(The Breakfast Club 2 as reviewed by Gerald J. Grzyb, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sincerely Yours, The Breakfast Club
Alright, I'll be perfectly honest here. I could classify my addiction to John Hughes' classic The Breakfast Club as very much real, and a possible candidate for review by the DSM. Hopefully all of you have seen the movie (for the sake of this blog post, as well as your own mental health.) I think that we can all relate to watching a certain movie over and over again and never getting tired of it. John Hughes, however, had a particular style of writing and directing which has transcended decades and continues to appeal to every generations' teenagers. Why is this? What is it about Hughes' movies, including favorites such as Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink, that have stood the test of time in the movie industry? The author of this article explores the possibility that there may be some psychology behind the movie's mass attraction to Hughes' movies, The Breakfast Club in particular. I ask you all to go back to Unit 14, where we learned about social psychology, and make any connections you can to this movie. Some things to consider are conformity, the looking glass effect, normative social influence, deindividuation, the bystander effect, and the social exchange theory.
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Although I’ve never actually seen The Breakfast Club (not really much of a surprise seeing as I haven’t seen Mean Girls yet either), the movie sound a lot like High School Musical – a variety of different cliques who eventually learn to get along while being unique and maintaining their identities. However, the fact that two unlikely couples (jock and basket case, princess and criminal) form was shocking, seeing as we learned in the social psych chapter that we are attracted to people more similar to us than different. The article also discusses in detail how the term ‘deviance’ is a social construct. Although I can’t discuss specific examples from the movie, I can still agree with this argument. Deindividuation and conformity also come into play here – if we’re not the only person ‘committing the crime,’ we feel less guilty. For example, it would be very unlikely that only one senior would participate in the senior prank, knowing that she would be the only girl in trouble. However, the situation is very different when the entire grade participates, as the blame would no longer be placed on one person. In addition, we could see conformity in a situation such as this because no one wants to be the ‘party pooper.’ If nine out of ten people are willing to commit some act of defiance, it is very likely that the tenth person will eventually conform and do so as well.
ReplyDeleteFinally, this article also raises the question of whether or not we can overcome barriers of status in such a short period of time. I certainly do not believe this can be done in eight hours as the movie portrayed. A movie is just a movie – it has to be overly dramatized and exaggerated to attract an audience and keep them listening. Of course, some class barriers can be overcome if people learn to be more accepting; however, a utopian society in which everyone gets along is next to impossible, especially with teenagers. Breaking down social barriers takes time, and we cannot expect to have world peace overnight.
It's important to recognize that not everyone has seen this movie and wouldn't really be able to apply what we've covered in social psychology to a plot that they don't know. However, I do think that there are some overriding principles that can be found in the concept of The Breakfast Club. In John Hughes's movie about tearing down social barriers, we begin in a high school library where five groups are distinctly defined: jock, popular, nerd, weird, and criminal. But as we progress through the movie, their similar situation (stuck in a Saturday detention) and oppressive opposer (principle) forces these socially different students to morph into one group. I think that it's really interesting that they come together, and I definitely believe that this arises out of their self-dislosure. Over the course of the movie, characters reveal how they really feel - and, by this, realize that they aren't so different at all. They shift into one group -- the in-group -- all against the force of the principal, the out-group. The Breakfast Club offers up ultimate evidence that people are not only influenced in groups, but move towards social groups under which social psychological principles may apply.
ReplyDeleteI have seen the movie and as much as I like it, I think the article was spot on when it stated that this movie could be so timeless because it tells teenagers exactly what they want to hear. The numerous themes of the movie and depiction of it's characters are completely pro youth to the point where it has moved away from realism and promotes teen idealism. The Breakfast Club shows problems that will forever be present throughout the generations which is why the movie is so appealing to this day and forward. Parents and adults in general are shown in the light (or should I say dark) of the dictator who can't comprehend the thoughts behind the actions of teens. The students are each used to represent the stereotypical clicks in high school such as the popular jock, the misunderstood emo, the rebel, the popular rich girl,and the nerd. The movie is timeless because it is stereotypical thoughts/hopes of a high schooler.. not because of it's message.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen the Breakfast Club yet, but as I have heard from many other people it is a great movie. Just from reading the article it seems to attract all generations because it covers both students and parents perspective. I tend to wonder whether any type of person would get along with someone if they were placed in the same room for eight hours. I think in that situation you tend to find something you have in common to discuss. In this case the two unlikely couples who you would never think to be associated with each other paired off very well. I tend to believe that the way they complement each other created their “relationship/ friendship.” I feel as though everyone in the group tended to conform to one another. They changed their perspective so that they aren’t the odd man out. The looking glass effect is also seen in this movie because all eight of the students changed their original behavior because they had the “teacher” watching over them. There is also normative social influence because once one person would say something everyone else would agree with that and start believing/ saying it too because everyone else is.
