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A great way to teach our students important theories and concepts in psychology is through the use of fiction. Drawing from plots and themes of well-known novels or movies can help them gain insight into important psychological phenomena such as memory (Memento), autism (Rain Man), leadership (Braveheart) or prejudice (The Color Purple).
I remember, as a psychology undergraduate student, being taught a class on Group Dynamics with the aid of William Golding's famous novel Lord of the Flies. The story is about a group of British school boys stuck on a desert island who try to govern themselves with disastrous results. Week by week we would discuss important social psychological concepts such as power, status, leadership, conformity, and intergroup conflict and connect them to important events happening in the book as the story unfolded.
The Hunger Games is the modern equivalent of Lord of the Flies.
For those readers unfamiliar with the story --rather unlikely in light of all the publicity--the Hunger Games (a novel written by Suzanne Collins) follows the main character, Katniss Everdeen, as she participates in a grueling contest, the Hunger Games. These games take place in a fictitious nation, Panem which consists of the wealthy Capitol and 12 poorer districts. As punishment for a rebellion against the Capitol in the past, from each district one boy and one girl are selected by annual lottery (Reaping) to participate in the Hunger Games.
In these Games the participants (tributes) must fight each other to death in an outdoor arena controlled by the Capitol, until one survivor remains.
As you may have guessed, Katniss wins the Hunger Games. The way she manages to stay alive contains some great lessons in survivor psychology. The book and movie thus provides excellent classroom teaching material about any aspect of psychology. Here I focus on themes and theories from evolutionary and social psychology. Please let me know if I have missed important themes.
Kin Selection - In a very moving scene, Katniss volunteers to replace her younger sister Primrose who is the one originally selected as the female tribute from District 12 at the Reaping. Because it is unlikely that Prim would have survived the Games, from the perspective of kin selection this is a wise move.
Lesson: Sometimes it pays to self-sacrifice for siblings, especially if the benefits for them exceed the costs you make.
Reciprocity and Friendships - In the Hunger Games, Katniss forms an alliance with Rue, a young female tribute from District 11, an expert in finding hiding places and medicinal plants. In return, Katniss, a bow-and-arrow specialist, provides food and security. Unfortunately this alliance is short-lived as Rue is killed by another tribute when Katniss is away.
Lesson: The "You-scratch-my-back-I-scratch-yours" rule works better than fending for yourself.
The Power of Reputation - Katniss protection of Rue (the District 11 tribute) has not gone unnoticed, she has developed a good repuation in the game. When Kat is about to get killed, she is saved by the boy tribute from District 11 when he finds out that she had been nice to Rue. Watching the Games on television the people of District 11 reward Kat by sending her a gift.
Lesson: People are nice to people who are nice to others, or, "Nice girls (and guys) finish first."
Individual or Social Learning? Rue teaches Katniss which berries are edible and which are poisonous. After the game masters announce a change in rules so that there can be two winners (provided they are from the same district), Kat teams up with Peeta, the boy tribute from her District. He is nearly killed after collecting the poisonous berries but she is just in time to warn him of the dangers.
Lesson: Social learning is a better survival strategy (at least for humans) than individual trial-and-error learning
Fight versus Flight - The story shows that there are different survival strategies. The physically imposing boy tributes from District 1 and 2 choose to engage in physical fights, which serves them well against weaker opponents but there are risks of injuries too. The younger and physically weaker tributes choose to flee and stay hidden. Or, alternatively, they form coalitions and seek out friendships. This is the tend-and-befriend strategy, which in the end gives Katniss the edge in survival.
Lesson: Tending and befriending is a good alternative survival strategy, perhaps especially for females.
Power and Fairness - The Capitol rules with absolute power over the Districts and this is epitomized in the Hunger Games, where the game masters can decide over the life and death of the tributes. They suddenly withdraw their promise once Katniss and Peeta are the only two survivors—an example of absolute power. Yet when Katniss and Peeta threaten to take their own lives as an act of defiance, the Game masters give in fearing that their martyrdom creates a popular revolt in the districts.
Lesson: Humans have an inbuilt sense of fairness and when this is being undermine, they rebel.
Given the immense appeal of the Hunger Games, perhaps we are just one step removed from a real-world game show in which a collection of individuals must try to survive on the savannah, our ancestral environment, in a replay of human evolutionary history. I bet the nice guys and girls will win—humans are social animals after all!
