Theories of Development in Mean Girls
Found at: http://marylandstudents.blogspot.com/2012/02/theories-of-development-in-meangirls.html
By: Jennifer Leitzel, Cheryl Murtha, Alex Trice
Edited and Arranged by: Rebekah Sarmiento
Summary
Mean Girls (2004) falls in the genre of Comedy/Drama and is a Lorne Michaels Production that
stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler, and Tina
Fey. The film is based on the book, Queen Bees and Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman.
Mean Girls takes place in a typical small town in America, more especially, in a modern
multicultural society based at the public school North Shore High School. In the beginning Cady
Heron (Lindsay Lohan’s main character) has moved into the community after spending the
majority of her life living in Africa with her parents who work in the international scientific
community. Equipped an above average intelligence especially in Math, Cady finds herself in a
world that is quite different than that of her former life living in Africa. At her first day of school
she is shown observing the diversity of the modern high school community of North Shore High
School.
Not quite fitting in as much as she has planned she experiences a culture shock and resorts to
eating lunch in a bathroom stall to avoid social inadequacies that come with not knowing her
peers. Not too long after, Cady makes friends with two students Janice and Damien who are
independent and portrayed as social outcasts of the school. Cady is immediately taken by the duo
when they are friendly to her and they soon fill her in with the social stratification of the student
body population. The subcultures that clique together in the school are very diverse and
somewhat typical of high school in America. These include but are not limited to the Jocks,
Nerds, and the notorious and beautiful “Plastics”. The Plastics are the group of three girls who
are very attractive, trendy, rich, and not the brightest of students. This clique is led by the
“Queen Bee” , Regina George (Rachel McAdams), who dominates and rules the group with rules
and reasoning behind them such as what to dress when, who to talk to or date, and how to act in
public together.
Soon Cady is invited to eat lunch with the Plastics and they can’t seem to figure her out. They
can tell that she is not the same as the average student and in conversation with Cady it is
noticeable that their intelligences differ widely. Nonetheless, Cady eventually is accepted into
the Plastics as one of their own while maintaining her friendship with Janice and Damien as well.
When Janice and Damien find out that Cady was accepted into the Plastics the main conflict in
the story begins. It turns out that Janice and Regina were friends in the past but Regina started a
rumor that Janice was a lesbian so Janice has held the grudge ever since. Janice comes up with
an idea that through Cady she can infiltrate the Plastics culture and enact revenge on Regina
George.
Cady also becomes eager to enact revenge with Regina as she had attempted to start a
relationship with Aaron Samuels (Regina’s Ex Boyfriend) that was stunted when Regina started
rumors that Cady was a stalker type.
Janice’s plan involves Cady continuing to be friends with the Plastics and reports the details and
dynamics of the group to Janice and Damien. The motivation of this is to ruin Regina’s life. One
of the secrets of the Plastics is a “Burn Book” that they keep that is a compilation entailing
rumors about students and teachers that the Plastics look down upon.
As Cady lives out her dual life as a covert operative she becomes closer in relationship all of the
members of the Plastics especially Regina George. Also, Cady starts to morph along the way
from an intelligent and caring individual to a similar type of person as the Plastics. In her pursuit
of Aaron Samuels she finds her grades dropping and her innocence lost as she becomes more
involved with revenge and living the reality of the Plastics.
The sabotage that takes place involves Regina gaining trust with Cady as she is feeding her
weight gain nutrition bars as Regina is trying to lose weight. This in turn makes Regina gain
weight causing her popularity to fall. Cady also informs Aaron that Regina was cheating on him
causing him to break up completely with Regina.
Eventually the “Burn Book” is released after Regina finds out about the sabotage and the entire
school finds out about the rumors that are included in this book. Ms. Norbury (Tina Fey), the
Math Teacher, brings all of the people involved in the book and the making of the book into the
gym to amend the complex drama that has unfolded. Here Janice admits that she was the
mastermind behind this plan and Regina storms out of the building and gets hit by a school bus.
