Psychology

Unit 3: Life Span

Mr. Ring

Perks of Being a Wallflower

During class we will watch the film Perks of Being a Wallflower and test developmental
theories. You will need to identify changes in characters and relate those changes to
developmental theories discussed in class.
Adolescence: What you need to answer.
1. Describe the character's personality in terms of who they are at the
beginning of the film.
2. Explain how each character has changed throughout the film. Be sure to
cite specific events that changes each character.
3. Describe their want to fit in, want to be an adult, and their need for
acceptance.
4. Connect the characters development to a theory from class and explain
why that theory explains the development.
Charlie
1. In the beginning of the film Charlie is an extremely quiet introvert with no
friends and no social life. He is extremely smart but hides it from his classmates
rather than embrace it. The only one that will talk to him is his teacher Mr.
Anderson, even his own sister will not sit with him at lunch.
2. Charlies tragic past is revealed throughout the movie, we learn that his best
friend Michael committed suicide a year ago and at the very end of the film we
discover that his aunt Helen whom everyone loved was abusing him as a child.
This haunts Charlie in his teenage years and makes him a little unstable. Upon
meeting Sam and Patrick, Charlie comes out of his shell and he quickly grows to
love them.
3. From the very beginning of the film we know that Charlie wants nothing more
than a friend, this is shown prominently throughout the movie by Charlie writing
to a friend who is never named. Which leads us to believe that he is simply
writing to get some stuff off his chest. Charlies need to fit in is not substantial,
this is shown when he shows up to school in a suit and could care less what
people think of him. Additionally this is reflected in his friends who, although
great, are more social outcasts than popular.

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4. Charlie is the epitome of Erikson's Psychosocial Developmental Theory and

his theory of Identity Crisis.
Brad
1. From first impressions Brad is a typical jock, a football star who has a perfect
life. However this is far from the truth, he is gay and in love with Patrick but has
to keep it a secret because his father will hate him.
2. Brad is does not play a big role in the movie until Charlie walks in on him and
Brad kissing, he then realizes that he cant keep it a secret forever and is going
to have to tell his father and friends eventually. Brad finally is forced to come to
terms with his difficult decision when he tells Patrick that he loves him. However
this is all for nothing when his father comes home early from a trip and catches
Brad with Patrick. He then proceeds to beat up Brad, nearly killing him and
screaming at him all the while. The next day at school Brad shows his true colors
when he is confronted by Patrick in front of the entire cafeteria. Brad is extremely
cruel and insults Patrick, then just stands there as his friends beat him up.
3. Brad wants nothing more than to be accepted by his father and friends but he
is too afraid of what will happen to tell them he is gay. As it turns out his fears are
true and his father loses it when he finds out, but instead takes out his anger on
Patrick.
4. The parallels between Brad and his father are undeniably similar. Both turn
their backs on someone they claim to love and resort to violence in order to cope.
This shows Brad as an example of Freud's Psychosexual Development
Candace
1. Really cares about Charlie and is passionate about what she does, but she
seems slightly oblivious about what Charlie is going through when she wont
even let him sit next to her at lunch, forcing him to sit by himself. Wants charlie to
trust her when Derek hits her and ends up breaking up with him gaining more of
his approval.

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Unit 3: Life Span

Mr. Ring

2. Candace does not have a huge role but she has proven to be undeniably
devoted to her brother when she knows exactly what to do and say to Charlie
after Sam leaves for college. She also visits him in the hospital giving him some
happy memories that make him feel like he is getting better.
3. Acceptance is important to Candace this is shown in her friend group who are
all popular and how she dresses and acts around them, I would say that she is
slightly two-faced when around her friends compared to her family. She is cold to
Charlie when her friends are near but at home it seems they are close.
4. Her caring, passionate, personality and attitude are an example of Kohlberg's
stages of moral development.
Patrick
1. Class clown, who thrives off attention and doesnt care what people think
about him as long as they think of him. He is gay but is fine telling people, he tells
jokes when hes feeling anything that could show cracks in the armor of humor
he has constructed. Patrick proves he can be very accepting when he lets a
virtual stranger, Charlie, into his tight knit friend group.
2. Patrick starts out as a funny carefree guy but later on in the movie he is
outraged when Brad insults him and acts like he means nothing, this makes him
violent and reveals a different side that he really doesnt like showing.
3. Patrick doesnt care about being accepted as long as his friends like him. He
doesnt care if people know hes gay and is himself 24/7 so that he doesnt have
any regrets.
4. Patrick is in the Stages of Moral Development, he acts like a child sometimes
but is really about to graduate high school and in general really has a poor image
of himself.
Sam

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1. A Beautiful and passionate young woman who loves music, her cousin and
Charlie. She is very driven and cares a lot about whatever she does, Sam is very
free-spirited and wants to make her own path in life.
2. Our first impression of Sam is that she is just a pretty face and really doesnt
care about school her senior year because she just wants to get out of
highschool. But this is far from the truth, she is determined to get into Penn State
and studies all quarter with Charlie for her SATs. We also think that Charlies
feelings for Sam are unrequited when she freaks out that he kissed her instead of
Mary Elizabeth. However the night before she leaves for college she reveals that
she loves Charlie and says her memorable quote Why do all the people I care
about pick people that treat them like nothing?. This leaves us with the final
impression that she is a very strong, albeit emotional, person who loves her
friends fiercely and deeply.
3. Sam only wants to be accepted into college and by her friends. Her social
standing is of no importance to her and she is untroubled by being different from
other people. If anything being different makes her happier.
4. Sam is best described using Piaget's Theories of Cognitive development, she
had a very traumatizing event happen to her and it undoubtedly affects the
person she is now.
PonyTail Derek
1. Ponytail Derek has one opening scene and it of him hitting Candace when
they are argueing. This gives him the impression of a huge jerk despite the fact
that everyone thinks hes harmless because hes a hippie.
2. Derek develops further as a character when Candace breaks up with him and
he doesnt react badly and continues on date another person.
3. Ponytail Derek craves the acceptance of Candace and his fellow peers,
everyone thinks he is a good guy and he doesnt do anything that could
jeopardize that so he is a laidback hippie that is in the earth club.

