Author Biography

Ben is a freshman at Utah State University. With two brothers and one sister, Ben is the third oldest of his siblings and cares very deeply about family. Ben loves to read, practice his painting skills, and spend quality time with friends and family. Ben is majoring in History, hoping to focus on ancient European history and wants to teach the subject himself one day.

This essay was composed in April 2023 and uses MLA documentation.

Covid-19 had a profound effect not only on the health of individuals around the world but also a major psychological impact as well. According to the American Psychological Association, “The enormity of living in isolation, changes in our daily lives, job loss, financial hardship, and grief over the death of loved ones has the potential to affect the mental health and well-being of many,” (“Psychological Impact”). In times of hardship like this, people will sometimes turn to comforting sources, movies for instance, to help themselves feel better or distract from the troubles facing them. But could movies have a larger impact than just a distraction? “Cinematherapy is a powerful approach that utilizes metaphor via film to create a safe and entertaining environment for self-exploration and discovery,” (Powell et al. 251). This conclusion came from Michael Lee Powell after a study was conducted using cinematherapy with youth who had serious emotional disturbance to see if the films would help improve their self-esteem. The youth were evaluated to gain a sense of what levels their self-esteem was at before the experiment began. After a six-week period and having a control group who was not exposed to cinematherapy, but rather normal methods of treatment, the group exposed to cinematherapy was found to have higher scores of self-esteem than before the experiment and higher than the control group. Powell’s article did not include which movies were used in the study but found that films could positively affect self-esteem. Films could create a friendly way to introduce tough topics to at-risk youth to help their understanding and attention of the topic.

The movie series Shrek has been widely successful, both with ratings and its usage in internet memes. But Shrek could have more uses than just entertainment. Shrek presents valuable insights into ideas of positive self-esteem, teachings lessons that are hidden among the humor and light-heartedness of the movie. In his memorable dialogue with the talking donkey, Donkey, Shrek remarks, “Ogres are like onions,” (Shrek). Shrek explains how people don’t know him and fear him because they don’t bother to go through his outer layers to learn about the real him. This doesn’t sadden him but deepens his resolve to be himself, showing that he knows his self-worth. This example is one of many that show the depth that Shrek contains and its potential uses in cinematherapy. Using this quote as a baseline and inspiration for studying self-esteem, it brought up the following questions. How is self-esteem defined by professionals? Can the movie series Shrek be used to appropriately teach young adults proper methods of self-esteem and care, and should movies be used in a professional psychological setting?

To analyze if Shrek is a good example of self-esteem, a baseline of what self-esteem is and whose perspectiveShrek will be analyzed through must be established. In 1965, a man named Morris Rosenberg developed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, shown below.

This scale asks broken-down questions to compile a score for whoever takes it, such as “I take a positive attitude toward myself,” or “On the whole, I am satisfied with myself,” (Rosenberg). Rosenberg’s scale was one of the earliest ways of measuring self-esteem, as the answer you gave corresponded to a number. At the end, the numbers were added up and your score reflected your overall attitude. If the score was lower, then the test taker would know that they needed to improve their self-image. The common factor between all of the questions is that they are subjective, personal questions. They all use the word “I” in statements meant only for the taker’s opinion. “Self-esteem is a positive or negative orientation toward oneself; an overall evaluation of one’s worth or value,” (qtd. in Powell et al. 248). Self-esteem is how individuals view themselves and their impact on the wider world. It is how one views themselves and how they believe they fit into the world around them. Powell’s description of self-esteem fits with the theme of each question presented in the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. In a study by Ulrich Orth and Richard Robins, they found that self-esteem has a “lifespan”. According to their findings, self-esteem has a sharp build-up period during the early ages of life then plateaus and starts declining in older ages, (Orth and Robins 382). They express how it is important to develop high self-esteem at an early age, as higher levels of self-esteem lead to success in relationships, work, and life overall. It also means that ages that tend to see a decline in self-esteem, early adolescence and elderly age, could be places to grow if self-esteem is developed early on. By knowing why self-esteem is important, the next step is finding proper examples to follow in order to properly raise and maintain your own self-esteem levels.

