Interpersonal Conflict in a Film, Crash
Interpersonal Conflict in a Film - Crash
Brian Brinson
COMM 200 Interpersonal Communication
Jennifer Ashton
October 27, 2014
“Crash”
Interpersonal communication is "the process of exchanging messages, usually between two people, to create and share meaning" (Sole, 2011). The movie "Crash" shows numerous examples of interpersonal conflicts between different characters, which interlock with another. This paper will identify one of the interpersonal conflicts of many, which were handled poorly, and how it could have been dealt with in a different way. Conversation is an important part of connecting with others and forming relationships. It is the way things are said verbally or non-verbally which will determine how an individual will react or decide to form a relationship with another.
The character named Anthony is constantly struggling trying to prove that everyone is stereotyping black people. His constant complaining about stereotyping shows how low his self-esteem is to worry about what other people think. In the beginning, he talks about how a wait-tress acted towards them by stereotyping. "That waitress sized us up in two seconds. We are black and black people don 't tip, so she wasn 't wasting her time. Now, somebody like that, there is nothing you can do to change their mind" (Haggis, 2004). Anthony non-verbally self-disclosed a side of him that reveals that he also stereotypes individuals.
It seems like he struggles with a personal issue of being black and being ashamed of who he is, he non verbally is reaching out for acceptance by the way he talks, what he talks about and his body language with such anger. He seems to reach out for empathy from his friend who has a hard hard time putting himself in Anthony 's shoes of his feelings. The friendship that they have makes Peter feel comfortable enough to disclose his feelings about the racially motivated comments from Anthony.
Later in the movie, Anthony makes a generalized
Brian Brinson
COMM 200 Interpersonal Communication
Jennifer Ashton
October 27, 2014
“Crash”
Interpersonal communication is "the process of exchanging messages, usually between two people, to create and share meaning" (Sole, 2011). The movie "Crash" shows numerous examples of interpersonal conflicts between different characters, which interlock with another. This paper will identify one of the interpersonal conflicts of many, which were handled poorly, and how it could have been dealt with in a different way. Conversation is an important part of connecting with others and forming relationships. It is the way things are said verbally or non-verbally which will determine how an individual will react or decide to form a relationship with another.
The character named Anthony is constantly struggling trying to prove that everyone is stereotyping black people. His constant complaining about stereotyping shows how low his self-esteem is to worry about what other people think. In the beginning, he talks about how a wait-tress acted towards them by stereotyping. "That waitress sized us up in two seconds. We are black and black people don 't tip, so she wasn 't wasting her time. Now, somebody like that, there is nothing you can do to change their mind" (Haggis, 2004). Anthony non-verbally self-disclosed a side of him that reveals that he also stereotypes individuals.
It seems like he struggles with a personal issue of being black and being ashamed of who he is, he non verbally is reaching out for acceptance by the way he talks, what he talks about and his body language with such anger. He seems to reach out for empathy from his friend who has a hard hard time putting himself in Anthony 's shoes of his feelings. The friendship that they have makes Peter feel comfortable enough to disclose his feelings about the racially motivated comments from Anthony.
Later in the movie, Anthony makes a generalized
References: Sole, K. (2011).Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Haggis, P. (Director). (2004). Crash [Film]. Los Angeles: Bob Yari Productions.