The Empire Strikes Back Sociological Theory

In the fifth Star Wars movie, “The Empire Strikes Back,” there are many ways in which one can interpret the events of the film psychologically. In the instance of this course, I will be examining the movie through the lens of Social Cognitive Theory and Constructivism.
The film opens with Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo on the icy planet, Hoth. The three rebels have relocated to this new base after the previous one, the Death Star, was destroyed. While surviving amongst the frozen tundra, Luke is visited by the spirit of his former master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The spirit urges Luke to leave the others on Hoth and go to Dagobah to find the Jedi master Yoda and train with him. Luke obeys, and soon finds himself in a muggy, swamp planet, training with a small, green Jedi who only speaks in non-standard …show more content…
While on Dagobah, Luke undergoes several intense training sessions that cause him to both doubt and surprise himself. All of this is orchestrated by the ever-perceptive Master Yoda. Yoda is constantly throwing back another question in response to Luke’s questions, causing the Jedi-in-training to constantly reflect on what he is learning. The way in which Yoda interacts with Luke is framed so that Luke can solve his own problems. In the scene where Luke goes into the cave to fight something he has no knowledge of, armed only with what Yoda claims he does not need, he comes face to face with a vision of Darth Vader. Luke panics, and slips into a moment of channeling the Dark Side in order to defeat Darth Vader, only to watch in horror as his own face slips out from underneath the infamous black mask. Yoda understands all of this, and uses the opportunity as a teaching moment. In many ways, the training time Luke experiences on Dagobah is replicates Constructivism because Yoda is constantly leaving Luke hanging, forcing him to question, and interact with his surroundings on his own in order to formulate