Adolescence is an especially critical development stage for any individual. At this stage, individuals not only experience biological changes, but also become more aware of gender roles and expectations and experience cognitive development. Also, individuals at the adolescent stage are influenced by various socialization agents, such as family and school. As depicted in the film The Breakfast Club,[footnoteRef:1] adolescents go through critical changes in this stage of their life. This paper highlights the developmental markers observed in the film, especially with respect to gender, biology, and cognition. The paper also highlights various socialization agents (specifically school and family) and how they impact the individual. [1: The Breakfast Club (1985)]The Breakfast Club features five teenagers detained all day at Shermer High School. A number of developmental markers are evident in the film. One of the markers is gender. Gender essentially refers to the social classification of male and female. As adolescents grow, they gain familiarity with gender norms, roles, and expectations. They become more aware of what it means to be a male or a female as well as the behavioral and psychological differences between males and females. For instance, boys realize that the ability to provide, protect, and procreate is what defines a man, while girls realize that a woman is defined by factors such as sexuality, physical appearance, and occupational roles. In The Breakfast Club,...

Claire is depicted as a beautiful, virgin girl, while Allison comes out as a quite, introverted girl. Claire constantly faces pressure from her colleagues to be a certain way in terms of her sexual life. She eventually kisses Bender, intending to break the perception that she is a virgin. For the males, the occasional confrontations between Bender, Brian, and Andrew connote the social expectation that males should be masculine.
Another developmental marker evident in the film is biology. At puberty, individuals undergo rapid changes in their anatomy, physiology, and physical appearance. Some of the changes include growth of pubic hair, production of sperms, and deepening of voice in boys, and production of eggs and growth of breaths in girls. Many of these characteristics are visible in the five teenagers featured in the film. For instance, Bender has a deep voice, while Claire’s and Allison’s breasts can be seen protruding underneath their blouses. The boys seem to be sexually aroused by the girls, with Andrew eventually having a romantic interest in Allison. Puberty is also associated with delinquent behaviors. The teenagers have been detained because of their delinquency. Delinquency is also seen in the course of detention, particularly in Bender. Throughout the film, Bender comes out as rebellious. Bender also retrieves marijuana from his locker, which he smokes…