. As well of Generativity vs. Stagnation is define as having and nurturing children and Integrity vs. Despair which is imparting wisdom to others besides themselves.
Besides the life stages of the human lifespan development the issues were also seen throughout Golden Pond. The issue with adolescent is intimate relationships, work and social life and mid-adult giving back or contributing. The issue with late adult also known as old age stage is reflecting on the purpose or meaning, of life achievements. On a more personal note I have seen some of my family members go through the human lifespan development. The development that reminded me more of my family is the Maturity stage. I can see that my grandmother is part of the Maturity stage.
In this specific stage older adults at one point look back on their life. My dear old grandma at times well reflects on her fulfillments with her success. Her reflection on her success at this stage leads to feeling either wisdom or in failure to end up in regret or despair. Besides her reflection stage, she has a similar situation compared to Norman and Chelsea relationship. My grandmother daughter was in the same stage as Chelsea, in young adulthood. In this stage they both the individuals weren’t able to build a relationship with one nother in results to this she isolated herself.
There was no relationship able to be constructed due the lack of loving, and intimate relationship with people. At the end, they resolved their problems and were able to ease the tension by proving her mother wrong and making her finally approve of her. Also, Golden Pond reminded me of my own relationship with my grandmother. Our relationship was good the only thing wrong was the age difference between us both. Nevertheless, it didn’t it stop us from building a relationship regardless her age we just grew together.
This movie opened my eyes that human development occurs all around my family without knowledge of it. Golden Pond is a satisfying and lovely film that is suitable to different ages to see the human development in people. It proved to me this film brought realizations for my family and me. The most important things we have in life are family togetherness. This film taught me that in order to resolve our differences as a happy family is to find how to get along with one another. The reason is because we can’t go back and correct the mistakes we now come to regret.
