Sociological Theories in Films

Jules is a working mother that feels the pressure of balancing her work and her time with her daughter and husband. Ben is a retiree who comes to work as an intern for Jules but succeeds in being her mentor in a male-dominated career. Meyers uses her film to trigger a debate into the prevailing social concepts in the work-life balance of a contemporary woman. The concept of social alienation emerges in the film when Jules and her daughter are at the playground. The other women in the scene tend to criticize Jules for her busy career. They expect Jules to appear to children parties and other functions that relate to her daughter. Jules seems to always miss these functions and the chance to interact with other mothers.

The more Jules misses the functions the more she becomes alienated. The concept of social alienation suggests that those individuals that do not share the same traits, preferences, and ideologies of the group are going to feel disconnected or ejected by the group (Rudolph et al. That is clear for Jules who does not interact with the other mothers in school. The scene reveals the elements of the spillover theory when it shows that the Jules work life is negatively affecting the family. The first part of the spillover theory stipulates that the experiences gathered in the work environment impact the family life. The second side of the theory also considers that the family dynamics affect the work-life life of individuals (Mitchell, Eby, & Lorys, 2015).

The theory further considers that the effects can be both negative and positive. In the scene, it is clear that the effects lie on the negative side of the spectrum. In the scene, she tries to prove that she is qualified as a mother and wife by fruitlessly trying to reconnect with her daughter and husband. The spillover theory has been evidenced when sentiments and pressures from Jules’ life influence her character at home. The social concepts patriarchy are evidenced in the scene that Jules confesses to Ben that she does not want to leave her job. In the scene, Ben escorts Jules to her hotel room when she appears to need his company. Ben hears her confess to the fact that she does not want to leave her company in the management of another person.

It is clear that patriarchy was the driving hand to Jules’ search for a CEO. Jules never wanted to leave her work and she was only yielding to misogynistic influence. The conflict theory is revealed when Jules refuses to hire a CEO for her company. The scene begins when Jules refuses to answer a call from a potential CEO. Matt enters the scene requesting Jules to reconsider her position of hiring a CEO. Matt has an affair blaming his behavior on Jules’ work life. The theory considers that concession is worthless in resolving anarchy. Jules has tried to concede to the pressure but her state of life is not improving. The theory is elaborate in its support of power and dominance in avoiding conflict.