Reaching Out to Black Male Youth

Education, Transformation, Courage, Resistance. These are the words printed in bold and taped to the wall of Dr. Malcolm Woodland’s office in the Judiciary Courthouse on 4^th Street.

“Actually, I need a fifth one,” the doctor remarks, pointing to the words and making a mental note. “Resilience. Let’s put that up there.” As a black, male professional in the world of Juvenile Forensic Psychology, these are the cornerstones of what Dr. Woodland believes uphold a person’s character. “Sometimes,” he continues, “I talk to kids about some of the pillars they’ll need to be successful. Education, Transformation to become someone new from time to time. Courage to be who you are. Resistance to resist the foolishness out there…” And Resilience, of course, as one of the necessary survival traits particularly for young black males facing turbulence in today’s world.

Many such young men find their way to Dr. Woodland’s office for Psychological evaluation and treatment related to whatever crimes they’ve committed. As a Forensic Psychologist for the juvenile justice system here in DC, Dr. Woodland serves as more than just a doctor to his charges. He’s also a life-long mentor. The images of Harriet Tubman, a jovial Malcolm X, and the inspirational Frederick Douglass line the walls of his office opposite the four (soon to be five) pillars of success. Although he’s been known to work closely with judges, attorneys, and probation officers, he also leaves time open to volunteer his counseling and mentoring services, often for free. It was in a home for the children of HIV sufferers that he began perfecting his mentor/process group model for therapy.

After over a decade of practice perfecting the group, with publications in Urban Education, The Journal of Negro Education, The Journal of Black Psychology, and the Washington Post, Dr. Woodland is ready to bring his technique to the Psychological Group of Washington (PGW) and lend another helping hand to the many black, male teenagers in need.

With a collection of about 6-7 guys per group, Dr. Woodland uses pop culture and media to examine themes in the lives of youth of color. In a world where many of these guys may resist the very concept of therapy, this round-table often looks somewhat different from the traditional group therapy setting and involves equal parts of self-disclosure and mentorship to flourish. The over-arching idea is to create a space in which young men, usually African-American, can learn to think critically about their lives, their influences, and the marks they leave behind.

“We may do that through media,” Dr. Woodland explains, “We may do that through readings. We may do that through expressive stuff (like) having them write something… The hope is that it allows them (the boys) to think critically about things that pass through their lives that have serious influences on them.” And with the stereotypes associated with black American masculinity, there’s no doubt about the need for some added guidance in a society often full of very capable yet sometimes over-extended single mothers.

It’s far from an easy task marketing group therapy to young men, let alone getting them to sit down in a circle of their peers and self-disclose freely without the silent fear of judgment. “The very first resistance is ‘you’re a doctor and I don’t need therapy,’ ” Dr. Woodland explains. Once that barrier is passed, then come the questions of whether or not it’s okay to share and how to overcome the fear of what others might think.

After spending 10-15 years perfecting this group model, Dr. Woodland has seen some promising results from a renewed interest in learning and self-improvement to remarkable insight into identity. It’s an alternative way to engage young people who, for one, need the stimulation and guidance, who need to think about their lives critically, and who wouldn’t necessarily flourish in one-on-one treatment. Envisioned for those parents who may not know exactly what kind of assistance to give to a rapidly growing teenager, this group can provide a novel avenue for expressivity and growth, even from the first session.

“The real click is when they’re not only able to do that for an hour or hour and a half,” says Dr. Woodland, “But be able to think critically about who they are and the mark they’re leaving on people in the several other hours they’re not in group.” It’s nice to “catch” them and hold their interest in session but it’s much better to keep the work going after the fact. And that’s the plan for this new group being offered through PGW. It’s an added support for the journey through adolescence and having seen many others reach a period of real, personal enlightenment, Dr. Woodland and the PGW team are excited to open the way.

Helping You Relate to Others Through Group Work

“None of us has our stuff together,” says Dr. Kindaichi, “Not completely. Though, we’d like others to believe.”

