Sweet Home Alabama Communication Theory

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Boundaries The film being analyzed for this assignment is Sweet Home Alabama. This paper will analyze the interactions of family member throughout the film in relation to concepts of the systems theory in order to show an understanding of those concepts. The concepts discussed will include ideas such as boundaries and communication, as well as homeostasis and positive and negative feedback. The main character of the film is Melanie Carmichael, and her story is one of a person who is in conflict with her past and who she hopes to become (Tennant, 2002). In the beginning of the film, Melanie is introduced as an up and coming fashion designer in New York City. She becomes engaged to her boyfriend, Andrew, who also happens to be the Mayor…show more content…
The viewers have learned that Jake, Melanie’s first husband, is the owner of a successful glass-blowing company. He has strived for years to become successful in order to win back Melanie’s approval, as well as her heart. He is not prepared that the present time to divulge his success, and when a character comes close to telling Jake’s secret to Melanie, the other characters in the film exchange non-verbal cues in order to prevent the release of information (Tennant, 2002). Non-verbal communication can sometimes be just as important, if not more important than verbal communication. The combination of the two forms of communication can have a huge impact on family systems as a…show more content…
The open and closed systems refer to way a family lays out boundaries in terms of relationships with each other, as well as outside parties (Becvar & Becvar, 1998). In the movie, Melanie possesses characteristics of a closed system. She feels that she is a different person that she once was, and she is no longer similar to the people from her hometown. She keeps people at arm’s length in a sense. Melanie wanted to make something of herself, and consciously or subconsciously, closed out the people from her past in an attempt to become part of the “upper class”, which was happening through her future marriage to the mayor’s son. Throughout the movie, she begins to appear to be more comfortable with who she is as a person, as well as where she is from. She in turn, becomes more of an open system to the people in her life. After realizing that she can still have aspirations as a designer while staying true to her heart, she becomes open to whom she is as a person, as well as her role as a daughter and wife (Tennant,
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