Delusion of Persecution Delusions

Nash becomes increasingly paranoid and to behave erratically in his class. He becomes suspicious and sensitive. In Figure 65, Nash looking carefully through the window. The next shot Figure 66, a high angle through the window toward the street outside, shows us people walks out from the car from his point of view. The camera pan left Figure 67, a straight-on angle of the students in a class, shows us what Nash sees, from his point of view. In Figure 68, we see Nash’s expression after he is looking into the window and see the students. Figure 65 Figure 66 Figure 67 Figure 68 When Nash meets Parcher, he tells him that he afraid of his dangerously job. He believes that Russians are spying him. John Nash : William. This is not what I signed on for. Every time a car backfires or a door slams- William Parcher : I understand- better than you could possibly imagine. You need to calm down, John. […] Nash also acts so strange in his house. He becomes angry when Alicia turns the light on of his room. He also asks Alicia to go to her sister’s house and not too far from the crowd but Alicia refused see Appendix 3. John Nash : Turn it off Turn off the light Why would you do that? Why would you turn the light on? Alicia : What is wrong with you? John Nash : You have to go to your sisters. I left the car out the back. You take Commonwealth. No side streets, you stay where its crowded. An automobile horn sounding in the night is to most people a commonplace and meaningless stimulus; but to a paranoid who regards himself as the center of the universe, the blare is a signal from his persecutors. 56 This is shown when Nash finally looking carefully through the window Figure 69. The next shot in Figure 70, a straight-on angle through the window toward the street outside, shows us a man park his car from his point of view. Figure 69 Figure 70 As the writer said before that the hallucination of William Parcher is the key factor in Nash’s delusional thinking, all the delusions and hallucinations that Nash experienced is referred to paranoid schizophrenia type which the theme is about hallucinations and delusion of grandeur and delusion of persecution. After 56 James D. Page 1947, op. cit. p. 255. observing Nash’s behavior, Alicia informs a psychiatric hospital. Later, while giving a lecture in National Mathematics Conference at Harvard University, Nash realizes that he is being watched by a hostile group of people. Although he attempts to flee, he is forcibly sedated and sent to a psychiatric facility . Nash believes that the Soviets were trying to extract information from him, and that being taken by the officials of a psychiatric facility was a kidnapping by Soviet agents named Dr. Rosen. In fact, Dr. Rosen tells Alicia that Nash is a paranoid schizophrenic in the hospital. Alicia : Whats wrong with him? Dr. Rosen : John has schizophrenia. People with this disorder are often paranoid.

c. Thought and Speech Disorder

As the writer mentioned before in theoretical framework, the thought disturbances of schizophrenia are centered on the person’s inability to organize ideas coherently. The speech of people with schizophrenia may be garbled or hard to understand. The thought and speech disorder of Nash is shown in his rhyme clang associations statements. This is shown in the scene when Nash shows the symptom through his words when he is challenged by his friend, Hansen to play Go. He says “Terrified, mortified, petrified, stupefied...by you. No starch. Pressed and folded.” Martin Hansen : Nash is going to stun us all with his genius. Which is another way of saying... he doesnt have the nerve to compete. You scared? John Nash : Terrified. Mortified. Petrified. Stupefied... by you. No starch. Pressed and folded. According to Wiramihardja 2005, schizophrenic person sometimes suddenly shouting to say his word, 57 it also happens with the main character in A Beautiful Mind. There is a scene when Nash tells Charles that he tries to find his original idea, he works out dense calculations on the leaded-glass windows of his dorm room and dismisses classroom instruction as “the findings of lesser mortals.” He emphasizes the word of “lesser mortals” with high tone. From the Figure 71 below, we see people looking up when they heard Nash shouting. Figure 71 John Nash : You know half these schoolboys are already published? I cannot waste time with these classes... and these books. Memorizing the weaker assumptions of lesser mortals Another scene also shows that Nash suddenly shouting to say his word. It happens when Nash spends his days in library. Nash tells Charles that he cannot even find a topic for his doctorate while his friend already published another paper. Nash tells Charles again that he is trying to find his original idea. Yet, Charles interrupts Nash’s sentence and asks when Nash last eat. He tells Nash that he has no respect for cognitive reverie and only has enormous respect for pizza and beer. Later, Charles is going outside library and followed by Nash which says “I have respect for beer” in high tone. From the Figure 72 below, we see other people looking at Nash because he is shouting. 57 Sutardjo A. Wiramihardja 2005, op. cit. p. 143