Film Analysis: But Im A Cheerleader

1133 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Queer theory in sports

In the 1999 movie, But Im a Cheerleader,(Creel, Sperling & Babbitt,1999) a seventeen year old high school cheerleader, Megan, is being set up to believe that she is going on a trip with the cheer squad to the football finals. The next day she noticed that her friends, boyfriend, and parents were acting strange towards her. When she came home from school her family and friends had set up a intervention to express their feelings about her being an homosexual, so her parents decided to send her to a camp, True Direction, to help fix her. While at camp, she falls in love with a fellow campmate who is also a girl, Graham. Megan is struggling on being what her parents want her to be, heterosexual teenage girl, or to embrace her homosexuality. The …show more content…

These people are this way because they have a need to avoid feelings of helplessness; therefore they are okay with being subordinate to others. In the movie Megan displays this trend in the scene when she does not want to sneak out with the others to go to the club, but she does it anyway to get the approval and affection she wants from Graham. She wants the approval and affection so bad that she risks getting kicked out of the camp in order to get it. Also, in this trend there is a need for a powerful partner and Graham fits that role for Megan because Graham is her own person and hates being at the camp. I chose this scene because it also shows another one of Horney’s idea of basic hostility, which is repressed rage towards parents when they fail to meet the child’s need for safety and satisfaction. Basic hostility can come from parents overprotecting the child or overindulging in the child’s life, and in a sense Meagan’s parents were overindulging in her life because they wanted her to be heterosexual and normal. To protect herself, Megan uses submissiveness by submitting to her parents and her religion in order to not be singled out for being homosexual; in the movie her parents threaten to disown her if she does not finish the camp. Throughout the movie Megan is submitting to just about everyone to please them and not herself …show more content…

When she gets to camp the first person she meets expresses that she and the other members are ahead of Megan, but insures her that she get where they are. On that note, Alder’s individual psychology construct inferiority complex comes in to play because Megan feels as if she is beneath the others, but at the same time she does not feel inferior because she is in denial. The inferiority complex can be explained as overwhelming feelings of being beneath others or thinking others are better than oneself, which can lead to problems in social relationships. Megan felt inferior to the others because she was the new member of the group, but she also lost those feelings towards the middle and end of the movie. Adler’s striving for success is when a person is more concerned about how others feel in society rather than their own feelings. This person is altruistic in a sense because they see social acceptance as a main goal without benefits for themselves. Striving for success can be seen when Megan first wanted to get “fixed” after realizing that she was a homosexual and she wanted to prove to herself and the others that she could be a heterosexual member of society. Adler’s striving for superiority is the complete opposite of success because these people are motivated by the need to control others, but is done in a way that

Show More
Related

  • Cady Erikson's Influences On Lifespan Development In Mean Girls

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    Erikson’s psychosocial theory in which social interactions cause growth and change. Cady’s social interactions with others cause change with her autonomy. Cady loses herself by changing her values and character in the beginning of the film and towards the end of the film she finds self-recognition. Adolescence is a critical time during development because internal and external sources have a strong influence.

    Read More

  • Social Identity in the Breakfast Club

    1430 Words  | 3 Pages

    Allison obviously lacked the respect of others, for she had no friends whatsoever prior to her time spent in this detention. She also has nervous ticks, such chewing her nails, and played with her hair. Brian was another case of insecurity. The influence of self-concept was strong with Brian Johnson for he had no sense of self. He could not meet the standards of his desired self and was therefore unhappy with himself as a person.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Is Cheerleading A Sport?

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is two things in this world that you should be scared of. The first thing is spiders, and the second is a cheerleader who has just been told cheerleading is not a sport. There are approximately 400,000 individuals in the Unites States in this day and age that participate in high school cheerleading (www.varsity.com). If you ask, most of them would tell you that they work their butts off, and they would say that cheerleading is a sport. In some cases some cheerleaders are fighting for their right to be called athletes because their school districts tell them that they aren’t. By doing this the school districts are portraying the message that cheerleading is a joke, and that it isn’t a real sport. It sets stereotypes for cheerleaders, and they have to work to overcome those stereotypes everyday. The school districts all over US not classifying cheerleading as a sport are in the wrong. For several reasons, all school districts should recognize cheerleading

    Read More

  • Cheerleading is a Sport

    2203 Words  | 5 Pages

    Because some cheerleading squads don’t compete, society thinks of it merely as a physical activity. Even though cheerleaders’ main purpose is to support other athletic activities, cheer squads whom compete, follow all physical criteria to be considered a sport. Cheerleaders put forth an incredible amount of determination. They practice tirelessly to show off their skills, with little or no recognition for their efforts. Cheerleading is a sport because it requires physical fitness, skill, dedication, and stamina. Cheerleading should be considered a sport globally.

    Read More

  • Male Cheerleading is a Sport!

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    Against popular belief, females were not the founders behind the sport of cheerleading; instead males who were so eager to cheer while watching sporting events created this sport. In the 1890's the first pep club was organized at Princeton University, and it was there where the first organized yell was recorded. The University of Minnesota organized cheerleading and the first school "fight song." Women didn't get introduced to cheerleading until the 1920s when gymnastics was slowly introduced to the sport. Cheerleading didn't become a predominantly woman sport until the 1950's. Today there are more then three thousand high school and college cheerleaders in the United States. 97% of all cheerleaders are female; however, approximately 50% of collegiate Cheerleaders are male. Although males were the founders of cheerleading they have different social and cultural costs and benefits than females involved in this sport today. There are many different stereotypes that males need to face; and these labels stem from the current day problem of homophobia.

