Imitation, Impersonation, and Transformation: Using Male Role Models in Films to Promote Maturity

A role model can be defined in a multitude of ways. However, one of the simplest is as a person who is respected, followed, and copied (Bricheno & Thornton, 2007). Such individuals are those whom others want to developmentally aspire to become or emulate. The idea of using role models to promote development, especially in boys and young men, is not new. In fact, the importance of role models can be traced back as far as the ancient Greeks. Consider, for example, the role models of what it meant to become a man in Sparta and Athens. The difference could not be starker (Guy, 2006). Whereas the Athenians emphasized the arts, the Spartans stressed military life. Thus, role models in these two city-states differed greatly. In one society, there was an emphasis on creativity, beauty, and the life of the mind, whereas in the other the focus was on physical strength, bravery, and endurance. Likewise, role models have varied widely in more contemporary times. They have ranged from Southern slaveholder sons being given models that today are seen as extremely inappropriate, such as how to master slaves (Glover, 2010); to the timeless development models of demonstrating the needs of boys, such as in Newberger's (2000) The Men They Will Become; to men learning from other men how to honor and reimagine the positive image of their masculinity, as in Bly's (2004) book Iron John. Role modeling is relational and links people together, especially individuals from different generations, in vibrant and important ways. The art of teaching through role models does more than convey information. Studies such as Spencer's (2007) research on male adolescents and adult role models, especially if the models are mentors, have found that such "relationships have the potential to provide adolescent boys with models for less constricting and conventional forms of masculinity, particularly with regard to emotional disclosures and expressivity" (p. 185). This article examines the place of role models in the lives of boys and young men mainly through the use of films. Specifically, the manner in which young men learn directly as well as vicariously from role models is discussed. Furthermore, the article explores how role models influence the emulation of growth and change during the early facets of a boy's life cycle through emerging adulthood (Arnett, 2000, 2004). The article concludes with a list of movies for different age groups--boys, adolescents, and emerging adults (see the Appendix). Counselors can use these films and the strong male role models in them to help males within specific age ranges who have not had appropriate role models in their lives. The reason for emphasizing films in role modeling for boys, adolescents, and emerging adults is because of their dynamic nature, their availability, and the ability of movies to visually demonstrate a variety of distinct behaviors. It is through seeing prosocial actions and copying them in a variety of ways or seeing mistakes in relationships and avoiding them that boys and young men, indeed all human beings, become more attuned as to who they can be and what they can accomplish. Such awareness actually makes transformations in life possible in a way not possible otherwise. Developmental Role Models for Boys and Men One of the dynamics connected with role models, especially as seen in films, is versatility. People change those whom they model their lives after over time and circumstances (Bromnick & Swallow, 1999; Lockwood, Jordan, & Kunda, 2002). It is a developmental process and dependent on whether a person is trying to pursue desirable goals of interpersonal mastery or avoid undesirable social outcomes. In early childhood, children, especially boys, may model their lives after action figures or superheroes of the same gender (Duck, 1990; Lockwood & Kunda, 1997; Javors, 2008). Spiderman, Superman, Barman, and the Green Hornet are examples of these models and are often seen in television shows and movies. …