The Breakfast Club and Contact Hypothesis
Brittany Katz
Individual Paper #2
Media and Theory Application
Don’t You, Forget About Contact Hypothesis, Don’t Don’t Don’t Don’t
What does a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal all have in common? Much more than just a required Saturday detention. The Breakfast Club gives viewers a first hand look at Gordon Allport’s Contact Hypothesis and it’s effect on high school students. The Contact Hypothesis is one of the best ways to improve conflict among inter and outer groups experiencing conflict and is exemplified throughout The Breakfast Club as the five students are forced to sit through a Saturday detention. The Contact Hypothesis is an important theory to understand before analyzing The Breakfast Club.
The Contact Hypothesis Theory, which is credited to Gordon Allport, is about understanding other groups whether they are minority or majority and reducing stereotypes and prejudice acts (Ward). In 1954, Allport looked for ways to reduce intergroup conflict from the perspective of the majority group using direct contact with those groups. Along with his theory, Allport came up with four conditions that play a part in Contact Hypothesis which are equal status, cooperative independence, common goal, and appropriate normative contexts. Based on over 500 Contact Hypothesis studies, effects of reducing inter and outer groups were stronger when optimal conditions were all apparent (Ward). Equal status is stressed within the situation because it is important for all groups to have the same expectations (Pettigrew). When there is a common goal to be reached, optimal effect will occur because everyone is working towards the same purpose. In order to achieve this common goal, all the groups must cooperatively work together (Pettigrew). Without the bonding intimate relationships or friendships, a shared objective will not be achieved. The last condition needed is the support from the environment or authoritative figure, which eventually
Individual Paper #2
Media and Theory Application
Don’t You, Forget About Contact Hypothesis, Don’t Don’t Don’t Don’t
What does a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal all have in common? Much more than just a required Saturday detention. The Breakfast Club gives viewers a first hand look at Gordon Allport’s Contact Hypothesis and it’s effect on high school students. The Contact Hypothesis is one of the best ways to improve conflict among inter and outer groups experiencing conflict and is exemplified throughout The Breakfast Club as the five students are forced to sit through a Saturday detention. The Contact Hypothesis is an important theory to understand before analyzing The Breakfast Club.
The Contact Hypothesis Theory, which is credited to Gordon Allport, is about understanding other groups whether they are minority or majority and reducing stereotypes and prejudice acts (Ward). In 1954, Allport looked for ways to reduce intergroup conflict from the perspective of the majority group using direct contact with those groups. Along with his theory, Allport came up with four conditions that play a part in Contact Hypothesis which are equal status, cooperative independence, common goal, and appropriate normative contexts. Based on over 500 Contact Hypothesis studies, effects of reducing inter and outer groups were stronger when optimal conditions were all apparent (Ward). Equal status is stressed within the situation because it is important for all groups to have the same expectations (Pettigrew). When there is a common goal to be reached, optimal effect will occur because everyone is working towards the same purpose. In order to achieve this common goal, all the groups must cooperatively work together (Pettigrew). Without the bonding intimate relationships or friendships, a shared objective will not be achieved. The last condition needed is the support from the environment or authoritative figure, which eventually
Cited: Hughes, John. The Breakfast Club, 1985. Pettigrew, Thomas F. "Intergroup Contact Theory." MU Libraries ' Proxy Server Logon. Annual Review of Psychology, n.d. Web. Ward, Colleen, and Tracy Berno. Beyond Social Exchange Theory: Attitudes Toward Tourists. Annals of Tourism Research. 4th ed. Vol. 38. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1556-569. Print.