While Neil appears confident and affable around most people, he is extremely tense when around his father. On the first day of school, Mr. Perry makes an unannounced visit to Neil's dorm room. Neil's first reaction appears to be apprehension as his voice cracks, and his face flushes as his father enters the room. Another meeting with his father proves very similar for Neil. Towards the beginning of winter, Neil’s father once again visits his son's dorm room. As Neil lay his eyes on Mr. Perry, he again loses his confidence as his smile disappears, and his brisk gait comes to an abrupt halt. On the final occasion that Neil sees his father, his transformation is even more apparent. When Neil looks at the crowd watching his school’s production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in which he has the lead role, he notices his father standing in the back. At the moment that he eyes his father, Neil loses his smile and backpedals. His instantaneous change of expression suggests not only surprise, but also sadness. His rapid swings between happiness and sadness are further underlined after the play. At first, Neil appears totally satisfied with himself. He has an ear to ear grin as he takes a bow and receives the applause of the audience. When the crowd has left, however, Neil walks out from backstage to find that his father is the only person left in the theater, and Neil's smirk again vanishes.

According to recent studies, Neil's reactions to his father's demands are linked to psychological theory. Most psychological studies involving the parent-child relationship cannot overemphasize the importance of the parent-child relationship to the psychological well-being of the child (Amato & Rivera, 1999; Dekovic, 1997; Shah, 1994). Amato and Rivera, however, point out in their study that the father-child relationship will not damage the child psychologically if a tight mother-child relationship exists (1999). A strong mother-child relationship, however, does not exist for Neil Perry. Throughout the movie, it appears that Mrs. Perry is almost a non-entity in Neil's life. She only appears once throughout the entire movie, where she does nothing to defend Neil from Mr. Perry's reactionary decision to withdraw Neil from his prep school and put him in military school.

At this point Neil begins to gain a stronger personal identity. The most objective criterion in determining whether a person has an identity is whether or not he has friends (Winefield, 1996). Neil certainly does not lack friends. In fact, when Neil finds out that the local theater is casting for A Midsummer Night's Dream, he first tells his good friend Todd that, "For the first time in my life, I know exactly what I want to do right now." Furthermore, studies have concluded that most students gain a social identity when they enter early adulthood, so the time in Neil's life in which Dead Poets Society presents itself is correct (Winefield, 1996). When gaining this identity, however, certain conflicts are bound to arise between the parent and the child. Most of the time, problems result from the timing of a teenager's maturity. In the words of Maja Dekovic, "a great deal of parent-adolescent conflicts result from differing expectations between parents and their adolescents regarding the pacing of adolescent autonomy" (1997).

Mr. Perry realizes that Neil will eventually make decisions for himself. However, he does not think that Neil is capable of ordering his own actions at this juncture in his life. Instead, Mr. Perry feels that Neil will be incapable of decision-making until he graduates from Medical School. The conflict between Neil and his father, therefore, pertains less to a real desire of Neil’s to act in a play, and it has more to do with Neil and Mr. Perry having, "different views on age-appropriate behavior during adolescence" (Dekovic, 1997). Therefore, the movie not only takes the many interpretations of the father-child relationship into account, but it also encompasses the clashes inherent in a teenager's budding sense of selfhood.

Neil is constantly subjected to the will of his father. On the first day of school, Mr. Perry told Neil that he must drop the School Annual because Mr. Perry, "think[s] that [Neil] is taking too many extracurricular activities this semester." Despite showing competence in his studies during the rehearsal period, Neil's father demands that Neil quit acting in A Midsummer Night's Dream the day before it opens. Mr. Perry always qualifies such demands by telling Neil, "After you've finished medical school, and you're on your own, then you can do as you damn well please, but until then, you live under my rules, do you understand?" Mr. Perry's paternalistic tendencies have rendered Neil paralyzed when it comes to talking with his father. Once again, Neil and his father have a difference in opinions regarding what Neil should do with his life, resulting in yet another parent-adolescent conflict (Dekovic, 1997). While Neil knows that he wants to act, and while he tells this to virtually anyone that shows any interest, he is unable to tell his father that he truly enjoys acting.

Mr. Perry's utter disinterest in Neil's desires cause Neil a great deal of anxiety. He must constantly sacrifice his own pursuits for the sake of fulfilling his father's demands. Immediately following Neil's performance, however, his father brings him home. All of Neil's friends, including Mr. Keating, seem very impressed with Neil's acting ability as they try to talk with and congratulate Neil, but his father forces him into their car, and they drive off. Neil seems despondent and totally shut off from the outside world in the presence of his father; Neil’s eyes seem to glaze over and focus on nothing when he gets into the car.

