#psy. the breakfast club parenting style.
“Andrew: My God, are we gonna be like our parents?
Claire: [teary] Not me…ever.
Allison: It’s unavoidable, it just happens.
Claire: What happens?
Allison: When you grow up, your heart dies…
John: Who cares.
Allison: I care.”
Their characters express the parenting style they were raised with. Based on the details shown to us in the film, my comment on the possible parenting styles of their parents is as follows:
Claire:
Honestly, I was not sure about Claire’s parents. Because the father shown to us is very sweet, understanding, as if he is with his daughter in any case. In contrast, in the film, Claire says, “I don’t think either of them gave a shit about me,” provided she has such parents. She also said in the film that each of her parents pampered her and tried to outdo the other. Can we just say to his family that they don’t care about her and are permissive — indifferent parents? I guess not. I think even the reason she said those words is because of Princess Claire’s excessive pampering. Immature, and a child out of control. She must have absolutely permissive-indulgent parents.
Brian:
In the beginning, I have two opinions about Brian’s parents. If we look at Brian shown in the movie: he is very smart, responsible, and knows how to do things on his own. From this point of view, his parents seem to be authoritative parents who provide a firm structure and guidance to their child.
On the other hand, the scene where his mother dropped him off at school was a little confusing: when Brian’s mother was dropping off him at the school she didn’t bother to listen to his excuse but warned him instead that, “This is the first time and the last time you do this” and shouted at him telling him to use the time to his advantage. He had no say in front of his mother which is described above that children of authoritarian parents are obedient and proficient as he was very good at studies but had lacked social and communication skills. Because this scene is very strong and clear, I say that his family should be authoritarian parents.
Andrew:
It is most likely that Andrew has authoritarian parents. While the students are talking with each other, Andrew mentions the pressure his father causes on him. He quotes his father’s words, “You got to be number one!” And he feels his father as a machine (!) that he cannot communicate with him. In other words, he looks like only cares about being the star athlete and being popular because that is what their parents want.
John:
John’s family must be permissive- indifferent parents because we can see from the first scene that every child other than him drops by their parents off at school, while John walks alone. According to this scene, his parents are neglectful. Moreover, we see that he has lacked social skills and self-control (he is known “criminal”).
Allison:
Even though we do not learn much about her in the movie, Alison most likely has permissive- indifferent parents. These parents pay very little attention to their children, and Allison states in the movie that her parents completely ignore her. Again, if we remember the first scene of the movie, her parents drop her off in the car, but they can’t say anything, and they go as fast as the car door closes. We continue the film by seeing the desperate scene where Allison looks from behind the car. These parents produce children who lack social skills, and Allison definitely lacks in this area.
Sena Sarıtaş
Middle East Technical University, Psychology Major Student
