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Heres our Mean Girls analysis sample. Explore the summary, main themes, and setting of the movie with us!

Mean Girls Essay Introduction

Mean girls is a teenage movie that bring about, certain aspects of teenage or adolescent issues mostly amongst the female gender. The movie is directed by Mark Walters was produced in 2004. The prime characters are the four with the mean girls being three. The mean girls are Regina, Gretchen and Karen, in accordance to their character names and Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried respectively with respect to their actual names.

The other main actor is Cady Heron, which is the character name, and Lindsay Lohan as the actual name of the actor. The film brings out the complexity of adolescents throughout their adolescence lives through main actors as well as the rest of casting crew.

The storyline focuses on Cady Heron who from the look of things is one of the main characters. Mean girls can be viewed as a movie that centers on girls bearing the fascination of being elegant and safeguarding their social standing. Humanistic conjecture of person-centered assists in understanding of the concepts, presented in the movie.

Overview of the Story

Cady Heron is a person who has spent most of her life in Africa since her parents had been carrying out zoology-related researches; therefore, she has total consciousness on survival in any environment. She bears in thought the key approaches to ensure survival even in an environment presented by the mean girls. Cady Heron gets home-schooled throughout her life in Africa after which, she is taken to high school at the age of fifteen in United States, to gain edification in a public institution, for the first time in her entire existence.

Cady has never had a better understanding of the word high school since her parents had been zoologists for the better part of her existence. The life in Africa had also deprived her, the privilege of being a high school student. Cady Heron experiences psychological conflict, and implicit societal rules, which any teenage female face presently in the world while schooling.

The life she earlier experienced for the better part of her fifteen years was the survival within the African jungles. She only lived with her parents with the other living associates being the animals. However, the migration out of Africa brings along further changes to her life where the rules that apply appear totally different from the survival rules learnt in the wilderness.

Joining high school meant that she had to learn the rules that apply to high school environment or setting to ensure survival. In the movie, Cady signals that she never liked living in the jungle with her parents given that she frequently made humorous commentaries about the jungle life.

Cady creates two associates these are Damain and Janis within her first days in the learning institution. The two friends that she makes have been described as; out-crowd within the high school setting. Later on, Cady meets the Plastics who have been depicted in the story as rough, beautiful and fashionable girls.

They control most of the activities within the high school by terrifying the rest of the school populace. Regina is presented as the unsanctioned member of the trio while Gretchen is the full-time follower. Finally, Karen is considered as the most inconsiderate person within the group.

Upon meeting the three, Cady is permitted to join the group although, this idea presents difficulty to Cady, since she is not prepared to lose her first friends; Damain and Janis. However, the idea of keeping close to the plastics becomes paramount to Damain and Janis, since they want to discover all the secrets of the trio through Cady.

Therefore, the two persuade Cady to stay close with the plastics or rather to maintain their association. However, the plan backfires after Cady gets attracted or falls for Aaron Samuels who happens to be an ex-boyfriend to Regina. In trying to have a relationship with her friends ex-boy friend, Cady breaks a certain unwritten rule for the group. Regina is not happy and tries to seek revenges on Cady by drawing Aaron back.

Fortunately, Cady realizes that Regina executes this to intention hurt her. Cady changes the initial plan to derive the secrets for the group to her first friends to a revenge mission towards Regina. This brings out the idea for the three; Cady, Damain and Janis to try to lower down Reginas social status. However, Cady starts close association with the plastics and this induces a sense of belonging to that group. Cady forgets the past idea to lower the social status of her friend Regina.

Cady, Damain and Janis at some instance feed Regina with Kalteen bars that make someone gain weight. They provide her foot cream, so that she can have it on her face, as well as, utilizing the three-way calling technique that beautiful girls usually use.

In the movie, Cady tries to learn the new rules that the high school life offers although through the wrong associates since she later joins the plastics. All this is brought forward through a narration all through the movie. This presents the readers with the opportunity to discover exactly how Cady would be with no insinuation of aloofness, since every aspect of how the high school students conduct themselves is very new to her.

The three mean girls, due to her fabulous looks that bring attention to many, including the first friends that she gets, draw Cady into the group. The girls utilize a series of questions as an evaluation for joining the group, which Cady obviously outscores. The questions serve as a form of initiation for new members.