Because Neil chooses to disobey his father by performing in the play, Mr. Perry becomes even more controlling. He withdraws Neil from Welton and forbids him from acting. As Neil's father is more controlling, Neil's response becomes more depraved, and instead of feeling anxiety, Neil feels hopeless. Soon after the play, Neil goes upstairs, opens his window, and puts on his costume from A Midsummer Night's Dream. At this point, Neil realizes that he wants a career in acting, and if he cannot act, then he does not want to live. He then takes a gun from a drawer in his father's desk and shoots himself in the head. While Neil does this, he does not speak, and he maintains an almost stoic look. Studies have found that, "paternal involvement (reported by fathers) is proportional to the number of behavior problems exhibited by their children" (Amato & Rivera, 1999). Therefore, if a father over involves himself in his child's life, then he runs a risk of significantly damaging his child's psyche. By removing Neil from school, Mr. Perry over asserts himself into Neil’s life, and consequently invokes in Neil a need to rebel from his father. Therefore, it is because of the clash between Neil’s desire for autonomy, and his father's unrelenting hold on authority, that Neil resolves himself to making one final decision that his father will not be able to repeal or prevent (Dekovic 1997).

The factors leading up to Neil's suicide, as well as the act itself, are all linked to scientific theory. Many studies point out that in households with guns, a teenager is more likely to commit suicide (King, 1999; Martunnen, Henriksson, Isometsa, Heikkinen, Aro & Lonnqvist, 1998). Unfortunately, many studies are very vague in terms of offering very specific factors that lead up to a teenager's suicide ideation. All, however, seem to agree that increased pressure in general can cause suicide ideation (Huff, 1999; King, 1999; Martunnen, Henriksson, Isometsa, Heikkinen, Aro & Lonnqvist, 1998). These studies also conclude that increased pressure from family members, as well as stress about the future are major factors in suicide ideation (Huff, 1999; King, 1999; Martunnen, Henriksson, Isometsa, Heikkinen, Aro & Lonnqvist, 1998). It seems that the only factor that makes Neil's suicide somewhat anomalous is that he shows no warning signs. Many studies agree that teens will tell someone else about their suicidal intentions before they attempt suicide (Huff, 1999; King, 1999; Martunnen, Henriksson, Isometsa, Heikkinen, Aro & Lonnqvist, 1998). This anomaly can be explained, however, by the fact that during Neil's suicide ideation, no one is around with whom he can talk with. His father takes him out of school, so Neil's friends cannot talk to him, and his parents are really the cause of his desire to commit suicide. Therefore, while Neil did not tell anyone of his suicidal intentions, his situation made this inconsistency credible.

Dead Poets Society perfectly illustrates the old adage that, "Good intentions pave the road to hell." Throughout Neil's life, Mr. Perry wants the best for his son. He makes great sacrifices to send his son to the right prep school, and he tries to set Neil on the right path. Unfortunately, Mr. Perry never seems to understand that wanting the best for someone means offering that person support in his own conception of the good life, and allowing that person a degree of selfhood. Neil's father does not do this. Instead, Mr. Perry felt that his son should mindlessly adhere to his father's ideas. Mr. Perry's paternalistic demands cause Neil much anxiety, which eventually results in Neil taking his own life. To this extent, Mr. Perry can be considered responsible for his son's death. Had Mr. Perry been less concerned with Neil becoming a doctor and more concerned with his son's success in his own field, then Neil almost certainly would have led an enjoyable life.
 
 

Amato, P.R., & Rivera, F. (1999). Paternal involvement and children's behavior problems. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61 (5), 375-384.

Amato and Rivera pose the question: how important is the father-child relationship? Their answer: not very. Although Amato and Rivera understand that many previous studies have argued the exact opposite, (that a healthy father-child relationship can greatly benefit the child) they argue that these studies were flawed. Previous studies were either based on the father's evaluation of the father-child relationship (not a very objective standard) or the previous studies did not consider the mother-child relationship. Amato and Rivera conclude that if there is a strong mother-child relationship, then a strong, well maintained father-child relationship will not hurt the child. If, however, the mother-child relationship is lacking, the father is not a vital enough figure to have a strong relationship with his child.

The National Review really did not like Dead Poets Society. The magazine claims that Dead Poets Society is dishonest above all else. It claims that Robin Williams' character, Mr. Keating, was such an incompetent teacher, that he never would have been teaching at Welton. Furthermore, the reviewer points out several anachronisms in the movie. He then goes on to further criticize Robin Williams' character, saying that no teacher ever could have skipped over part of the syllabus. The review then goes on to say that the notion that Mr. Perry would have withdrawn Tom from Welton is far-fetched. The Review then goes on to point out a series of other very minor flaws which really have nothing to do with the movie as a whole. The reviewer concludes by giving the movie an F, the lowest rating possible.

