In the movie Rebel Without a Cause, the main character Jim Stark played by James Dean, is trying to figure

out who he is, although he is trying to be his own person he still confides in his father for guidance. Throughout the movie he is trying to find himself while struggling with social interactions and moral issues. Jim is in Erik Eriksons adolescence stage of development. Erik Erikson was born in 1902 and passed away in 1994. He was a DanishGerman-American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory on social development of human beings. Erikson felt the course of development is determined by the interaction of the body, mind and cultural influences. His basic philosophy rests on two major themes: 1. The world gets bigger as we go along; and 2. Failure is cumulative. Erikson came up with 8 stages of development, which are: 1. Infancy: Birth to 18 months, 2. Early Childhood: 18 months to 3 years, 3. Play age: 3 to 5 years, 4. School age: 6 to 12 years, 5. Adolescence: 12 to 18 years, 6. Young adulthood: 18 to 35 years, 7. Middle Adulthood: 35 to 55 or 65 and 8. Late Adulthood: 55 or 65 to Death. The film Rebel Without a Cause mainly focused on the 5th stage, which is adolescence: 12 to 18 years. Erik Erikson states that in this stage its out task to discover who we are as individuals separate from our family. We see this through

the character Jim Stark and also through the two other main characters Judy (Natalie Wood) and Plato (Sal Mineo). Jim Stark is a 17 teen year old who is filled with confusion about his role in life. Nearing the end of the movie Jim states to Judy If I had one day when I didnt have to be all confused and I didnt have to feel that I was ashamed of everything. If I felt that I belonged someplace. You know? Jims goal is to be a man and throughout the movie he is trying to find what it takes to be a man and what it means to be a man. Jim struggles with this a lot through the movie due to the fact he just moved in to a new area and attends a new school. He also has a father who unfortunately doesnt depict what it means to be a man at all. Jims father Frank really wants to be there for Jim but he doesnt know how, Jim mother is the one whos mainly the boss of the family and Jim is not accepting of that at all. Jim really wants his dad to stand up for himself, he feels betrayed by his lack of moral strength. Aside from Jims family life he struggles with social interactions. Erikson explains this in the 5th stage, life is getting a lot more complex as we attempt to find our own identity, struggle with social interactions and moral issues. We defiantly see this with Jim when he tries to conform with the students at school, he sees Buzz (Corey Allen) and his posse slash a tire of his car. Jim then becomes involved in a knife fight when Buzzs gang taunts Jim and makes chicken noises at him assuming he is a chicken. That sets Jim off-to him it is like they are assuring Jim is nothing close to a man but instead he is a chicken. Jim takes part in a Chickie Run, which later results in Buzzs death. Relating back to Eriksons development stages, Jim adheres to many of Eriksons theories in the adolescence stage of development. His life is defiantly getting more

complex and he is finding it a great struggle to find his own identity. Although Jim is struggling with all this he is starting to develop a strong devotion to Plato and later Judy. Plato is a 15 year old from a divided family. He has an absent father and a mother who travels a lot. Throughout the movie Plato tries to find a substitute family so he no longer feels alone. Plato becomes really close with Jim and seems him as a fatherly figure who gives him protection and the warmth he needs but cant seem to find. Plato really expresses Eriksons stage 5 of development in a way that Platos development mostly depends on what was done to him and now depends on what he does from here on out. Plato has not accomplished finding out who he is outside of his family due to the fact he is trying to look for a family through his friends because he was abandoned by his. Nearing the end of the film Plato, Jim and Judy escape to an abandoned mansion. There they act out a fantasy family, with Jim as the father, Judy as the mother and Plato as the child. That was the closest moment throughout the movie that Plato has been with a family of some sorts. Judy on the other hand is a sixteen year old who longs for her fathers love and attention and is suffering when it is denied. This forces her to invite the attention of other men in order to get back at him. In a way Judy relates to Plato when it comes to family but at the same time Judy starts to gain a sense of who she is after Buzz tragically dies during the Chickie Run. She then becomes really close with Jim and feels a great sense of comfort with him. This is the same way Plato feels about him. In conclusion, Jim learns that it doesnt take drastic moves to be a man. Although Jim is trying to be his own person and figure out who he is outside of his

parents he still confides in his father for guidance. We see this in the last scene of the movie after Plato gets shot down by a police officer, Jim is seen hugging his fathers leg helplessly saying Help me!, Jims father replies by saying Look Jim. You can depend on me. Trust me. Whatever comes, well, well fix it together. I swear it. Now Jim, stand up. Ill stand up with you. Ill try and be as strong as you want me to be. Come on. In this last scene it really shows that Jim has overcome a lot. He has learnt to accept his father for who he is and has also excepted himself. We learn that Jim really just wants to be accepted he doesnt want to be looked at as a screw up. Rebel Without a Cause really explains Erik Eriksons stages of development in a way we all can understand and relate to. Although it mainly focuses on the 5th stage adolescence it depicts it really well by showing what Jim, Judy and Plato go through to discover who they are.