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Lord of the Flies: Analysis

Tyson Baker
578072
Group Dynamics & Intergroup Relations
Psychology 225.3 Sec 01
Catherine Delaney, M.A.
November 26, 2002











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The 1963 film Lord of the Flies, directed by Peter Brook, will be analyzed in this
paper in terms of stages of group development, leadership, and norms. The stages of
group development will be analyzed using the 6-stage model, explaining the criteria and
significance of each stage along with behaviors from the movie associated with the
according stage. The leadership behaviors displayed by Jack and Ralph will be compared
using the trait approach, charismatic leader approach, and the situational approach.
Norms will be analyzed using explicit norms, implicit norms, and idiosyncrasy credits.
Stages of Group Development
Stage 1: Concerns with Inclusion, Dependency and Boundaries
Inclusion is being liked and accepted by the group. Because not much is currently
known about the group, and inclusion is more important than individuality, in this stage
the interactions are tentative, polite, and superficial as a way of gaining an understanding
about what the group (and its members) are. Because of these factors, some people may
feel defensive, sometimes not wanting to open up or give too much away about
themselves before they know the same about others. Even with defensiveness playing a
role, conformity is high, and overt conflict is minimal to maximize inclusion.
Examples of inclusion from Lord of the Flies might include the first meeting
between the boy known as Piggy and Ralph; Piggy and Ralph seem to interact in a
tentative manner, hesitating to even ask each others names. Another example is
everyone being allowed to vote at the first meeting, as long as they obeyed the rules.
Boundaries are used to define the limits of a group; who is in and who is out
based on criteria for membership. Boundaries are useful for establishing a sense of unity
within the group, often resulting in a dichotic form of thinking such as us and them
where they are anyone not in the group.
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Examples of such boundaries are implied at the first meeting, where everyone
who obeys the rules are included, and those who do not are excluded from the group.
After Jack has gained control over some of the other children, the boundaries are set that
anyone can join his tribe, but they must obey him unconditionally.
Dependency is high in this stage of group development, with many of the
members being highly dependent on the leader for guidance and instruction. One factor
in this dependency is the assumption that the leader is competent and benevolent. One
slight condition is that group members are not so much trying to please the leader as a
person as they are the authority figure the leader symbolically represents.
Examples of dependency are abound in Lord of the Flies, but only a few
examples are Piggys dependency on Ralph, even though much of what Ralph says may
have originally been Piggys idea, it is exactly this indirect voice that Piggy is so
dependent on. When Jack decides to leave and create his own tribe, his followers are
dependent on him for his strong leadership skills, which bring protection and food.
Stage 2: Concerns with Individuality, Authority, and Conflict
Although stage 2 may seem unpleasant, and it most often is unpleasant, it is
needed for efficient functioning in later stages of group development when the group
members need to know how to work though differences. The apparent hostile
environment in the group serves as a way to understand other group members and how to
interact with one another.
Individuality is each group member behaving in a manner that expresses
themselves as unique, with their own ideas. Because of the increase in personal
expression and ideas, there is a decrease in conformity and compliance. An Example of
such behavior is Jack constantly asserting himself as a leader, or challenging Ralphs
leadership. Simons visions and fainting place him as an individual in the eyes of others,
but it is his expression of ideas, such as the beast being the children themselves, that
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shows his individuality. Piggy is constantly trying to show his individuality through his
ideas, but seems to always fail unless he is talking to Ralph.
Authority acts as a scarce resource in the second stage of group development; it is
sought after by many in the group, with the leader being challenged directly or indirectly
by other group members that may be trying to increase their own influence over the
group, or maybe just lower the leaders influence over the group. A group member does
not have to challenge the leader directly to gain influence, but more subtle forms can be
chosen to increase ones influence over the group.
Jack constantly challenges Ralphs official leadership throughout the movie,
explained later. Other, more indirect, ways in which Jack and his choir challenged
Ralphs authority is by disregarding the fire to go hunting.
Conflict is a result of more active participation by the group members and
willingness to share views that differ from others. The group members no longer feel the
need to avoid controversial issues and are more willing to engage in open conflict.
Striking examples of open conflict in Lord of the Flies that have not been
addressed previously in this paper, is the constant way Jack is bullying Piggy, specifically
when Jack steals Piggys glasses. This results in Ralph and Piggy confronting Jack and
his tribe for stealing the glasses, which escalates in Piggys death, and the eventual
hunting of Ralph.
Stage 3: Concerns with Trust, Structure, and Intimacy
Trust is helped by interactions in stage 2, allowing members to feel comfortable
expressing disagreement without being penalized or excluded. Trust is also important in
group members believing that other group members will invest their portion of time,
resources, and effort. Trust is given out by Ralph to everyone at first, but soon he learns
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that he cannot trust Jack after Jack and his choir abandon the fire: the most important
thing on the island to the group at the time, from a utilitarian point of view.