Dekovic explains how the aims of a particular study were as follows: a) to show the expectations of parents for their children to achieve various developmental tasks by certain ages, b) to see if personal traits of the child affect expectations of developmental tasks, and c) to see if the expectation differences between child and parent are related to the conflict between them. A study was performed on fathers, mothers, and adolescents. Dekovic explains how the analysis showed that the child's age is the best indicator of developmental timetables with gender and pubertal timing and temperament following. Also, the amount of conflict within the parent-child relationship is due to the differences in developmental expectations.

Throughout this review, Ebert pokes fun at the movie "Dead Poets Society." Ebert believes the movie to be ripped off from A Separate Peace. He also claims Peter Weir, the director, uses cheap one-liners from poems in such a way that it ridicules poetry. He goes on to say that Mr. Keating is more a plot device than a true character. One note that Ebert mentions is the addition of a love story between two characters in the movie. He says not only does this have no relevance to the main plot, it throws the audience off. Ebert believes the plot lacked depth, and the ending was so bad that it made him want to throw up. He finished his review off by giving the movie a lousy two stars.

This review offered an extremely unconventional look at Dead Poets Society. Geduld's claim refutes the common notion that Dead Poets Society is, "a strong argument for individualism and nonconformity." Rather, Geduld suggests that the movie is trying to demonstrate, "the disastrous consequences of allowing impulses to have free rein in a disciplined society." The movie offers numerous examples which support his interpretation. These examples included Neil's suicide (a result of accepting a role in a play on impulse), Charlie' expulsion (the result of punching a student on impulse) or the entire class's utter disillusionment. While many will undoubtedly continue to disagree, Geduld makes an interesting argument, and offers a fresh perspective on Dead Poets Society.

Huff tries to analyze the different factors which cause a teenager to attempt suicide. She found that depression, especially over some event that occurred in the last year was a major cause of adolescent suicide ideation. She found that most common among these stressors were poor grades, drug and alcohol use, and general increased pressure. She also found that the particular events which are most damaging are the deaths of siblings, friends, and grandparents, and the discovery that one is pregnant or being informed that one has caused a pregnancy. Huff also found that suicide ideation among adolescents is often accompanied by inexplicable tiredness, and telling others that no one understands them.

King attempts to refute the more common misunderstandings surrounding teenage suicide. King points out that suicide is the second leading cause of death among American adolescents, and is a more serious problem than teenage homicide. He also enumerates the warning signs for teenagers who are about to kill themselves. These warning signs include depressed mood, substance abuse, loss of interest in activities, distractibility, isolation, sleep changes, appetite changes, morbid ideation, and giving possessions away. He also lists general risk factors, which include, previously attempting suicide, having a recent breakup, having low self-esteem, being homosexual, living in an abusive home, and having easy access to a firearm

La Greca details a study that examined the modification of the popular Social Anxiety Scale for Children. The scale was revised for use with adolescents, and examined relationships between adolescents' social anxiety and their relationships and friendships with peers. The study included measures of social support, competence, and the quality of their relationships with friends. Girls generally reported more social anxiety than boys, mainly because it was shown girls basically have better social skills than boys. La Greca explains how adolescents with higher levels of social anxiety showed poorer social functioning (less acceptance by their peers), and girls with higher levels of social anxiety reported less friendships, and much less intimacy in their close relationships.

Here, Martunnen et al. report the differences in suicide attempts between adolescents with and without psychiatric disorders. They collected data on every Finish teen suicide attempt over the last year. To do so, the team requested interviews with the victims' families. Seventy-three percent of the families granted the team an interview. Family members answered 234 questions pertaining to "the victim's everyday life, family factors, use of alcohol and drugs, previous suicidality, help seeking behavior, and life events." The study concluded that those victims without mental disorders had less frequently experienced parental neglect. While it was common for both groups to express suicidal intent, the group without any mental disorders did so the day before they committed suicide.

Shah describes a study on the perception of a father's personality by addicts and non addicts. The study was conducted on Pakistani university students to determine whether the emotional stability of fathers and close father-son relationships are actually related to drug abuse. Results indicate that Pakistani university drug addicts had undesirable relationships with their fathers, given the large amount of rancor used in the adjectives describing their fathers. The students who had good relationships with their fathers tended to be drug-free.

Winefield, H. R. (1996). Psychological maturity in early adulthood: relationships between social development and identity. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 157, 93-104.

Winefield explains the relationship between one's personal identity and their development in society during their early adulthood. Many interviews were taken with older students to get statistical data. More than 9% of the sample felt they were socially isolated, yet it did not bother them. Nearly 28.3% of the students surveyed had very few friends, but felt identity was important during their early adulthood. About 20.2% of the older students seemed to have achieved not only a sense of identity, but a large number of friends. Winfeield believes the relationships personal identity and social relationships, which are usually described as criteria for emotional maturity in one's early adulthood, are definitely variable.