Miseducation of the Cameron Post, Essay Example

The ‘Miseducation of Cameron Post movie’ is about homosexuality in the society with the main character being Cameron from Bible Belt America. She is a secondary student growing up in her early 1990s. She does usual teenage things such as having a double date with her school mates. She is in love with a female friend identified as Coley; a move that was triggered by her teens and her aunt is against it. From the film, the structural issues that are relevant to Cameron are inclusive of education, child welfare, and health.  The movie is a reasonably tame picture. Horrific off-camera activity introduces some tension, but its effects feels diffuse and indistinct rather than wrenching.

From the scenes, Cameron appears as a teenage lady who understands her mind, refusing to let it be changed. She also demonstrates how long-term defensiveness can lead to internal bruises that do not repeatedly show (Kermode, 2018). It shows that young children know their experiences best and can contribute meaningfully to decisions and processes that have an impact on their lives. Therefore, having the right to express their conditions, views, and experiences, their day to day lives can reveal and protect them from exploitation, abuse, and other circumstances that undermine their well-being (De Vries et al., 2016).

From the developmental perspective and Piaget’s theory, from infancy onwards, children move through four developmental stages ranging from approximately two years to eleven years. The developmental matters that I will consider for Cameroon is a socio-emotional domain. From the plot, frustrations emerged in Cameron’s life after losing her parents. The situation prompted her to sort an emotional refuge from her close friends who later lured her into homosexuality. The time when Cameron is found in the car seat transits to the time when she is taken by her aunt to God’s Promise center for conversion therapy (Aranjuez, 2019). There is no communication between her and her aunt regarding her place in the household, her lesbianism plus the conflict arising from the guardian’s demands against her own rights. Cameron is quoted saying, “How is programming people to hate themselves, not emotional abuse?”, a move showing that there is an emotional gap in her life that needs to be addressed.

Attachment is a primary need in the life of a child, which entails the capacity to recover quickly from the challenges faced by the kid. From the context of Cameron, I will consider the combination of caregivers’ acceptance and mental well-being as attachments that need to be articulated. The attachments formed from the perspective will impact her resilience. The emerging bonds developed in the due process will create a long-lasting psychological connection (Owens, 2018). It will assist in the formation of a strong relationship between the adult and the adolescent Cameron. To achieve this step, proximity maintenance involving the desire to be close to the individual will be vital (De Vries et al., 2016). Additionally, separation distress and a secure base will be crucial in the provision of her mental safety plus the creation of the anxiety of the experience when the caregiver is not present. The move will make feel cared for and valued by not only the caregiver but also by society at large.

The consent of the right to decision making and confidentiality forms the center stage in problem-solving and the challenges that might be faced in assisting Cameron in her struggles. There is a need, therefore, to involve her current caregivers in achieving the objective of the process (Kermode, 2018). The ideology of conversion therapy recommended by her aunt to her is inhuman. Cameron and the dozens of teens who are interns in the God’s Promise facility are obliged to participate in the group conversion therapy meetings in which their homosexuality is articulated (Aranjuez, 2019). The causes of homosexuality are determined, and their desires suppressed, their characters are criticized, with denial of their very identity. The depiction of conversion therapy in the film fuels the animosity of the teens making them feel less important in making their own decisions.

The heroic journey of Cameron shows that she does not want to change, yet Akhavan still beseeches the actual sense of growth from her parity. That crafts a statement regarding the rationale of the teenage in the face of extremism and making it support the fact that the matured around Cameron is least self-assured than her. Indeed, Cameron attend trainings that enhance the usefulness of gender norms. She converses with Reverend Rick in a group meeting and tries not to disappoint other interns who are more devoted to abandon homosexual desires (Aranjuez, 2019). However, she approaches everything with a calm rationalism, exposing the simple deceptions of her counselors’ baselines merely by countering them.

In building a working relationship with Cameron, the key issues that I will consider include unmasking, personal, and collective consciousness. Through a combination of the critical elements, I tend to make Cameron understand the source and complexity of homosexuality and the need to internalize the impact of structural determinants in her life (De Vries et al., 2016). It will help her in the restoration of self-respect and dignity by making her change her circumstances rather than making her feel flawed. Additionally, validating her frustration and fear will help her focus beyond homosexuality by motivating her to adopt a change that will help her against self-destruction. That will be aided by sharing her oppression experience and making her feel that she is not alone, but she is just in the middle of the many other teens who have managed to overcome the challenge.

References

Aranjuez, A. (2019). Change of heart: ‘Boy erased, the miseducation of Cameron Post ‘and gay conversion therapy. Screen Education, (94), 54.

de Vries, S. L., Hoeve, M., Stams, G. J. J., & Asscher, J. J. (2016). Adolescent-parent attachment and externalizing behavior: The mediating role of individual and social factors. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 44(2), 283-294.

Kermode, M. (2018, September 9). The Miseducation of Cameron Post review – poignant, witty, defiant. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/sep/09/desiree-akhavan-miseducation-of-cameron-post-review

Owens, R. E. (2018). Queer kids: The challenges and promise for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. Routledge.