Later on, Regina is kicked out of the mean girls group after several encounters and gets replaced by Cady. Cady becomes a real plastic unlike previously when she had been just their associates. Regina avenges to Cady for making her be kicked out of the group, by writing on the burn book concerning her life after which she blames the present members of plastics. This makes the three, to be commanded into the institution hall, where they are made to undergo a trust guidance or counseling.

However, everything goes erroneous after Janice reveals all the things that Cady had been doing to her, which makes Regina go wild. Later on, Cady becomes the new school queen and apologies about the contents of the burn book even though she never got involved in the humiliating experience.

Afterwards, the plastics breakdown although they continue being friends and at this instance that a new plastic group comes up. The group comes in a similar way that the last one came at the commencement of the movie. All the four members move on with life while, for Regina, she restructures and develops into a normal person.

Carl Rogers Person-Centered Theory

The conjecture was drawn from Maslows supposition as well as other theories from different theorists. In accordance to the theorist, self-concept within an individual is the most imperative attribute of personality. Self-concept comprises of every contemplation, feelings and convictions that certain individuals hold concerning them (Pescitelli 1).

Rogers bared the consideration that people are conscious of their own self-concepts. The theorist believed that individuals have the inclination to towards growth until the point they reach actualization. According to the presented principles, actualization can be deemed the necessity to uphold and enhance existence. According to the ideas, the sole objective of existence is to fulfill this necessity. The issue of self-concept develops, from the necessity, to actualize and maintain that state throughout ones existence (Pescitelli 1).

Rogers brought across the fact that peoples self-concepts are not concurrent to reality. For instance, persons may regard themselves as honest even if, they carry out activities that contradict honesty. In Rogerss arguments, he utilized the word incongruence as a reference to the difference involving self-concept and reality. In contrast, he referred congruence to the reasonable match connecting self-concept to reality.

In accordance to Rogers, guardians encourage incongruence in cases where they offer their children provisional love. In cases where guardians accept, their children if they conduct their selves in a certain way, the child will mostly probably suppress experiences that are considered objectionable (Pescitelli 1).

Consequently, if a guardian demonstrates categorical love, then the child acquires congruence. As individuals continue to grow, children whose guardians demonstrate conditional love will continue manipulating events in their lives to feel acknowledged. In accordance to Rogerss ideas, personality is not in existence at birth although children progressively differentiate personality from non-self. Personality is progressively evolving or developing.

In order for an individual to discover their personality, they ought to look at their ideal self as well as their actual self. Ideal self implies that the personality, that one admire, to acquire while the actual self is the personality that one believes to possess and what they contemplate to be to have acquired.

In instances where individuals are self-actualized, congruence has obviously been acquired in relation to real and actual personalities. There is also the second type of congruence that subsists among self and experiences. The incidences in ones life ought to correspond with the personality that ones contemplates to have acquired. In circumstances where one thinks to possess, but the results show, totally different thing means that incongruence exists.

Incongruence implicates that the unitary sense of an individual has been lost and habitually consequences to anxiety regardless of what brings about incongruence. The incongruence may result from a dispute involving the genuine and self or the definite self and experience. In accordance to Rogerss principles, individuals experience nervousness in instances where their self-concepts are endangered.

In order to defend their self-concepts and prevent anxiety, these individuals twist their experiences to preserve their self-concepts (Pescitelli 1). Individuals bearing high levels of incongruence have the greatest probability of developing unnecessary anxiety since their self-concepts are constantly endangered.

Individuals with incongruence often safeguard their self-concepts by utilization of two defenses. The two defenses utilized are the twisting of incidences or events in their lives and hindering the events or incidences endangering their self-concepts from attaining any awareness. These individuals twist their incidences by developing a reasonable but fictitious reason for a certain situation. Individuals may also try to alter their perception of incidence from the exact implication to suit them.

Individuals hinder threatening incidences from taking any effect through denial. These defenses are meant to uphold congruity or integrity of self, and it is through these defenses in which self-esteem is improved and safeguarded. The suppositions of person-centered conjecture are that it takes on the optimistic standpoint. It also takes into contemplation that humans are growth oriented as well as individualistic.

The other assumptions are that humans are subjected to inner directedness or have the subjective perceptions where individuals have self-regard, and they always to defend and protect their self-esteem. The conjecture by Rogers has gained further support from a recent conjecture of self-determination. These conjectures are criticized given that they are exceedingly optimistic and it is unsuccessful in offering insight into the iniquity part of human nature.