For those who shudder at the thought of conversing with a stranger, Dr. Kindaichi couldn’t be more right. Each of us goes about our lives harboring baggage that we’d like to think is not so transparent. We’d like to think others can’t see what’s underneath the hood but certainly it’s obvious to us. It seems like talking to people should be instinct—hardly worth a “how to” guide. But for some of us, interacting with others doesn’t come so easily and the areas where we fall short may not be so obvious. Where one person’s nod can lead to an instant conversation on the metro, someone else might be lucky to avoid staring at the floor during a party. And how can you be expected to know just the right thing to say, with the right tone of voice, the right volume, and the right facial expressions when it’s hard enough to keep your palms from sweating at the thought? How can we have confidence that the self we think we show to others is the self that others really see?

Sometimes the problems we face aren’t all that clear and it requires a change of lens to figure out how we can improve our lives. This theory is at the heart of group support and it’s the driving force behind The Psychological Group of Washington’s mission to offer a way out for those of us who may be struggling when it comes to relationships and interpersonal interactions.

Dr. Mai Kindaichi and Dr. Richard Griffith have begun collaboration on what’s called an Interpersonal Process Group (that’s the technical definition). In layman’s terms, PGW wants to bring together a group of 6-8 people who feel they need work on what it takes to relate to others. Meeting either Mondays or Tuesdays, the group offers a chance for each individual to unpack what he or she can do differently to interact with the world in a more holistic and satisfying way. And the group isn’t just for the meek when it comes to the world of conversation. People struggling with teing highly critical and judgemental, others who can’t make relationships work, or even those just looking to learn about who they are interpersonally can benefit from this group’s supportive process. It’s about identifying where communication goes wrong for each individual and how to correct for success.

“We all have work to do,” Dr. Kindaichi explains, “We all have triggers and places in our souls that are wounded which, when tapped, makes us behave badly.”

Sound like anyone you know? The idea for this group’s process stems from the age-old notion that it’s always better to have more than one perspective. That’s why Dr. Kindaichi and Dr. Griffith will facilitate the group together. Dr. Griffith has worked with countless couples with The Psychological Group of Washington and Dr. Kindaichi has facilitated groups from spiritual and existential support for cancer patients to a young men’s Hip Hop group and LGBT support group for teens. If anyone can lead a host of travelers through the journey of self-exploration, it would be them.

In session, each person will get feedback from both doctors and their fellow travelers on how they’re interacting and what can be improved upon while in a safe and wholesome environment surrounded by people with many of the same goals and concerns. Typically, group therapy goes through stages with “Forming” at the start—a period of coming together. This is followed by “Norming” where the group begins to establish a flow and an understanding of what’s permissible between one another. Those limits are eventually tested in the “Storming” stage when conflicts can arise and the goal of the group is to overcome that conflict, working to better understand and relate to one another. When the worst is past, the group enters “Performing” as a period of personal revelation in which new interpersonal habits have begun to form.

“When it works, it’s eye-opening,” Dr. Kindaichi says, referring to how groups weather the storm. Once the team hits “Adjourning,” the final stage, they’ve come to several realizations that can propel themselves closer to the lives they’ve always imagined. And despite age, background, or walk of life, anyone can benefit from the process of seeing him/herself through the eyes of another. By working through what makes you anxious, angry, or annoyed, you can awaken something that wasn’t there before.

Our hope is that many of you out there will get to experience the transformative benefits of group work with us here at The Psychological Group of Washington. To join the journey, please contact Dr. Mai Kindaichi or Dr. Richard Griffith at (202) 223-9844 or visit us online at www.psychgroupdc.com. The first step is always the hardest but we hope it will lead you through our door and toward a renewed experience of life.

Trading Fate for Chance

“We are the people who make sure things happen according to plan,” intones an inimitable John Slattery as lead adjuster Richardson. He’s flanked by impeccably dressed men in suits and fedoras, who loom over Matt Damon’s David Norris with all the power of a man who can appear anywhere, at any time. Norris’ bewilderment is our own; then, his wild – and fleeting – attempt at escape becomes a reflection of the terror and turmoil that will propel him through this sci-fi thriller romance.

