2nd
Perception, the Self and Communication.
Readings
Perceiving others: narratives and perception / perception
and culture/ empathy and perception.
Write an analysis of
the film “Cast Away”.
Perceiving the self: Self-Concept Defined /
Readings
communication and development of the self / culture and Preparation for group
the self-concept/ the self-concept, personality and
work
communication/ the self-fulfilling prophecy.
Identity management: communication as impression
management: public and private selves / characteristics of
identity management / impression management and honesty.
Cast Away:
An Interpersonal Communication Perspective
Interpersonal Communication
Prof. Steele
February 26, 2007
I. Introduction
Academy Award winning movie Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000), tells the story of a Fedex
employee, played by actor Tom Hanks, who survived a crash landing and struggled to survive alone in
a deserted island for four years. This movie contains several concepts and theories discussed in the
readings of Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters (Wood, 2007).
II. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
In 1968, Abraham Maslow created a pyramid that contained the hierarchy of humans needs
starting from the most basic to the most abstract. These needs are portrayed throughout the movie Cast
Away:
1.
Physical Needs for Survival: This is the most basic need in Maslow’s pyramid and is the
one humans need for survival like air, food, and sex. This is perhaps the most evident
need in the movie. The first thing that Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) did after arriving on
the island was search for food and water by attempting to catch fish and crack open
coconuts to drink.
2.
Safety and Protection Needs: This need says that humans need shelter for survival like a
house or in Chuck Noland’s situation, the cave he used to sleep in at nights. He also
attempted to make a fire to keep himself warm at nights.
3.
Belonging Needs: According to Maslow, Inclusion and Fun are important to the survival
of humans. Although Chuck Noland didn’t have anyone to talk to while deserted in the
island, he did find a volleyball that he named Wilson and became his good friend.
Although a little strange, he did fulfill his need for inclusion and socialization by
acquiring conversations with Wilson.
4.
Self-Esteem Needs: This need requires for humans to value and respect themselves and
also get respect from others. Again, since Chuck Noland didn’t have anyone to talk to in
the island he did find respect by talking to Wilson in the scene when he was finally able
to start a fire. He continuously bragged and announced on his success of starting a fire
after many attempts.
5.
Self-Actualization Needs: According to Maslow, this is the most abstract human need. To
achieve this need it requires for someone to realize that they have completely mastered a
talent and cultivate potentials. Chuck Noland to some extent did reach this human need.
At the beginning of the movie he had trouble catching fish, making fires and cutting
coconuts but after a few years he had completely mastered his foresting and hunting
skills.
III. Forms of Nonlistening
There are six kinds of forms that do not involve real listening in which humans engage frequently in
communication. These forms include pseudolistening, monopolizing, selective listening, defensive
listening and literal listening.
1.
Pseudolistening: When someone pseudolistens that person pretends to be listening by
appearing attentive although their minds are probably thinking about something else. Tom
Hanks in the movie exemplifies pesudolistening in a scene after he got rescued where all
his friends were gathered in his apartment celebrating. He appeared to be attentive but he
was really in a daze, probably thinking about his experience in the island or maybe his
wife before the accident.
2.
Monopolizing: This form of nonlistening is when someone tries to focus the conversation
on themselves instead of listening on what another person has to say. In the movie, after
the plane crash Tom Hanks was declared dead and after four years of missing his wife
had moved on and found another husband. After Tom Hanks was rescued he was
supposed to meet with his ex-wife but her new husband showed up instead. Her husband
said she was not ready to talk to Tom Hanks yet because a lot was going and she had to
clear her thoughts but he failed to ask Tom Hanks how he felt after the rescue and how he
felt about the situation about his wife.
3.
Selective Listening: When someone listens selective they only focus on parts of a
conversation that interest them. Being a workaholic in the movie, Tom Hanks got on the
plane on Christmas Eve and failed to listen to his wife’s request to stay home with her
instead. Because of selective listening, he got on that plane and was involved in the crash
that left him deserted.
4.
Defensive Listening: This type of non-listening is when someone believes that the
conversation being presented is an attack or a criticism to that certain person. In his
deranged state, Tom Hanks got in a fight with his friend volleyball, Wilson, because he
believed that the volleyball was insinuating that they were never going to get rescued and
they were going to die in the island.
5.
Literal Listening: This form of non-listening involves listening for specific literal things
and completely ignoring the whole meaning of the conversation. This form is
exemplified when Tom Hanks finally goes to visit his ex-wife and talks to her like
nothing happened and avoiding the fact that they still had feelings for each other.
IV. Types of Nonverbal Communication
Sometimes people use nonverbal actions to express themselves in a conversation, also people
express themselves by the way they dress or look, this is called Nonverbal Communication. In the film
there are a few types of nonverbal communications presented.
1.
