The blind side movie review

The essay aims to apply these theories to the development of Michael’s relationships with the unfamiliar communicators and consider the factors that make communicators behave the way they do. Communication Theories in the Movie “The Blind Side” Social penetration theory comes out a lot in the movie. There is gradual evolution in the relationship between Michael and Miss Touhy. There is gradual evolution in their relationship from a superficial relationship to an intimate relationship as a result of self-disclosure between the parties (Braithwaite, & Schrodt, 2014).  Miss Touhy took Michael in her house and she noticed he had no clothes to wear. From this conversation, Michael was able to perceive that Miss Touhy was doing all that she can to make him be comfortable and open enough to disclose more about him.

Miss Touhy was also able to get a temporary solution. Social penetration theory is exemplified using the analogy of the onion (Braithwaite, & Schrodt, 2014).  Human beings have many layers that need to be peeled back one layer at a time in order to understand the core which is being protected by the many layers. Once Leigh Ann was talking to her husband Sean about Michael and how he refuses to disclose much about himself and Sean told her that Michael was like an onion that she needed to pull back one layer at a time. She took him in for the night and on that day she was not sure about Michael being that they were strangers. The only thing she knew about Michael was that he was in the same school as her children.

Their relationship underwent the stages of interpersonal relationship development. On that night, Leigh Ann shared with Sean her fears that Michael could steal from them as she was not sure about him. The following morning, she found Michael had got up and was out already leaving. This was a chance for him to break the relationship completely but he chose to maintain the relations. The relationship between Michael and Collins shows the stages of interpersonal relationship clearly; the entry phase, personal phase and the exit phase (Waisbord, 2018). When Michael was first introduced to Collins at their home, she reacted to him through facial expression and a change in the tone of her voice. She was watching television and her expectation was to see her parents and little brother who came back from the school performance.

That was the entry phase. There was non-verbal communication between the two. Before giving an answer, Michael looked at Collins to see if she approved the matter. Collins smiled and nodded her head to mean that she supports the idea of them being siblings. Symbolic Interaction Theory is seen when Leigh Ann is with her friends having lunch and one of the women ask her whether she was comfortable having Michael under the same roof as her teenage daughter (Waisbord, 2018). “He is a large black boy sleeping under the same roof”. Applying the theories, we can explain Michael’s relationship with the faculty at Wingate, the Touhy family and the NCAA officials and how they developed overtime. Self-disclosure bonded Michael to the Touhy family, at Wingate School, Michael exceeded expectations of everyone and he was able to graduate.

Reducing uncertainty helped Leigh Ann help Michael learn football. References Braithwaite, D. O. Nelson Education.