The Adjustment Bureau, feature debut of director George Nolfi, is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story, “Adjustment Team.” Though the film takes care to avoid utilizing religious terms directly (the term “angels” comes up only once in passing), the narrative plays as a Christian allegory. David Norris, a hometown hero and up-and-coming politician meets the free spirited Elise (Emily Blunt) the day he concedes his 2006 race for Senate. With a kiss and her encouragement, he sets in motion a renewed chance at a political career and a love that will come to consume him. It’s this chance meeting that eventually opens his eyes to the world of the Adjusters and their superior, The Chairman.

Behind the curtain of the world, there are those entities who pull the strings, who ensure you are where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to. They aren’t fate – they simply know it. Norris’ struggle under the Adjustment Bureau’s authority, to claim control over his life and choices in the face of [the Plan], is ubiquitous on the path to self-actualization. Who among us, on the therapist’s couch, has not contended with the conflict of ‘what I want’ in the face of life’s apparent, insurmountable will?

Psychotherapy is the mode through which many seek help to apply shape to life’s journey. For those who fear free-wheeling, counseling restores a sense of personal control, emphasizes the value of choice, regardless of life’s ability to generate a feeling of impotence. In the therapeutic space, we examine the chance events that shape the day; psychologists make meaning out of seemingly meaningless events. After all, it was chance that brought David and Elise together, coincidence that spurred their second encounter. Against the instruction of the Adjusters – the planners – he made the choice to continue to pursue her.

Who will you invite to be part of your journey to self-actualization? Though the Adjusters played the role of the antagonist in Nolfi’s vision, their critique of Norris and the effect love – particularly Elise’s love – was not altogether incorrect. Couples counseling emphasizes compromise in relationships. In the modern world, career is often held paramount; The Adjustment Bureau is structured around the time frame between two Senate campaigns. Before Elise, Norris seeks to fulfill the empty spaces left by personal tragedy with work. With her, Richardson fears he will become full and content, yet stagnant.

Contentment is no evil, but in the eyes of the Plan, stagnation for sake of love is. Nolfi smartly refers to the effects of David’s choice as ‘ripples.’ Fulfillment through Elise would deprive him of the agitation that would one day lead him to the presidency. While therapy is empowering in the way of emphasizing the value of choice, it provides the essential function of forcing us to remain cognizant of the ways in which our choices affect others. Stress, or anxiety, was the instigator of David’s journey as it is so often the motivator for us all. People by nature seek balance, fullness. If the Adjusters rightly illuminated how the burdens he carried would lead him to the highest office in the land, they wrongly assumed how he would like to be made full.

There is no quick fix on the road to self-actualization. The Adjustment Bureau spans four years, and Nolfi renders Damon in his lowest moments with dark clarity. He languishes against gray New York, hides away in his apartment, saturated in darkness. Ultimately, this lightweight sci-fi romance resting on a campy gimmick – who would’ve anticipated hats held the key to our world? – succeeds on the clarity of the director’s eye and the power of Blunt and Damon’s performances. We watch them toil against the winds of fate from the Chairman’s seat, the camera often peering down at an imperiously high distance as people refuse to be swayed.

The "Perfect" Black Swan

Your heart begins beating its way out of your chest and the lump in your throat becomes unmistakable. The world feels suffocating even as you try to inhale and your fingers grip on to your own body for dear life, back pressed against a bathroom stall as you beg to feel safe for just a second. But you know it’s looming—you’ll have to take that next step out into what you dread and fills your mind with images of imagined danger. You may notice it or you may not—the feel of your nails digging into flesh again, picking and peeling at your own skin. Shame, guilt, fear, anxiety all join the array of “what ifs” and paralyzing terrors as you realize what you’ve done to your own body and every time your eye catches the mirror, you can see it happening again, your own reflection urging you to “dig deeper” with every passing second.

Welcome to life as Nina Sayers.