Structure is important in the dividing of responsibilities, such as labour, among
the group members; this results in roles and norms. A role is a pattern of behavior that a
particular person is assumed to fill. Norms will be discussed later. Because of the
increased automation of the group, the leaders directiveness is no longer needed as
strong as before, and thus declines. Many examples of structure will be used later in the
discussion on norms, but there is a very strong structure to Jacks tribe; Jack dictates and
everyone listens, or else. Ralph attempted to institute structure in his tribe at the
beginning by dividing, or allowing people to choose between, the labour of maintaining
the fire, or building shelters.
Intimacy is the result of effectively handled conflict and encouraged cooperation.
The group develops a stronger sense of cohesiveness identified by members feeling
attached and committed to the group. Cohesiveness increases the members perception
of the membership value, thus increasing conformity in order to minimize risk of possible
exclusion from such a group perceived as valuable.
Cooperation is encouraged by Jack when he knowingly waters the seed that is the
idea of the beasts existence, thus increasing cohesiveness and intimacy through shared
goals. Cooperation is encouraged by Ralph when he suggests the divided responsibilities
of fire and shelter, for each group to work together for a common goal.
Stage 4: Concern with Productivity
Productivity is achieved when goals and roles are clear and the group is
committed to achieving them. Ideal conditions for this are when the group members are
comfortable with one another and used to working with each other with everyone actively
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participating. At this stage all communication, even disagreements, are task-oriented and
focused on the goal while members continue to build and maintain their relationships.
At the start of the group, Ralph assumes the group is ready for stage 4 and makes
clear roles and goals involving the fire and shelters, already explained. Later Jack is
preoccupied with getting meat, and then it is the act of the hunt and having fun, then the
need for fire, and the wish to hunt and kill Ralph. All of these require productivity and its
constituent parts to work; clear goals to hunt, kill and burn, the active participation of all
members in the hunt working together with clear communication.
Stage 5: Concerns with Fairness and Quality of Communication
Fairness is shown when group members begin to ask when their own needs are to
be met. Members may look for what is best for them, compared to what is best for the
group. Ralph ensures that everyone has a vote, whereas Jack does not seem to have
anyone even suggesting what he should be doing; Jack is obviously looking out for his
own needs or wants. Piggy looks out for his own needs and the needs of the group
throughout the entire movie, but he only looks out for his own needs when he feels
threatened, such as when everyone was eating pork and Piggy asked for some without
being offered any.
Quality of Communication is when the group no longer needs communication in
order to coordinate their efforts because communication is routine. As quality of
communication begins to decline, the connections between members weaken, therefore,
the group may need to re-organize and move back to one of the previous stages, or it may
move on to the final stage. Ralph attempted to establish this in the beginning with the
conch, and it marginally worked, but eventually it was to the point where the conch was
no longer respected, and Ralphs group moved completely on to stage 6. At the same
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time communication under Jack is still efficient and mostly one way with Jack dictating
and everyone else listening.
Stage 6: Concerns with Separation and Termination
During stage 6, the communication should summarize and celebrate the work
completed by the group, assess the quality of both the task and the process, in other
words, assess the means and the end product, and discuss further contact with members.
This was not seen in Lord of the Flies, particularly when Ralphs tribe dissipates and
turns on him by joining Jacks tribe. There was no celebration, no assessing, and the only
further contact between members was that of the hunter and the hunted.
Variations in group development
Not every group moves though the stages in the order given, also some progress
through each stage as different speeds, or may even skip a stage, or revisit a stage many
times. Ralph seemed to believe that the group was farther ahead in the stages than they
actually were, whereas Jack seemed to know what stage the group was at, and the best
way to lead the group at the time.
Leadership
Trait Approach
The trait approach is also known as the great person theory of leadership and
suggests that all great leaders possess certain traits that set them apart from most other
human beings, specifically drive, self-confidence, creativity, leadership motivation, and
particularly flexibility (Zaccaro, Foti, & Kenny, 1991; as cited in Baron, Byrne &
Watson, 2001). Drive is the desire for achievement combined with high energy and
persistence. Self-confidence and creativity are inspirational to other members, allowing
others to be confident in the leader, whom they think is competent. Leadership
motivation is the desire to be in charge and exercise authority over others. Flexibility is
the most important factor; it is the ability to adapt to situational demands. In the movie
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Lord of the Flies, Jack is never at a moment when he is not showing self-confidence,
arguably to the point of blatant arrogance a concrete example is when he leaves the
original tribe to start his own tribe. Ralph shows drive insofar that he concentrates on
getting rescued and organizes the group for such a project. Jack shows leadership
motivation in his dictatorship, and constant challenging of Ralph. Jack seems to be more
flexible than Ralph, or perhaps only more perceptive to the groups stage, being able to
use his leadership style at a certain point in the groups development, explained later
under situational approach.
