Ponyboy Curtis lives with Sodapop & Darry. Their parents were killed in a tragic auto accident. Darry has been allowed to guard Sodapop, Ponyboy and their younger brother since the parents’ deaths. The Greasers are a group of lower-class kids with greasy hair who live in the poorest part of town. The Greasers have similar struggles in life, but also a problem with the Socials. Ponyboy has a group of Greaser friends, including Johnny Steve Dallas Dally Two Bit. Ponyboy is walking home from the cinema when he gets jumped by Socs. Ponyboy, a member of Ponyboy’s gang, witnesses his attackers and runs them away. Ponyboy is brought inside and Darry, Ponyboy’s older brother, gets into a disagreement about Ponyboy’s future. This is not unusual for them to argue and include their other sibling Sodapop.

Pony, Dallas, and Johnny go to the drive-in to watch a movie. They are met by Sherri/Cherry and Marcia, two girls who left their Soc boys at the drive in because they didn’t approve of the drinking. Dally, a stubborn and impulsive boy, annoys the girls. Dally will not leave until Ponyboy (the older girl) and Cherry (the younger girl) tell him to go. Two-Bit then joins Pony, Johnny and Dally and offers the girls a ride home. The girls’ drunken boyfriends show up while they are walking home and ask why the girls hang out with the other group. Cherry and Marcia are willing to leave their boyfriends with the other group to avoid the fight. Johnny and Pony then decide they don’t feel like going home and hang out on a lot. The boys, who were not paying attention to the time, fell asleep and woke up at around 2 in the morning. Pony runs to Darry’s house, but it’s too late for his curfew. Darry becomes furious and starts an argument with Pony. Darry accidentally hit Pony out of anger. Ponyboy, who is furious and angry, storms from the house to look for Johnny. Pony considers leaving, but instead the boys take him to the nearby park to calm himself down. Cherry and Marcia see the boyfriends of Cherry and Marcia again at the same park. The boys have drank more since their last meeting. Ponyboy is shoved into the fountain with his face facing the water, by a group Socs. Johnny panics as he realizes Pony’s drowning. He pulls his pocketknife out and kills Cherry and Bob. The boys are in shock and decide to flee to avoid being charged with murder. They seek Dally’s help. Dally offers to help and gives the boys $50 and directions for a place to hide outside town. The boys take a bus to an abandoned chapel where they wait until Dally arrives. Pony’s hair is bleached blonde to help him disguise himself. They play cards to pass the time as they wait for Dally. They also read Gone with the Wind. Dally, who has been absent for a whole week, finally arrives and takes the boys out to eat. Dally tells them that Cherry was spying on behalf of the Greasers. She also says she helped the Greasers even though Cherry came from the other side. She will also testify to the fact that Bob had been drinking on the night that he died, and she believes that Johnny was acting in self defense. Johnny decides to surrender himself because he believes that there is a good chance he won’t get in trouble. They discover the fire in the church and a group of school children when they return.

Ponyboy, Johnny and the rest of the crew rush in to save the children. The roof collapses as they rescue the children. Ponyboy barely survives but Johnny can’t move because a burning piece of the building falls on him. Ponyboy and his brothers were reunited at the hospital after they were rushed there. Johnny died from his severe burns at the hospital. Dally, enraged and overcome with grief, decides that he’ll rob a store. Dally flees, calls Darry at a telephone kiosk, and asks Darry to pick him up, hide him, and take him away. Dally was shot by police as the gang arrived at the parking lot. Ponyboy was still required to appear in court to face his trial. Ponyboy’s innocence is confirmed by Cherry’s testimonies. He is allowed to continue living with his brothers. Ponyboy became traumatized after the trials and began having problems in school. Darry tells Ponyboy he has to act and Pony must decide on his theme for the semester in English class. He decides to use The Outsiders to warn other boys who face similar problems.

Erik Erikson is an ego psychologist and he developed a theory of development that has been widely adopted. Erikson was heavily influenced in his theories by the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. However, Erikson thought Freud missed important aspects of development. Erikson’s theory differs from Freud in that Freud focused on the sexual stage of human behavior, while Erikson’s focus is on the social experiences throughout the lifespan. Erikson was of the opinion that our development occurs “in psychosocial, not psycho-sexual” stages as Freud thought. Erikson says that one’s character develops in eight stages. Each stage impacts the human behavior. The first stage is Trust versus Mistrust, which takes place between birth and a year old. During the first stage of psychosocial development, an infant learns to trust their caregivers based upon dependability.

In late infancy or toddlerhood, the second stage of Autonomy is achieved. After developing trust with the caregiver, babies begin to show their independence. They will perform simple actions and make decisions on their own. During preschool, the third phase occurs: Initiative versus Guilt. This is the stage where children begin to assert power and imitate adults. The fourth phase, Industry versus Subordination, occurs around the time of elementary school. This is the time when children are able learn, create, and gain new knowledge and skills. This stage can lead to a child developing a feeling of inferiority. Identity versus roles confusion occurs in the adolescent stage. During the fifth stage, adolescent individuals are struggling to understand who they are as well as what they’re going through. In the early years of adulthood, we reach the sixth phase: intimacy versus loneliness. Young adults are looking for intimacy and fulfilling relationships. In the event of failure, there will be isolation. The seventh phase, Generativity against Stagnation is experienced during middle age. The seventh stage occurs during middle adulthood.

