Sex and the City on Group Decision Making

I’m comparing the movie Sex and the City to the communication theory Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making by Randy Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran. The definition of the Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making is a perspective approach that describes and predicts task-group performance when four communication functions are fulfilled. The functional perspective has four requisite functions (requirements for positive group outcome). These four are: analysis of the problem, goal setting, identification of alternative, and evaluation of positive and negative characteristics. This function allows groups to communicate more effectively when making decisions. This communication theory could definitely be applied to the movie Sex and the City.

            The movie Sex and the City stars Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw. The movie is based off of the TV show, Sex and the City. In this movie Carrie and Mr. Big decide to get married. At first they are just going to have a small, just-friends-and-family wedding. But when Carrie is in a photo shoot for Vogue about brides over forty, Carrie gets a gift of one of the dresses she was photographed in. she then decides that she wants to have a huge wedding. She plans the whole celebration, and when the big day comes Mr. Big is not ready to say “I do.” He doesn’t get out of the car when it’s time to go inside the library (where they were getting married). When Carrie finds out about Mr. Big's doubts she leaves, calling the wedding off. Mr. Big realizes he’s wrong and tries to go after Carrie, but by then it’s too late. She is heart broken and the wedding is off. Carrie had planned a romantic honeymoon to Mexico that she was going to surprise Mr. Big with. It was already paid for. When her friends, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte, found out about the honeymoon they decide that Carrie should go on the trip anyway. And they decided that would go on it with her. So they go to Mexico and try to cure Carrie’s heartbreak with tons of fun in the sun.

The movie Sex and the City is an example of the Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making communication theory. The perfect example to use from this movie is the part when the group of friends decides to take Carrie on her honeymoon, even though the wedding was cancelled. It is perfect because the girls go through the four requisite functions to come to their decision.

Analysis if the Problem – The definition of analysis of the problem is determining the nature, extent, and cause of the problem facing the group. In Sex and the City Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda analyzed the problem of Carrie’s heartbreak. They came to the conclusion that the cause of the problem was Mr. Big. His doubt about his future with Carrie was the reason that she was heartbroken and was also the reason that the wedding did not happen. The extent of Carrie’s despair was so much that the first night after the failed wedding she was in shock and wouldn’t talk to anyone. Her friends had to do all the discussing and deciding without her. Being her best friends, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte knew how weird this was for her.

Goal Setting – The definition of goal setting is establishing criteria by which to judge proposed solutions. In Sex and the City Carrie’s friends have to use goal setting when deciding if they should go to Mexico on Carrie’s honeymoon, which is the proposed solution to Carrie’s problem. They say that going to Mexico would be good for Carrie. She can get away and not have to think about the wedding and what Mr. Big did to her. Because the trip would be a great distraction it makes the trip a great solution to her broken heartedness. Another reason to go on the trip was bonding within the group. The friends had not been able to be together very much, making them distant. So the trip would be a way to make Carrie forget her problems and it would allow the girls to get close yet again. Those were the goals of the trip.

Identification of Alternatives – the definition of identification of alternatives is generation of options to sufficiently solve the problem. Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte look at the alternative of not going on the trip and just continuing on with life as it is. They look at all aspects of how Carrie is taking the cancellation of the wedding and the separation from Mr. Big. They realize that the only way to bring Carrie out of her depression would be to get away from New York and not think about everything that happened. They also looked at the alternative of not going on the trip for the group to be close again. They saw that they would lose closeness if they did not get away together.

Evaluation of Positive and Negative Characteristics – The definition of evaluation of positive and negative characteristics is testing the relative merits of each option against the criteria selected; weighing the benefits and cost. The girls looked at the positives and negatives of the trip to Mexico. They realized that the benefits very much so outweighed the costs. They knew that they would be away from their families. And they knew that Carrie may not want to be social and still be miserable. But they also knew that the trip would help Carrie be less miserable. It would give the group of friends a change to get to know each other all over again, which is something they haven’t been able to do in a long time. To them the benefits were much more important to them than what it would cost them, so they went to Mexico.

I compared the movie Sex and the City to the communication theory Functional Perspective on Group Decision Making by Randy Hirokawa and Dennis Gouran. This theory had four requisite functions: problem analysis, goal setting, identification of alternatives, and evaluation of positive and negative consequences. This movie followed all of these functions. Sex and the City provided equipment of living through this theory by showing us that group decision making is used every day. And this theory can be used to help the decision making.

Relational Dialectics and Donnie Darko

I’m relating the movie Donnie Darko to the Relational Dialectics communication theory by Leslie Baxter and Barbara Montgomery. The definition of Relational Dialectics is: a dynamic knot of contradictions in personal relationships; an unceasing interplay between contrary or opposing tendencies. Relational Dialectics has three parts to it: integration/separation, stability/change, and expression/nonexpression. Donnie Darko is a perfect example of this communication theory.