Charismatic Leaders
Charismatic leaders, also known as transformational leaders, are leaders who
exert exceptionally powerful effects on large numbers of followers or on entire societies.
These leaders tend to generate in their followers strong devotion and loyalty, enthusiasm
for the leader and their cause, a willingness to sacrifice their own interests for the sake of
the groups goals, and exceptional levels of performance. They achieve this by proposing
a vision, offering a route to the vision, and engage in framing (i.e. making the vision and
route purposeful.)
Comparing Jack and Ralph on these criteria, it is obvious that Jack is the better
charismatic leader; his devotion and loyalty crushed (literally in one case) Ralphs
following. Jacks followers jump to Jacks demands, whereas Ralph was not even sure if
the tribe would come back if he blew the conch. Jacks tribe showed a willingness to
sacrifice their own interests when one of them volunteered or was chosen to play the part
of the pig or beast in a mock hunt. Ralph only had Piggy watch over the smaller children
as a personal sacrifice, which Piggy may or may not have volunteered for. If hunting a
pig or another human can be considered an exceptional level of performance, then Jacks
tribe did show it. Either way, Ralphs tribe did not show exceptional levels of
performance.
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Using the charismatic leader approach, these differences in power can be linked to
the visions, routes, and framing Jack and Ralph used. Ralphs proposed vision involved
getting rescued as soon as possible, whereas Jacks was one of hedonism (hunting and
fun), and protection. The route proposed by Ralph was that everyone has a responsibility
to the group and must act accordingly; Jacks proposed route was to hunt and follow him.
The framing, or purpose, supplied by each is one of hedonism by Jack and collectivism
by Ralph. Jack offers the boys the time of their lives, whereas Ralph only offers to get
them back into school in a country at war though working together. It is obvious the
choice of prepubescent males is that of hedonism over collectivism in the movie.
Situational Approach
Using Hersey and Blanchards theory of situational leadership, which states that
no one leadership style will work with every group all of the time, but the style used must
match the level of the groups development by varying intensity of task and relationship
dimensions. The level of the group is related to the clarity of the groups goals, the
members commitment to the group and the group goals, along with the overall
competence of the members. A competent member is able to complete the required tasks
because they have been trained to do so, or have experience in such matters.
In early stages of group development, it is best for the leader to behave directivly
with high directive, or task related, behavior, while not being responsive, called. Soon
the leader switches to a coaching style of leadership with high directiveness and high
responsiveness. When the group has advanced sufficiently, a good leader will act
supportive by maintaining a high responsiveness, but lowering task-directed behaviors.
In the last stage of situational leadership, the leader is delegating, with low
responsiveness and low directive behavior, basically allowing the group to function as
they are now competent members.
Norms
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Explicit Norms
Explicit norms are developed and openly talked about, sometimes even written
down, that describe the behavior that is preferred or to be avoided in the group.
Examples from the movie are the agreement to maintain British society, to believe in the
ghost, (early) that the holder of the conch is allowed to be the only one allowed to speak,
and (later) that the conch is no longer respected.
Implicit Norms
Implicit norms are understood by group members, even though no one has ever
talked directly about them, let alone written them out. Examples of such behavior are
that it became acceptable to kill pigs, beasts, and eventually humans in a hunt. It was
also understood that Piggy was to watch over the younger children and that it is
acceptable to steal his glasses.
Idiosyncrasy Credits
Idiosyncrasy credits are permission to violate group norms, which are often
granted to leaders. These are given to Simon very early in the film, when the choir shows
up and Simon has a seizure; Jack explains that it is normal for Simon to act like that.
Jack uses these idiosyncrasy credits very much throughout the film, especially once he
forms his own tribe. Comparatively, these credits are not given to Piggy, whom most of
the older children do not interact with; as a result Piggy is excluded by almost all older
children.
To conclude, it appears that Ralph assumed the group was at a further level of
development and tried to act as a delegating leader would with a mature group, however
the group was still in the early stages of development and thus the leadership style was
ineffective. Jack seemed more sensitive to the groups level of development and used a
more effective leadership style, eventually bringing Ralphs following to extinction.
Under Jack, the group seemed to mature faster than earlier, possibly due to past
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experience, possibly due to his charismatic leadership style or leadership trait advantage
over Ralph. From the start, Ralph seems to create more explicit norms, while Jack
instigates more implicit norms and uses idiosyncrasy credits more liberally.
























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References
Allen, L.(Producer), & Brook, P.(Director). (1963). Lord of the Flies [film].
Baron, R. A., Byrne, D., & Watson, G. (2001). Exploring social psychology (3
rd

Canadian edition). Toronto: Allyn & Bacon Canada.