PSY2012

1, May 2015

Shawshank Stress
Shawshank Redemption was written by one of my favorite authors. Stephen King, who
is usually the master of horror, hits this story out of the park also. When the movie aired in 1994
it didnt have a high rating. However, critics loved it and it was even nominated for seven
Academy Awards. Set in 1947, this story about a man falsely accused of murder and serving the
time for it doesnt, on the surface, sound like it will become that widespread or loved.
Andy, the man who was accused and convicted of his wifes, and her boyfriend, murder is
sent to Shawshank Prison. During his time there he meets many inmates, but becomes closer to
Red, a man who can get you anything, and Brooks who worked in the library. While all three:
Andy, Red and Brooks, are quiet, calm men, they do not respond or cope with stress the same
way.
Brooks is the least in control of the three. Under normal circumstances he is quiet like
Red and Andy, feeding his bird or working in the library. Brooks has become so institutionalized
that his response to stress is loss of control. Brooks has been in Shawshank since 1905, and is
the oldest inmate. When he is subjected to more than the usual stressors, he cant handle it and
escalates his behavior. When he finds out he is paroled he holds a neck up to Haywoods neck
threatening to kill him in order to stay in prison.
As Brooks is leaving the prison, he grips the bar tightly on the bus, is almost hit by a car,
and says the world is going so fast in his letter to Andy. In his letter to Andy, he says he has

trouble sleeping at night and Thinks about shooting the manager in a daydream of robbing the
store. Brooks coping skill is emotion-focused coping turned maladaptive.
The bad events, him learning of his approved parole, combined with his already lack of
control pushes him to generalized helpless behavior. He has a job and a house, he cant be
happy, cant keep up with coworkers, his hands hurt most of the time and when he goes to feed
the birds he looks for his bird in prison, Jake. His already negative thoughts even think his
manager doesnt like him, and due to his bad coping skills he makes the decision to kill himself,
and goes through with it.
Red and Andy are slightly different in coping and responding to stress. Red has emotionfocused coping skills. He responds to his stressors by talking to someone about it. When he is
denied parole the first two times he doesnt make a scene or complain to anyone about it. After
his second time being denied Red seeks comfort from Andy, who got him a harmonica, and even
then it was just to put his disappointment into words, he doesnt scream, cry or get visually upset.
While Andy is completely problem-focused coping and responds to stress by attempting
to get the upper ground and control over the situation, or fighting back when that doesnt work.
Andy can have the upper hand in a situation without someone knowing that he had it planned.
When working on tarring the roof, Andy overhears the Captain talking about money problems.
Andy knows that he could help him, and offers to do so for a price. Three beers for everyone
later, and Andy has an agreement with the Captain, which turns into Andy helping more guards
and eventually the Warden. If talking his way out of it fails, he defends himself as much as
possible. He slams a movie reel into the Sisters head to try to get out of that rape-y situation.
Andy and Red however are alike in their personal control. Andys perception of control
is internal locus of control. He can be in complete control, with all the strings in his hand and

achieve what he wants most of the time. As he and Red talk about what would happen if the FBI
found out about what was going on with the taxes Andy helps the warden and guards with, he
tells Red that he already has a fake fall guy if anything happens with the wardens money. He
even has full papers on the fake guy.
While Reds perception of control is an external locus of control. Red has made himself
indispensable to others for protection by being the man who can get you anything. Each time he
accepts his parole denial with nothing more than letting Andy know it hurt the second time. At
one point Red says hes institutional now. Which is slightly true, as we find out after he is finally
granted parole, when he cant take a bathroom break at his new job without asking first. It is also
a type of classical conditioning, where Red learns to link two or more stimuli and anticipate
events.
Red also dreams about doing something to get sent back like Brooks did. He says
however the promise made to Andy about meeting up with him is the only thing stopping him
from committing a crime. He was able to keep his promise to Andy unlike Brooks because
having a better personal control and self-image.
Both Red and Andy go through a moment when their ideals are turned around, or
perception of it. When Andy loses his control of his situation is when the warden doesnt allow
him to attempt to get the guy who claimed to kill his wife arrested, or looked into. He makes the
wrong statements that any other time would be fine but this time only makes the warden even
angrier. When the warden comes to him after a month in the hole, he tries regaining control
saying all his tax work will stop, the warden tells him otherwise. This results in Andy retreating
into himself and focusing on an outward appearance of following the rules. His perception of
control has been broken, and he works mentally to fix it. While Red change is in a better

situation. His external locus of control is changed when after his parole he gets the letter from
Andy. Red pushes out his daydreams of going back to prison and no longer leaves it up to fate.
He takes his future in his own hands and breaks his parole to go find Andy.
While coping with stress and the response is something everyone will notice and see, the
hard part is whats underneath. The perception of control has an effect on your self-worth, which
can lead to a change of how you cope. Stephen Kings characters have always stayed with me
through the years. Andy was the man who got his end goal by going through hell. He took
chances and made mistakes, like anyone could envision doing.
Andy, Brooks and Red are similar in outside demeanor; they are very different when
stress is added to their life. Brooks and Red see little self worth in themselves, and while it ends
in Brooks death, Red changes his life going to Mexico. Andy, the only innocent man in prison,
stayed strong to his belief even through beatings and months in the hole, still managed to get out
and take control back over his life completely. Andy, Red and Brooks all had a similar trait, but
their endings couldnt have been more different. It is no wonder this movie has been the number
one movie on of a list of 250 for years, yet came out in 1994.