Regina getting hit by the bus was the climax of the conflict as she is symbolically taken out of
her popularity and severely injured. The movies resolution involves the Spring Fling dance in
which Cady is voted Spring Fling Queen and fully assumes that role that was originally meant
for Regina. She realizes the error of her and the Plastics ways and breaks her tiara giving pieces
to her classmates and making amends with the people that she did wrong.
The movie ends as the various girls who were in the plastics get involved with other school
activities besides being a Plastic. Cady joins the Mathletes headed by her Coach, Ms. Norbury,
and morphs back into her original self as top student. Regina joins the lacrosse team to be fit
through physically managing her aggression on the field. The story of the Plastics comes to an
end with everyone left personnally changed through the resolved drama.
Major themes and Theories in Mean Girls
Identity is the overarching theme found in the movie Mean Girls. The teen years are a period of
development where the teen is caught between childhood and adulthood, and it is the stage in life
when many decisions are made that formulate identity. In Erikson’s stages of psychosocial
development, the identity versus role confusion stage which represents the development of
twelve to eighteen year olds was the most complex of all the stages (Snowman and McCown, 31).
James Marcia expounded on Erikson’s identity theories suggesting two variables, crisis and
commitment, guide the attainment of mature identity (Snowman and McCown, 32). Marcia
created four statuses of identity: Identity diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, Identity
achievement. Adolescents are more likely to cycle between the moratorium or achievement
statuses when they doubt themselves or where they fit in society, referred to as a MAMA
(moratorium, achievement, moratorium, achievement) cycle (Snowman and McCown, 33-34).
A common theme in coming of age novels and movies is self-knowledge comes through
alienation or facing a crisis of identity. In these stories, the protagonist begins a journey in a state
of innocence, but is confronted with a crisis which they must evaluate the crisis and make a
difficult choice that propels them into greater self-knowledge. The protagonist of Mean Girls,
Cady, finds herself in the center of a crisis during her first year in an American high school.
Cady’s crisis begins when she searches for where she belongs within the social cliques of the
school. As Cady tries to make sense of the teen culture, she creates in her mind three different
worlds: the real world, girl world and the animal world. Each world helps to form her identity
and throughout the film she makes comparisons between interactions in the different worlds. Her
crisis comes to a climax when she faced with doing what she knows is right and must admit to
writing about her math teacher in the burn book. Admitting her role in the burn book causes her
alienation from the entire school, and losing all her friends. As part of her restitution, Cady
agrees to join the school’s math league. During the State finals, Cady has an epiphany about true
identity. She realizes that making fun of her opponent’s clothes and appearance doesn’t change
her opponent’s math abilities. True identity does not come from who you are on the outside, but
who you are on the inside. Cady’s identity constantly transforms throughout the film and at the
end of the movie, Cady reflects on her changes:
I’d gone from homeschooled jungle freak, to shiny Plastic, to the hated person in the world to an
actual human being. All the drama from last year just wasn’t important anymore. School used to
be like a shark tank, but now I can just float. Finally girl world was at peace.
Cady’s sense of peace is reflected in Erikson’s theory of identity. As cited by Snowman and
McCown, (2012), Erikson states: “an optimal sense of identity…is experienced merely as a sense
of psychosocial well-being. Its most obvious concomitants are a feeling of being at home in
one’s body, a sense of ‘knowing where one is going’ and an inner assuredness of anticipated
recognition from those who count’ (1968, p. 165) “ (Snowman and McCown, p.31).
Psychosocial development, cognitive development, moral development, and sexual maturity all
factor into the identity of teens, and are intertwined in identity’s subthemes of peer relationships,
parent/child relationship, teen sexuality, and psychiatric disorders.
