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Mean Girls is set in the early 2000s at North Shore High School, a fictional public high school in suburban Illinois. The high school is the central setting for most of the film, where the audience watches the social dynamics unfold. The suburban environment furthers the typical high school experience of cliques, gossip, and peer pressure that shape the character’s development, particularly Cady Herons.

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Regina George: Regina is the main antagonist and leader of the Plastics, who manipulates others to maintain her dominance. Her beauty, wealth, and toxic behavior makes her feared and admired by her peers. Regina works to transform Cady into a Plastic.

Grethcen Wieners and Karen Smith: Grethcen and Karen are Regina's loyal followers. Gretchen is insecure and constantly seeks Regina's approval. She is the yes-man of the group, but eventually betrays Regina by revealing her secrets out of frustration of living in Regina's shadow. Karen is portrayed as sweet but dumb. She is kind-hearted but easily influenced. She doesn't exhibit mean tendencies, she is the more innocent character in the group and part of the comic relief.

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Cady Heron: Cady is the protagonist. She is a 16 year old girl who was homeschooled in Africa before starting her junior year at North Shore High. As she enters public school for the first time, she struggles to find her identity. She goes from being innocent and unaware of high school social hierarchies to becoming a “mean girl” herself before having a change of heart.

Janis Ian and Damian: Janis and Damian are best friends and portrayed as outcasts. They befriend Cady and guide her through the social hierarchies until Cady starts to lose herself by engaging with the Plastics.

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Identity: Cady's journey reflects the process of self discovery. Throughout the movie Cady struggles with losing her authentic self while trying to fit in with the Plastics. Her switch from a kind person into a manipulative “mean girl” conscious of her image, represents the internal conflict of finding one's true identity versus expectations. The movie highlights how easily one can lose sight of who they are when prioritizing fitting in over personal values and that personal growth comes from recognizing the importance of kindness, authenticity, and meaningful connections.

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Social Pressure: When Cady enters high school, she is immediately confronted with unspoken rules and structures that dictate who interacts with who. The pressure to belong in a more respected and “strong” group drives Cady to make out of character decisions. Pressure can lead to destructive behaviors. This is demonstrated in the movie as Cady sacrifices her morals and friendships with people like Janis and Damian to be accepted.

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Friendship and Betrayal: In the beginning, Cady has a genuine friendship with Janis and Damian, who welcome her into their circle despite her being new to the school. Betrayal comes into play once Janis encourages Cady to sabotage Regina by pretending to be similar to her. As Cady becomes more involved with the Plastics, her relationship with Janis and Damian falls and she starts betraying their trust by prioritizing her new social status.

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Gossip and Bullying: The movie delves into the harmful effects of gossip and bullying as tools to maintain power. Regina is the embodiment of this and a great example is the “Burn Book” which is a book filled with nasty rumors and insults towards various students.

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The major conflict is Cady's struggle with identity as she gets involved with the Plastics and becomes more like Regina. The resolution occurs when Cady apologizes for her insensitive behavior, takes responsibility, and restores her friendships which helps not only her but also the school environment.

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Mean Girls (2/10) Movie CLIP - Cady Goes Primal (2004) HD

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Erik Erikson was a German developmental psychologist born on June 15, 1902. Erikson developed his eight-stage theory of psychosocial development in the mid-20th century. Each stage involves a central conflict or "crisis" that must be resolved for healthy psychological development. Erikson emphasized the importance of social experiences and interactions in shaping an individual’s identity throughout life.

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Infancy: Trust vs. Mistrust

Early Childhood: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Preschool: Initiative vs. Guilt

School Age: Industry vs. Inferiority

Adolescence: Identity vs. Role Confusion

Young Adulthood: Intimacy vs. Isolation

Middle Adulthood: Generativity vs. Stagnation

Older Adulthood: Ego Integrity vs. Despair

As explained in My Psychology (Pomerantz, 2018), Erikson's stage of Identity vs. Role Confusion is a critical phase during adolescence, making it the most relevant stage to Cady's development. This focuses on the exploration of identity and societal roles which coincides with Cady’s journey in “Mean Girls” as she seeks her place in high school.

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Erikson’s theory supports the idea that human development is a lifelong process. He believes that each stage of life offers a unique crisis or challenge that must be resolved for the next stage to occur without difficulty.

Critics consider Erikson's theory to be vague and oversimplified as it divides development into distinct stages ignoring human complexity. Some argue that the theory is culturally biased as it applies primarily to Westerners since independence and personal identity is highly valued to them. In addition to culture surrounding traditional behavior for boys and girls. The theory addresses things that are considered too masculine in certain places like independence and assertiveness,

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Cady is in the Adolescence: Identity vs. Role confusion stage. During this state individuals go through experiences that expose them to different roles and possible identities before deciding who they would like to be or embody. Cady's experience with the Plastics represents her attempt to navigate these roles which leads to confusion as she pretends to be someone she isn't.

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How would your theorist evaluate or assess the character?

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How would your theorist evaluate or assess the character?

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Erikson would agree that Cady is in the Identity vs. Role confusion stage. By seeing that at the beginning of the movie, she is unsure of her palace in the high school social structure and her relationships with Janis and Damian, he would consider this positive identity exploration. However, as she becomes part of the Plastics and loses herself, Erikson would see that this is the formula for an identity crisis and consider her Journey an example of how social influence can disrupt the process of forming one's identity.

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Cady's move from Africa and her lack of experience with social norms in American high schools play a significant role in her development. Her status as an outsider

makes her vulnerable to social pressures, and her desire to fit in with the popular group leads her to adopt behaviors that conflict with her authentic self.

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Did the theory do well in explaining your character’s development?

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Did the theory do well in explaining your character’s development?

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Erickson's theory perfectly explains Cady's development. It accurately describes her initial confusion and identity crisis which eventually led to her having a stronger sense of self as she took responsibility, recognized her wrongdoing, and moved on. The theory captures the core of Cady’s experiences.

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Mean Girls: Breaking the Prom Crown (HD CLIP)

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https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/erik-erikson - biography

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377092/plotsummary/- setting, plot, characters

https://www.verywellmind.com/erik-eriksons-stages-of-psychosocial-development-2795740 - stages

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-forgiving-life/202104/why-erik-eriksons-psychosocial-theory-is-not-quite-right - critiques

Pomerantz, A. M. (2018). My psychology (2nd ed.). Worth Publishers.