Verified Document

Psycho-Social Concepts In The Dead Term Paper

" Wallace x) Three psycho-sociological concepts which are well represented in the film are conformity of group behavior, gender roles in adolescents, especially boys and narrow tradition based attitudes about what is valuable in society.

The whole film is based upon conformity of behavior according to accepted traditions and accepted societal standards of the 1950s in America. Acting was not an accepted vocation, as accepted vocations were those which carried prestige and high salaries. Society's judgment of the value of a job was its monetary worth. The school and its teachers are bound by the traditional mode of teaching, which is largely stale drill and practice with attendant exams. The value is based upon the idea of education being based upon how much information a student can store and regurgitate. It is especially well illustrated by the scene with Keating where he has the students tear out the introduction in their poetry books, because it is clinical and treats poetry like something we can measure and grade. Traditional methods teach the theory of poetry and do not encourage the students to own it and love it.

Even the boys who decide not to conform to themselves, but this is a reasoned decision by them and not imposed, so it is more individual.

The gender roles of Americans were well defined in the 1950s, and the film illustrates them well. The girls whom Knox wants is pretty much the " possession" of a big sports jock, just because he scares away anyone else. Knox gets beaten up by him for paying attention to her. This does not stop him from pursuing her, eventually freeing her to choose. Mrs. Perry is the typical quiet wife of the time, unable to speak up for her son when he tries to confront his father about his rights to choose...

Mr. Perry cannot accept a future for his son in which he sees no value. He does love his son, but cannot see him as a person, but only as "his" son. One fellow teacher tells Keating that teaching the boys to love art and poetry is wrong, because they do not have the talent to make a career of it. In other words, only those things which directly contribute to one's career are valuable and education for its own sake is worthless.
In essence, the characters of this film are trapped by tradition, gender roles and "accepted" attitudes of values. However, we see the characters growing up before our eyes, especially the boys, "It is not that men drop out or cease to function, but that many men acting coperatively lose their separateness when viewed objectively and merge their personalities into events. When the child advances to the stage of development that he can see history in this way, the trees are giving way to the forest, metaphorically speaking.

Bernard 386)

References

Bernard, L.L. (1926). An Introduction to Social Psychology. New York: Henry Holt. Retrieved December 18, 2006, from Questia database:

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=174772

Hedley, M. (2002). The Geometry of Gendered Conflict in Popular Film: 1986-2000. 201+. Retrieved December 18, 2006, from Questia database:

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000612442

Wallace, W.L. (Ed.). (1969). Sociological Theory: An Introduction. New York: Aldine Publishing Company. Retrieved December 18, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=91955273

Sources used in this document:
References

Bernard, L.L. (1926). An Introduction to Social Psychology. New York: Henry Holt. Retrieved December 18, 2006, from Questia database:

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=174772

Hedley, M. (2002). The Geometry of Gendered Conflict in Popular Film: 1986-2000. 201+. Retrieved December 18, 2006, from Questia database:

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000612442
Wallace, W.L. (Ed.). (1969). Sociological Theory: An Introduction. New York: Aldine Publishing Company. Retrieved December 18, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=91955273
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Presumption, Often Promulgated by Scholars
Words: 4661 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

They goal for globalization is to increase material wealth and the distribution of goods and services through a more international division of labor and then, in turn, a process in which regional cultures integrate through communication, transportation and trade. The overall theory is that if countries are tied together cooperatively economically, they will not have needed to become political enemies (Smith 2007). Notice the continuum here -- globalization, like

Potter Harry Potter Female Characters
Words: 13252 Length: 50 Document Type: Dissertation

Instead of the author's context it is the reader's context that is examined from the feminist perspective […] It is not the intention of this paper to enter into an extensive discussion on the theoretical validity of these different viewpoints. Suffice to say that it is the less extreme and more open -- ended and integrative form of feminist critique that is considered to be the most appropriate theoretical trajectory

Glossolalia, or Speaking in Tongues,
Words: 4590 Length: 15 Document Type: Research Paper

Therefore, we may conclude that the speaker has some cognitive function from the structure of the speech, even if it is based on a very basic set of language rules (Samarin 1972 120). Three major linguistic traits emerged from other research into the subjec. Regardless of the geographic area, educational level, or age of the individual, glossolalia consists of: Verbal behavior that has a certain number of consanants and vowels. There seem

Forensic Nursing in the Past
Words: 2240 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

Batchen (2005) defines the components of the nursing process as the client, the environment, the definition of health, and the definition of the nurse's role. Another trend in healthcare to be addressed is the reduction of enrollment in Registered Nurse (RN) programs, which has led to a shortage of trained nurses. This trend is important because the role of the forensic nurse has changed as a result of the

Real America Interestingly Enough, One of the
Words: 4206 Length: 13 Document Type: Book Review

Real America? Interestingly enough, one of the themes in the post-modernism period of American history has been the reexamination of the "real America," particularly the moral, ethical and sexual changes that have evolved since the turn of the century. This has not been a new theme, nor has it been relegated to non-fiction. At the beginning of the 20th century, American novelists were expanding the role fiction took by examining

Theoretical Foundations of Teaching and Learning
Words: 2539 Length: 9 Document Type: Essay

Learning & Teaching Identify a behavior in the healthcare setting that you would like to change that involves extinguishing an undesirable behavior and replacing it with a healthier behavior (e.g., getting cardiac patients to reduce their high-fat diet and eat healthier foods; getting patients with low back pain to minimize their pain and become more independent in their activities). Describe how the behavior could be changed using the principles of a

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now