One example that people should feel able to listen to and trust to be a reliable source is Shrek. Shrek focuses on a green ogre who lives secluded from the rest of the world. When a dictator forces magical creatures onto Shrek’s land, Shrek and his newfound friend Donkey must go on a quest to have the fairytale creatures removed from his swamp. Throughout the movie, there are several comedic moments that show the true message that the film seeks to convey. Many of the people in the Fairytale Kingdom are afraid of Shrek because of his appearance. Their judgment leads to his memorable, “Ogres are like onions,” line, and Shrek’s assertion that if people got to know him, they wouldn’t treat him unfairly (Shrek). Rather than project his insecurities or problems onto others, he accepts that his appearance pushes others away and knows that it doesn’t devalue him as a person. Shrek sticks to the ideas that Orth and Powell explain, how self-esteem is purely subjective. Despite the outward animosity that Shrek receives, he doesn’t let it change how he values himself. And the animosity and problems he faces are not just fake problems, either. “He doesn’t just have magical made-up problems; he has real ones that real people struggle with,” (Corman). As Corman puts it, Shrek is more relatable to the audience through moments like this. While these struggles are depicted more light-heartedly, it shows young adults that they don’t have to worry about what others think as long as they know themselves. It gives them a role model to follow and look up to. “Mental health has been a major thing for most teenagers, so Shrek can act as inspiration as silly as it sounds. Watching Shrek overcome those insecurities and problems encourages others to do the same,” (Corman).

Towards the end of the film, Shrek ends up with Princess Fiona, whose secret was that she became an Ogre by nightfall, and true love’s kiss would break the curse and she would take her true form. When they share a kiss, Fiona takes her form as an ogre even though it was not what she expected from the beginning of the film. By accepting that she doesn’t have to please others to be happy, Shrek and Fiona get their happy ending. In Caroline Caldwell’s article, Shrek: The Power of Self-Love Under Authoritarianism, she analyzes the key events of the film and the messages they contain. When discussing the wedding between Shrek and Fiona, Caldwell states, “They believe in both personal and communal power. And they deserve to love themselves without fear of repercussion,” (Caldwell). The true happiness that the cast of characters displays at the film’s ending shows that because others don’t fully accept you, you still deserve to be happy. The same ideas are shared by Karen McMillan in her article Shrek on Self-Esteem. McMillan believes that the purpose of Shrek is to remind the audience of our own inner beauty, and everyone should feel that they have worth. “This (Shrek) makes for a valuable conversation about values, kindness and treating people well no matter how they look,” (McMillan). These themes once again connect to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Orth and Powell’s assumptions of self-esteem. Self-esteem is a subjective idea. The only opinion that matters is your own. Shrek’s conclusion shows that knowing your own heart’s desire is the most important thing to loving yourself and is ultimately an amazing example of self-esteem and acceptance.

Although Shrek should be considered a positive role model for improving self-esteem, the question does arise if films have a place in teaching these ideas. Some would argue that cinema in general stigmatizes mental illness and other challenges, not presenting a real idea of what the issue is like. According to Caldwell, “Something marginalized groups are so often taught is that they must make themselves as small as possible…in order to avoid conflict,” (Caldwell). Caldwell describes that certain groups are taught to not be in the public light which can lead to misconceptions and false analyses of their predicaments. Cinema can be a way to positively teach about the issues that they face, teaching uncomfortable lessons in a safer environment. Recently, cinematherapy has been used to support Caldwell’s analysis and disprove some of the opposing notions. The study by Powell mentioned earlier, found that self-esteem in at-risk youth increased after a six-week study that involved using film with treatment. In a similar study, Kala J. Melchiori taught about recognizing and dealing with stigma in a college lecture. One class received a normal lecture, while the other viewed Shrek as part of their curriculum, analyzing the film to recognize stigma in the movie and then connecting it to the real world. Melchiori’s study found that the class that watched Shrek was more comfortable with discussing stigma and even started conversations without prompting. The college students were more open to other ideas and perspectives. She found that, “Using popular films to demonstrate sensitive psychological topics can enhance receptiveness to the material and reinforce the concepts included in classroom lectures,” (Melchiori and Mallett 260). While this study did not focus on benefiting self-esteem, it did find that using films had a positive effect on how concepts were understood. It could be feasible to argue that cinematherapy could be used to help improve other aspects of mental health beyond self-esteem.