Peer relationships speak to how we relate to others. The moral to do unto others as you would
have others do unto you is a popular life lesson regarding peer relationships, and the protagonist
realizes if you want to have friendships you need to be a good friend. Comparatively, girls
experience more anxiety over friendships than boys (Snowman and McCown,100). “Because
adolescent girls often wish to form an intimate relationship with another girl, they are more
likely than boys to experience anxiety, jealousy, and conflicts regarding friendships with samesex peers”. (Snowman and McCown, 100). This subtheme includes the need to belong, and the
desire to be popular versus developing a true friendship. Anxiety among teen girls is evident in
“Mean Girls” through revenge, which is accomplished through deception. Cady’s friend Janis
wants revenge against Regina, the queen bee of the plastics, because of a mean rumor Regina
started about Janis in the 8th grade. When the Plastics, the superficial popular girls, accept Cady
into their group, it provides the perfect opportunity for Janis’s revenge. When Regina begins
dating Aaron to hurt Cady, Cady agrees to pretend to like the Plastics so they can find an
opportunity to hurt Regina. In a lunchroom scene, Regina starts playing with Aaron’s hair, and
Cady thinks to herself: “Regina was dangling Aaron in front of me on purpose. I knew how this
would be settled in the animal world. But this was girl world and in girl world, all the fighting
had to be sneaky”. Janis and Cady get their revenge by eliminating all the things about Regina
that make here popular: Aaron, her hot body, and her army of skanks.
In the process of getting revenge, Cady becomes a Plastic. The people she cares the most about
turn on her and they tell her she has become a mean girl. Aaron tells Cady, “you are just like a
clone of Regina,” and Janis tells Cady, “You’re not pretending anymore, you’re plastic; Cold,
shiny, hard Plastic.”
The subtheme of parent/child relationship looks at parents as role models for a teen’s
development of their adult identity, and how teens relate to authority. Snowman and McCown
(2012) discuss Diana Baumrind’s analysis of four types of childrearing: authoritative,
authoritarian, permissive and rejecting-neglecting. Mean Girls focuses on two types of
childrearing, authoritative and permissive. Snowman and McCown describe authoritative
parents: “They have confidence in their abilities as parents and therefore provide a model of
competence for their children to imitate. When they establish limits and explain reasons for
restrictions, they encourage their children to set standards for themselves and to think about why
certain procedures should be followed. And because these parents are warm and affectionate,
children value their positive responses as rewards for mature behavior. The children of
authoritative parents tend to be self-motivated. They stand up for what they believe, yet are able
to work productively with others” (Snowman and McCown, 79). Cady’s parents are an example
of the authoritative parent type. Cady tells her friends that her parents sent her to a public school
to socialize her, and when Cady returns home at the end of the school day her parents ask her
about her day. Her parents also ground her when they find out that she wrote in the burn book
and that she is failing in math. At the same time, they don’t yell at her, but treat her with respect
and reinforce their expectations. Permissive parents on the other hand “…are disorganized,
inconsistent, and lack confidence, and their children are likely to imitate such behavior.
Permissive parents make few demands of their children, allow them to make many of their own
decisions, do not require them to exhibit mature behavior and tend to avoid confrontations with
their children” (Snowman and McCown, 79). Regina’s mom is an example of a permissive
parent. She tells Cady when she meets her: “There are no rules in this house. I’m not like a
regular mom, I’m a cool mom.” Regina has the master bedroom in the house because her parents
give her anything she wants. Regina’s mom also walks into the bedroom while Regina is making
out with her boyfriend. Regina’s mom asks if they need anything, then leaves.
The subtheme of teen sexuality looks at how teens relate to themselves physically. Adolescence
begins with the beginning of puberty and is a time of physical changes. Snowman and McCown
(2012) cite “the most significant glandular change accompanying puberty is arousal of the sex
drive” (Snowman and McCown, 98). Cady is exposed to the prevalence of sexuality in the teen
culture when she goes to a Halloween party. She says, “…in girl world Halloween is the one
night a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”
A major point of contention between Cady and Regina is Aaron; he is Regina’s ex-boyfriend and
Cady’s current crush. When Regina finds out Cady has a crush on Aaron, she purposely takes
Aaron back so Cady can’t date him. Regina cheats on Aaron and tries to set up situations for
Aaron to catch her. Even Cady’s math teacher realizes Cady is failing tests on purpose to get
Aaron’s attention. She tells Cady, “I know that having a boyfriend may seem to be the most
important thing in the world, but you don’t have to dumb yourself down to get guys to like you”.
