Film and the Issue of Identity

Claremont Behavioral Studies Institute

I teach an upper division course at Cal Poly University, Pomona, titled Psychology Of Identity. According to the school catalogue the class is an "intense examination of self in terms of theory, locus of control, development outcomes, sex identity, group identity, and the self in relation to others. . ."

Given what I have always viewed as the power of film to explore issues of identity and self, I used movies including Breaking Away and Shirley Valentine as examples of various identity and self issues. As a part of the final exam I decided to have the students write a paper on a principal character in one of seven recently released movies. They were instructed to watch the film and, "using the concepts and theories that you have learned in this class. . . explain (1) what you see as the person’s self concept, (2) the major choices he or she makes in the film, (3) his or her relationship with other key characters in the film. . . , and (4) what the outcome (ending) says about the person’s sense of self."

Here are some of the essays. There are many other excellent papers, but because of the time it takes to scan and proof the scanning, I cannot include them all.

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Last modified: 15 November, 2000