Concepts Application Paper: “The Women”

Introduction

The current discussion is a reflection of twelve key terms, which regulate human activities and help to understand human relations. Twelve concepts have their representation not only in daily life but also in movies and various books. It is difficult to imagine the world without communication, empathy, self-esteem, and other notions, which are analyzed in the paper. In this way, it is possible to see how these concepts work in routine activities and predict the outcomes of human relations. Furthermore, the discussion evolves to mention the interpretation of the key terms in a well-known movie. In general, there is a visible connection between the mentioned key terms and their role in shaping human relations.

The selected movie for the analysis is The Women directed by Diane English. It is a story about a woman and her friends, who support each other in any difficult situation. All four characters are different and deserve special attention in order to understand the nature of their relations. The story begins with Mary Haines who believes that she is happy in her marriage. However, life starts challenging Mary by various difficulties, which bother her greatly. Mary’s father fires her, and friends reveal that her husband is cheating. Besides, Mary’s best friend Sylvie betrays her. As a result, the woman suffers from inner conflict, which motivates her to change the lifestyle. Mary decides to open her own business and live without the need to rely on someone else. Soon things start getting better for her, and she improves her relations with a friend. By the end of the movie, Mary still has an inner conflict whether to forgive her husband or not. However, her friends help her to make the right choice.

Key Terms

Communication is a process of using words, signs, behavior, and sounds in order to exchange information with another individual by reflecting opinions, thoughts, and ideas of both participants of the activity. Messages refer to a form of communication, which contains information of interest for the target audience. It can be sent by means of a word, gestures, sounds, and the other simple instruments of the conversation. There are two types of messages: verbal and non-verbal. Nonverbal message is a process of sharing information by expressing emotions with the help of gestures, body posture, appearance, facial expressions, and eye contact. Verbal message, in its turn, is a process of sharing information between individuals by means of speech. Stress, tone, and enunciation should be appropriate in order to deliver the message to another person or a group of people.

Human development has a specific nature, which helps everyone to acquire attributes necessary for communication. Self-awareness is an ability to empathize and control emotions. It involves keeping track of personal internal feelings and thoughts, which should be considered by an individual before he shows them. Empathy is another characteristic feature, which defines an experience of the individual based on the impressions from the other person’s joy or sorrow.

It is impossible to imagine life without dedication to work, which also has its key terms and peculiarities. Input is an external item or process, which should interfere in the system in order to be transformed in the output. Inputs represent resources, which are required to achieve the goals. Self-esteem is an ability to have internal motivation and energy in the process of fulfilling life plans. It is a linking element between inputs and success. Chronemics is an ability to use time appropriately according to personal needs and requirements. It helps to manage personal schedule and optimize it according to personal necessities and aspirations.

Human relations are also based on some key terms. For instance, selective attention is a process of forming specific attitude by using certain filters in order to focus on another individual’s feelings from the perspective of one’s own personal impressions and experiences. Another notion is interpersonal conflict, which is a natural phenomenon of disagreement between individuals. It is a situation, in which two or more people have different points of view, trying to prove their truth to each other. Intrapersonal conflict, on the other hand, does not involve more than one participant. It is a state of internal struggle for making an appropriate decision caused by the inability to see the right solution.

Key Terms in the Movie

The movie analyzed in the context of the key terms is The Women directed by Diane English. In the movie, it is possible to identify each key term in the behavior of the main characters. Initial traces of communication involving Mary Haines, the main character, are visible from the first scenes of the movie. Sylvie Fowler, Edie Cohen Alex Fisher, and Mary are four friends, who keep in touch with each other by means of the phone (English, 2008). They meet and talk about various problems, which they have in their lives, willing to receive advice. In the movie, the presence of both verbal and non-verbal messages is observed. Non-verbal messages are reflected in the behavior of Mary Haines and her friends, when they try to support their emotional monologues with different gestures. Body posture, facial expressions, and eye movements help to understand the character’s feelings correctly without any doubts. Verbal messages prevail in the movie in the form of continuous conversations between characters, who express their thoughts with appropriate emotional tone.

Self-awareness is another element depicted in the movie. It is shown as a method to support life of the main character. Mary Haines proves that she has significant power of controlling her emotions. She is full of empathy, which prevents her from showing feelings to the husband, who cheated on her. Input also has a reflection in the movie. Mary Haines believes that it is impossible to start new life without making some sacrifices and contributions. In this way, she creates her own business and starts making her dream come true through the dedication to work and systematic plan’s implementation (English, 2008). Self-esteem helps Mary Haines to remain motivated for the achievement of her goals. She proves to be a strong woman, who is capable of overcoming life challenges. Regarding empathy, it is evident when Mary’s friends support her and show respect, when she needs their help and advice. It is a natural display of human sensitivity and understanding. Chronemics manifests itself in the movie by showing possible ways to manage time and use it for the advantage. Mary Haines and her friend Sylvie Fowler are businesspeople, who prove that it is important to have a schedule for the day in order to succeed as a business woman and as a mother.

Selective attention also has a reflection in the movie. Mary Haines and her friends resorted to using the specific measures, when they ignored Crystal Allen, the one involved in the secret relations with Mary’s husband (English, 2008). When the women learnt about betrayal, they developed a specific attitude to Crystal. In this way, they took a disapproving stance on her disrespectful behavior.

Furthermore, the movie portrayed interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts. Taking the interpersonal conflict into consideration, it is possible to observe it between Mary Haines and her friend Sylvie Fowler, who was found to be disloyal to her. Mary could not forgive Sylvie for betraying her when she needed her support and attention. Intrapersonal conflict is present in Mary’s dilemma of deciding whether to show her emotions to the husband or not. When the movie comes to an end, Mary hesitates whether to revive her relations with him or not. However, her friends help her to make the right choice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is possible to state that the aforementioned concepts are represented not only in daily life but also in movies and books. It is impossible to imagine life without verbal and non-verbal communication, self-esteem, and empathy. The analyzed movie showed the reflection of each key term, which has a significant influence on the development of human relations. In conclusion, it is necessary to pay attention to interpersonal relations and personal development in order to understand the nature of human decisions. Otherwise, human life will remain a secret full of unexpected and unpredictable events.

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