If you have known me for any length of time, you probably know that I like
to use characters from motion pictures to illustrate for some of our more
abstract concepts. This is certainly the case with Jack Nicolson's
character, Melvin Udall, drawn from the motion picture _As Good As It
Gets_.
Melvin's obsessive-compulsive disorder in combination with an exceedingly
nasty personality allows us to see resistance to change at the very
powerful and personal level of the individual. Whereas we often tend to
look at change resistance from an organizational standpoint Melvin
reminded me that people need a little nudge (well maybe a shove) to from
an outsider to disrupt their comfort zone and kickstart the process of
change. For some people change is the slippery slope to Hell, for others
it is the one step at a time climb towards a new life.
The key ingredient is the emotional desire to change overcoming the logic
of resistance. In Melvin's case, his desire is the desire to maintain
a self-centered stability and a well-constructed personal status quo
warping the lives of the people who surround him by being a severe
pain-in-a**.
Melvin's desire to maintain control paradoxically leads him to change by
uncovering a desire for human relationships that is stronger than his
obsessive-compulsive disorder. But, then perhaps our resistance to
forgetting is misplaced or miscast as the resistance to change. Our
conflicted presents containing the intricate shifts between our pasts and
our futures.
If like me, you need to develop some empathy for people who are resistant
to change, go see _As Good As It Gets_ and watch finely portrayed case
studies. Helen Hunt's and Greg Kinnear's characters also offer the keen
observer some critical lessons in overcoming resistance to change
(forgetting?).
______________________
Great Optimism,
Dutch Driver
Abilene, TX
Hm. Telephone: 915.698.7217
mailto:
ddriver@cs1.mcm.edu