A Bug's Life: A Sociological Viewpoint - Movie Review Example

A Bug's Life: A Sociological Viewpoint Leaders come in a wide variety of styles. While some are bureaucratic, ruling by policy and procedure, others are more democratic and involve a larger circle of their in-group in the decision making process. In A Bug's Life, Princess Atta displayed authoritarian, democratic, and laissez faire leadership characteristics. Early in the film she demanded that Flik get rid of his harvesting invention showing authority. She displayed a democratic style when she held a discussion with her management staff about Flik leaving the island. However, due to several other sociological influences, her dominant style was laissez faire. Laissez faire leadership is generally thought of as a hands off style. The management and employees are left to make decisions on their own. This works well in a group where the members are all experienced and well trained. The members must also be secure enough in their positions to be able to make a decision. It also serves well when the leader is inexperienced as in the case of Princess Atta, or when hiring contract consultants such as the Flea Circus. The laissez faire style is also appropriate when the organization is such that other leadership styles are not possible. Time, geography, and cultural limitations may not allow for authoritarian or democratic styles. Princess Atta displayed the laissez faire style when she met with the management team to discuss Flik's leaving the island in search of warriors. She joined the discussion late and asked, "What did we decide here" (A Bug's Life). Though that may have sounded democratic, she asked for no input and did not make the decision. The decision was left to the other members. When Flik went to the city in search of warriors, her situation demanded a laissez faire style. Flik was, at least as much as any ant, competent for the task. He needed no hands on management and was separated from Princess Atta by geography. When the Flea Circus returned to the island, Flik was put in charge as the liaison to the group. Here again, Princess Atta would not have been socially equipped to deal with the Flea Circus. They were not part of her in-group and had different norms. Dealing with the circus mandated a laissez faire style. Princess Atta had the added characteristic of being inexperienced. The few outbursts of authoritarian leadership were out of frustration at a member acting outside the norm rather than a vehicle for leadership. She was also working with the Flea Circus, who she assumed were trained professionals. She had no need to be involved with their planning and organization. Her inexperience also was apparent when dealing with other management members. Princess Atta's outburst at Flik and his harvesting invention had little effect on Flik due to her inexperience. It was only when the king intervened and demanded Flik forget the idea that Flik took any action. There were several groups that emerged in A Bug's Life and some of them overlapped. The ant colony was an in group. They had loyalty to one another and shared a common goal (Henslin, 111). They thought of themselves as a group. This was evidenced when they all said, "Let's rally together to build this bird" (A Bug's Life). Within the ant colony the management team was a primary group. They worked closely every day and displayed an intimate cooperation to fulfill their responsibilities. Flik was an interesting character because he was both a member of the in group (the ant colony) and was also a member of an out-group. He was a member of a Dyad with the baby princess ant who had faith in him. He was differentiated and outcast by the colony due to his deviance, yet he was still tolerated by the in group. This led to the social conflict that existed for Flik. He was revered for his uniqueness, yet discredited as being unusual. To a large degree, the movie was based around the attempt to reconcile this social conflict. This conflict allowed him to be accepted by both the Circus and the colony. When the colony found that the warriors were actually clowns, they went from being an in group to an out-group. However, Flik's standing with either group did not change. When the Circus had proved themselves and been accepted as part of the in-group it resolved Flik's conflict. Flik had become a part of the out-group by expressing deviant behavior. He was labeled as unusual and everything he did was viewed through that lens. He saw himself as deviant from the other ants and that motivated him to become even more different. During the movie he progressed from making simple inventions to building a bird that even he did not think would work. Throughout this process, he attempted to conform to the colony's norms. When he spilled the offering to the Hoppers, he immediately alerted the colony to his error. He was motivated by his own inner controls that were based on the commitment he had to the other ants and his basic sense of right and wrong (Henslin, 138). He was also pushed towards conformity by outer controls. These were the norms of the colony and the management team, and worked against his desire to deviate. However, Flik's social control systems were weak and did not prevent him from deviating from normal ant behavior. Edwin Sutherland's Differential Association Theory would suggest that Flik learned his deviant behavior from his associates (Henslin, 138). In Flik's case, this does not seem to prove true. There were no other ants that influenced his deviance. The baby princess ant that admired Flik may have exhibited differential association when she picked up the telescope and wanted to keep it. Flik's association with the Circus did not alter his behavior. Once again, the circus was more influenced towards deviance by their association with Flik. The Flea Circus was a primary group who had lived and worked together for an extended period. As they were faced with unemployment and disbanding, they showed a great sadness about it and found a way to stay together. The Circus was also a reference group. Every member tried to be a part of the group through their actions and norms (Henslin, 112). Slim, the stickbug, was dismayed when he said, "I'm just a prop" (A Bug's Life). Slim wanted to be more like the standard set by the rest of the group. The Hoppers were an in-group, but they were also a reference group. They all emulated the leader and exerted control over other members of the group to conform (Schaefer, 133). Though the grasshoppers considered themselves an in-group, the ant colony viewed them as an out-group. The Hoppers' conflict with ants demonstrated the increase in loyalty when faced with threat of the Hoppers. This was evidence of being an out-group. Works Cited A Bug's Life. Dir. John Lasseter. Narr. Dave Foley. 1998. Videocassette. Walt Disney Pictures. Henslin, James M. Essentials of Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon, 2006. Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 6th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006. Read More