Study of Psychoanalytic Theory
The Breakfast Club, directed by John Hughes, is an iconic film that follows five high school students, identified by their stereotyped outward personas, through Saturday detention. A brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal, all have their perceived identities striped down to the complex psychological layers beneath. Psychoanalytic theory, originally proposed by Freud, focuses on sexual and aggressive drives and their impact on an individual’s psychological functioning. The theory also emphasizes the importance of childhood experiences (Newman & Newman, 2017).
This paper examines the major assumptions and how they relate to the Criminal, John Bender, how the strengths and limitations of the theory provide understanding of Bender’s behavior, the role the theory plays in social privilege and oppression, and the theory’s influence on social work practice.
Psychoanalytic Theory and the Major Assumptions
Three major assumptions of psychoanalytic theory relate to John Bender. The assumptions concern the expression of strong sexual and aggressive drives, moral sense in relation to parental identification, and motivated behaviors through the unconscious mind.
Psychoanalytic theory assumes that through psychosexual development, young children find means of expression for strong sexual and aggressive drives, and that these drives directly relate to an individual’s social interactions, self-concept, fantasies, and problem-solving strategies (Newman & Newman, 2017). During the early developmental stages, patterns for impulse control and expression are established, but if the impulses are frustrated or overindulged during development, the individual may continue to seek satisfaction later in life (Newman & Newman, 2017).
Psychoanalytic Theory and The Breakfast Club: An Examination of the Criminal 3 Although it is unknown which stages of development may have suffered unsuccessful completion, or the types of sexual impulses frustrated during early childhood, the result is that Bender shows patterns of fixation through childlike, pleasure-seeking behavior.
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Knocking items off the counter as he enters the library, and again later when Mr. Vernon isolates him from the others, pretending to urinate on the floor, ripping up a library book, and rearranging the card catalogue; all behaviors expected in earlier stages of development.
Bender seeks his own sexual gratification through actions and innuendo directed at the “Princess”. He talks about getting the prom queen impregnated, asks if the Princess and Athlete are having sex, asks the Princess if she is a virgin, and about her sexual experiences, then describes in detail a sexual scenario designed to make her uncomfortable. Later he asks if the Princess and the Brain have had sex, hides under the desk directly in between the Princess’s legs, and goads a response from her about whether she is a virgin when the Basket Case identifies herself as a sex addict; all to serve his own perverse sexual gratification.
The second assumption is that the unconscious area of the mind acts as storage for powerful motives unknown to the individual. Freud believed that all behavior was motivated, and that the powerful motives derived from both the conscious and unconscious, would simultaneously motivate behavior (Newman & Newman, 2017). Freud, influenced by the Darwinian beliefs of his time, believed humankind was torn between animalistic nature and motives, and civilized conduct and cultural aspirations; believing that “the very process of socialization entailed self-alienation and self-deception” (Mitchell & Black, 1995, p.20).
The way Bender interacts socially with adults and peers, brings negative reactions that reinforce feelings of self-doubt and solidifies the belief that he really does embody the criminal ideal. Interactions with other people and the opinions they form, are external factors that Psychoanalytic Theory and The Breakfast Club: An Examination of the Criminal 4 influence the formation of an individual’s identity (Piotrowski, 2013).
From the beginning, everything Bender says to Mr. Vernon provokes constant negative attention, resulting in extended disciplinary consequences. When pushed about being part of social clubs, the Athlete tells Bender that he does not count, and does not even exist at the school. The Princess classifies him as a “burner”. The Athlete tells him he has no goals. After removing the screw from the door, Mr. Vernon addresses Bender, automatically assuming he is the culprit, and announces that the next screw that falls out will be him.
Bender responds to some of these situations by ignoring them and pretending not to care, turning the tables back on the other person, or changing the subject. He also responds by lashing out with repeated use of offensive language and baiting, resulting in the escalation of hostile exchanges with Mr. Vernon, and physical confrontations with the Athlete. The situational reactions act as defense mechanisms against his own vulnerability.
The final assumption of psychoanalytic theory is that strong parental identification results in the development of moral sense. The superego, which acts as a conscience, is the product of parental values and moral standards. Increased social responsibility and prosocial behavior is attributed to parental actions including: positive modeling tendencies, warmth, shared decision making, and lower assertion of power.
Whereas, harsh physical disciplinary tendencies used by parents can result in a lack of behavior control and physical aggressiveness when away from home and parental presence (Newman & Newman, 2017). The parent-child relationship, especially with his father, has drastically impacted Bender’s moral development and his ability to control impulses. When the Athlete asks him about his family, Bender replies by listing multiple negative associations attached to him by his father, followed with a backhanding motion, insinuating that his father uses physical punishment.