ReplyDeleteI have seen parts of the movie, The Breakfast Club, and although I cannot discuss specific scenes that relate to social psychology, I agree with the general idea of the article. I have seen other movies by John Hughes, including Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink, and agree that although they are old, they are timeless movies. From what I have seen of The Breakfast Club it is clear that social psychology does come into play in the plotline. I do see the concept of social roles at work in the movie. When the teacher steps out of the room, all of the students loosen up. Without an authoritative figure in the room they feel freer to step out from their stereotypical images and open up to the other students. I wouldn’t say that conformity was present in the film because it is not like the movie Twelve Angry Men, where all must come to an anonymous decision. The students don’t have to conform to anything and to have to agree on anything. They are simply a group of diverse students spending a Saturday afternoon in detention.
ReplyDeleteThe movie does however show how social barriers could be broken in a stereotypical high school. It is quite unusual that a princess and a criminal come together. It’s quite unusual that two people of such different social classes come together. I think this is the point of the movie, as well as the point Pretty in Pink, where a poor girl gets together with a rich, popular boy. This movie examines an important aspect of high school life and shows that there are more to students than their stereotypical image. We are all guilty of looking at a girl and immediately saying “oh, she’s a nerd,” or “oh, she likes to party.” I think this is what the movie focuses on, not so much on conformity or social influences.
I'm ashamed to say that I've never seen the Breakfast Club, but I do think that John Hughes's movies are a big enough part of pop culture that I understand the basic storyline and premise of the plot. I thought that the article made an interesting point about every single character having flaws--each student, a member of a different social circle or clique--did something bad enough to land them in an 8-hour Saturday detention. Not having seen the movie, I would not have known that the minor characters (the janitor and the principal) also were "engaged in some kind of deviance". I think this raises a big question on the topic of how we perceive people. What makes the perception of the "criminal" so much different from the perception of the "brain"? Both of them ended up in this detention, so both have committed bad enough crimes. I think we tend to see people in one way. We label them in our minds as "teacher" or "jock" or "princess", etc. And when the concepts of "criminal" and "teacher" don't mesh in our minds, we are confused and just ignore whichever of the titles is throwing us off.
ReplyDeleteI am also one of those people who haven't seen The Breakfast Club, nor have I seen any of John Hughes' movies. However, I did watch the trailer on imdb.com so I have a little understand of what it is about. From what I know about this movie, I believe that it has been able to appeal to every generations teenagers because it is what typical high school is like for everyone. There are so many different "cliques" in every high school and people often do not overcome the boundaries of the cliques to become friends with people outside their clique- it just isn't a social norm. The students were each part of a different stereotypical group- brain, jock, criminal, princess, or basket case- which are all typical stereotypes in every high school. Before the day they all had detention, they each probably believed the stereotype for the certain group (for example, the jock definitely thought that the nerd was a freak who he would never ne friends with.) Since I haven't seen the movie, I find it hard to talk about any other ideas from social psych that apply to the movie.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting because I've seen the Breakfast Club, mostly just bits and pieces here and there when it's on the movie channel; but I never thought of it in any psychological terms. The fact that these five seemingly polar opposite teens are stuck in Saturday detention, is the perfect setting, I think, for people, especially teens, to relate to. Detention, as formal as it may appear, can be somewhat of a casual situation for teens, like it's "no big deal"; this is one of the reasons the film is so easily related to. I think, like Kelly said, this movie is a typical situation for teens to be in--stuck with a group of people you are not really "friends" with (i.e. group projects). It always interests me how people can think that they are so different from other people and rather than expanding what they know, they are more comfortable with remaining in the social constructs of the stereotypes formed in high school. Sure, every teen wants to hear that those social barriers can be crossed, and of course they can, but it's not that easy. I think, in the Breakfast Club, after all of the hesitation it was a lot easier for these five students to come together and form their own "in-group" because there were no outside forces or people from their intial stereotypical groups to back up their first impressions or feelings about those who weren't a part of that primary inner circle. I think in our culture, we always feel like we have to be surrounded by our "friends" in order to feel needed and/or wanted; this is why once we've formed our "groups"it's so hard to get out of them; we are afraid if we break away from our first group, there may not be a second chance in another group, and then what do we do!? It's still kind of crazy to know that we can do it, though. John Hughes captures the typical teenage dream--fitting in without and social constraints.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge Breakfast Club/ John Hughes fan so I loved the article. I had never thought of the Breakfast Club in psychological terms but this article brought up a lot of great points regarding film. As I was reading, I began thinking about what makes a film timeless. The author suggests the Breakfast Club transcends time because it shows the audience exactly what the want to see: that "class and status boundaries can be fairly easily crossed if we just try." Perhaps the ability to destroy social constructs is more than just a pipe dream and the Breakfast Club is timeless because it is the truth. People of all ages can relate to the film, as we have all felt the teenage angst and dissatisfaction with our parents or the burden of social hierarchy. The library where the kids are being detained becomes a safe haven for them, where their social status has been abolished and they are free to show their true colors. The film says a lot about ingroup/outgroup. In the library, there is no ingroup or ourgroup. Each teen has come alone without their group of friends. In a sense, they are perfect strangers. The absence of their group or clique eliminates some of the ingroup bias and the power of social status as each student is equal in the library. Being separated from their other friends and isolated in the library frees them of their inhibitions and diminishes social status, fostering their friendship and sense of community.
