It seems clear that three major conclusions can be drawn about adolescent development from watching the movie Juno; (1) family has great influence on adolescent development both in how family is perceived and how family impacts decision, (2) sexual desires do impact teen judgment, and (3) most teens, even when faced with life-altering decisions, dwell in Erikson’s “identity versus role confusion” phase.

 

(1) Family has great impact of adolescent development both in how family is perceived and ow family impacts decision.    

     A common theme in the movie, Juno, is the difference in family. In this movie, we see several different kinds of family units: Juno’s in which there is Mac (Juno’s father), Juno (Mac’s biological daughter), Bren (Juno’s stepmother, Mac’s second wife, Liberty Bell’s biological mother), and Liberty Bell (Juno’s half-sister); Mark and Vanessa Loring a married couple at the beginning of the film, though separated by the end; and, Paulie Bleeker’s family, of which we only truly see an intrusive mother into Paulie’s personal life. The dynamics of these families are drastically different and affect adolescent development in many ways. At the beginning of the film, after Juno has decided to give her baby up for adoption, through Juno’s eyes, we understand that her concept of family is an intact unit. However, as the movie progresses, we find that her reason for choosing Mark and Vanessa to adopt the baby may have more to do with the fact that her own mother left her at a young age which causes her to feel “abandonment” (Drake, et al, 2007). Throughout the film, we see Juno develop into understanding that family can also include step parents, as seen when Bren stands up for her at a sonogram appointment. Although she may still feel hurt by the departure of her mother, it is clear in this moment that Bren has taken on a protective role that may redefine Juno’s relationship with her. 

      As the arrival of the baby draws near, the picturesque marriage that Mark and Vanessa have portrayed to Juno falls apart; the failure of their marriage causes Juno to redefine what it means to be a family. Through Piaget’s theory of intellectual development and tendency of adaptation, we find that she must redefine family “to fit her new experience” (Snowman, J., McCown R., Biehler R., 2012, p. 37). The conclusion we can draw from her constant redefinition of family is that adolescent development dictates that new schemes must be formed in order to adjust to new situations. As Juno progresses through her pregnancy, new schemes must be addressed as she encounters baby appointments, interactions with her parents over disappointment and decisions made, discussions with adoptive parents, etc. Juno took her own life experience from having a mother who left her behind and tried to create the ideal image of family but, in the end, she learns that there is no ideal image, only that love creates and drives family.

 

(2) Sexual desires do impact teen judgment.   

     Sexual desires fuel much of the interaction in Juno. This type of behavior is also commonly seen in many reality television shows these days, teens are actively engaging in sexual activity with other teens. The fact that Juno initiates sex with her friend Paulie in an effort to obtain closeness, but not necessarily because she loves him or even wants to date him. She may have also initiated this event with Paulie in an attempt to try on the role of begin and adult. It is clear from this cavalier encounter that adolescent development dictates that sex should be fun and spontaneous, without considering consequence. Juno’s initiation of the encounter exemplifies “females as sexual beings with erotic desires” (Willis, 2008, p. 241). Since she was curious, she let her desires take over without considering that pregnancy was an outcome. Also, since this was her first time having sex, she did not think getting pregnant could happen to her. After getting pregnant and grappling with the decisions on how to handle the situation, she shifts to understanding that sexual desires cannot be on impulse, especially in teenagers, since the consequences greatly outweigh the capabilities of care of the individuals involved.  Through Juno’s journey of this pregnancy, we also see “the pervasive cultural ambivalence associated with the subject of sex and female adolescence” (Willis, 2008, p. 242). 

      Based on Juno’s nonchalant approach to having sex and continued nonchalance in telling Paulie about the pregnancy, it can be concluded that adolescent development dictates that judgment is impaired when driven by sexual desire. If Juno had acted rationally when pursuing her physical desires with Paulie, she may have thought more closely about the consequences of having unprotected sex. Since her decisions were based on impulse, it seems clear that as adolescents develop, part of this growth must come from trial and error. In Juno’s case, she tried out having sex, and her error in judgment caused her pregnancy. However, as is the case in most trials in which error is found, by the end of the movie, Juno seems resolved to learn from these actions, indicating that adolescent growth does not mean continuous errors in judgment, but in fact learning from one’s mistakes and then moving forward.

 

(3) Most teens, even when faced with life-altering decision, dwell in Erikson's "identity versus role confusion" phase.    

     We also see through Juno’s character the adolescent stasis she is in where she “exists between childhood and adulthood, neither sexless nor parental, neither completely innocent nor entirely beyond ‘redemption’” (Willis, 2008, p. 242). When Juno’s father asks her who she is, her reply is “I don’t know what kind of girl I am” (Drake, et al, 2007). There is no other line in the movie that more accurately identifies Erikson’s identity versus role confusion phase. Juno is still a teenager, but also a female who is pregnant. Her identity is questioned because as a teenager, she is still a child in the eyes of her parents and other adults; however, her pregnancy confuses this role as a child since this life event is typically reserved for adults. Therefore, Juno is “unable to establish a sense of stability” in her roles as a daughter, mother-to-be, student, friend, etc. She has to make very grown-up decisions and falters in her ability to maintain a status of either adulthood or childhood.

As the movie progresses, we see Juno work through her “psychosocial crises” (Snowman, J., McCown R., Biehler R., 2012, p. 28) in order to move forward from abortion to adoption, from fearing the consequences of her actions to accepting them and finding a solution. As she works through these issues, and after she has the baby and officially gives it up for adoption, we see Juno’s identity confusion diminish as she is able to resettle into her adolescent life with her adolescent boyfriend, Paulie Bleeker. **See Video 4 on the "VIDEOS" page.** We can conclude from this development that though teens do waiver in the identity versus role confusion phase, when faced with a life-altering event it may be easier to regain one’s identity. Juno moved through her pregnancy trying to identify with her best friend Leah, but then also with Mark Loring (the potential adoptive father). In the end, she clearly was able to redefine herself as a teenager which we can conclude comes from her ability to work through the issues she has come full circle in her development.

 

     Thus, Juno is a movie which takes the audience through the development of its main character while identifying the underlying conclusions that sexual desire impacts teen judgment which, when faced with pregnancy, causes identity crisis and a push to redefine preconceived ideas.