Not only did Black Swan give we at PGW a thrilling cinematic experience, the tribulations of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) provides a perfect chance to flex those diagnostic muscles. However, if there were just a single diagnosis to explain away Nina’s menagerie of disorders, the story wouldn’t carry half its thrill. Every one of us at one point in time has been prey to anxiety—it can often motivate us or prevent us from being harmful to ourselves. For many others however, anxiety moves from comfort and well into a disorder, which can easily manifest with compulsivity like picking at hair or skin. What Nina suffers from however is obviously beyond anxiety alone but the leap from self-mutilation to psychosis probably isn’t far for a hyper-focused girl in her twenties under fire from every relationship she has.

Take, for instance, her mother Erica (Barbara Hershey). We’ve all seen that parent before… the kind-hearted, worrier who forever wants the best for her daughter. But these parents often have their “Mr. Hydes” to match the pretty smile don’t they? And it isn’t hard to see that Erica’s feigned smile is laced with a sick expression lying just beneath the surface. From the first moment Nina’s mother orders her to lift up her shirt and examine her back, we begin suspect the truth—self-mutilation is not a new trick for Nina Sayers and mom probably has a lot to do with that.

When the screen opens up to a room full of obsessive, ballerina-themed works of art, the audience knows instantly that the mother is not well and her tendencies for obsession carried on into her daughter without question. Nina is a girl who starts off the movie with a history of anxiety and compulsive mutilation, gets the part of a lifetime only to be sexually harassed by her instructor, gets taunted by rivals, and fails to become the out of control bad girl everyone (but her mother) wants her to be. The ballet is literally the only real thing in her life, changing from a dream to an outright obsession.

Her mind makes the reality come true and every major experience Nina has is revealed to be a delusion. She hallucinates a lesbian experience with her rival dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis)—a girl with black wings conveniently tattooed on her back. Her mind screams at her to fulfill every self-mutilating compulsion through mirror reflections of herself picking at her shoulder blade. Probably one of the more graphic scenes includes a delusion of Nina peeling back her cuticle to the point of spilling blood. And in the end, she acts out probably years of internalized self-hate in murdering a hallucination of her rival, Lily (who at one point during the fight actually bore Nina’s face), only to find the murder weapon, a shard of glass, lodged within her own abdomen. In effect, Nina sleeps with and murders her idealization of the Black Swan in a series of delusions that warp reality to the point of no return—all to become the Black Swan herself. Her obsession with ballet causes her to create experiences, and even an alternate, out-of-control self, that turns her into the perfect woman for the part.

And that’s the real problem isn’t it? Perfection. If nothing else, Black Swan highlights the suicidal reality characteristic of the need for absolute perfection. Working your limbs to the bone as Nina had—bleeding from her toenails—might seem like a powerful commitment to a dream, however, I doubt most of us are looking forward to fist fights with imagined versions of ourselves/our enemies only to end up bleeding from the gut. Realistically, Anorexia, Bulemia, Self-Mutilation, Depression, and many other disorders result from the wish to be flawless. And how long does perfection last? Both Nina’s mother, and the ballerina she replaced, Beth MacIntyre, were left with obsessions that destroyed their personal lives. That is often the price of “perfection”—to mourn days lost and compromise what little future comes thereafter.

This isn’t to say that seeking greatness and realizing your dreams is counterproductive to your health. But perhaps, craving perfection at all costs, trying to please everyone except yourself, and making life about just a single reality probably isn’t the greatest exercise of your time. Hopefully Black Swan drove the point home…

The Allegory of Inception

It’s difficult to imagine that Christopher Nolan set out to create one of the most entertaining and now-beloved movies of all time simply to make an allegory to the therapeutic process, however that’s ironically just what happened. Think about it… We begin and end this life attempting to overcome the existential crisis—being born, living, and dying alone. Shared dreaming is, in one sense, what we all attempt in life but on a deeper and more dangerous level. We live to share our dreams with one another and avoid isolation. Inception captures that very basic human need and builds upon the experience of togetherness by allowing characters to not only, share dreams but also, share the entire experience of dreaming with other people (not to mention keep control over it). Joining subconscious is perhaps, the most intimate form of union a person could think of (despite Cobb using it for thieving and inception).

