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Ben was diagnosed with terminal cancer
Leonard Pearlin believed that people could change their life structure at any time. He also believed that people change in response to circumstances and stresses that affect their lives. Finding out that you have terminal cancer would be a massive stress and would definitely change the way someone went about their life, as Ben did in this movie after his diagnosis. -
Ben bought a motorcycle
Leonard Pearlin believed that people could change their life structure at any time. Ben did this in the movie by impulsively buying an antique motorcycle after being diagnosed and deciding to travel to the west coast of Canada from Toronto in the week he has left to live. -
Period: to
One Week
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Ben cheats on his wife
While out west, Ben cheats on his fiance. He is again changing his life structure because he decides to call off the wedding because he believes he will die in less than a week and chooses to sleep with another woman. Leonard Pearlin believes that stress can cause people to change. Ben only cheated on his wife because he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and didn't want to get married to her anymore and didn't want to fake being in love anymore. -
Samantha flies to Banff to see Ben and he tells her he doesn't love her
Leonard Pearlin believed that distress is a stimulus that requires a psychological response. So when Ben was diagnosed with cancer, he realized that he doesn't want to marry Samantha anymore and that he doesn't love her. The diagnoses sort of made him realize that he isn't living his life how he wants to be living it, and he stopped lying to himself that he wanted to get married. -
Ben makes it to the pacific ocean
When Ben got diagnosed he made it his mission to reach the pacific ocean. When he found out he only had a week, all he wanted to do was travel west and see everything he wanted to see. An outside stress was the factor that made him finally chase his dream and stop doing things he didn't want to do. It made him live the life that he wanted to live.