Interpersonal Communication In The Movie Crash

For this movie analysis paper, I have chosen the movie Crash (2004) to write and investigate the interpersonal communication between the characters. The synopsis for the Movie from IMDB is as follows, “Over a thirty-six hour period in Los Angeles, a handful of disparate people's lives intertwine as they deal with the tense race relations that belie life in the city. Among the players are: the Caucasian district attorney, who uses race as a political card; his Caucasian wife, who, having recently been carjacked by two black men, believes that her stereotypical views of non-whites is justified and cannot be considered racism; the two black carjackers who use their race both to their advantage and as an excuse; partnered Caucasian police constables,

Due to her wrong perception, it caused her to only practice pseudo and selective listening around Maria, as she deemed her communication as insignificant. After falling down the stairs and having none of her friends come to her aid, she was faced with the expectancy violation theory, which Dr. Wood explains as “a theory claiming that when our expectations are violated, we become more cognitively alert as we struggle to understand and cope with unexpected behaviors” (p.g.49). As Jean explained, her friend of ten years did not come to help, but Maria who she had mistreated up until then, came as soon as Jean called her to take her to the emergency room. It went against the schemata that Jean had constructed in her mind of the people in her life. Although Jean treated Maria badly, not even recognizing or acknowledging her, she did not judge or hold a grudge against her, instead went to her aid when she needed it most. We could say that throughout their communication exchanges, Jean has been a downer, “a person who communicates negatively about us and our worth” and Maria an upper, “a person who communicate positive messages about us and our worth” (p.g.189).

Even after returning her home from the hospital, Maria still stayed to care for Jean, helping her sit up and getting her comfortable in bed. Jean then tells Maria, “Do you want to hear something funny? You’re the best friend I’ve got.” Jean begins to change the climate from a disconfirming to a confirming and positive one by beginning to acknowledge Maria. With the changing climate, Jean’s perception of Maria changed from the negative stereotype she previously had, being able to distinguish and throw away her inferences and judgments she had of her because of her