Introduction
In addition to entertaining us, movies also offer detailed portrayals of human behavior and human development. Your task in this paper is to analyze, from a developmental perspective, the behaviors and events depicted in one of the films listed below.
You are not being asked to critique the film in terms of its value as a work of art or as entertainment. Rather, you should think carefully about the human actions and events portrayed in the film. You should then apply what you’ve learned this semester regarding the factors that predict and explain human development.
Assignment:
Choose one of the films listed below. All of these films should be available to rent through popular online streaming services (e.g. Netflix, Amazon, itunes, Hulu, etc). Many of these movies are also available at the public libraries or through ECC’s library. If you are unable to obtain a copy of one of these films, please let me know.
• The Bucket List (2007) • Mr. Mom (1983)
• The Notebook (2004) • Where the Heart Is (2000)
• Thirteen (2003) • Look Who’s Talking (1989)
• Grumpy Old Men (1993) • About Schmidt (2002)
• Mean Girls (2004) • Inside Out (2015)
• The Story of Us (1999) • Spanglish (2004)
• Little Man Tate (1991) • Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
• Good Will Hunting (1997) • Big Daddy (1999)
• Parenthood (1989) • Nanny McPhee (2005)
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010) • Juno (2007)
• Jack (1996)
• My Girl (1991)
You should view the film that you chose at least once. Then, after reviewing your class notes and readings, you should identify 3 developmental theories or principles (e.g., Sternberg’s Theory of Love, Kubler-Ross’ Stages of Grief, Erickson’s Psychosocial Theory, adolescent emotional development, Baumrind’s Parenting Styles, Social Learning Theory, Operant Conditioning, etc.) that appear to be operating in the events or individuals depicted in the film. For each theory or principle that you identify:
1. Describe in detail the theory or principle that you think is relevant (make sure that it is clear to me that you understand the principle/theory). You should cite specific pages from the textbook when describing the theory or principle. Please use APA or MLA format.
2. Briefly describe the relevant scene (you may assume that the reader has seen the film, so do not go into a lengthy description of the film but make sure that the reader can easily identify the scene). Remember, the purpose of this assignment is NOT to provide a summary and critique of the film!!
3. Elaborate on how the selected scene illustrates the theory or principle that you have identified as well as any discrepancies between the scene and what the theory or principle would predict.
Your written analysis should be succinct and well-written (approximately 4-5 pages double-spaced). You should use APA or MLA format. Be sure to include a short Introduction to orient the reader, as well as a short Conclusion to tie things together. Your papers should include a title page and a reference page (even if the reference page only includes the citations for the textbook and the movie). Papers should be saved in Microsoft Word OR as a PDF file. They must be submitted in the specified dropbox located within the Week 13 folder by 11:59pm on Sunday, April 18th accepted after 1 week past the assigned due date.
‘Mean Girls’ Film Analysis
The film ‘Mean Girls’ is one of the most well-known teen movies of the 2000s. While it may seem like a run of the mill chick flick about teenagers antagonizing each other and making up on the surface, a deeper analysis from a psychological point of view shows that there is more depth to the characters than meets the eye.
The premise of the film is social cliques in high school, especially among girls, and the effects that these cliques can have on them. The clique in this movie is the Plastics, which is comprised of three girls. As individuals and as a group, their behaviors and actions towards others are incredibly rude and condescending because they think that they are better than the other students. Their theory of mind can be analyzed using the social identity theory. The social identity theory is “concerned with the consequences of perceiving the self as a member of a social group and identifying with it” (Social Psychology The Breakfast Club PowerPoint). In other words, people tend to “divide the social world into us (the in-group) versus them (the out- group)” (Social Psychology The Breakfast Club PowerPoint). In ‘Mean Girls’, in order to be a member of the ingroup the Plastics, you would have to be beautiful, popular, and extraverted. Although many students don’t fit into all 2 categories, it is the social standard and people tend to follow the nature of conformity in order to fit into that group better. Regina is the leader of the Plastics, and as such, she is the one who sets the rules for the other two girls (and the rest of the
school) to follow. These rules are completely arbitrary; for example, the Plastics aren’t allowed to wear their hair in a ponytail more than one time a week, they can’t wear tank tops for more than two days in a row, and most famously, “on Wednesdays we [the Plastics] wear pink!” (Mean Girls). Although no one is forcing the other two girls of the Plastics to actually follow these rules and they don’t even necessarily like Regina, they comply of their own will because they are afraid of the consequences if they don’t.
Cady accurately observes that the other girls “knew it was better to be in The Plastics hating life than to not be in it at all.” (Mean Girls). Not following the rules would mean that they would no longer be in the group and therefore not popular and.......Download this film analysis here Mean Girls Film Analysis Paper
0
1301