How is the pursuit of self-fulfillment reflected and developed in the film A Beautiful Mind?

Many themes
can be observed in the film A Beautiful Mind, but the theme mentioned in
the question, the pursuit of self-fulfillment, is one of the more significant ones.

A viewer is able to trace the development of this theme through John Nash's academic
career, from his early days as a graduate student all the way through to his later years in the
university classroom. John Nash sought self-fulfillment through his ambition and his intellect;
he achieved this dream while a graduate student, but then, when his mind fractured, his
self-fulfillment became secondary to his mental health problems.

Thanks to
the support of his wife Alicia, John Nash is able to pursue and achieve self-fulfillment once
again, even after his diagnosis of schizophrenia. Once he has control of his illness, Nash is
able to make light of his condition, manage his thoughts and hallucinations, and continue with
the career and work he loves.