Psychoanalytic Theory and The Breakfast Club: An Examination of the Criminal 5 In an article about the association between father-child relationships and youth delinquency, Yoder, Brisson & Lopez (2016) found that the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of youth are specifically influenced by the father, who also is identified as a correlate to “the development and maintenance of delinquent behaviors.” Evidence of delinquent behavior by Bender is seen throughout the film. The destruction of property, smoking in the library, flaunting the rules, and drug use, all show a lack of concern for social constructs.
Strengths and Limitations of Psychoanalytic Theory A strength of psychoanalytic theory lies in the structural aspects of the mind. Understanding the domains of consciousness and how they interrelate allows for more complete analysis of the fundamental barriers to the unconscious.
According to the theory, “unconscious motives and wishes explain behaviors that appear irrational, self-destructive, or contradictory” (Newman & Newman, 2017, p.30). The way Bender provokes negative and hostile reactions from those he interacts with, could be classified as self-destructive, irrational, and contradictory. The other students, who eventually see Bender as more than just a criminal, are so uncomfortable by the interplay between Mr. Vernon’s attempt to maintain control, against Bender’s “don’t care” attitude and continuous rebuttal. The Princess even yells at Bender to stop making his situation worse; she simply cannot understand why he would be so self-destructive. A limitation to psychoanalytic theory in understanding the complexities of Bender’s character, is that there is an “over-emphasis on early experience, which is frequently at odds with developmental data” (Fonagy & Target, 2003, p.20).
Bender’s developmental experiences within the first five or six years of life, along with the evidenced strained parent-child relationship, have significantly contributed to an uneven relationship between the structures of personality with the id, ego, and superego, especially regarding the lack of parental values in the formation of the Psychoanalytic Theory and The Breakfast Club: An Examination of the Criminal 6 ego. External, social, and cultural factors in early and middle adolescence, also play an important role in forming an individual’s personal identity, and therefore should be taken into consideration when analyzing why certain behaviors are more prevalent than others.
Psychoanalytic Theory and its Influence on Social Privileges and Social Oppressions According to psychoanalytic theory, adult thoughts and behaviors are shaped by childhood experiences. Socialization pressures on biologically based drives directly impact patterns of growth, both pathological and normative.
Primary social ties, such as parent-child relationships, play an important role in the internalization, expression, and gratification of needs (Newman & Newman, 2017). Since the parent-child relationship is such an important influence on psychological development during childhood, the experiences the child has, happen within the socially acceptable boundaries the parent creates (Newman & Newman, 2017). Any social privileges or oppressions felt by the parent would also be internalized by the child, and since certain ideals and behaviors are fixed during childhood, according to the theory, those same social factors would also continue to influence the individual through adulthood.
Psychoanalytic Theory and Social Work Practice
Psychoanalytic theory provides an understanding of the mind and the roles played by each domain in determining how individuals think and behave. This understanding is particularly important from a developmental perspective, especially when working in cognitive behavior therapy.
When working with clients, one needs to understand that it is not the event that has caused the problem, but rather the individual’s thoughts have triggered specific feelings or reactions to the event (Newman & Newman, 2017). In order to help the client learn new ways of reacting, and to examine their own thoughts, the therapist needs to ask, what meaning the individual gives to the event or situation?
The answer may require additional questioning Psychoanalytic Theory and The Breakfast Club: An Examination of the Criminal 7 concerning the client’s mood or feelings, values or beliefs, social expectations, and more, depending on the type of psychological disorder the client is being treated for.
Conclusion
Psychoanalytic theory portrays “development as an active, dynamic process where individuals add meaning to their experience, and the meanings attributed to these alter their consequences” (Fonagy & Target, 2003, p.1). In the beginning of the film, Bender accepts the criminal label placed on him by his social surroundings, however, as the students are forced into close confines and interact with each other, the labels start to fall away. Instead of a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal, the five students discover they have some characteristics of each label within them.
Through the major assumptions of psychoanalytic theory, one can see the effect early psychological development, especially parent-child relationships, has had on the character’s thoughts and behaviors. Also evident is how the character’s thoughts and behaviors have been shaped according to the social constructs they find themselves in. Understanding the contributions to an individual’s psychological development is an important factor in helping them to learn new patterns of thought and behavior.
Psychoanalytic theory is certainly not the only theory that can be applied to The Breakfast Club characters, especially Bender. However, the theory does provide a logical explanation for the self-destructive path Bender finds himself on, as well as why he stays on that path; his unconscious guides him in that direction. Even though continued exposure to external factors throughout adolescence and adulthood play a pivotal role in an individual’s thoughts and behaviors, it is one’s mind that determines how those factors are internalized, and the direction the thoughts and behaviors take.
Psychoanalytic Theory and The Breakfast Club: An Examination of the Criminal 8 References Fonagy, P. & Target, M. (2003). Psychoanalytic Theories: Perspectives from Developmental
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