Breakfast Club Analysis:

• John Hughes’s wildly popular 1985 film gave birth to the infamous “brat pack” of actors and actresses and set the standard by which all teen movies were evaluated for many years. Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Michael Anthony Hall, and Judd Nelson star as five totally different high school kids (a princess, a basket case, an athlete, a brain and a criminal) who get to know each other while thrown together during an all-day Saturday detention session. This film gives credence to the “storm and stress” view of adolescence, a time when their peer’s social approval is imperative, their sense of direction in life is in flux, and the feeling of alienation from parents is at its deepest point. Also included are compelling insights into adolescent struggles with identity formation, moral reasoning, self-esteem, and peer and parent relationships.
  • After viewing the movie, pick one character that you find you best identify with. In the first paragraph of your paper explain why you can identify with the character and the issues/struggles he or she dealt with in the movie. NOTE: you do not have to identify with same gender characters. You will then analyze your character based on some of the theories you have or will be studying. Including but not limited to Maslow, Kohlberg, Piaget and Erikson. In each paragraph you should address the following:
• A general statement about the theorist and their contribution to
  • developmental psychology.
• An explanation of the stage of development the theorist would believe your chosen character would be in. Make sure to name and describe this stage in DETAIL including key or hallmark concepts that would occur at each stage Please provide support for your response to by referring to a specific movie scene and describe how that would clearly show your character in that particular stage of development.

• Provide background and context for the theories and theorists listed. Please feel free to incorporate ANY additional adolescent development theories and theorists that you are studying, you do not need to be limited by what I have listed.
• After you watch The Breakfast Club you will be asked to analyze different characters in the movie and discuss their personality/behaviors based on the different theories below:
• Erickson
• Piaget
• Kohlberg
• Maslow
• Baumrind

• During the movie you will be looking at a character’s personality and behavior.

Your character: Allison = “Basket Case”

• Your analysis paper should include:
• Brief summary of each theory
• Erickson
• Piaget
• Kohlberg
• Maslow
• Baumrind

• Description of the character and how the theory explains their behavior/personality

Your character: Allison = “Basket Case”

• Examples from the movie that support your answer

• Explain how your character’s behavior would be explained using Erikson’s Stages of Development

• Explain what stage of moral development your character is most likely using Kohlberg’s
  • Stages of Moral Development

• Explain how your character’s behavior would be explained using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

• Explain how your character may have been impacted by their their family situation using Baumrinds parenting theory and describe how that has affected their personality and behavior.

• After examine all theories, discuss your character and describe how you think they might be like today (30 years later, where they would be in their late 40’s).

• How might your character be different in 20220? Discuss some of the challenges your character might face now in the year 2022 opposed to the challenges they faced in the 1980’s. Do you think adolescence would be easier for your character to navigate in 2022 or more difficult for your character to navigate in 2022. Explain.

• Do you think the media portrayal of your character is accurate based on your own experiences?

• What do you think your character may have learned from one of the other characters in the movie?

• After watching the movie, what is one thing you learned about adolescent development?