I chose to analyze Despicable Me, an animated film aimed at a younger audience, because I was interested in examining the underlying theories and messages that this film would convey to its viewers. Often, when watching animated films, children are unaware of these messages, as they are absorbed by the characters, special effects and humor. But as we have learned this semester, our brains are subconsciously primed by the various environments we are exposed to. Since we also studied the impact of entertainment, such as television and video games, on children, I wanted to see how a popular children's film might affect them too. Over the course of the film, viewers witness Gru's drastic change in self-concept. This is very important to recognize because self-concept influences the “roles we play, the social identities we form, the comparisons we make to others, and our successes and failures” (Meyers, 40). At first, Gru collectively characterizes himself as a villain and, as a result, forms a social identity as an evil individual. He doesn't compare himself to a layman, like his next-door neighbor, but rather to other villains and their criminal exploits. His self-concept influences the role he plays in society, and therefore his behavior and actions. Gru's behavior can be described as selfish, as he is solely concerned with his own gains and benefits and is very aggressive. He shapes his behavior to emphasize his social role as a villain. For example, at the beginning of the film, when Gru sees a little boy crying because he dropped his ice cream, he makes him a balloon animal. When the boy starts to smile, Gru proceeds to pull out a pin and pop the balloon. When he meets for a long time... half of the paper... ic reasons with his goals. This is boldly highlighted towards the end of the film, where Gru realizes that his desire to be with his three daughters and become a good father, an intrinsically motivated goal, outweighs his desire to be recognized as the greatest villain of the world. Works Cited Brewer, M. B., & Gardener, W. (1996). Who is this “We”? Levels of collective identity and self-representations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Vol 71, No. 1, 83-93.Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P.R., (2005). Security of attachment, compassion and altruism. American Psychological Society: Current directions in the psychological sciences: Vol 14, No. 1.Croll, W. L., & Smith, R. M. (1984). The effects of extrinsic reward timing on intrinsic motivation. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society: 415-417.Myers, D. G. (2010). Social psychology (10th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.