Professor Gigliotti
Interpersonal Communication
September 15, 2013
Interpersonal communication reflection: When Harry Met Sally
When Harry first meets Sally, they look really different. From the very beginning scene, they argue as they have different perspectives on the opposite-sex friendships. Nonetheless, they eventually become good friends after they self-disclose their intimate information to each other. However, after their unexpected sex, their relationship becomes awkward. In the end, Harry finally finds out that he loves Sally and reveals his feelings. Over the course of their relationship in the movie When Harry Met Sally, Knapp’s stages of interpersonal communication develop and change.
Knapp defines the stage of initiation as conversation openers. Harry and Sally encounter each other in an unpleasant way. Sally finds him kissing his girlfriend. Obviously, they are not interested in each other at first as Harry has a girlfriend and Sally is a good friend of her. As a result, they do not really greet in the car. Sally tells Harry that they are just carpool partners.
While driving to New York City, they discuss about opposite-sex friendship. This scene falls into the experimenting stage. From this scene, Harry and Sally get to know better of each other’s different characteristic. Harry thinks that it is impossible to establish a true opposite-sex friendship because sex part always gets in the way. Sally argues him that she does not have sexual interest to her male friends. One of Knapp’s four purposes of experimenting stage is that it can be an audition for a future friendship or a way of increasing the scope of a current relationship. Harry and Sally’s relationship does not develop further because they do not find each other attractive in the experimenting stage After five years, they meet in the airport and take same plane. At this time, Harry is going to get married and Sally is in a relationship. When Harry asked Sally, she