Key Theoretical Concepts and its usefulness in understanding the story

Human beings have the tendency to actualize and in accordance to Rogerss ideologies, humans always aim at building up all capacities in manners that upholds or improves him or her and moves such individual towards self-sufficiency. The actualizing tendency is obviously directional, affirmative and appears in all organisms in existence. Although actualizing tendency can be repressed, it cannot be fully annihilated without total annihilation of humans or any additional living organism (Pescitelli 1).

The principal motive strength of the person-centered conjecture is the actualizing tendency concept. In accordance to Rogers, the entire being has the tendency to actualize although its components do not bear the tendency. Every living individual has the deep consent of fulfilling its prospective. The phenomenal subject for all human beings comprises of all incidences or events that are present at a given time, regardless of whether they are conscious or unconscious.

An individuals portion is separated and develops into self during development. In accordance to this conjecture, self comes up as the fundamental construct. The self builds up through exchanges with different people or subjects and entails consciousness of individual and performance. The self-concept has large basis on the societal evaluations that these individuals experience. Once an individual develops the self, they progressively develop the specifically psychosomatic appearance of actualizing tendency that bears relations to the self.

The progress made by these individuals mean that they are experiencing the thrust towards being consistent concerning personal consciousness. The secondary requirements have the connection between self-concept and self-actualization. The secondary requirements are supposed to be studied during childhood developmental studies.

The secondary requirements are the necessity to acquire constructive concern for others and the necessity to acquire constructive self-regard. These necessities lead to people having favors for mannerisms that are constant with the individuals self-concept.

Persons acquire conditions of worth through the provision of constructive concerns that is provisional instead of offering unconditional concern. Provisional concern leads to introjections of the desired values and converting them into own thus acquiring conditions of worth. Self-concept is based on the benchmarks of value instead of the organismic evaluation.

Conditions of worth often interfere with organismic valuing procedure, which is considered a fluid meaning that it is a continuous procedure in which experiences are perfectly epitomized and cherished in accordance to most favorable improvement of being and itself. The necessity for constructive self-regard leads to a discriminatory view of knowledge with respect to the conditions of worth (Pescitelli 1).

These conditions present certain skills that are supposed and represented perfectly in consciousness. The experiences that are, not twisted or distorted into consciousness, lead to incongruence. The incongruence created during this step often leads to probable perplexity, anxiety and maladaptive mannerisms. These are the anticipated human characters since the experiences are represented as threats with no conscious awareness through prejudice where awareness leads to anxiety.

In theory, a person may build up maximally and evade the upshots discussed above in instances where unconditional constructive regard is awarded. In such a circumstance, the conditions of worth do not arise. The necessities for constructive regard from the rest and constructive self-regard would correspond with organismic evaluation since congruence develops between self and experience bearing total mental and emotional adjustments (Pescitelli 1).

The ideal human state is personified in the fully functioning individual who has gained experience that allows him or her to exist existentially through the expression of feeling in a relaxed manner, independent conduction of activities and creative and rich life existence.

In most individuals who never experience optimal childhood, there is anticipated transformations and progress towards mental growth or maturity, which focuses on dissolution of conditions of worth. They also aim at accomplishing self-congruence by utilization of experience and restoration of the organism valuing procedure.

In accordance to Rogerss viewpoints, personality transformation is achievable and serves as an imperative component for growth; however, self-acceptance is a requirement. According to Rogers, self is a broader subject since it involves several description of self, one being the ideal self.

Ideal self epitomizes the self-concept where a person bears the probability of holding although other clear discrepancies have not been presented (Pescitelli 1). Additionally, certain concepts concerning identity and identity progress are not present even though self-image is still revisable and experiences transformation over time. The ideas of self-actualization are dissimilar to those presented by various theorists.

The principle of self-actualization appears different as presented Goldstein and Maslow. Rogers considered his theory as most outstanding since it finds more support from biological organisms than any other humanistic theories (Pescitelli 1). Although the concept of actualizing tendency is rational and sensible, it never presents the intrinsic capacities that uphold and improve existence.

In the application of this theory, it creates a logical necessity of precision concerning the potentialities that exist. The intrinsic potentialities for actualizing tendency can experience disfigured appearance in case of maladjustment leading to mannerisms that are unconstructive to others and individuals. The actualization and self-actualization inclinations bear cross objectives with each other in instances where estrangement of true self transpires.

