A Reflection Paper on “The Breakfast Club”

*** This one is for my COMA 106 class: Group Discussion and Leadership. Argh… I write awfully when I’m sick.

Punishments are a pain in the ass: we would do anything just to escape it. But then no matter how good we are at running away, fate always leads us to the consequence of a bad deed; for example, detention. It was through this school punishment when the Breakfast Club was formed. The beginnings of the group were very unusual, but we realized that in the end, punishment can bring together people and create a bond among them.

The Breakfast Club is a mixture of a primary, social, self-help, and learning groups. The brain, the jock, the princess, the misfit, and the lout all became close friends after the big D. Although they have their own cliques, these people realized that they have more in common than their groupies. They also have given each other encouragement and support, and they even learned how to smoke marijuana together. Clearly, this is a complex group to understand. But how exactly did they develop as a group?

Well, it was first formed because they all had broken school rules, except for Allison. And then it was through the antics of the lout that paved the way for an interaction to commence. This was like the beginning of the storming stage. Because of his wit, he got the princess, the jock, and the brainy to talk, and even solicit some expressions from the misfit. They did not want to get into bigger trouble so they started covering up for the shenanigans of John Bender, the lout. And then, they sort of had concern for each other and realized that they have things in common no matter how differently we perceived they were. They turned into something like a primary group.

In addition to the communication they had, another reason why they cliqued was probably because there were some needs answered in the Breakfast Club for each member.  For example, they all do not have a perfect life, but because of their conversations, they realized that they are not alone. The straight “A” student does not have excellent grades, the princess is very much pressured by her peers, the jock is stressed out because of his dad, the lout has a very disturbed upbringing, and the misfit has no one.  They needed confidantes, and they found that in their group. TBC, then, is like a self-help group. And in turn, they all found true friends, and it satisfied their sense of belongingness, which is one of the triggers why we join groups.

And then we see some norms established. It was first done by the principal who laid down rules like no talking, no moving, and no monkey business. But then these became unsuccessful since TBC deemed it unacceptable. But then we do observe other norms like yelling (at the principal), disrespect for authority, and even self-disclosure.

But just like any group, we were able to observe some individual norms. John Bender is a representation of the louts or criminals and the norms of this group are to be tough, rebellious, and hated. In return, they are disliked, disrespected, and treated unfairly by their friends. They have a bad upbringing and they have a tendency to become just as bad as their parents. Claire Standish, the princess, needs to be perfect and pretty because they think they her group serves as an example for everyone. People who belong to this group usually come from good and rich families. Brian Johnson, the brain, embodies the excellent students. They have to pass all their subjects with high grades, and be excellent in school. When it comes to academic problems, they are the ones to call. Andy Clark is the representation of the jocks that have to be very good at sports. Usually, fathers of these children push their children to the limit just so they would be the best. Lastly, Allison Reynolds, the misfit, embodies the “outsiders”. They are people who see the world from a different point of view and who can provide great insights. They are poised to be different.

Although they had different norms, they were able to accomplish tasks. One of which is the essay the principal required them to do

At the end of the movie, we have seen changes in each character. Allison was able to open up and come out of her shell. Andy realized that he did not have to be the man his father wanted him to be. Brian was able to de-stress and come out of the perfect student image. Claire realized that she could have whatever kinds of friends she wants. And John was able to come to terms with his own image and became the pleasant person as he seems to have had the right attitude in the end.

This movie is proof that we need groups, and we cannot help but associate with one.