Prompt:

Watch a film with a central message/theme that relates to something we have studied in this
course, then write an essay describing the course concepts and how they are illustrated by the
film. Here are JUST A FEW examples of appropriate films and the topics they address:
The IncrediblesEriksons psychosocial tension for each of the main characters
The Incredibles is a movie about people with superpowers. There are many characters
that face problems in their lives that you can see in the film. The family of superheros go
through their own problems and so does the villain, Syndrome. They each show one of
Eriksons Psychosocial stages (Berger, 2010, p. 19).
The first main character is Mr. Incredible. He is going through midlife crisis or, in Eriksons
words, the generativity vs. stagnation (Berger, 2010, p. 19). He is stagnate, which means to stop
developing. He wants to go back to the glory days when he was a big time superhero. He
doesnt want to move on with his normal life. He wants more adventure in his life, and he wants
to go back to helping people. In the end of the film, he figures out that he can help people by
starting with his own family.
The next character is Mr. Incredibles son, Dash. Dash is going through the industry vs.
inferiority stage (Berger, 2010, p. 19). Dash is feeling inferior to his peer. He feels like he cant
do anything that he wants to do, as the other children his age are doing, such as playing sports.
He wants more attention and wants to be noticed. He tries to convince his parents that he can
do it without using his powers. He needs more support, and when he can finally be himself and
use his powers, he feels he is a part of something, he is really happy.
Next is Mr. Incredibles daughter, Violet. Violet is an adolescent and is going through identity
vs. role confusion (Berger, 2010, p. 19). Violet doesnt know who she is and tries to be invisible
to the people around her. The fact that she has superpowers, but needs to hide them, confuses
her. She doesnt know her role. Is she normal or superhuman? During the film, Violet wears her
hair over her eyes to try to hide herself, until she figures out who she wants to be. By the end of
the movie, she knows who she is and is more confident, and no longer covers her face with her
hair.
The other character is Mrs. Incredible. She is in the same stage as her husband, the
generativity vs. stagnation (Berger, 2010, p. 19). Unlike Mr. Incredible, she has accepted her
life. She wants to take care of her family and be a good wife and mother. She enjoys
contributing by raising her children and supporting her husband. She is content with her life.
One smaller character is Jack-Jack. He is the youngest child in the Parr family. He is going
through the trust vs. mistrust stage (Berger, 2010, p. 19). He trusts the people surrounding him
so much that he never feels threatened enough to even use his powers. The first time he shows
his superpowers is when he is with the babysitter. He feels unsafe being taken care of by
someone other than his mother, so much so that he starts overreacting, showing his powers; but
he calms down as soon as hes in his mothers arms again.
Lastly, is Syndrome, Mr. Incredibles arch-nemesis. He is a young adult and is going through
the intimacy vs. isolation stage (Berger, 2010, p. 19). He isolates himself from everyone. He
lives on a island and tries to find acceptance through being a superhero.
Eriksons psychosocial stages are demonstrated by the characters in The Incredibles. It
shows many characters of different ages and how they deal with the certain stage they are in. A
family grows closer together. Everyone go through these psychosocial stages.
Citation
Berger, Kathleen Stassen. Invitation to the Life Span. 1st ed. New York: Worth, 2010. Print.