Uncertainty Reduction Theory “the Vow” and “Meet the Parents” Essay Sample

Uncertainty decrease theory is “the point of position that uncertainness motivates communicating and that certainty reduces the motive to communicate” ( Wood. definition ) . This theory was foremost developed by Charles Berger. He believed that when people are to run into for the first clip they have a high degree of uncertainness and the lone manner for them to cut down it is to pass on with one another. “They don’t cognize what each other likes. thinks and believes ; how each other responds to certain reactions. and they’re unsure what each other expects or wants from interacting” ( Wood. 184 ) . There are three anterior conditions that are meant to assist persons want to cut down uncertainness. First is expectancy of future interaction. people will seek and pass on and acquire to cognize person every bit much as they can so they can cut down the possible ‘awkwardness’ in the hereafter.

Following is incentive value. which means people will seek and cut down the uncertainness in hopes for something good to come from their interaction ; relationship. friendly relationship etc. Last is aberrance. The uncertainness decrease theory is something that we see and see in our day-to-day lives. We are invariably run intoing new people. every bit good our films and telecasting shows are filled with multiple illustrations of this theory. So for the undermentioned undertaking I have decided to concentrate my attending on two popular films and I have observed the characters while they meet new ‘friends/family’ and ‘companions’ . I hope from these two films I will be able to turn out the following theory that people try and communicate more in hopes to cut down uncertainness.

The first film I selected is a really recent film that merely came to theatre’s. “The Vow” starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. It is based off a true narrative. a late new married twosome get into a serious auto accident where the married woman is left in a coma. When she awakens she is left with terrible memory loss and can non retrieve anything about her new life with her hubby. Throughout the film it is as if they are aliens and they are seeking to acquire back to what they one time were like before the accident. The 2nd film I chose is an older movie. “Meet the Parents. ” starring Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. This film is more about Greg Focker ( Ben Stiller ) desiring to suggest to his girlfriend. but before he can make so he needs to run into with her male parent. Jack Byrnes ( Robert De Niro ) and acquire his permission to get married his girl. But her male parent is non an easy adult male to delight. and from there is a roller coaster of black events of the two characters seeking to acquire to cognize one another.

“An maxim is a statement that is presumed to be true on its face and hence does non necessitate cogent evidence or explanation” ( Wood. 186 ) . There are seven different maxims of uncertainness decrease theory that can be used but I will merely concentrating on a few for the undermentioned two films. “All of the maxims build on and reflect the foundational thoughts that uncertainness is discomforting and we seek to cut down it” ( Wood. 186 ) . The first maxim I observed throughout the two films was verbal communicating ; “Given the high degree of uncertainness nowadays at the oncoming of the entry stage [ of relationships ] . as the sum of verbal communicating between aliens additions. the degree of uncertainness for each individual in the relationship decreases. As uncertainness is farther reduced. the sum of verbal communicating increases” ( Wood. 187 ) . What this maxim means is that when people are first run intoing one another there is a really high degree of uncertainness but when they continue to speak and inquire inquiries about one another the degree of their uncertainness should diminish and they can go more comfy around one another. This maxim was reasonably apparent in both of the undermentioned movies. although it was somewhat different for one of the films.

For illustration in the film “The Vow” Rachel McAdams has no memory of her new hubby or even who she has become after get marrieding her hubby. Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum attempt to cut down their uncertainness with one another by pass oning and speaking about the things that they one time used to make together. Although their state of affairs makes the decrease of uncertainness a batch more hard because for Channing he remembers all the material they one time did together. but Rachel can non look to put any recollection on what they were similar. She keeps retrieving who she used to be before she met him. which was a wholly different individual. This causes him to acquire really defeated with her. and this in bend puts a strain on them go oning of the decrease of uncertainness.

