Leone Macharia COMM 101 10:30PM
When there is a lack of communication whether being in interpersonal relationships or on a day
to day basis with strangers, it leads to a handful of problems which ideally lead to a breakdown
of this communication. As a result numerous problems erupt such as, misinterpretation of
thoughts or even conflict. In this paper I will be analyzing how communication has been
displayed in the show ‘Girlfriends’ which was a popular sitcom in the early to late 2000s. It
primarily revolved around the friendship among four women in their late twenties, just trying to
figure out the roller coaster named life. As they also navigate through their friendship and how to
understand each other.
The scene I decided to focus on was on a conflict that happens in the first episode of the Tv show
between the main characters, Toni Childs and Joan. Joan gives Toni the green flag to date her ex
boyfriend. But, you can tell that she’s still uncomfortable and bothered by the idea. Charles, who
is Joan’s ex, wants to give Toni the desired life Joan wanted when they were together. But Joan
hearing this feels betrayed, as when they were together Charles avoided the topic of marriage and
eventually leading up to the idea of settling down with her. Joan can't take seeing them together
anymore, and starts becoming passive aggressive towards Charles. Especially after they come
holding hands with her ex on her birthday. Chaos starts to take its course and Joan starts arguing
with Toni, and as a result they start hurling insults towards each other.
This scene is a vivid example of the communication term of conflict. Which is1a serious
disagreement or argument between people. It is brought out in this scene as there is a serious
argument between Joan and Charles, as the matter of marriage in their previous relationship is
debated. There is a lot of tension wafting in the air and a lot of raising of tones. This is due to
miscommunication, as Joan should have told Toni that she was clearly uncomfortable with her
dating her ex boyfriend, instead of lying to make it seem that it was not a big issue.
Situational attribution paints out that that 2people's behavior is as a result of the environment that
they are in. Here Joan gets angry at Toni and Charles as they are holding hands in her house.
And showing PDA which reminds her of what she could have had with Charles which initially
makes her really angry. The situation of being in the same place with her friend dating her ex
boyfriend and holding hands on her birthday erupts this kind of aggressive behavior. I feel like
Joan maybe should have pulled Toni to the side and shared her concerns with her, instead of her
airing Toni out in the open in front of everyone. Which created a back and forth argument and
made other people in that scenario uncomfortable.
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CONFLICT | definition in the Cambridge English
Dictionaryhttps://dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › conflict
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Attribution Theory - Situational vs Dispositionalhttps://www.simplypsychology.org › attribution-theory
Polychronic cultures in communication are cultures 3that like to do multiple things at the same
time. It is Joan's birthday, but the characters in this situation are juggling celebrating her and also
indulging themselves in this conflict between her and her best friend. This makes things a bit
tedious and overwhelming as there are so many things to focus on. An easy solution of this that
would make everything flow well, is if the characters would just give more attention to her
birthday and discuss their conflict later. As both of these affairs being focused on together
creates friction in their communication atmosphere.
Accommodation Communication Theory explains 4why, when, and how people adjust their
communicative behavior during social interaction, and what social consequences result from
those adjustments. This is distinctly seen in the character of Toni Child’s as she changes her way
of acting into one where she feels that she is better than everyone. Especially now after getting
acquainted with Joans ex boyfriend who has gotten a promotion at work, that made him a
millionaire. She feels that she is at the top of the world, that she even goes to the extremes of
calling her other friend “low rent”. Which establishes that she is way far more superior than her.
The ACT shows us why she changed her behavior and the outcomes of this change. The outcome
being the conflict between Toni and her friends, as her friends don't also appreciate how she is
painting herself in front of them. Her friends should talk to her by pulling her to the side
Verbal vs Nonverbal communication aspects of communication are also seen in this episode.
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Verbal communication is using speech or spoken word to exchange information, emotions, and
thoughts. Conversely, non-verbal communication is conveying and exchanging messages
without the use of spoken words.Verbal communication in this show is in the form of the
characters speaking with each other and non-verbal, takes the form of gestures like the characters
scrunching their face when they don’t agree with a point someone says. Another example of a
non verbal occurrence is when most of the characters swing their arms to show frustration and
that they are angry. During conflict these non verbal occurrences can additionally add fire to the
flame, and it is up to a person to remain cool and collected. Non verbal occurrences such as
throwing arms could lead to physical altercations.
In conclusion, when good communication is present it allows people to grow their relationship
and commune effectively without any barriers. Furthermore, there are numerous communication
concepts that explain why people behave a certain way, and what their behavior leads to.
Do You Experience Polychronic or Monochronic Time?https://www.unitedlanguagegroup.com › blog ›
polychro...
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Communication Accommodation Theory - Dragojevichttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com ›
9781118540190.wbeic006
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What is Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication?https://lexiehearing.com › ... › Authors › Lexie Home
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References
● Kim, Hyunjee Hannah, and Jin Nam Choi. "Why and when others reciprocate my
knowledge sharing in work teams: Attribution of intention and social values." Social
Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, vol. 50, no. 1, Jan. 2022, pp. 1d+.
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A691020933/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=bookmarkOVIC&xid=fc81b3d7. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.
●
Vickery, Lucy. "Non-verbal communication." Spectator, vol. 310, no. 9441, 8 Aug.
2009, pp. 42+. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A205363972/OVIC?u=lom_accessmich&sid=bookmarkOVIC&xid=60fff17e. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.
●
wood, J. T. (n.d.). communication mosaics. Retrieved from
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