Kinesics: This type of nonverbal communication refers to a person’s body position and
motions and how they are used to perceive someone. For example, if someone walks and
stands erectly you might perceive that person as confident. In the movie the director used
body motions to portray different feelings in the movie. For example, when Tom Hanks
hurt his leg with the coral reef he was limping for a while in the film, this showed the
audience the amount of pain he was in.
2.
Haptics: This type of nonverbal communication is when someone uses touch to express
something, for example a kiss or a hug. When Tom Hanks and his ex-wife kiss after four
years, haptics showed the audience that they were still very much in love.
3.
Physical Appearance: People focus a lot on the way people look. Many times they’re first
assumption about someone is by looking at the way they present themselves. In Cast
Away, Tom Hanks physical appearance changes a lot. Before the plane crash he looked
like an average healthy man but after four years on an island he looked very different. He
looked a lot thinner and sunburned. He had a long beard and his hair was now blonde and
long. You could infer just by the change of color hair that he had been in the sun for a
long time.
4.
Environmental Factors: This type of nonverbal communication states how someone’s
surroundings affect the way they act and feel. For example a clean room will be more
inviting to someone and may make a visitor feel a lot more comfortable. In Cast Away it
is clearly shown how the environment of the desolate island affected the way Tom Hanks
acted. He became anxious and violent and also delusional when he began to talk to his
friend volleyball Wilson.
5.
Paralanguage: This kind of communication is verbal but does not involve words or
language for example, screaming, gasping etc. Tom Hanks screaming after the coral reef
cut him is an example of Paralanguage.
V. Models of Interpersonal Communication
A model is used to represent something and show how it works. In the text there are three
models that represent different kinds of interaction in communication. In Cast Away there models are
presented throughout the dialogue.
1.
Linear Models: This model is portrayed by communication going in one direction. Think
of a professor teaching a class while the students just sit there and listen. The students are
not responding therefore the kind of communication being used is linear. In the film we
can see this kind of communication in the dialogue between Chuck Noland and Wilson.
In his delusive state Chuck is talking to the volleyball but the volleyball is not really
responding to what he is saying.
2.
Interactive Models: Unlike a linear model, this kind of communication involves a listener
who gives feedback which is a reply to a message. This kind of communication is very
present in the film, for example the dialogue between Chuck and his wife before he got on
the plane. Chuck said he had to go and his wife replied if he could be back by New Years
Eve.
3.
Transactional Models: This type of communication says that the way people
communicate change over time because of newly gathered experiences. For example, if
you just met a person you will not be very personal with that person, but after time the
conversation might feel more comfortable and lead to more intimate subjects. In Cast
Away you see this model but in an opposite way. Chuck and his wife were very intimate
at the beginning of the film, but after his four year disappearance, the way they
communicated was more limited; they were not expressing they’re true feelings.
VI. Adapting Listening to Communication Goals
There are different kinds of listening skills and the best way to begin to listen effectively is to
understand why you are listening at that particular moment. These kinds of skills can be exemplified
with the movie Cast Away.
1.
Listening for Pleasure: This kind of listening does not involve people to respond to
communicate, it just requires for that person to be mindful and not focus on distractions
and enjoy what you are listening to. This kind of listening can be exemplified when
Chuck Noland was driving his car and listening to Elvis after he got rescued. He had no
worries and was just enjoying life and his favorite singer after being deserted on an island
for four years.
2.
Listening for Information: This kind of listening is sought out to gain and evaluate the
information being received. Sometimes people need this kind of communication in order
to act properly, for example in a work situation. In order to effectively use this kind
listening it is necessary to use skills to think critically, organize and store information. In
Cast Away, Chuck was a fedex employee and his job was to make sure that each branch
was working efficiently. At the beginning of the film he is in a scene where he’s telling
fedex workers that they need to work faster and meet quota by the end of the day and in
order to do this they need to work quicker and as a team. The kind of listening that the
employees are doing is listening for information.
3.
Listening to Support Others: This kind of listening happens when you listen to someone’s
worries or give advice to someone when they’re having a problem. It involves being
mindful and understanding the other person’s perspective. There was a scene in the movie
where Chuck was listening to a friend of his talk about his terminally ill wife and Chuck
offered his help and told his friend he would find out the number of a great doctor so his
wife could get treated and hopefully get better. The kind of listening that Chuck was
involved was Listening to Support Others.
VII. Conclusion
Communication is the most important thing to establish a relationship in life. Many times we
fail to see why a relationship is going poorly and it is probably due to poor communication. People
communicate poorly because they are not aware of the different concepts and skills that can help to
communicate effectively. It only takes opening your eyes and ears and understanding other people’s
perspectives and words. These skills are presented in every day life, so common that in a film like Cast
Away you can even see these concepts of Interpersonal Communication.
Works Cited
Cast Away. Dir. Robert Zemeckis. Writ. William Broyles Jr. Prod. Joan Bradshaw. Twentieth Century
Fox and DreamWorks, 2000.
Wood, Julia T. Inperpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters. California: Thompson
Wadsworth, 2007.