This complete disclosure of the mind to another and allowance of co-creation in a person’s own subconscious is a connection that eliminates the reality of loneliness where every part of a person, down to the very thought, can be exposed. Sharing ideas, creating worlds, spending a lifetime together… these are life goals, which Inception condensed into only a few hours. There’s little wonder then why Cobb could admit to his wife’s projection that they “had their time together,” albeit in a dream as though it allowed for a sense of peace. Mal and Cobb experienced what every couple in the world hopes to as part of their actual lives despite the cost. We attempt these things everyday within the constraints of reality but our lives especially are built upon our perceptions. All things that come to pass in life truly do begin with ideas—ideas which we ultimately hope to build upon and share with others.

Ariadne going into Cobb’s mind and sharing in the experience of his guilt is literally the action of the therapeutic process. Although it’s a bit of a flaw in the movie that no other character seems to have inner demons, the projection of Mal is an example of how our own emotions make us prone to self-sabotage if left unchecked. And what does this say of the power of emotions over our thoughts to begin with? It’s easy to think something—often so easy that we think without even knowing it. We can change our thinking and we can, over time, alter how we think—but how easy is it to change how you feel? Even Cobb, who would go into a dream state simply to lock his wife’s projection away, couldn’t contain the massive guilt he’d experienced. This is how all our emotions tend to unfold. The ramifications of emotional baggage are beyond serious and Inception shows perfectly that these feelings are often greater than our thoughts and more difficult to control.

But which emotions are the more powerful? Cobb, at one point, suggests “positive emotion trumps the negative every time.” How true is this? It’s proven that negativity is effortful. It takes more energy to frown than to smile—more energy to be angry than to be happy, however which then has the greater impact on us? Happiness, after all, doesn’t bring patients to the clinic. The trick to negativity is that we tend to push it aside or swallow it, rather than deal with it. Burying emotions by trying to “think them away” will inevitably lead to fulminating repercussions and possible inability to function, which is often what brings most patients into therapy. This is when each person loses the ability to serve as architect of his or her own dreams, not so different from Cobb’s inability to shape dream worlds because of Mal…

Freud had it figured that we may each become stuck at a stage of life when a significant upset harms our emotional experience. The situation Cobb went through could not have been more ideal for the space in which he was trapped. Ariadne—a character based from Greek mythology who once aided Theseus in escaping the Minotaur’s labyrinth—was a healthy, inquisitive mind serving as a sort of chorus for the movie. Not only did the audience learn the specifics of shared dreaming through her character, we also got to experience someone finally taking direct action on Cobb’s burning subconscious (without introducing the chaos of her own). This is the role of a therapist, taking the plunge into someone’s experience to guide the patient through the damage caused by unchecked emotional baggage. However, the work cannot be done unless the sufferer can confront the projections of that baggage—often real-life setbacks. Sounding familiar?

We all flirt with the dream state—tempted by a reality in which we don’t have to confront our problems often at even greater emotional cost. Cobb needs that device to dream but more so to reshape his hurt and keep Mal alive like an addiction. But don’t we all, at some time or another, become addicted to behaviors and ideas meant to set our minds at ease? Therapy attempts to put an end to dependence upon that state providing a “kick” to draw patients out of a poorly-perceived reality and build a “totem” to reality-check when old ways of thinking resurface. And more often than not, clinicians spend their time trying to give patients a much-needed “reality check.” Inception makes a perfect allegory to therapy even at its ending with an idea so infectious it even causes the audience to wonder. Where is Cobb by the end of his journey? Is he healed of his guilt? Does he settle for simply another dream world or can he exist among the real? People face these questions every single day and therapists are left wondering. How often do patients relapse into perceptions that are unrealistic? How often do the projections and manifestations of their baggage return? Most clinicians never get to know the answer to these questions when a patient steps out of the office that final time. Is catharsis enough to assuage the subconscious or are our worst feelings powerful enough to override all our work? The story of Inception is literally the story of every human being on the planet negotiating within themselves for peace of mind—eventually faced with a choice to indulge in false perceptions or see reality for what it truly is.