            Donnie Darko is a movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal that came out in 2001. There are many huge names that also showed up in this movie including Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Patrick Swayze. This movie takes place in October of 1988. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Donnie Darko, a teenage boy who is visited by a demented rabbit named Frank. Donnie has mental issues and has to see a psychiatrist to deal with them. Frank comes to Donnie one night, luring him from his bed, and tells him that the world is going to end. While Donnie is out of bed a jet engine strangely lands in his room and if Frank hadn’t of lured him away he would have died. No one knows where the jet engine is from (it’s actually from the future). Frank also tells Donnie how much time there is until the world would end. A series of events begin to happen after the first meeting with Frank, each leading up to the end of the world. Frank had Donnie perform several acts, including burning down a pedophiles’ house and busting a water main at his school. He does not realize he is doing these things because Frank takes him over. Donnie tells his psychiatrist about what is happening to him, but all she does is prescribe him medication because she thinks he is having illusions. She thinks he is just imagining it all and that it can’t be real, but it actually is happening to him.

            Frank is a demented rabbit that visits Donnie and makes him do horrible things around town. He is actually a young man, probably about our age, that is dressed up as a rabbit. He’s in a grey costume with a giant, metal, scary looking rabbit mask. He traveled back in time to tell Donnie that the world is going to end. What Donnie doesn’t know is that what Frank means by the world ending is that Donnie’s world will end. Instead of being lured away from his bed the first night that Donnie meets Frank, Donnie is left in bed when the jet engine lands in his room, killing him. Everything that he had done, both the good and the bad, never happened, making the world how it should be.

            Donnie Darko is a perfect example of the Relational Dialectics communication theory because of the relationship between Donnie and Frank. Together they experience all three parts of the theory: integration/separation, stability/change, and expression/nonexpression.

            Integration/Separation – The definition of  integration/separation is a class of relational dialectics that includes connectedness-separateness, inclusion-seclusion, intimacy-independence, and closeness-autonomy. Donnie and Frank are two completely different people, but yet they are intertwined with one another. Frank knows everything about Donnie. This allows Frank to manipulate him into doing what he wants because he plays on Donnie’s emotions. This is the integration. Frank exposes just enough about himself to Donnie while Donnie is completely exposed. This is where the separation comes in. Frank shows him the gunshot wound in his eye, not telling him how he got it (Donnie actually gave it to him, killing him in the future after Frank runs over his girlfriend on the night the world will end). Donnie and frank are also two independent people, but yet they are acting as one person throughout the movie.

            Stability/Change – The definition of stability/change is a class of relational dialectics that includes certainty-uncertainty, conventionality-uniqueness, predictability-surprise, and routine-novelty. Donnie Darko is yet again a good example of this. Donnie’s world is thrown all out of proportion when Frank comes into the picture. The whole idea of the world ending and time travel is enough to throw anyone’s life out of whack. Donnie Darko is an example of this because on one end of the spectrum Donnie’s life is normal, and in a way so is Frank’s. They are both leading normal lives on the outside. Donnie is still going to school, hanging out with his friends, spending time with his girlfriend, and even interacting with his family. On the other hand, Donnie is the crazy person who is destroying his town and waiting for the world to end, following everything that Frank tell him to do. Frank is leading two lives. He is a normal person as well as the demented rabbit. He is literally two people. The stability/change comes into play with the fact that both Donnie and Frank’s normal lives are being tossed aside for their other lives. All because the world is going to end. The world before Frank is somewhat normal, that’s the stability. But after Frank the world is in chaos, that’s the change.

            Expression/Nonexpression – The definition of expression/nonexpression is a class of relational dialectics that includes openness-closedness, revelation-concealment, candor-secrecy, and transparency-privacy. There are several ways this could apply to Donnie Darko. For one, it could go back to the example I used for integration/separation, where Frank only shows him his wound but does not tell him how he got it. Another example would be when Donnie asks Frank why they call him Frank. Frank tells him that it was the name of his father and grandfather but does not tell him more. Frank invites Donnie into his life with bits and pieces, but never tells him the full story. Donnie would do the same thing, but Frank already knows everything about Donnie without being told.

            The movie Donnie Darko is a very good example of the Relational Dialectics communication theory by Leslie Baxter and Barbara Montgomery. It follows all three parts (integration/separation, stability/change, and expression/nonexpression) of the theory. The relationship between Donnie and Frank is a complicated relationship, but it is still one that is unique and interesting. The equipment for living this theory provides is allowing people to have relationships that are different, and yet the same. The people in the relationship can be individuals and also be the same person in the sense of personality.