The final subtheme of identity is psychiatric disorders, and it relates to the mental crises of teens.
Depression is the most common type of emotional disorder among teens (Snowman and
McCown, 2012, p.101). According to Snowman and McCown (2012), “Common symptoms of
depression include feelings of worthlessness and lack of control over one’s life, crying spells,
and suicidal thoughts, threats and attempts. Additional symptoms include moodiness, social
isolation, fatigue, hypochondria, and difficulty concentrating” (101-102). Cady’s friend Janis
wants to get revenge against Regina because of a rumor Regina started about her in the 8th grade.
Janis became depressed and left school. Janis is socially isolated, and becomes angry when she
talks about Regina. “Mean Girls” also deals with the issue of Anorexia Nervosa, “…an eating
disorder characterized by a preoccupation with body weight and food, behavior directed toward
losing weight, peculiar patterns of handling food, weight loss, intense fear of gaining weight, and
a distorted perception of one’s body” (Snowman and McCown ,101). For the Plastics, having a
distorted perception of one’s body is one way they bond with each other. As Regina, Karen, and
Gretchen criticize themselves, Cady thinks, “I used to think there was just fat and skinny, but
apparently there’s a lot of things that can be wrong with your body.”
Teenage Culture
This film takes a critical analysis at the ethical dilemmas that surround the complex sociological
and cultural melting pot that is the American education system. When considering the various
cultures in Mean Girls it is important to define culture. According to Psychology Applied to
Teaching, “Culture is a term that describes how a group of people perceives the world;
formulates beliefs; evaluates objects, ideas, and experiences; and behaves. It can be thought of as
a blueprint that guides the ways in which individuals within a group do such important things as
communicate with others, handles time and space, express, emotions, and approach work and
play. The concept of culture typically includes ethnic group but can also encompass religious
beliefs and socioeconomic status (Snowman and McCown, 139). Furthermore, Snowman points
out that cultural characteristics include “beliefs, attitudes, values, and behavior patterns” while
working independently or cooperatively for rewards (Snowman and McCown,139-140).
From the beginning of the film it is apparent that the high school setting is multicultural and the
groups to which students are categorized in revolves around certain cliques with distinguishing
ethnic and personal interest similarities. The categories that label the various cliques of students
are defined early on by Janice (Cady’s alternative and not so popular “friend”) as the
“Freshmen”, the “Preps”, the “JV and the Varsity Jocks”, the “Asian Nerds”, the “Cool Asians”,
the “Unfriendly Black Hotties”, the “Girls that Eat their Feelings”, the “Girls that Don’t Eat
Anything”, “the Desparate Wannabees”, “the Burn Outs”, the “Sexually-active Band Geeks”, the
“Plastics”, and Janice and Damien as “the Greatest People”.
The cultures present on the various levels display what is known as the cultural melting
pot/cultural pluralism. It is evident that there are races that originated throughout the globe and
who have been assimilated to the ideals of a typical American culture in ideals, values, and
customs (Snowman and McCown, 141). We can see examples of this throughout the film in
settings such as while hanging out at the shopping mall, in the cafeteria, during the talent show,
at parties, etc. While in general the student population is a melting pot certain groups have more
in common through ethnicity (i.e. the Asians-Nerd/Cool, and the Black Hotties) while others
have interests and socioeconomic similarities in common ( i.e. the rich Plastics and Preps, the
Jocks etc).
Mean Girls centers around the main character, Cady, and her sociological development amongst
her peers in her new high school. Being a recent transplant to a “typical” American high school
from a previous home school in Africa, Cady displays loyalty and to her friends and authorities
and progresses to an individualistic mind set out for her own political gain amongst the various
characters. Cady from the start is highly respectful of authorities such as parents and teachers but
as she develops she becomes more influenced by the complex social dynamic of the various
cultures of cliques present. She begins to develop an integral role in the Plastics culture as they
starts gaining each others loyalty and simultaneously sabotaging one another for personal benefit.
