Essay Example on Howard Hughes: Success Despite OCD

The main Character, Howard Hughes (Leonardo De Caprio), has built a successful career in Aviation and Film Production. His success, however, is hindered by; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The condition has three main elements; obsessions (undesired or intrusive urges, images, or thoughts that enter the mind repeatedly). Emotions (intense feelings of anxiety or distress as a result of the obsession). Compulsions (a repetitive behavioral pattern that the person with OCD Feels motivated to do as a response to the feelings).

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Some irrational behavior exhibited by the character includes; He converts a movie to a sound film, something unheard of, especially in the Film Industry. Why would anyone convert a good film with high-quality video or graphics into audio form?? That would lower the quality, and aesthetic appeal since the visual part of any movie is critical. Among the few things that are known to be converted to audio from original form are; books and academic articles. There is a whole industry of audiobooks that are upcoming with companies like; Audible, as the first mover(s). (Pinheiro, 2019).

Howard also tests the limits of an aircraft's (H-1 racer) maximum speed obsessing about reaching a new speed record. In the end, he can achieve but at the cost of running out of fuel and crashing into a sugar beet plantation. Why would any mentally upright person risk their life to break their record? For an average person, Self-preservation is the essential survival instinct (Haara, 2018). Sure taking risks is part of success, but surely there are limits. Howard also develops romantic feelings for a minor, 15-year old Faith.

Something is not okay with Howard since a reasonable person would know to steer clear of non-platonic relationships with minors. It is illegal in most of the 186 countries of the world. When something comes to his mind, he obsesses over it and aims to make sure he gets it done no matter if it is illegal or a risk to their life. He goes to the point of bugging his girlfriend, Gardner, to keep track of her whereabouts and private conversations. She makes the discovery that breaks her trust, and she decides to break up with him.

Stress is tied to anxiety in that it causes a person to overthink things, and thus the emotional, right side of the brain kicks in, and the left side (logic and reason) may temporarily diminish. It is why people are told not to make decisions when under stress. Because when all the excitement or adrenaline rush is gone, and the logic returns eight times out of 10, they end up with uninformed decisions and regrets.

Some of the ways to modify stress and reduce anxiety include; Exercise, adequate rest, Exercise reduces stress hormone (cortisol) and stimulates the release of 'feel-good' hormones (Endorphins, dopamine, etc.). It is a positive way to handle stress as contrasted to things like; stress eating or alcohol-the latter only post-pones pressure. Adequate rest enables the mind to recover and manage the stress better, and it also improves the mood.

Therapy, in this context, is a series of activities meant to help a person cope with stress. The activities include; Charity. It has been proven that when you help a person in need through service, it reduces stress and brings feelings of hope and happiness-socializing with loved ones, hearing the voice of other human beings can alleviate stress. The use of anti-stress medication, prescribed by a doctor, may also apply, e.g., drugs to treat hormonal imbalances.

Conclusion

Meditation is another excellent way to reduce stress (Krisanaprakornkit, 2006). It is highly attributed to the success and is used as a morning routine by the likes of; Bill Gates, Dwayne Johnson, Angelina Jolie, and Jeff Bezos. It brings the mind to relax and thus works at an optimum, e.g., making decisions and creative thinking. People who meditate regularly have significantly lower stress levels and are more likely to make the right decisions even under pressure.

References

Haara, H. (2018). The Inclination to Self-Preservation. In Pufendorf's Theory of Sociability: Passions, Habits, and Social Order (pp. 137-164). Springer, Cham.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/symptoms/Kassinove, H. (Ed.). (1995). Anger disorders: Definition, diagnosis, and treatment. Taylor & Francis.

Krisanaprakornkit, T., Sriraj, W., Piyavhatkul, N., & Laopaiboon, M. (2006). Meditation therapy for anxiety disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (1).

Pinheiro, P., Fernandes, P. O., & Teixeira, J. P. (2019). Audiobook-the paradigm of the portuguese publishing market. Journal of EU Research in Business, 2019, 1-21.