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4. Ponytail Derek is part of the Identity Crisis theory, he isn't sure who he is and
we certainly see two sides, hippie vs abusive.
Mary Elizabeth
1. Is a goth Buddhist who has a rock hard exterior but is really emotional and
talkative once you get to know her. This is the reason that Charlie breaks up with
her. She proves to be a very brave defender of everyone in her friend group and
really loves music and having fun.
Charlie's girlfriend until he kisses Sam in a game of truth or dare. Mary Elizabeth
feels rejected and gets Patrick and Sam to not hang out with Charlie for a few
weeks leaving him all alone during a tough time of his life.
2. Mary Elizabeth originally says that she only dates macho guys but asks
Charlie to the Sadie Hawkins dance and begins dating him. Later when Charlie
picks Sam over she lashes out and cuts Charlie out of the group for almost three
weeks. This is particularly difficult for Charlie because he is going through a
tough time in his life.
3. She seeks acceptance from Charlie and her friends but really pretends like
she doesnt need anybody. This is proven when she talks to Charlie all the time
when they are dating, because she is desperate for his, or someone's, approval.
4. Mary Elizabeth is undergoing Erikson's Identity Crisis Theory, she is trying to
be too many different things at once and really just can't decide.
Alice
1. Comes from a rich family but still feels the need to steal jeans from the mall.
Not much is included about her except that she and Mary Elizabeth have been
friends with Sam since kindergarten and are practically inseparable.
2. During the Christmas season they are doing secret santas and Alice buys
Mary Elizabeth jeans from the mall instead of stealing them. Which shows that
she is trying to stop rebelling from her parents and finishing her rebellious phase
where she disobeys every rule she comes across.

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Mr. Ring

3. Alice wants the acceptance and attention from her rich parents. Her shoplifting
proves this, its the only thing she can do that will make her parents pay attention
to her and maybe even care what she is doing.
4. Alice is going through the the stages of moral development.
She no infer steals because she has learned the difference between her
emotions and the effects of her actions.
Adults: What you need to answer.
5. Explain the impact each adult has on the teenagers.
6. Are the adults helpful? Why or why not?
7. What do you think they could have done to help the teenagers?
8. What stage of adult development do you believe each character is at and
why?
Charlies Mom
5. At the beginning of the movie she gives the impression that she and Charlie
are not really close.
6. Towards the end of the movie when she learns about what Aunt Helen did to
Charlie she is emotional and it is made obvious that she truly cares about Charlie
and loves him unconditionally.
7. It is unclear whether or not Charlies Mom want to be accepted by her
friends/peers because we dont see her outside of her house. But it is obvious
that she wants her children to accept her and love her so she tries to be a good
mom.
8. Charlie's mom is undergoing Erikson's Psychosocial Self idea, she wants to
have a normal life and a normal family with any problems. She wants to look like the
perfect family for her friends and the one she has if far from it.

Charlies Dad
5. Doesnt really interact with Charlie until the end of the movie, at first it seems
that he could care less about Charlie as long as he does good in school.

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Unit 3: Life Span

Mr. Ring

6. Charlie's dad has an indifference towards Charlie in the beginning of the

movie. It was obvious that Charlie lied when he asked him about school or his
friends, until he made some, but for the most part Charlie acted like everything
was fine and he was willing to accept that without question.
7. Charlie's dad was only looking for acceptance with his family. He wants his
family to be picture perfect but when they are far from it he become a little bit
frustrating but in the end he accept his family as most importantly Charlie.
8. Charlie's dad exemplifies Levinson's theory of male development. He is in the
older stage and is very family orientated with little regard for actual family until an
important event.
Mr. Anderson
5. Is Charlies favorite teacher and thinks that Charlie is very bright and more
than able to write his own book, he challenges Charlie by giving him copies of his
favorite books to read a write about.
6. At the beginning of the movie Mr. Anderson calls out Charlie when he has the
right answers but chooses not to say them. By the end of the movie he
understands Charlie as well as his friends do, he is respectful of his space and
his quiet nature and wants what's best for Charlie. Additionally Mr. Anderson and
his wife were looking into moving to New York to pursue a writing career and
change things up. However he realizes that he needs to stay for Charlie, and that
this new, young mind has the potential to be greater writer than he will be.
Mr. Anderson sacrifices his dream of being a writer but in the process is able to
save a young man from himself.

7. Mr. Anderson has the need to be accepted by his students as a great teacher
and also, whether he realizes it or not by Charlie. He sees Charlie as himself in his
younger years and probably thinks that he is able to live vicariously through him, which
is why he takes such a prominent role in molding him. He also has trouble accepting
himself which we see when he tells Charlie that "We accept the love we think we
deserve". Clearly showing the idea that he has some self-confidence problems.
8. Mr. Anderson correlates with Erikson's Identity Crisis theory, he wants to be his
own person and move to New York to write but also sees a kindred soul in Charlie. So

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Unit 3: Life Span

Mr. Ring

he leaves his dreams for a student he barely knows and is planning on living through
Charlie's own success as a writer.