Using Lawrence Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Reasoning derived from PAT we can see that the
Plastics are highly orientated to in Stage 2-Instrumental Relativist Orientation by seeking
personal reward for their actions; Stage 3- Nice Girl Orientation by seeking to impress others
with actions; and Stage 4- Law-and-Order Orientation-by being orientated to established rules
and respecting authority (Snowman and McCown 57). The Plastics are constantly striving to
impress and obey their own rules while at the same time they regress to lesser stages of moral
development in having their actions be guided by an incentive of personal benefit.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the movie Mean Girls has proven to be a dramatized look into the world of
adolescent moral and cognitive development. The movie uses the usual Hollywood drama and
comedic relief to romanticize the very real social turmoil that so frequently affects teenagers
today. If one takes away the big Hollywood names and exaggerated circumstances, something
very real and serious is laid out in plain view. Issues such as underage drinking, sex, emotional
abuse and the natural human instinct to belong are vividly displayed. As stated by Snowman and
McCown, some social characteristics of high school-aged adolescents include the theory that
“parents and other adults are likely to influence long-range plan; peers are likely to influence
immediate status,” (Snowman and McCown, 100). This text also reveals that “girls seem to
experience greater anxiety about friendships than boys do,” (2012, 100). “Mean Girls” themes
swirled aggressively around these theories on adolescent psychology.
According to psychologist and theorist Erik Erikson, this conclusion can be supported by his
fifth stage of development: identity versus confusion. The adolescent years are filled with selfdiscovery and learning how to function out from under the nurturing wing of a parent. This is a
huge step as well as a scary one for the majority of adolescents and can lead to a variety of
psychosocial issues as seen in Mean Girls. It is perhaps this confusion and reluctance to begin
the journey towards independence that contributed to the severe assimilation in the form of
“cliques” that the movie portrays. The Plastics; those with money looks and perceived
confidence sought out one another and bonded based on similarities. The Asians stayed together
as did the jocks and stoners, etc. This depiction is very much a reality in many cases due to the
human desire to seek out what is familiar, therefore comfortable. Identity confusion can make it
very difficult for one to have the confidence to stand alone.
Looking to the serious side of these issues that are common among adolescents (particularly
females); the question that needs to be posed is in what role the teacher of these students is to
play in this story. How involved is too involved? Unfortunately, this particular movie got caught
up in the comedic relief the teachers could provide as a compliment to the adolescent drama,
versus showing the potential positive influence that could and should have very well occurred.
For example, the inappropriate conversations between teacher and principal regarding divorce
and sexual attraction would never have taken place in the classroom in front of a room full of
students as it did early on in the movie. Also, the proposed “health class” in which the coach so
delicately informed the students they would die if they touched each other and then proceeded to
hand out condoms would not take place either. While these sorts of situations may provide a
chuckle to some viewers, it did not serve to shed a positive light on the role of the educator.
Unfortunately, the issues such as those seen in the movie Mean Girls are real and alive in the
schools today. Eating disorders and psychiatric maladies of all kinds are more common among
adolescents than one would like to see (Snowman and McCown, 101). Social acceptance is a
driving force in the decisions and behaviors of these students to where morality can sometimes
take a back seat in these young minds. This is where teachers come in. As previously identified
in the themes of the movie, adults prove to be a shaping force in a child’s future adult identity.
First and foremost, it is imperative for a teacher of adolescent-aged students to be a positive role
model. According to Dr. Robyn Silverman, there are seven key ways to be a positive role model
for your students. First, demonstrate positive choice-making. Second, one should model this
through something as simple as thinking aloud. This allows your students to follow your though
process from beginning to end and later assimilate it outside of the classroom. Thirdly, teachers
should make sure to apologize and admit mistakes. The simple act of showing children that
everyone can be wrong, even teachers who are often perceived as having to know everything,
can show students that it is okay to be wrong. This will help to build and confirm high selfesteem. Fourth and fifth are to follow through with what you say and always show respect. It is
amazing to see how an otherwise closed off child will open up when they begin to feel that their
thoughts and feelings are meaningful. Lastly, a teacher must be well-rounded and confident. This
will model the person that each and every child should be working to be, (Silverman, R., 2012).
