The following is a paper I wrote for a sociology class and I have been thinking alot about group dynamics and fitting in and the difference a close knit group of friends can make in one person's life...more on that topic to come.
The
minority to be analyzed is the subordinate group in the high school environment.
More specifically: how can membership in a subordinate group perceived as
“bottom of the rung”, enhance the cohesiveness of that socially subordinate
group in the adolescent environment, and how does the subgroup attempt to
overcome the negative perception imposed on them? The hypothesis being that members
of a social group with specific goals, perceived as subordinate and influenced
by the social superiority of their peers will bond as a result of common social
maltreatment as well as common goals. The results of this study can provide an
understanding of the realistic ability for high school aged children to develop
healthy relationships despite their subordinate status within their social
environment and whether this idea is accurately represented in the media.
Literature Review
In addressing the concrete
definition and study of cohesion, Moody and White explain the ongoing issue of
cohesion this way:
“Although
questions about social cohesion lie at the core
of our
discipline, definitions are often vague and difficult
to
operationalize…Structural cohesion is defined as the
minimum
number of actors who, if removed from the group
would
disconnect the group…” (p. 103).
In their study of peer relationships amongst high school
students the authors “show that network positions predicts school attachment”
and that the cohesiveness of such attachments is greatly shaped by the group
having a “status beyond any individual group member.” (Moody & White, pp
104,122)
Other studies look specifically at the influence of group
identity within the subordinate group status. In their study of the social
significance and cohesiveness of the high school musical groups, researchers
Adderley, Benz, & Kennedy found that the subgroups formed by these musical
organizations, “form subcultures of their own within the larger school setting
and that these subcultures prove to be important vehicles for support and
growth.” (Adderley, Benz, & Kennedy, p 191) Their interviews with students who
participated in such groups suggested that these students did so with multiple
benefits; most particularly an open classroom with a social environment leading
to a group which develops a structured sense of group identity. (p.200-201)
According to Kinney (1993), studies involving high school,
as well as intergroup social interactions, have clearly shown how these social
relationships shaped the individuals view not only of themselves, but others as
well. Findings have been strong in supporting the belief that those who
actively participate in extracurricular activities were defined by a healthier
sense of self. (Kinney, 1993, p.22)
Methodology
Because we are examining the representation of minorities
in media, particularly on television, content analysis is the most effective
form of research. My study involves the portrayal of the group dynamic within a
clearly defined subordinate high school group as represented by the Glee club
on Fox’s television show, Glee.
Although there are twelve episodes in which a pattern of cohesion becomes
well-developed, I have selected the first three episodes to represent the
parameters of my research.
Results
Within the high
school world of Glee clear there is a
clearly defined social hierarchy as described by the cheerleading coach, Sue
Sylvester in the pilot episode.
Sue:
High school is a caste system, kids fall into certain slots. Your
jocks
and your popular kids, up in the penthouse; the invisibles and the
kids playing live-action druids and trolls out in the forest, bottom
floor.
Will
Schuester: And where do the Glee kids live?
Sue:
Sub-basement.
The
subgroup represented by the Glee club is slow going at first. It initially
collects the socially ostracized misfits: the overeager star, the closet drama
queen, the Asian punk rock chick, the paraplegic, and the African-American
diva. As the show progresses the viewpoint of the general school population
regarding the members of Glee club are evidenced by their blatant ridicule via
slushies to the face in the case of Rachel Berry or regular hurling into the
dumpster by football players in the case of Kurt. But peer bullying will
eventually extend to the more socially accepted students who join, like the
football quarterback, Finn Hudson, whose fellow teammates bombard him with
paint pellets once they find out he has joined Glee club.
As
the make connections through performing together the differences between them
take a back seat to their mutual goal. Initially intimidated and a little
afraid of Rachel’s aggressive behavior Finn tells her in Episode 2:
Finn:
Well, when I first joined I thought you were kind of insane.
I mean, you talk a lot. More than you should. To be
honest with
you I looked under the bed, made sure you
weren’t hanging out
under there…but then I heard you sing…It
touched something in
me.
Despite the slushies to the face for Rachel, or being
called deep throat by fellow teammates for Finn, as he reveals in Episode 3,
the connection they make through music binds the growing Glee club together.
Through his membership in Glee, Finn withdraws from the typical high school
antics he was previously involved in like in Episode 1 when watches his
“buddies” swing Kurt into the dumpster. When Finn finally decides he is
committed to Glee at the end of the Pilot Episode he tells the other members, “I
don’t want to be the guy that just drives around throwing eggs at people….that
isn’t who I am…This is what I want to be doing, with you guys….We’re all here
for the same reason, because we want to be good at something.”
The growing cohesiveness and clear emotional
connectedness is clearly evidenced in two incidents in Episode 3. Although much
of this episode revolves around the attempts by Sue Sylvester and her
cheerleaders to thwart the success of the club by focusing on their need to win
at Regionals, the Glee kids rise above the desire to win at all costs when
their group dynamic is threatened by the overbearing choreographer they bring
in to improve their chances. When he tells Artie he is cut because he isn’t
trying hard enough to walk and a wheelchair is depressing, the group seems to
crumble. But as Dakota continues to ridicule the individual members for what he
perceives as their “flaws”, like Mercedes being too fat or Rachel needing a
nose job, the group led by Rachel decides he is unnecessary because, “…we don’t
need you…We’re going to win because we’re different, and that’s what makes us
special.” Who they are as a musical family is what makes them special
The second scenario that exemplifies the cohesiveness
despite inner and external pressures is the ability Kurt finds to reveal that
he is gay to Mercedes. Although, it seems obvious to many in the group, it is
not until Mercedes takes an interest in him that Kurt is forced to admit it out
loud. Mercedes’s response models the bonds which hold this subordinate group
together.
Mercedes:
You shouldn’t be ashamed of who you are,
Kurt. You
should just tell people, especially the kids in Glee. The whole
point
of the club is about expressing what’s really inside you.
Discussion
While the show is certainly a generalized as well as
hyperbolic representation of the high school experience it allows for a strong
representation of what the research claims. That a school sponsored group where
teens participate with a shared goal and allowing for sincere personal
expression and social development can strengthen the bonds of that subordinate
group and allow them to buffer the day-to-day challenges of being allocated to the “sub-basement.”