The Fun of Being a Therapist

Friends, The Office, 30 Rock… what do they have in common? High quality, jaw dropping, “I can’t believe that just happened” antics. Not exactly the picture you’d get coming from a psych practice tucked away on 21^st and K. Although it might be hard to picture your therapist as anything other than the serene voice of reason, leaned back in a chair with legs folded, when the 9 to 5 ends, they have to go back to being “just regular people,” too. However during the 9 to 5 being a psychologist is like 3 parts doctor, 2 parts friend, and somehow 1 part secret espionage agent… (Yes, I’m actually serious).

A therapist can’t be late for appointments because he or she has to be completely reliable and 100% stable in the patient’s eyes. This means being in the office early with undivided attention focused expressly on the needs of the individual. But what you may not know is that it also means a complete shift of identity for the therapist as well. Many avoid wearing flip-flops and clothes that reveal too much of their skin. They have to duck in and out of cover in public when simply catching sight of a client out of the corner of an eye and wait until after a patient has left the building before moving the car (which by then might have a parking ticket) to keep their patients from seeing what kind of cars they drive or things like that. All of this goes to the anonymity necessary for the therapist-patient relationship. Yes, some therapists quite literally have to hide and wait for clients to come and go in order to live their lives as both citizens and care-givers. God forbid should you go to a club and end up seeing one of your patients there. That means diving behind couches and chairs avoiding eye contact until you reach the door and end what would’ve been a fun night a bit too early. Hard to imagine therapists even going to clubs right?

It’s called the Tabula Raza or “blank slate.” The people who rely on you for psychological care have to be people separated from the greater part their therapists’ social lives. They have to project their emotional difficulties onto the care-giver and, in turn, that giver must sometimes act as a surrogate voice for the patient. Being a psychologist then, becomes something like putting on a blank canvas and allowing the patient to paint you as whatever they need you to be. Obviously that means overexposing them to the rest of you and your own experience is kind of a “no no.” Some therapists watch showing their toes outright (sorry, the cute shoes might have to go). The feet are the roots of a person—the base and stable ground. Essentially, hideous feet are the mark of someone not too interested in personal care and either consciously or subconsciously gives the impression that your stability and self-care are not where they should be… Never a good impression for a mental health doctor.

And while presentation/espionage is a decent part of keeping the relationship between patient and doctor well established, there’s also the actual health of the therapist to keep in mind. Part of the idea behind therapy is giving of your own Ego to the patient. The therapeutic process is an act of sharing with the client and, at times, can prove taxing on the part of the giver. Hence, as much of the therapist’s life as possible must be nurturing and serving to mental health from relationships to home life to daily exercise and food. It’s like everything out of the Prestige—living your act and being your profession. It’s nearly impossible to be a functioning therapist and not practice what you preach. Giving another person the guidelines to maintaining their functionality implies that you, yourself, can remain functional—which is NOT to say that a therapist has all the answers and has everything figured out, but rather, the skills have to be put into practice. It’s an interesting side to the practice (never mind the business and years of schooling that go into it). But watching the doctors here at PGW hold up behind closed doors for a lighting fast wardrobe and scene change is like TV at its best—except I’d be that “normal” guy just standing in the corner, shaking my head at the comedy of it all because—at the end of the day people are always still people.

"Salt" Review

I’ll be honest; even I walked out of “Salt” muttering to myself that she must have really loved her husband to have gone through the kinds of hell it took avenging his death. The last thought on my mind was that she was an outright sociopath but rather an emotionally tormented woman with nothing to lose and everything to avenge. However, a dialogue spanning two plus hours and plenty of circulating ideas showed me that there is far more to Evelyn Salt than her on-screen slaughter.

