Everything that we do or think reflects upon one of a variety of cultures that we may belong to. As a variety of cultures come and blend together to become one, this movie is no different from that. With the sociological approach, music, and non-traditional vs. traditional cultures depicting the psychological concepts, it is what makes the forefront this adventure portrayed throughout the film.
These days there are those people who believe that racism is a thing of the past. In the beginning two football players detested each other, but their love for the game brought them together. Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell later on got to one another and became the best of friends. One evening while Gerry is getting ready to go play some basketball with Julius in his neighborhood, his mother walks in and finds out what he is planning on doing and she refuses to let Gerry go. As Gerry tries to make his mother understand, all she could say was “I don’t want to get to know him” and “Gerry you are going to church with me instead.” So Gerry ends up going with his mother to church instead of going to play basketball with Julius.
Within this scene, the concept of psychology is presented through a sociological approach. Meaning that this approach is a general view of human behavior that focuses on the broad social structures that often influence the society as a whole and subsequently its individuals. This is often how people would respond under pressure around them due the them being controlled by the culture that they are a part of. With this scene stated above Gerry was heavily influenced by his mother. At first he had no problem with going to an African American community to play some basketball with his new friend, Julius, but once his mother heavily disapproved, Gerry changed his thought process. Gerry was put under per pressure into believing that going to play with Julius would be wrong. Back in those days it was against the norm to be friends with a person of a different race. This scene portrays the concept of the sociology approach by showing how Gerry’s decision is influenced by society. Where the film portrays the idea that whites are superior to African Americans. This idea was passed down from previous generations to Gerry’s mother and she was trying to pass it on to her son. Although Gerry was pushing against society’s norms, they were pushing back and within this instance society won. However that soon would not be the case.
When the team gets to camp, the players separate themselves by race. This had created an environment of competition where it shows that it only creates a greater problem of prejudice and discrimination. In order to get the boys to come together, Coach Boone forces the players to get to know each of their new different teammates by forcing them to share space together by rooming and eating together. This however creates tension between the team members. Since Coach Boone also required the players to get to know one another individually, this exercise portrays a good example of contact hypothesis where people are assigned together and get to know one another. One pair, Gerry and Julius, was one of those successful pairs. These boys met the prerequisites necessary for contact hypothesis to take action due to them personally interacting with one another not only as students, but also as teammates which creates them of equal status. The players, as young men, are forced to interact as roommates and during practice thus making sustained interaction that becomes cooperative when they realize that their stereotypical thoughts and discriminatory actions were preventing their team to succeed.
The argument between Gerry and Julius about neither of them cooperating then create a common goal that brings them closer together. These two young men are portrayed as the stereotypical white boy, who uses his rich influential parents to obtain his goal and the black boy, who is hostile and unable to be a team player. However Gerry and Julius defeat all odds by becoming friends until Gerry’s death. This lifelong friendship was proof that Coach Boone’s strategy of contact hypothesis worked for them.
This film portrays both traditional and non-traditional culture where Coach Boone and his daughter, Nicky, represented a traditional culture, as Coach Yoast and Sheryl represented the nontraditional culture. Sheryl is not your typical girl, she is always at the football field with her father. Often Sheryl is more interested in the team’s games rather than most of the parents and not playing another sport. When Sheryl visits Coach Boone’s house, she would much rather watch a tape of the football game or the opponent’s tape than play dolls with Nicky. Whereas Nicky is the description of traditional culture due to her always wearing dresses, having her nails done, and steers clear of any kind of athletic sport that involves a ball. The gender roles are evident here and are different within these two cultures presented.
The concepts presents is what helps identify cultures that we, as individuals, belong to. Within the variety of cultures that exist, there are always similarities and differences that can be discovered. Throughout the film each concept was accurately portrayed. For example, in the music scene the difference in the taste of music is seen as a comedy piece in the film.
After watching this film, I did not realize how psychology had played such a dominant role in films until now under a different perspective. Since psychology portrays us as the people we are, it kind of makes sense. As human beings, we are defined by the culture that we live in. Yet this was not the only thing that was displayed within the film. For example, when Sheryl is scolded several times when she demonstrates her passions for football and for the way she dresses. It showed that the director wanted the audience to notice not one but several scenes of where Sheryl and Nicky demonstrate their differences and the way that they are treated in relation to those differences.