In "The Breakfast Club" five different personalities, each safe in their identity and yet filled with insecurities, spend a lazy Saturday confined to detention at Shermer High School in Shermer, Illinois, for a variety of school violations. Throughout the movie your introduced to a variety of different characters such as the princess, the jock, the brain, the rebel, and the freak. Mr. Vernon, the teacher in charge of the students, unwittingly assigns an essay with the subject "who am I". As the movie goes on the students begin to rebel more and more against Mr. Vernon. Yet each character has a troubled life as foreshadowed by their very presence in detention and show the different personalities each have.
             John Bender, the criminal, is the main character in the movie and functions as the catalyst or the instigator. To me he seems to be characterized under the Psychoanalytic theory that Freud started. One by one, he shocks and exposes each student's insecurities, which would be an example of the pleasure principal. John is subjected to severe mental and physical abuse at home. His father hammers him with vulgar names and brands his forearm with a lit cigar for spilling paint in the garage. So he rebells and becomes the "criminal". All of these examples clearly state that John uses defense mechanisms. Mr. Verner yells at him, "See what he'll be like in 5 years." It is ironic that he has developed such a cynical outlook on life, yet he possesses such an enthusiastic insight into others' personalities. This would be under the inborn drives he has to get to know everyone he comes in contact with.
             The next character would be the princess. The first thing out of her mouth is " can't believe you can't get me out of this". And the first impression we get is "spoiled brat". She would more likely be categorized under the Behaviorism theory. She is the type of person who's popular, thinks her life is good, looks positive to others,...