Integrity or Despair is the last stage of development that an adult experiences. In this stage, individuals reflect on their past. Some feel integrity and others despair when they think about their failures and experiences. Ponyboy Curtis (14 years old) falls into Erikson’s Identity versus Role Confusion Stage in The Outsiders. Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Kill Bob, the Soc who attempted to drown Pony’s Head under a Fountain. The boys are not capable of facing their mistakes and realizing what they did. Dally helps them to run away. Pony dyes his blonde hair and Pony cuts their hair in order to not be noticed. Pony wonders about his family’s love and his own self-worth. Johnny and Pony are rescued by the public after Johnny and Pony have saved the children from burning in the church. Ponyboy begins to understand that his behavior is changing and decides it’s time to forget his past. Ponyboy struggles to accept the trauma he has experienced after the deaths of Johnny and Dally. He copes with the difficult times by writing. Ponyboy and Cherry don’t share an intimate relationship, but I believe they still experience the Intimacy versus isolation stage.

Ponyboy is there to defend Cherry and Cherry’s friend, when Dally wouldn’t let them be alone. Cherry and Pony start to form a close relationship after the incident. Cherry, who is from the opposite side of town to Pony, is afraid to be seen together for fear that it will damage her reputation. Cherry becomes a Greaser spy when Ponyboy, Johnny and the Greasers are running from the police for murder. She says she’d testify against herself to help Johnny and Ponyboy, even if that would make her look bad. Erikson believed it was important for people to develop strong relationships with others. Even though Cherry is from a different part of town than Ponyboy, the two still form a strong personal bond throughout the film. Ponyboy is also experiencing Integrity and Despair in a way. This stage is when people reflect on their lives, deciding whether they are satisfied with their life or regret it. Ponyboy is going through this stage in Outsiders when he looks at the past and all that he has been through. This includes the death his parents, Bob’s murder, and the deaths of Johnny and Dally. Ponyboy is left feeling guilty and despondent by these events, but Pony uses the written word to cope. His past experiences are used to encourage others to make changes in their lives.

Many theorists think that environmental factors are a major influence on behavior. Bandura’s theory of social learning emphasizes observational learning, modeling and imitation. The social cognitive theory states that individuals learn behaviors, emotions and thoughts from observing their peers’ actions. These observations have a significant impact on our individual growth because they form us. The Outsiders is a movie that features two social groupings: The Socs. The two groups have different characteristics and are opposites. Bandura’s Theory is demonstrated in Ponyboy’s outcast status in his gang. Ponyboy, who is reserved and quiet is a noticeable difference from the other members. Ponyboy, who is reserved and different from the rest of the gang, still imitates them to fit in. This is consistent with Bandura’s theory. Ponyboy is a good example. Because everyone in the gang smokes and fights, he will also pick up these mannerisms. Ponyboy shows Bandura’s theory in the movie by using his environment to model, imitate and observe other behaviors.

Ponyboy, at an early age, had been through many tragic experiences. Ponyboy experienced many tragedies at a young, impressionable age. Environmental factors could have been changed in order to avoid these events. Ponyboy’s upbringing in the lower-class area of the city may have forced him to be with the wrong crowd. Ponyboy is unable to rebelliously act because of the constant violence between two groups. Ponyboy would have had better grades if he were raised in a state without gangs. His family wouldn’t worry about him being in a violent gang. Ponyboy’s family would have been better off financially if his parents had taught him how to save and manage money. Ponyboy’s life doesn’t have many positive outcomes, but he has a strong relationship with others. He considers his group members to be family. Cherry, a girl from the other side is also a good friend of his. To maintain his positive development, he has to continue to meet new people, build new friendships and stay in contact with his friends.

According to me, this movie accurately depicts child development, issues, and problems that adolescents and children face. They face financial troubles, deaths, gangs or violence, as well as social groups, throughout their lives. The movie is exaggerated in my opinion, at least for this period. We don’t use violence every time we see someone of the opposite social group. People also move to a better area if they can’t find work or a bad place. The movie takes place in a time when social groups were more restrictive and there was less freedom. I think this is why we face the same challenges today, even though the issues are the same. This film does not reflect my own growth because I do not have to worry about violence or social groups that can influence my actions and development. This film is a good fit for me because, like many people, I also struggle financially at times and have seen deaths. I think these experiences are what help a person grow and learn.

Sources

Santrock, J. W. (2018). A topical Approach to Life-Span Development (9th Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill

Coppola, F. (Director), & Hinton, S. E. (Screenwriter). (1983). The Outsiders. The US.