Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

The Leadership Analysis of the Film Patch Adams

Educational Leadership

Connie Beck

November 20th 2016

Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

Abstract

Based on a true story, Patch Adams was filmed in 1998 to tell the story of the life of

Dr. Hunter Patch Adams. In this analysis, I will illustrate Patch Adams journey to become a

doctor by describing his life and his leadership. I will depict what kind of leader he is, how he

became a leader, what his leadership philosophy is, what he accomplished, key events and crisis

he experienced, who his influences were, and lastly, what kinds of traits and skills he obtained in

pursuit of his leadership. Join with me, as I unfold Patch Adams story, as his life revealed the

true picture of great medicine that not only healed the disease, but also healed the human heart.

Leadership Journey & Leadership Style

Patchs journey to becoming a leader begins when we see him admit himself into a

mental health institution on account for his suicidal thoughts. What caused Patchs mental health

to decline is unknown, however Patch indicates in a session he had with a doctor that he did not

fit . studies indicate that thoughts of suicide are increased when an individual has a thwarted

sense of belonging, perceived burdensomeness overtime, and is disconnected towards their

community or environment (Zhang, J, 2016). People that attempt or complete suicide are known

to have experienced some sort of pain or hurt that has caused them to lose a sense of hope

(Zhang, J, 2016). Inevitably, Patch had experienced some sort of lost of hope. Overtime

however, this lose of hope begins to dwindle once he begins to build relationships with his fellow

inmates. Through making them laugh, Patch regains some of his hope once he recognizes that

building a connection with people is the onramp towards their healing.

In the end, Patch begins to connect with his fellow inmates and recognizes that the

doctors who were suppose to be treating patients, were in fact, missing something incredibly
Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

profound: a relationship. This angered Patch, as he believed the best practice to treating patients

was through relationship, a deep connection that provided interacting, listening, and caring for

other human beings. Patch believed that if you could connect with people, you could treat their

disease, and in

return, know their

hearts. Patch was

without a doubt, a

passionate leader

and lived out his

mission to

improve his patients lives everyday.

Along with his great passion, Patch was also an authentic and servant leader. In his

interactions with his followers, we see Patch foster his patients physical and emotional health as

well as their needs and desires. Through his

time spent with the patients we begin to see

not only the patient's behavior change from

sad to happy but also the culture of the

hospital change from boring to uplifting.

Ultimately, Patch had a profound impact on

the lives of not only the patients admitted

into the hospital, but also the staff who worked for the hospital.

However, one particular staff member was not a fan of Patch Adams. Dr. Eaton, a

professor at the Medical School Patch was attending, was highly annoyed with Patchs desire to
Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

work with patients and create

meaningful relationships with

them. Out of fear of having to

change his mentality in his own

work as a doctor, Dr. Eaton tried

to instill fear into Patch, insisting

that he cheated and even

occasionally barked at him to

pack his books and leave. To his dismay, Patch did not fold. His passion was embedded into the

thread of his every move, and nothing was going to bring him down.

Studies indicate that authentic leaders are true to themselves, aware of themselves, and

aware of others needs (Longman, K. A, 2009). As we follow Patchs journey to becoming a

doctor in the film, we watch as he lives honestly and openly. When Dr. Eaton and some of his

fellow classmates disagree with Patchs approach to medicine, Patch continues to press on and

persevere, telling the truth about his desire even if it was not well received or approved by the

others around him. In addition, he is also aware of the attacks from each of his accusers. This

awareness helps him to preserve, as he recognizes his performance and his gift intimidates

people.

Leadership Philosophy
Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

Patchs leadership philosophy can be illustrated through three theories of leadership; Path

Goal Theory, Psychodynamic Approach Theory, and Transformational Leadership Theory.

Emphasizing the Path Goal Theory of leadership, Patch demonstrates his mission to improve the

quality of life through relationship through his motivation to live out his desire to use his gift of

humor to increase his followers. In return, Patch lived out his desire to help people by

conquering the fear of death, indicating that death was not the enemy, indifference was. Patch

painted a picture to his colleagues, classmates, and friends, that they all had the opportunity to

heal patients if they just did one thing: build a relationship and listen to their own story. By

listening to his own story, Patch recognized that he could heal himself by healing others,

emphasizing the Psychodynamic Approach Theory. Lastly, Patch indicates his leadership

philosophy through through the concept of Transformational Leadership Theory, as he lives

empowered to not defeat death, but prolong and improve the quality of life.

Leadership Accomplishments

Research indicates that leaders who incorporate transformational leadership instill major

changes in their organization through changing attitudes and assumptions at the individual level

(Ghasabeh, M. S. & Soosay, C. & Reaiche, C, 2015). Through his leadership, Patch made a

profound impact on the lives of those he interacted with and in return, changed their attitudes and

their assumptions about what they thought about medicine and working with patients. Whether it

was a patient, a classmate, a teacher, or a friend, Patchs heart spilled out onto the individuals he

spent time with and their lives were changed forever. One specific relationship that Patched

impacted happened to be with a love interest that he had with a fellow classmate, Carin. In the

beginning, we watch as Patch invited himself into Carins life, persisting a relationship with her,

even though Carin was not interested. Carin explains to Patch that she was serious about her
Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

schoolwork and wanted to be a

doctor with no distractions.

