Observation Techniques: Film Analysis
Social psychology is based on understanding the dynamics of the world around you, as well as how individuals interact with each other. One of the ways to understand the concepts of social psychology is to observe it in real-world and scripted situations. The analysis of the situations enhances your observational skills.
In real life, it is difficult to observe conflict, aggression, discrimination, or prejudice in the context of the course time-frame. However, there is a wide array of movies or television episodes depicting social interactions, such as self-esteem and self-efficacy, conformity and obedience, altruism, conflict, aggression, and group behavior. Analyzing movie scenes or television episodes will allow you to observe various types of behaviors through the roles played by actors.
The best way to select relevant movies and television episodes is to utilize the abundance of videos and movie sources available on the Internet. Some of the major networks such as CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX have online access to full episodes of their television programs. Other sources for viewing include TV Land and TNT. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Classic Cinema Online, and HULU.com are some of the sources providing information on movies, reviews, and access to online full-length movies and television programs. While selecting the programs, the only requirement to be taken care of is that the movie should be suitable for viewing by all ages. The best way to understand the topics of the movie or television episode is to watch it in its entirety.
The best way to understand the topics of the movie or television episode is to watch it in its entirety. Every individual has a particular taste and perspective. Therefore, this assignment will help you to reflect on your perspective on the topic.
This week, you need to analyze a three- to five-minute section of a movie or a television episode depicting self-esteem and self-efficacy.
After watching the movie section, create a report on your analysis. In your report:(five elements)
• Mention the name of the movie.
• Describe the setting and overall storyline of the movie.
• Describe the main characters in the observed movie section.
• Describe the situation that you analyzed and interpret the action of the characters depicting self-esteem and self-efficacy.
• Draw conclusions based on social psychological concepts and theories.
Brief definitions of self-esteem and self efficacy:
Self-esteem is one part of the larger mix of ingredients in determining how an individual will react to a given situation. However, self-esteem may be too abstract a term to be measured or at least defined in objective terms. Therefore, a better way to examine the self in terms of self-worth is to examine your perceptions about your competency in accomplishing a task.
Self-efficacy is the "sense that one is competent and effective" (Myers, 2008). Unlike self-esteem, self-efficacy seems to be a better indicator of how an individual will act in a given situation. Self-efficacy is derived from an individual's experiences and is conditioned by the events occurring at the time. This means that your level of self-efficacy, in part, is based on your confidence in your abilities to accomplish a particular task successfully. The complexity and novelty of the task affects your level of confidence in accomplishing the task-in other words, your level of self-efficacy.