ReplyDeleteI am also one of the many in this class that has not seen The Breakfast Club. I watched the trailer so I think I have a pretty good grasp on the plot of the movie between the trailer and this article. I have heard of this movie many times so I know how popular it still is today. It also got me thinking about how old movies can remain extremely popular throughout so many years. I think what makes movies in general so timeless is how relatable it is to the audience. Many people can relate to this movie in particular because it deals with a wide variety of high school students. From the "brains", "jocks", "criminals", "princesses", and "basket cases", almost everyone is represented in this movie. It also deals with the common issue in high school of breaking through the barriers that everyone puts up when they form their groups of friends. Almost everyone goes through this conflict in high school when groups are formed and everyone outside that group is too "weird" to talk to or too "popular" to talk to. This movie shows how breaking this social norm can result in many friendships an d much happiness for all of those involved. The major reason for the segregated groups in high school has to do with conformity and ingroup bias. When you are a part of a group of people, you always want to be liked. Therefore, when the "leaders" of the groups form an opinion that they don't like another group of people, everyone in the leader's group agrees with this idea in order to always be accepted. Ingroup bias also plays a role in this because people in a particular group will usually feel superior to those in other groups. This forces people to grow further and further apart from one another. Social Psychology plays a major part in this film.
ReplyDeleteSo obsessed with this movie. Its the perfect example of social psychology at its finest. But it presents the typical high school stereotypes in a deeper sense. These are kids who severely fell subject to conformity, deindividuation, and normative social influence. Its high school, everyone is vulnerable and desperate to figure out who they are. So they live off those labels others put on them. Suddenly they're not that unique 13 year old kid their parents told them they were; they're a princess, they're a loser, they're a brain, they're a jock and they're a basketcase. In this movie they've come to a point where they don't know themselves as anything other than their label. And they had no choice in these labels; they were chosen for them based on their looks, background and family. Claire is pretty and rich. Thats what everyone has told her so what else is she supposed to believe? She'll think she is always supposed to hang out with the pretty, popular girls, because that is how society has always looked at her. The same goes for the rest of the characters, especially Bender. His own parents told him he isn't worth anything. So when he went to school and had to deal with other adults he automatically assumed they would resent him, so he resented them first. (reciprocal determinism) Now the teachers have labeled him as a troublemaker. They tell other teachers this and give him detention as a constant reminder of his status. Bender is who is he because he never saw himself as anyone but the rebel.
ReplyDeleteIts obvious in this film that all the teenagers resent who they are and have become. But this is not entirely their fault. Their lives have been a product of their environment and society. As a teenager you conform to your friends, not to who you want to be. They won't have a decent chance of becoming who they want to be until they're out of high school, where Saturday detentions don't exist.
I am one of the people in the class who has not seen “The Breakfast Club” or any of John Hughes’ movies. I did ask my mom for a brief summary of what happened in the movie. She said it was about kids who have to go into Saturday detention and they are from all over the social spectrum. Then in the end they all become friends despite their differences. When I first thought about this movie in terms of psychology I thought about all the stereotypes present. The movie has five high schoolers each a stereotype you will find in high school the princess, the nerd, the basket case, the jock, and the criminal. I found it interesting that people who were so different from each ending up liking each other (the jock and the basket case; the princess and the criminal). These students broke a social norm by getting together. It is not normal for people to step outside of their cliques and be friends with people who are totally different from them. “The Breakfast Club” is enduring because of the stereotypes and judgments that high schoolers place on each other.
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ReplyDeleteI have seen the Breakfast Club, but it was a few years ago, so I don't remember every detail. But I do remember the main points -- a group of kids stuck in saturday detention, each from a different social group in the school. They start out thinking they have nothing in common, basing their belief on the stereotype of the given person. In time, they each begin to see each other in a new light, outside of their original belief. By the end of the movie, they leave with a completely different view of each person and they all became friendly with one another (even romantically for some.)
