we use the prescriptive way. By selecting the appropriate films
we can learn to improve ourselves.
This assumption is supported not only by psychology but
also by theories of learning and creativity. Research about
accelerated learning indicates that acquisition and retention are
enhanced when, in addition to the use of stories and metaphors,
multiple senses are engaged during the learning process.
Teaching methods that draw from this are demonstrated in
movies likeDead Poet’s Society (1989) and more recently,
Pay It Forward (2000). These films portray teachers who
believe that the way to teach their students is by attaching
meaning to the material; by creating an environment or situa-
tion where students will experiencewhat is being taught on
many levels, rather than just reading or hearing about it.
Movies can provide a similar learning environment.
Elaine, Alice, and Hal experienced a shift in their awareness by
watching a certain film after efforts to solve their problems
cognitively had failed.
Howard Gardner suggests that we have multiple “intelli-
gences.”^5 The more of these intelligences we access, the faster
we learn, because by doing so we employ different methods of
information processing. Sturdevant hypothesizes that watching
movies can engage most of these intelligences:^6
The film’s plot engages our logical intelligence
Script dialogue engages the linguistic intelligence
Pictures, colors, and symbols on the screen engage the
visual-spatial intelligence
Sounds and music engage our musical intelligence
Storytelling engages the interpersonal intelligence
Movement engages the kinesthetic intelligence
Self-reflection or inner guidance, as demonstrated
especially in inspirational films, engages the intrapsy-
chic intelligenceThe viewer accesses the last three intelligences not directly but
through identification with the characters.
“As the mind explores the
symbol, it is led to ideas
that lie beyond the grasp
of reason.”
Carl Gustav
JungHow Movies Support Healing and Transformation 31