In accordance to Rogerss ideologies, there are two types of movement, organism movement in a single direction and conscious strive towards the other direction. Later on, Roger changed his earlier ideologies regarding incongruence stating that society, literary conditions, incentives helps in reinforcing behavior.

Rogerss views human alienations because of social interactions since humans are never born alienated from themselves. Rogers considers a child as a perfect portray of congruence since at both one appears remarkably genuine and incorporated, amalgamated in experience, consciousness and communication. Disfigured perceptions, as per conditions of worth, lead to human exit from the precedent integration.

The person-centered conjecture has extensive applications in the mean girls movie although not all its concepts are utilized. The conjecture assists the viewers in understanding certain aspects brought forward by several actors within the movie. Viewers manage to understand some of the complex parts of the movie and explain certain incidences within the movie, upon viewing it.

The actors utilize some of these concepts in the movie to convey certain fundamental ideas. However, not many viewers can manage to deduce the implications of the concepts in the movie. In order to take note of the utilized theories, individuals require careful viewing the movie with vagrancy and prudence. The principal concepts utilized in the movie are the actualizing tendency, self-concepts, organismic valuing and conditions of worth.

The actors in the movie exhibit different personalities most of which have been developed throughout their development of their self. The personalities can be because of either provisional or unconditional love from the young adults guardians. The young adults in the movie portray diverse self-concepts that are presented to viewers in dissimilar ways. The self-concepts depicted by the actors appear not concurrent to the reality within the high school context.

The self-concepts appear to be a contraction of the reality since these two events do not agree on certain aspects. The actors whose self-concept corresponds with reality are often regarded, to have congruence, while the actors whose self-concepts do not correspond to the reality are considered to bear incongruence. In the movie, incongruence is the main concept that is presented by several individuals.

Incongruence has been portrayed in different scenes, in movies such as the case where the three mean girls, use terror to control most aspects of the school. Their self-concepts have no correspondence to reality since, in reality these girls are not liked by people although they assume they are liked since they control most of the school undertakings. The concepts of the conjecture help the viewers to understand the basis of certain unacceptable behaviors among the adolescents.

Summative statement on the approach and its application in understanding the story

Self-concept is considered the most fundamental concept in an individuals personality. Self-concept is, therefore, all thoughts, principles and emotions that an individual holds concerning them and their lives. Self-concept plays a position in the development of self as one progresses towards actualization. Throughout an individuals existence, the personality continues to develop until these individual become distinguishable.

Individuality does not subsist at birth meaning that it is built up as one mature. Actualization is the thrust for an individual to uphold and improve on their lives and their personality. Actualization is the ultimate goal of individuals as everyone tries to move to the top.

The tendency towards success is, therefore, present in everyone regardless of his or her gender, race or religion. Individuals at the lower levels of their lives receive or strive to reach the top and acquire congruency. Persons within the actualized level have already developed congruency with respect to reality and actual realities (Pescitelli 1).

The theorist considered incongruence to be the disparity between the self-concepts and reality while congruence was considered the logical match towards reality and self-concept. Incongruence within a child came up, because of provision of conditional love to infants. These individuals continued to show the implied results throughout their lives where they manipulated events to suit them. These persons are always in anxiety since, they fear that their self-concepts may be discovered threatening their existence.

During the development of ones self, different issues are taken into contemplation. The issues that are taken into contemplation are the actual self and the ideal self. These two presenting of self-are the parameters utilized in defining ones personality. The ideal self is often regarded as the personality that one wishes to acquire while the actual self is the personality that a person bears in the real sense.

Congruence may also be available taking into contemplation the self and experiences that an individual acquires. Congruence exists in the case where an individual experiences correspond to the personality that they wish on acquiring. Incongruence appears if the self-concept is not in agreement with the real life circumstances.

Individuals experiencing incongruence often think what they are doing is acceptable through formulation of unsound reasons for not undertaking a certain activity. Incongruence can be considered, the breakdown of the individual unitary system, meaning that they lose their real component of their lives, and try to utilize their self-concepts to defend whatever they are doing (Pescitelli 1). Incongruence often leads to confusion and anxiety among the individuals affected by this problem.