ReplyDeleteI think this movie has sustained the test of time because this is what every person hopes for -- for people of different backgrounds to come together, put their differences aside and become friends. This does not always happen, of course. However, John Hughes gives us the ideal resolution.
I have one major gripe with this movie. The way that the students cross their social boundaries seems so easy and effortless. Hughes makes it seem like spending a few hours with someone can change your outlook on the world. In my opinion, and based on my own experiences, crossing a social boundary is hard work that requires time and persistence. What happens when the characters go back to school and see that the "princess" and the "criminal" are together? Won't they be teased? Will they stay together despite the ridicule? Will they continue to ignore their differences or will they let it destroy them? Hughes never answers these questions, and I think it left something to be desired.
I love all of John Hughes' movies, but especially this one. Like some of you have said above, I think what has made his movies stand the test of time is how relatable they are. They take situations that most people have experienced and create characters that people will able to identify with. I can definitely acknowledge the stereotypes present in the film -- jock, princess, basket case, nerd, criminal -- and while I definitely think these characters are very simplified versions of real people, it's true that there is often some validity to stereotyping. It may seem radical that these five people come together in the way they did because they appeared so different, but what Hughes shows is that they weren't so different at all (like the article says, though, the validity of this is debatable -- can "social barriers" really be broken down so easily in real life?). I think that it was not only their similarities but also the power of their situation that brought these people together. First, they just had their supervising teacher to sort of align against, and a common enemy is enough to start forming an ingroup. As they spent more time together, they started to open up one by one (social influence at work) and wound up bonding in ways they would have never expected.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wonder, though, is whether the group they formed would last outside of that Saturday morning detention. The movie definitely leaves it open to interpretation, but my feeling from the scene at the end when they all get in their cars and go their separate ways is that they will never forget this experience, and that it will always be something they share, but that it will be unspoken. That is, they won't all start hanging out every day now, but they'll definitely give each other a nod/smile in the hallway. And that's okay, but it most certainly shows that social barriers are not easily (permanently) broken -- at least in high school.
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ReplyDeleteI feel like social barriers can be overcome in a short amount of time if a small group of people is trapped together, especially if they have something in common (like being in detention, and not liking the principal or having bad parents and home lives). These people formed an in-group against the principal. I think it is realistic that these stereotypes could be forgotten for a day and these students could become friends, but I don’t think it will last. In the comfort of their usual group, the students will re establish their in group bias. In a regular school setting, each student will go back to their group and normative social influence will prevent the princess from talking to the criminal or the brain from saying hi to the jock. However, I think that their opinions will have changed and once they leave their group in high school behind, they will be more open to other people. I think once the students start to open up and get along in detention, their opinions of the other students change for the better. The cognitive dissonance theory applies because as the people act differently, they have to change their attitudes to match their actions. This article also made me question how people become a part of what groups. Katherine mentioned how kids don’t have a choice in what they are labeled because society often judges us by how we look. Katie talked about how we perceive people. All the students did something to land them in Saturday detention and yet one was classified as a criminal. What makes him worse than anyone else?
ReplyDeleteI have never seen this movie or any of the other movies mentioned… The movie is about different "cliques" and about the "social scene". This movie is a bit like Mean Girls and many other "teen" movies. The looking glass effect is shown when the students change how they act when the teacher is watching them. Social influence is shown when one person will say something and then everyone else would agree and take that as their own thought. This part reminded me of Twelve Angry Men. Conformity is a big part of this movie because everyone from the different groups come together in one room. All of them will conform to the others and try to "fit in". This is like most people in life, many people will conform to "fit in".
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a good movie, maybe I will watch it soon.
Although I have never seen the breakfast club, after watching the trailer and reading the article I have a pretty good sense of what the movie is about as well as the message it portrays to the watcher. I understand that we are always being told to break out of our shell and interact with others, but this move has it perfectly—we rarely interact with people who we are not like when we are allowed to chose who we surround ourselves with. It seems like common sense- why would you randomly go be friends with someone who is totally the opposite of you? From the beginning of the movie all of the characters change from being in their own individual groups to being in the same group. When they were stuck together and forced to learn about each other’s past and their problems, the students learned that they are all similar in some ways and this is what helped them bond. I think that before all the students spent their Saturday together, they all had preconceived notions and stereotypes about each of the other people, and after their day together was over, they dropped the negative thoughts they had about the others. This is very pertinent to our society today, because most of the time when we get to know people we realize that they are not much different than we are!
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