Peer Dominance In Stand By Me

Four adolescent boys have the adventure of their lives encountering a death in the 1986 movie “Stand by Me” (Reiner & Ramis,1986), based on a novel by noted horror author Stephen King. The four are all outcasts in one way or another, but have united into a special friendship of reinforcement combined with teasing, such as jokes about each other’s mothers. Their journey into darkness began when one of the boys, Vern, heard his older brother and a friend discussing that they had accidentally discovered the body of a dead boy, missing for several days from a nearby community. Vern, chubby, clumsy and full of insecurities, cannot wait to tell his friends of the discovery, so that they can locate the dead boy’s body and become “heroes.” He is

It is often attained by those with controlling or bullying natures (Lightfoot, Cole & Cole, 2013, 481-82). Those who dominate by bullying often show social aggression, with physical aggression more common in male bullies than females (Lightfoot, Cole & Cole, 2013, 482). For those who exert this form of peer dominance, it is very important to have control. They are more likely to tend toward delinquent behavior than other peers.

Another form of peer dominance can be attributed to individuals who are considered popular (Lightfoot, Cole & Cole, 2013, 481). Popular people, especially adolescents, are likeable, admired or caring (Lightfoot, Cole & Cole, 2013, 481). They are often the ones that others look up to or want to be like. These types of leaders do not coerce others to follow them, but inspire their peers to join them in particular behaviors. They are not as likely to become delinquents as are the dominant leaders who control by

Throughout the trip to the body the boys encounter harrowing experiences or emotional breakdowns that bring them closer to each other. Chris shows leadership traits, although the story is told through Gordon’s voice as an adult, following Chris’s death trying to stop a fight. Somewhat regrettably, Gordon notes that the boys drifted apart after that summer experience. They entered junior high, and Vern and Teddy were in the job-oriented track while he and Chris took the college-bound courses. In time, he recounted, they were just figures passing each other in the hallways. Nevertheless, the intensity with which Gordon recounts the summer adventure belies this lack of intimacy. There is no doubt that the boys developed peer relationship, friendship skills, and moral reasoning that assisted each one of them cope with their own unique life problems, as a result of the death of a boy near their own