20 Best Psychology Documentaries You Need to Watch

Best Psychology Documentaries

The knowledge that Psychology raises and provides us, the study of the human being, his behavior, his development, or the different alterations that he can show, is of great interest not only to expert subjects in this field but also to the general population. In this article, we present the 20 Best Psychology Documentaries that will surely not leave you indifferent and will give you a new perspective on some aspects that you had not valued before.

Documentaries are becoming one of the best forms of entertainment and learning. And if you are a professional, student, or curious about Psychology, there are some that you cannot miss for anything. The field of Psychology offers a variety of topics that adapt to the entire public and the different interests of the population. Below we will mention some of the best Psychology documentaries, making a summary of each one, so that it is easier for you to know which ones you prefer.

 

20 Best Must-Watch Psychology Documentaries

 

  1. Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive (2006)

This documentary stars Stephen Fry, a British actor diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The filming raises different issues and shows us the life of the actor, his ups and downs, and how the mental disorder affects his day-to-day life.

At the same time, we see how the protagonist talks, interact, and with other people about everything that the pathology involves, such as the treatment, the fear, or the family affectation that it generates. It, therefore, presents us with the hardest face of bipolarity but tries to provide a positive perspective and give strength and support to people who suffer from this alteration.

 

  1. Boy Interrupted (2009)

Boy Interrupted shows us and explains the life of Evan Perry through the recordings of his parents. Evan was an exceptional child, multi-talented, emotional, and intelligent, who suffered from bipolar disorder. Through the footage we can see how Perry’s emotional state varies, presenting emotional ups and downs as if it were a roller coaster.

This documentary made by his parents does not pretend to explain bipolar disorder, rather it is understood as a way of overcoming the loss of a child, a way of expressing what one feels, and showing the action and struggle carried out by the parents to try to cope with your child’s mental illness and continued suicidal ideation.

 

  1. The Man with the 7-second memory (2005)

Can you imagine your life without being able to generate new memories? Well, this is the story of Clive Wearing, an orchestra conductor whose virus left them without the ability to remember anything after 7 seconds, that is, he could not record new information, he was only able to identify his wife and remember related information with the music. The footage shows us the life of this man, and what his life is like day by day with the presence of this pathology.

 

  1. Anima (2011)

This documentary speaks to us and raises the relationship we have with ourselves, with other people, and with the environment that surrounds us. Likewise, it points out the possibility of power that we show as individuals and as partitions of a group, also highlighting our creative capacity.

 

  1. Rule from the Shadows the Psychology of Power (2014)

Rule from the Shadows the Psychology of Power shows how power acts in our society, and how the world moves. Similar to a chess game, it raises the importance of having different pieces, of different levels, to maintain the categories and thus have a group of opponents of the same rank or level. It also raises how the subjects who are above the general population, who have more power, act to influence and affect society, and how they raise the different issues so that people act as they wish and be able to exercise power over them. others.

 

  1. A Virus Called Fear (2012)

The documentary “A Virus Called Fear” shows us the distinction between the rational fear that is adaptive for the human being and the irrational fear that blocks us and harms us. Raising the research carried out by the well-known psychologist’s John Watson and Frederic Skinner, linked to learning and how it affects punishment or reward.

In the same way, it mentions the role of the media, how they can provide biased information to sensitize the population, or how the actions of some leaders or celebrities have played with the generation of fear.

 

  1. Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992)

This interesting documentary features Noam Chomsky as the protagonist, a renowned psychologist focused mainly on communication and language. This author tells us how the government and large companies manipulate or decide what information or news to transmit to the population through the media or how this information is presented to us.

In this way, we are given examples of news that were transmitted to the American population and others that were never communicated by the media. Thus, it is easier to understand and understand the purpose of producing similar opinions in the same population, reducing the critical opinion of each individual.

 

  1. Human (2015)

This documentary talks about human nature, as individuals and as members of society. The filming, made over two years, offers us the story of people from different parts of the world, with different experiences, addressing sensitive issues such as war, poverty or discrimination, as well as other issues present in all individuals such as love, the family or planning for the future.

 

  1. Mystical Brain (2006)

Mystical Brain shows us the studies and results found by a group of researchers on the power or effect that meditation produces on the brain of the people who practice it and how these positive effects can benefit the treatment of physical and mental conditions, working as a complementary treatment to traditional intervention.

 

  1. Children of Darkness (1983)

Children of Darkness is a film that shows life in psychiatric hospitals for children and adolescents. How are the life of these people and the affectation that both the mental disorder and the stay in the hospital generate in them? As a result of making the documentary and knowing about the practices carried out in different psychiatric hospitals, some of the centers were closed.

 

  1. I am Fishead: Are Corporate Leaders Psychopaths? (2011)

This documentary tells us how psychopaths act and if it is possible that the most powerful positions, those who are capable of reaching higher rungs in the hierarchy, show psychopathic traits. This hypothesis is born from the behavior of this type of individual, how they enjoy causing pain to other people, thus facilitating a selfish action that allows them to place themselves above others.

In the same way, he talks about sociopaths pointing out that in this case they do not enjoy the suffering of others but they do give priority to their benefit, thus also favoring a greater possibility of reaching superior positions.

 

  1. Reality and Extended Mind (2011)

This documentary shows the different investigations carried out to learn more about psi phenomena, linked to parapsychology, ba etter understanding of human consciousness, as well as other events that are difficult to find an explanation for.

 

  1. Beyond Thought (2011)

Beyond Thought focuses on understanding the nature of the mind, why the thoughts arise in us, and the distinction between our consciousness and our thinking.

 

  1. Why Do We Talk? (2009-2010)

The documentary Why Do We Talk? As its title tells us, it focuses on understanding language and how we manage to develop this ability. For greater understanding, it shows us the testimony of six subjects highlighting.

In particular, the story of a boy with autism who can speak more than 20 languages, the filming made by a father of the first three years of his children’s lives, allowing us to observe how begins to speak or the findings made by a researcher of what it is that allows us to speak.

 

  1. The Secret Life of Brain (2002)

This documentary deals with the development of the human brain, how it evolves throughout the lives of individuals, and what influence and impact this development have on human behavior.

 

  1. Albert Fish: In Sin He Found Salvation (2007)

The documentary Albert Fish: In Sin He, Found Salvation discusses what life is like for serial killers, featuring Albert Fish as the protagonist, one of the cruelest serial killers, and his involvement in child abuse, prostitution, and murder.

 

  1. Total Isolation (2008)

This documentary shows the results that were obtained in the first serial deprivation experiment. That is, how the non-presence of stimuli affects people. The study consisted of isolating six subjects for 48 hours, three of them were placed in a soundproof room without light and the other three were allowed to listen to white noise, sound with all frequencies, and all with the same power.

 

  1. Mary and I (2013)

The documentary María y Yo tries to bring us closer to the knowledge of autism in a natural way, through the relationship between a father and his teenage daughter with autism. The footage shows us the holidays of father and daughter, how they manage to connect, and what difficulties of coexistence arise.

 

  1. One Percent, Schizophrenia (1% Schizophrenia) (2006)

This documentary allows us to learn about the experience of people who suffer from schizophrenia, a pathology that occurs in the population with a higher percentage than we think, and how this mental disorder affects the individuals who show it.

 

  1. The Greater Good (2017)

The documentary The Greater Good presents us with a study based on the popular moral dilemma of the two train tracks, the subjects found on them, and the possibility of activating a lever and modifying the trajectory.

The purpose of the research is to differentiate between instinct and philosophical reflection, and also assess with different experts in the field of Psychology, what is the best way to apply this study without negatively affecting the participating subjects.

 

 

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