Mean Girls Related to Social Psychology

621 Words3 Pages
The movie Mean Girls is a perfect example of in-group and out-groups, self-concept, and social identity. Cady who has been homeschooled her whole life has become forced to learn the social norms of high school. At the beginning of the movie Cady meets two friends, Damien and Janis. These two students were seen as the outcast crowd or the out-group, but Cady has no idea. As they enter the cafeteria Janis says “Here’s a map of North Shore…Where you sit in the cafeteria is crucial”, leaving Cady anxious when she is trying to find a seat at lunch. As she is walking by “the plastics” or the in-group call her over to sit down. As she gets to know the plastics they begin to introduce her to The Burn Book. This book is a perfect example of prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice is hostile or negative feelings about people based on their membership in a certain group. Discrimination is behavior directed against persons because of their membership in a particular group. The Burn Book was a book that singled out anyone in their school whether it was fellow students or even faculty members, and would basically list things that were wrong with that person. For example, they stated in the book that one of their newly divorced female teachers was selling drugs on the side and that certain girls were fat and ugly. Anyone that was entered into the book was not considered to be part of the plastics, or the in-group. As the movie proceeds Cady realizes that after being associated with the plastics her self-presentation does not match her “true self”. Cady then begins to spill the secrets of the plastics to the rest of the school. Cady has started to realize what the plastics really are, “mean girls”, and doesn’t want anything to do with them. She knows she may fall to a stereotype threat but her “true self” will not let her go on acting this way. Eventually the Burn Book

More about Mean Girls Related to Social Psychology

Open Document