However, to her own dismay,

Patch and Carin become good

friends and spend a lot of time

together, along with Patchs best

friend Truman. Overtime, Patch

begins to dream about what it

would look like to open up his own home clinic to help people. His dream was to have it be a fun

place for people to be known and loved, treated with compassion and care. Overtime, this dream

became a reality. If it was not for Patchs ability to install his dream onto Carin and his best

friend Truman, Patch would have been left alone in his endeavors. Research indicates that

transformational leaders have a gift for installing vision and direction on their followers

(Ghasabeh, M. S. & Soosay, C. & Reaiche, C, 2015). Because of his ability to share his vision

and get others on board, Patch had a team who was willing to open up a home to treat the broken

hearted and the sick. Patch was able to lead this hospital with a clear direction because of his

willingness to motivate his followers. This process, emphasized his leadership as he was able to

enlist the talents and efforts of other group members (Van Knippenberg, D., & Hogg,

2004). Altogether, Patch, Carin, and Truman invested into each individual patient at this clinic

and served each individual with compassion and great care.

Overtime as Patch and Carin continued to work together, Patch unfolded pieces of

Carins story that she herself had not yet even recognized. Growing up having been always

attracting men, Carin indicates to Patch that she had hated men and didnt want anything to do
Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

with them. She tells him a story about her desire to be a caterpillar at a young age, so that she

could live freely as a butterfly, flying away untouched (Patch Adams, 1998). With Patchs help,

she began to trust him and his dream and eventually adapted his same leadership philosophy,

listening to the hurt of patients and trying to heal them with not just a smile, but with a

friendship.

Leadership Crisis & Challenges

Shockingly, Patch finds out Carin was murdered, as she went to a mentally ill patients

home to check in on the patient and was shot by the patient in the process. This crisis highly

impacted Patch, as he contemplated stopping his practice and quitting medical school altogether.

Feeling responsible for Carins death, he believed that he taught her the medicine that killed

her (Patch Adams, 1998). Patch indicated that he could not go on practicing medicine if he

killed the very one that he loved. It wasnt until he saw a butterfly, flying away in nature, when

he recognized that death was not the enemy in medicine, indifference was (Patch Adams,

1998).
Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

Leadership Influences

Carins life and death greatly influenced Patch as he continued on to finish medical

school, along with the lives of every patient he interacted with. These influences shaped the way

that Patch continued to preserve and sharpened his abilities to work with people. Incredibly

gifted in human and conceptual skill, Patch interacted with people with ease and always brought

them back to the big picture: prolonging and improving the quality of life.

Determination, Integrity, and Intelligence were all traits that Patch possessed throughout

his journey. Towards the end of the film when Patch is faced with the challenge of standing in

front of the Board of Medicine to defend his clinic and his medical practice, he intelligently

reminds the board members what their role is as a doctor and why he wants to be one. With great

determination, he holds tight to his dream and explains the truth of why he wants to graduate

plainly to his audience by stating Im a thorn that will not go away (Patch Adams, 1988).
Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

In the end, Patch is given permission by the medical board to continue on towards his

degree and is granted permission to graduate. We find your methods less than appealing, your

appearance and demeanor to not reflect what we believe, but we find no fault in your attempt to

improve the quality of life around you (Patch Adams, 1998). The board emphasized that he

carried with him a flame that they hoped would be carried through the rest of the field of

medicine, and even more so, on one specific individual, Dr. Eaton.

Conclusion

Patch went on to become a doctor because he was passionate about helping people by

building a connection with them. His authenticity, servant leadership, and his motivational

demeanor illustrated his desire to improve the quality of life and helped him accomplish his

goal, even when he was tested. Patch went on to graduate, living true to himself, and bringing an

exceptional amount of followers with him. From suicidal, to passionate about living fully, Patch

Adams leadership emphasizes just how powerful excessive happiness can go.

Resources
Running head: LEADERSHIP ANAYLSIS OF THE FILM PATCH ADAMS

Ghasabeh, M. S. & Soosay, C. & Reaiche, C. (2015). The emerging role of transformational

leadership. The Journal of Developing Areas 49(6), 459-467. Tennessee State University

College of Business. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from Project MUSE database.

Longman, K. A. (2009). The High Impact Leader: Moments Matter in Accelerating Authentic

Leadership Development (review). The Review of Higher Education 32(2), 282-284. The

Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from Project MUSE

database.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Patch Adams--trailer [Video file]. (1998). In Patch Adams. Retrieved September 25, 2016.

Van Knippenberg, D., & Hogg, M. A. (Eds.). (2004). Leadership and power: Identity processes

in groups and organizations. Sage.

Zhang, J. (2016). From psychological strain to disconnectedness: A two-factor model theory of

suicide. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention And Suicide Prevention.