Psychology of Control: Whiplash Effect

Terence Fletcher says this early in Whiplash, and he means it as a piece of pedagogy. He says it like a man who has found the one flaw in the entire system of human encouragement. By the time the film ends, we've watched him prove his point twice: once by destroying a student with it, and once by using its absence to build one. Approval of others is detrimental to our performance. Even if it’s cruel. Desire for greatness guides people to pursue a vision, regardless of whose head it originated in. Whiplash shows the main character's growth as he works toward securing his “mentor's” approval. 

Within a few sessions, Andrew stops asking whether he's good and starts asking whether Fletcher thinks he's good, which is the hallmark of socially prescribed perfectionism, in which a person's standards are experienced as coming from outside, as demands they didn't set and can't renegotiate (Hewitt & Flett, 1991). Socially prescribed perfectionism is the one reliably linked to anxiety, depression, and, in its most severe expressions, severe self-harm (Smith et al., 2018). Perfectionism among young people has been rising for three decades, and the increase tracks specifically with socially prescribed perfectionism. Socially prescribed perfectionism tends to manifest as an expectation of more than can reasonably be delivered, leading to longing and self-dissatisfaction. 

Fletcher's core technique of asking "were you rushing, or were you dragging?" without ever confirming, it isn't really about tempo. Andrew was never really supposed to locate the correct answer because, technically, there isn’t one. Belief in one’s ability to influence another person’s outcome is an innate need, a human nature. It's been argued to function as something close to a psychological necessity, on par with more basic biological needs, wired in early and defended fiercely across the lifespan (Leotti, Iyengar, & Ochsner, 2010). Unpredictable punishments and feeling the loss of self-efficacy can begin to feel quite soothing if that is familiar. Over time, familiarity grows, and a harsh pattern that often arises in intimate relationships is evident in Andrew’s case as well. 

Incentive and scrutiny increase conscious attention to one's own execution, and that self-monitoring disrupts the automaticity that skilled performance depends on (Baumeister, 1984). The other thing missing from Fletcher's band, structurally, is any tolerance for error as a normal part of getting better. Motivation researchers distinguish between mastery goals, which are described as striving to improve, and performance goals, which are described as striving to appear competent and to avoid appearing incompetent (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). Under Fletcher, mastery goals were never an option, especially due to his aggressive and powerful stance in the community, pushing his apprentices to beg for his torture. 

Even though the movie’s ending offers a slight hint of understanding between them, it rests on the wreckage and destruction beneath that potential peace. Any relationship, whether it be mentorship, partnership, or marriage, should ask a question of cost. What am I paying for this result? And was it even my goal to begin with?