The question “Who is Evelyn Salt?” is nowhere near as important as the question, “Who does she belong to?” Yes, this is a spoiler alert but Salt is presented as a benign CIA agent just two years out of North Korea where she was held as a prisoner until her love interest (whom she was using as a cover) raised hell to get her released. Moving on in the story, you learn that Salt was a Russian child, stolen from her parents and trained as a sleeper agent who replaced the real Evelyn Salt as a child. From the time of her birth, Salt was used, traumatized, and controlled by other people—an instrument of two opposing governments and never herself. The one act of genuine love in her entire life came from a German arachnologist, her faux lover, ignorant to her true occupations, who had rescued her from constant torture in North Korea. The tears gliding gently down her face at the start of the movie, walking along the road in prisoner exchange, is perhaps the one and only truthful reaction from that character. Without seeing the movie, you can’t quite understand our characterization of Salt, however, for those of you who have, check the signs: Failure to conform to social norms, consistent lying, reckless regard for personal safety and safety of others, lack of remorse, excessive aggression… sound familiar?

These are all diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder aka sociopathy. This is Salt in a nutshell. Though she genuinely loved her husband (and yes, sociopaths do love but in a covetous and self-serving sort of way), she had no true altruism for him. When given the chance to out herself as a Russian agent and not just a CIA operative who’d been using him for a cover, she remains silent. She willingly and knowingly places his life in danger despite her love for him. This love is self-serving and feeds into Salt’s self-proclaimed want to appear “normal” (look for this line as she says it outright as a reason for her marriage). Was this to compensate for the years of damage she suffers being tossed around from home to home? Reared away from her true parents and then separated from her Russian “family” of child soldiers, Salt experiences consistent and profound separations/false relationships. The only true display of love in her life was that shown by her husband—a man she would rather enjoy two years of lie-covered marriage with than keep distant for his own safety. Okay, so he chose to stay with her despite the dangers, but then why did she never tell him she was also a Russian spy? “By the way dear, someday, Russian agents are going to come for me and possibly kill you. Is marrying me worth all that?” There’s no doubt that Salt was in genuine love, but obviously not enough to let him go and keep him safe.

It’s easy to understand then why Salt goes off the deep end and literally blows up her “family” of brother-soldiers when they have her husband executed right in front of her. Salt chokes back remorse without even a hint of failure and then not even five minutes later executes the man who calls her “daughter.” The question then is what motivates her to continue? Why does she go on to try and avert the Russian plan to kill the President and use U.S. nukes to bomb the Middle East? Is it possible for a woman with no qualms about committing murder and no guilt over consistent lying to the person she loves most… to try and selflessly save the world? Of course not.

Salt’s motivating factor is revenge and seemingly not only for her husband but for her life entirely. “They’ve taken everything from me,” she says alluding to the Russian sleeper agents who’ve controlled her throughout her entire life. But it isn’t a look of bereavement on her face…She’s cold and detached. She’s calculated her vengeance and it’s thankfully in the best interests of the U.S. She mourns subtly and briefly but reacts quickly and without question. She betrays everyone she’s ever known at least once in this movie and does so without a second thought though she’s charming, convincing, and even disturbingly earnest. She spares Agent Peabody’s life only to win over his confidence and spares the Russian President only to foil the Russian plan to incite conflict. Either she’s truly a beacon of altruism, or she’s out for blood and her motivation is entirely self-serving. That’s not a hard thing to figure out but the real wonder is… can a monster also be a hero?

What is a hero to begin with? Is the desire to save the world enough to be called hero or is her act of averting nuclear war a bi-product of vengeance and still worthy of the label heroism? You could argue noble intentions and a simple selfish mistake with her husband but strictly speaking, she has no remorse for the massive loss of life she causes. Salt isn’t above using a U.S. agent as a human silencer and has no problem blowing “family members” (and her husband’s corpse) to bits with way too many grenades. And by the end of her story, Salt is given a free pass to kill the remaining Russian agents out there—her first taste of actual freedom. It’s more arguable that, as a product of her own disorder, until Day X, Salt is never allowed control over her own life and by the end of her story, now has the chance to murder mercilessly and suit her own needs. She’s not a villain, but she’s no altruistic hero of the U.S. Who is Evelyn Salt? She’s a tortured woman who lives multiple lies, endangered the one man who ever loved her, and isn’t above betrayal, vengeance, and manipulation for personal gain. And whom does she belong to? By the end of the movie—not a single person in the world.