    Read More

  • Cheerleading Is A Sport

    1579 Words  | 4 Pages

    The New York Times states that cheerleading is the fastest growing girls’ sport, yet more than half of Americans do not believe it is a sport. A sport is defined as “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature” (dictionary.com). Cheerleading at a competitive level is physically demanding and requires team work to be the best. The misconception of cheerleaders being weak, nonathletic crowd entertainers makes people believe cheerleaders are not athletes and that cheerleading is just a hobby but cheerleaders that compete at a competitive level are in fact athletes because it meets the standards of what a sport is, which includes rules and regulations, and overcoming air resistance.

    Read More

  • Why Is Cheerleading A Sport Essay

    1276 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Do Colleges Recruit Cheerleaders As They Do Other Athletes? - Ask The Dean." Ask The Dean. N. p., 2012. Web. 14 Nov. 2017.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative: The Ultimate Cheer Marathon

    332 Words  | 1 Pages

    Imagine you see something or someone you thought you would never see before. I had that experience it before at the Ultimate Cheer Marathon. It was so breathtaking watching my favorite cheer squad face-to-face inside the big stadium, where the audience roared as they stepped on the mat. You seen amazing tumbling, perfect choreography, and the concession stand had excellent refreshments. Watching cheer in real life is such a fantastic experience. You should give it an attempt.

    Read More

  • Psychosocial Psychosocial

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    In matter of relationships, I have only few friends; I tend to be very selective in the circle in which I move, and I do not welcome all types of people into my world. According to Erik Erikson theory of personality, I have been significantly influenced by the stage four: industry vs. inferiority. According to this theory, these behaviors might have an explanation that goes back from my childhood. Erikson points out that at stage four, children need to be reinforced positively for activities at school, in sports, or artistic fields in order to cultivate a high self-concept and a meaning of industriousness. If the child 's efforts are perceived as inadequate, feelings of social and mental inferiority can move stealthily into adulthood, (Maitland,

    Read More

  • Adlerian Psychotherapy

    2527 Words  | 6 Pages

    Adlerian Psychotherapy employs a holistic approach to understanding the individual. Adler provides us with an all-encompassing view of the human being, who is a primarily conscious, rather than unconscious creature. Adlerians believe that the most important life problems are social and therefore, the individual must be considered within the social context (Daniels, 1998). Adlerian theory proposes that a human’s principle motive in life is to strive for perfection and that his or her opinion of self, and the world, influences all of the individual’s psychological processes. “Adlerian counseling seeks to correct mistakes in perception and logic that people make in their effort to fit into social relationships and to overcome feelings of inferiority” (Brown & Srebalus 1998). Once the individual has adopted a “mistaken goal”, he or she will formulate other misconceptions to support the “faulty logic” (Brown & Srebalus 1998). Adlerian theory studies the whole person and how that person experiences life.

    Read More

  • Cheerleading Through the Eyes of a Cheerleader

    927 Words  | 2 Pages

    From an outsiders perspective one may see brainless and beautiful robots, which scream and perform neat tricks. This is not the case from the inside; cheerleading is so much more than that. Many people are under the impression that cheerleading is not a sport. I am the voice of reasoning that will let you in, and I will show you that cheerleading, in fact, is a sport. Cheerleading requires much physical demand from the body just as any other sport would. Cheerleading, in general, is a team effort. There are many sides to cheerleading, which make it a versatile sport. When it comes to cheerleading there’s more to it than what meets the eye.

    Read More

  • Adler's Concept Of Superiority Case Study

    740 Words  | 2 Pages

    Adler’s concept of superiority striving is also demonstrated here after viewing her grades from first year as demoralizing. A bit of an inferiority complex seems to have developed thoughout the semesters, due to her feeling incompetent and sometimes is exaggerated so that she thinks it’s almost impossible for her to achieve anything. Freud’s perspective might see this instead as a defense mechanism of sublimation. Turning negative urges into socially acceptable motivations. Even as her heart feels heavy and she feels inadequate, she turns this into motivations to do better and energy to work more. For example, after a midterm the normal college student might go and relax a little, but she’ll probably overanalyze it and think about the number of possible questions she got wrong and instead of letting herself rest, she’ll immediately start working on an assignment or essay or studying for another midterm and even ignore eating because she won’t feel like she deserves rest or relaxation.

    Read More

  • Class and Gender Roles

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    Society assumes certain behaviors and roles for people belonging to different genders and class statuses. Allison's sexuality affects the relationship between her and her family. As a lesbian, she hides herself, but she also does the same because of her class difference. Paul is similar to her with his own struggle of belonging to a place he feels fits him the best. Society's expectations made Allison and Paul pull away from others and themselves. The way Allison and Paul feel are not what society supposedly allows, and people who follow these expectations do not understand or cannot identify with them.

    Read More

  • Gender Discrimination In Movies

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    Scout deals with a lot of discrimination during her childhood. Her and her family all have dealt with

    Read More

  • The Specific Concern And Need For Social Interest In Alfred Adler's Theory Of Individual Psychology

    704 Words  | 2 Pages

    The purpose of this essay is to elucidate the specific concern and need for social interest as expressed in Alfred Adler’s theory of individual psychology. Additionally, I will examine how through Adlerian theory practices, clients, such as Gina, Steve, and Leonel, are abetted through the inquiry of her lifestyle, early childhood, interactions, and influences.

    Read More

More about Film Analysis: But Im A Cheerleader

Open Document