The anxiety experienced roots from the threats that are presented towards self-concepts held by these persons. Persons with incongruence always appear to be anxious as different people within and outside their lives challenge their self-concepts. A high incongruence level is directly proportional to the anxiousness meaning persons bearing high incongruence levels probably exhibit high anxiousness levels.

Individuals suffering from incongruence often utilize certain approaches as ways to counter the endangered perceptions. The often disfigure events to favor them, as well as, hind and prevent their anxieties that develop through, threats presented by the people around them. People with incongruence may also prevent their anxieties by making certain that the presented information never creates any awareness among the people involved.

These events are prevented from taking any effect through defenses such as denial. The defenses are often utilized in sustaining self-regard and building on it. These individuals usually manage to uphold their congruity, as well as, veracity. These persons also manage to maintain their self-esteem as well as improve or enhance it. The defenses are also required to prevent any social judgment by the elements of the society.

The most essential concept of the person-centered conjecture is considered as the actualizing tendency. All human have the thrust towards achieving self-regard and self-esteem. Individuals take on actualization with the sole objective of improving and upholding their self-regard through the acquisition of self-sufficiency. Although individuals have the tendency to actualize, not all the being bears the tendency to actualize.

The phenomenal field holds all events or experiences that take place in a persons life despite their consciousness or unconsciousness. The self bears most of its elements from the social backgrounds from which it is developed. The societal elements come up due to the constant social evaluation carried out at different social groups. The self develops based on these evaluations meaning that an individual acquires the immediate societal elements that surround his or her existence.

In relation to the movie, the mean girls have developed the ill mannerisms from the society that brings them up. They cannot find a perfect way of handling issues since they contemplate that the activities they carry on is acceptable to the rest of the students. The students obviously feel oppressed through the terror bestowed upon them although there is no much they can do to change the personality of the mean girls.

Concerning Cady, she has already acquired the most basic ways to survive in this world through the utilization of the implied survival tactics. The survival tactics appear to be inapplicable to the real life although Cady manages to manipulate its provisions to better her position. Cady establishes that by accepting to join the trio, she might have the chance of gaining actualization, which is common for each human being. Her friends want her to join the group for manipulative purposes.

However, she later realizes the presented opportunity to be at the top or to actualize. This makes her to ditch the first objective that had been presented by the other two friends that she had acquired in the first place. Cady pretends to be immersed into the group, and the first thing she does it to reveal the self in Regina. This serves as a blow since she feels threatened by Cadys presence. Regina fights back to prevent Cady from taking over her place with the school. She starts to try and humiliate Cady with games so, she can give up her quest.

However, Cady cannot give up easily especially with the survival tactics in appliance. The self in Cady appears strong since she has been brought up in a social setting that encourages strength. The personality in Cady is also congruence since her self-concepts appear to rhyme with the reality. However, the case of Regina is different or rather incongruence since she has been forcing things to happen all through her life.

The same applies to her other mean friends who are also used to manipulating events to create their ways. These three individuals utilize terror as n instrument to act against the rest of the school populace. Their conscious has no recognition of any wrong doing since they are used to it. The perception has developed throughout their lives from something so straightforward to complex problems that these individuals cannot realize.

Contrarily to the mean girls, Damain and Janis, appear to have suppressed their tendency to actualize. The suppression is seen in the way they approach the call to destroy the mean girls. These two associates show little interest in utilizing the opportunity awarded by their friendship with the mean girls. These individuals concentrate on the unimportant part of the presented opportunity, instead of concentrating on the actualization aspect.

They make efforts to see the mean girls on the ground with them. Cady has the chance to choose the best friends that are Damain and Janis. However, she gets into a dilemma since she sees a chance present itself making her have a divided interest. However, she evaluates what appears advantageous for her life and finds joining the mean girls group to have a comparative benefit over the other group. She keeps her true friends to prevent any regrets since she just enters the group for her own personal reasons. The personal reason is for the crowd to drive her into her dream as well as a further step towards actualization.

Cady strives through the appliance of various techniques to remove Regina from her place and finally succeeds. The succession is a greater milestone towards the achievement of the actualization, which takes place at the end of the movie when Cady gets the title of queen within the school.

Cady achieves the following through utilization of the survival tactics taught in the immediate environment as well as the calm approach towards the complex problems brought about by Regina. The most unfortunate thing is that Regina lacked the self-concept that lead to congruence. Instead, she possessed incongruence that tries to manipulate situations to favor a

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