Where The Wild Things Are: Max's Case Conceptualization

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Carolyn Carneiro 301233309 Psych 356 " Are the monsters inside us? " Where the wild things are: Max's Case Conceptualization In the movie " Where the Wild things are" , the main character Max, is a young boy who is bright and creative but is having problems dealing with his family situation. His family consists of his one older sister "Claire" and his mother who is managing the house by herself. From the beginning of the movie it is evident that his mother is struggling to handle Max and Claire and the family is going through some turmoil. In this paper I will first highlight how and why I think Max's behaviours escalate and whether I think he has a diagnosable condition. I will also tie in the relationships and issues that…show more content…
This mainly consists of a period in time where emotions are elevated and one's mood is irritable yet they show goal directed energy. This disorder also includes having inflated self-esteem or grandiosity as well as moments where flights of ideas racing through one's mind. These symptoms are first present in the beginning of the movie when Max builds his igloo as he is goal directed towards the task . It is present again when he demands food of his mother as this shows his inflated self-esteem and grandiosity. As Max ventures out to the land of the wild things, he is on a boat and travels through perilous weather and even climbs a mountain. This part of the fantasy might unveil that not only does he have a inflated self-esteem and thinks he's big enough to go through such rough weather unscathed but he was very goal directed and knew where he was going to find the land of the wild things. When Max encounters the wild things, he introduces himself by jumping in and helping Carol, the main character wild thing, destroy the houses. As the wild things try and figure out who/what he is and threaten to eat him, Max's mind races with thoughts on how to get them to listen to him so he lies to them as his sense of grandiosity rises and he ends up telling them he used to be king in another land. He continues to tell them that he can explode their heads off with his powers and as a result should be scared of him. After much deliberation, the wild things believe Max and he takes on the role of king and promises them he will keep the sadness away from the land. When Max meets one of the wild things named "KW" , he tells her tales about how he's a traveller and has travelled by sea to their land. She asks if he has family. It's important to note here that Max uses past tense when speaking about his family as he feels his mom would
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