There is a scene in the movie where Channing takes Rachel out on a day of the month and he brings her to all the topographic points that they shared particular minutes at ; where they foremost met. first day of the month. and a ritual they would ever make one time a month. During this day of the month the twosome was able to speak and began to re-start their relationship. I was able to see that from their communicating it began to interrupt the barrier between the twosome. and allowed them to get down to turn some feelings towards one another once more. Where as in the movie “Meet the Parents” the verbal communicating between the male parent and the possible son-in-law they both do non cognize each other so everything is wholly new about one another. I found that verbal communicating really decreased the opportunity of cut downing the uncertainness between the two. For illustration the more they talked and learned about one another the more the conversation started to alter because it helped them recognize that they don’t have much in common.

Which brings me to the following maxim. similarity. “Similarities between individuals cut down uncertainness ; unsimilarities produce additions in uncertainty” ( Wood. 187 ) . The more similarities people portion with one another the more likely they are traveling to acquire along and cut down their uncertainness with one another. Where as if they have hardly any similarities this will increase the degree of uncertainness. I personally find it really hard to go on a conversation with a individual when non holding many similarities. It is hard to speak to person when everything you have to state the individual they disagrees with. Similarities are a manner to do connexions with people and a manner to beef up a relationship. This was apparent in both of the movies. they both showed that similarities and unsimilarities are able to increase or diminish uncertainness between persons. In the beginning of “The Vow” after Rachel’s accident she can merely retrieve her old ego. which was a preppy jurisprudence pupil. who was engaged. and carried a batch about her visual aspect. But the individual Channing was married to was non that. his married woman was a unworried creative person. who did non desire anything to make with her household.

For the twosome this made it hard for them to seek and happen their similarities once more. With her non be able to retrieve the individual she was with her hubby it brought up a batch of differences in their likes ensuing in increasing their uncertainness with one another. For illustration there was one scene where Rachel and Channing go out to a saloon with Rachel’s sister and while out she acts like a wholly different individual. she is telling all of these girly drinks and speaking otherwise. This causes Channing to acquire over whelmed and frustrated that he can non even be at the saloon any longer. From these difference it increased their uncertainness merely like the theory says. The similarity maxim is besides seeable in the film “Meet the Parents. ” There are multiply scenes where I got to see that the male parent and the possible son-in-law had a batch of differences doing it really hard for them to go on any conversation.

One illustration that truly stood out to me and showed that differences can increase uncertainness with persons is when Ben Stiller first arrives at the house of his girlfriends parents. The male parent references that he loves his cat ‘Jinxie’ and he has taught her how to make multiply different fast ones. Ben happens to detest cats. This difference complicates the 2 relationship because it leads them to hold small to speak about. For illustration when they are driving in the auto together the male parent brings up the conversation of cats once more. and he says to Ben “ A Canis familiaris is really easy to interrupt. But cats make you work for their fondness unlike Canis familiariss do. ” ( Meet the Parents ) From this remark places an awkward silence in the auto. and it was apparent that this remark increased their degree of uncertainness.

Last is gestural heat ; “ As gestural affiliative expressiveness additions. uncertainness degrees lessening in an initial interaction state of affairs. In add-on. lessenings in uncertainness degree cause additions in gestural affiliative expressiveness. ” ( Wood. 187 ) . Gestural communicating is really cardinal in relationships. they are a manner to demo deeper fondness. A simple touch. clinch. or even snog can intend much more than any words combined. For case in the film “The Vow” Channing is happening Rachel to be acquiring for frustrated with her life after her memory loss. and he remembers that what usage to ever quiet her down and do her feel better was to titillate her sides. Well in this instance that did non travel over to good with Rachel. This little action of gestural communicating really frightened her more. perchance increasing the degree of her uncertainness. Where so there was besides another scene of the twosome before the accident and Rachel was in her studio acquiring frustrated with one of her pieces of art and Channing came up behind her and began to lightly titillate her and snog her side. This automatically calmed her demoing that the two were really comfy around one another proving that their degree of uncertainness was reasonably low.

In decision from both of the undermentioned films I was able to see that the uncertainness decrease theory in fact was true in both of the movies. Although. alternatively of utilizing cogent evidence on how an addition in verbal communicating. similarities and gestural communicating can take to a lessening uncertainness. the films both films proved that with the lessening in these traits/actions can increase uncertainness amoung persons.