While Melchiori did not focus on self-esteem, another study by Salar Kizhan focused primarily on how the subjects viewed and accepted themselves after watching Shrek. The sample was five young Kurdish women who had never seen the movie before. Kizhan’s basis for the study was the belief that, “The media conveys critical messages to the audience through the characters’ appearance, behaviors, language use, and voice,” (Kizhan 20). After watching the film, each young woman was asked the same questions, relating to how they viewed themselves, what lessons did the movie teach them, etc. “Now, all five of the participants accept themselves more than ever after watching the movie that taught them an important lesson – being comfortable in one’s skin,” (Kizhan 17). All of the answers that they gave reflected that the movie taught them to not only focus on their physical appearance and how others see them but to remember what is important on the inside and how we love ourselves, (Kizhan 16). This sample size may not be very large but shows further evidence of Shrek being used to teach self-esteem and similar values and being met with positive feedback among young adults. Kizhan, Melchiori, and Powell all found that films have a positive way of introducing sensitive subjects in a method that makes the audience more receptive to the message.

Films have been seen as a separation from reality and to give a reprieve to the constant worries and issues that people face in their lives. But they have the power to do more than disassociate their audiences from the world around them. They have the ability to cause self-reflection and introspection. Uncomfortable or sensitive topics are more easily accepted through a medium than just being laid out bare. As Melchiori found through her study, “…the use of nonthreatening animated character with fictional stigmas to illustrate the sensitive topics covered in the lecture is beneficial for retention,” (Melchiori and Mallett 263). Introducing hard topics through a medium allows for a better understanding and movies provide a perfect medium. And since Orth’s research found that building self-esteem early on is beneficial to improving and maintaining self-esteem, movies would be the perfect way to introduce young kids to lessons that they will need to learn in life. But these movies don’t need to be serious and traumatizing for young adults. They can be as simple and entertaining as Shrek is. A movie that inspires conversation about kindness, treating others right, valuing our self-worth and the beauty inside. Movies like Shrek have the opportunity to teach proper methods of self-care, just as Shrek does. And that’s not the end of the opportunities Shrek has. “Further research can focus on how the filmmaker of Shrek presents stereotypes in the movie series. Shrek tries to challenge the stereotypes related to other fairytales that people… should not be treated differently,” (Kizhan 20). While studies on specific films and their relation to improving self-esteem are not abundant, Kizhan believes that Shrek still has more aspects that could be researched and expounded upon to teach other positive methods. What all these sources can agree on, however, is that Shrek is not only a worthy example of self-esteem in Rosenberg’s, Orth’s, and Powell’s eyes but also has a place in psychological settings to help young adults.

Works Cited

Caldwell, Caroline. “Shrek: The Power of Self-Love under Authoritarianism.” Kouhi Films, 27 Oct. 2021, http://www.kouhifilms.com/2021/06/12/shrek-self-love/.

Corman, Dylan. “Why Shrek Is a Mental Health Role Model.” Lamplighter Media Productions, 25 Sept. 2019, https://pldlamplighter.org/opinion/blogs/2019/09/25/why-shrek-is-a-mental-health-role-model/#:~:text=All%20of%20the%20Shrek%20films%20resonate%20with%20audiences,and%20problems%20encourages%20others%20to%20do%20the%20same.

Kizhan, Salar. “Shrek and Media Literacy: Five Kurdish Young Women’s Perspectives.” Technium Social Sciences Journal, vol. 12, 2020, pp. 12–21., https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v12i1.1360.

McMillan, Karen. “Shrek on Self-Esteem.” Conscious Leadership and Retreats, 25 Aug. 2011, https://consciousleadershipandretreats.wordpress.com/2008/11/20/life-coaching-with-shrek/.

Melchiori, Kala J. and Robyn K. Mallett. “Using Shrek to Teach about Stigma.” Teaching of Psychology, vol. 42, no. 3, 2015, pp. 260–265., https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628315589502.

Orth, Ulrich and Richard W. Robins. “The Development of Self-Esteem.” Current Directions in Psychological Science, vol. 23, no. 5, 2014, pp. 381–387., https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721414547414.

Powell, Michael Lee, et al. “Group Cinematherapy: Using Metaphor to Enhance Adolescent Self-Esteem.” The Arts in Psychotherapy, vol. 33, no. 3, 2006, pp. 247–253., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2006.03.004.

“Psychological Impact of Covid-19.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 16 Apr. 2020, https://www.apa.org/topics/covid-19/psychological-impact.

Rosenberg, Morris. “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) – American Psychological Association.” American Psychological Association, 2006, https://www.apa.org/obesity-guideline/rosenberg-self-esteem.pdf.

Shrek. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, performances by Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow, Dreamworks, 2001.