Developmental Theories in Juno

The movie Juno is not only an excellent representation of film and the creative process coming together to create characters and a story that draws in the audience and allows them to invest themselves in the lives of the characters, but it is also an excellent example of the developmental process. This is because the movie reflects not only the development of its protagonist Juno MacGuff and her emotional growth and development, but also her physical development throughout her pregnancy.
Juno begins with the adolescent protagonist, sixteen year old Juno MacGuff, realizing that her one night stand with her friend and long-time crush, Paulie Bleeker, has resulted in her being pregnant. However when Juno goes to the clinic to receive the abortion, she finds that both her conscience and the pro-life protesting of a fellow classmate prevent her from going through with the deed. This conflict and resulting action are what spur the young Juno on to the exceptional level of growth and development that are experienced by both her and the audience throughout the film. After nervously telling her dysfunctional parents about her pregnancy, a difficult task for any young and unsuspecting expectant mother, Juno decides that what is best for her child is to carry it to term and place it with a loving family who can provide it with what she herself cannot. From this point in the movie on, Juno's growth is more than evident, as the process of deciding on adoptive parents for her unborn child pushes her to the limits as to what a person of her age should be dealing with. After searching through a local paper Juno decides on an infertile couple from the suburbs of Minnesota, Mark and Vanessa, that is seemingly perfect, and upon meeting them they seem to be the perfect fit for her. However, as the young Juno's confidence in her decision grows, the stability of Mark and Vanessa's relationship is tested as Mark begins to befriend Juno and their mutual love of rock and horror films