Self-Concept In The Breakfast Club

Self concept plays a contributing role in a person’s characters and actions (verbal and nonverbal). I am a seventeen year old female who is Hmong, Chinese and Colombian and grew up in the suburb of Chaska, Minnesota. People who have shaped me are my family, friends and peers. The Breakfast Club is a film about five students who spend a day in detention and discover who they are to themselves and others. The character profile on each of them include their self perception, goals, values, strengths, weaknesses, verbal/nonverbal behavior, family, and self disclosures. The profiles identify who each character is; there are two characters in the film that closely resemble my own self-concept and awareness and one who seems to be opposite of myself.

Claire is known as “The Princess” in The Breakfast Club and I am known as “The Princess” in my family. We seem to live somewhat parallel lives to one another. Claire’s self perception/goals/values are popularity, to be liked by all and not to be her parents. Unlike Claire, I am not the most popular girl in my high school, although I do have a desire to be liked and not to be exactly like my parents. An example that verified the importance she places on popularity is shown in the film when Bryan asked her if they would remain friends once school starts the following

Bryan is referred to as “the brains” in The Breakfast Club, because he’s intelligent and participates in academic clubs. He is studious and driven to succeed, but he has low self esteem. His low self esteem makes it more difficult to make himself proud. I relate to him in many ways; I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well in school and I have low self esteem. His parents pressure him to be perfect, which is an impossible standard to reach. His self disclosure was that he couldn’t fail a class; he admitted to the other students he brought a gun to school because he was failing shop