No one person can stop the malice and torment that occurs among adolescents completely. So
much of it may take place on the bus, at the mall or even over the phone as was seen in “Mean
Girls”. Still, it is the positive attitudes and influences within the classroom that can at least help
to keep school as somewhat of a safe haven against the trials of adolescence. This coupled with
the integration of multicultural education will show today’s children that it is okay to be different.
In some cases it can even be “cool”. In the case of Cady and the Mean Girls, not only being
different, but doing the right thing and being yourself will even end up getting you the guy.
Works Cited
Silverman, R. (2012) Seven Ways to Make a Positive Impact on Children.
http://www.drrobynsilverman.com/parenting-tips/powerful-role-models-seven-ways-to-make-apositive-impact-on-children/. Retrieved 2/23/2012.
Snowman, Jack, and Rick McCown. Psychology Applied to Teaching. 13. Belmont: Wadsworth
Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Waters, Mark, dir. Mean Girls. Wiseman, Rosalind, 2004. Film.
Theories of Development in Mean Girls: Applying Theories of Development
Found at: http://marylandstudents.blogspot.com/2012/02/theories-of-development-in-meangirls_26.html
Psychosocial Development:
Identity Vs. Role Confusion. Concerns srise about gender role and occupational choice. Different
identity statuses become apparent.
Evidence from Film:
“Freshmen”, the “Preps”, the “JV and the Varsity Jocks”, the “Asian Nerds”, the “Cool Asians”,
the “Unfriendly Black Hotties”, the “Girls that Eat their Feelings”, the “Girls that Don’t Eat
Anything”, “the Desparate Wannabees”, “the Burn Outs”, the “Sexually-active Band Geeks”, the
“Plastics”, and Janice and Damien as “the Greatest People”.
I’d gone from homeschooled jungle freak, to shiny Plastic, to the hated person in the world to an
actual human being. All the drama from last year just wasn’t important anymore. School used to
be like a shark tank, but now I can just float. Finally girl world was at peace."
Cady's initiation from an outsider to a "Plastic".
Cognitive Development:
Formal operational thought for many students. There is increasing abiltiy to engage in mental
manipulations, understand abstractions, and test hypotheses.
Evidence from Film:
"The Plastics" use their rumor book to humiliate, guilt, and manipulate others to suit their needs.
Cady herself uses verbal assaults when she is made the Queen Bee.
Cady’s friend Janis wants revenge against Regina, the queen bee of the plastics, because of a
mean rumor Regina started about Janis in the 8th grade. When the Plastics, the superficial popular
girls, accept Cady into their group, it provides the perfect opportunity for Janis’s revenge.
“Regina was dangling Aaron in front of me on purpose. I knew how this would be settled in the
animal world. But this was girl world and in girl world, all the fighting had to be sneaky”.
Moral Development:
Morality of cooperation, conventional level. There is an increasing willingness to think of rules
as mutual agreements and allow for intentions and extenuating circumstances.
Evidence from Film:
Cady initially stayed in her "outsider" group until she was coerced into spying on "The Plastics"
When Regina begins dating Aaron to hurt Cady, Cady agrees to pretend to like the Plastics so
they can find an opportunity to hurt Regina
Sexual Maturity:
Affects many aspects of bahavior. There is a need to make personal value decisions regarding
use of drugs, sex, and code of ethics.
Evidence from Film:
“…in girl world Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and
no other girls can say anything about it.”
I know that having a boyfriend may seem to be the most important thing in the world, but you
don’t have to dumb yourself down to get guys to like you”.
“I used to think there was just fat and skinny, but apparently there’s a lot of things that can be
wrong with your body.”
Works Cited
Snowman, Jack, and Rick McCown. Psychology Applied to Teaching. 13. Belmont: Wadsworth
Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Waters, Mark, dir. Mean Girls. Wiseman, Rosalind, 2004. Film.