The KKK is a nice group of people.
So each of these sentences has something controversial in it, right? What
went through your head when you read them? Were you filled with emotions
and over loaded with information? The social judgement theory looks at the
many judgements and inferences that we draw
when we first read or hear a particular statement.
When we hear or read a particular statement we look at how acceptable, objectionable
or if it means anything to you at all. The sentences that I gave will
effect people in different manners. People will feel a different range of
emotions and no two people will feel exactly the same. Your experiences in
life and your upbringing, knowledge and family background all play a
role in how you as a individual will react to a certain statement.
If I were to read the four sentences above I would apply my personal beliefs to them and
then form my opinion. That is what the social judgement theory says. When a person reads something
we form an opinion based on our knowledge or personal beliefs. I personally feel that
they all affect my life. I would definitely want to remove the President if he was a racist
and I know that the KKK is not a bunch of nice people. Both sentences I feel promote
hate against minority groups, which I feel, is wrong. I feel this way because of things I've
read, seen and what values and morals that my parents taught me.
The first and third however would effect my life in a very direct way. If
the world ends that means that I won't be here anymore so I would become alarmed.
I also would be alarmed if I heard that Japan was taking over the world because
that would affect my life and how I live. Another key thing to understand is how people
might interpret things and if they agree of disagree with what you are saying.
To look at this theory in more depth I am going to apply it to a movie that I
feel has social judgement in it. The movie Sister Act is a comedy about a group
a Las Vegas singer named Dolores VanCartia. Dolores sees her boyfriend Vince who has
a man killed and then is put into the witness protection program. Dolores is
sent to a convent because the police feel that would be the safest place for her.
She then has to assimilate into being a member of the convent and live as a nun.
The social judgement theory comes into play all throughout the movie but the
best example is when Dolores( now know as Sister Mary Clarence) takes the
directors position of the choir. Before she joined the choir it couldn't carry
a tune and was out of balance . Mary Clarence being from a Las Vegas show background
got the choir so that it could carry a tune and reorganized what part each person
sang so that there would be balance. She incorporated new dance moves and put
a little pizzazz into the old church tunes. All of these new changes fell into the latitude of
acceptance for all of the nuns that were in the choir. They all were very excited about the
changes and couldn't wait for the performance.
After their first performance she
had good and bad reactions from various people. The acceptance for the new
style came from the nuns in the choir and the Father. The nuns were excited and
felt that they had accomplished something, The Father told Mary Clarence that
the music called to the people on the street and to keep up the good work. So the Father, Nuns
and people off the street liked the new style so it fell into their latitude of acceptance. The
rejection came from the Reverend Mother. She was very upset about the dancing moves
and the "boogie-woogie" on the piano. She personally felt that the choir needed
to stay with the more traditional style. The whole entire "new" choir fell into the latitude of rejection.
She complained and was going to take Dolores out of her position until the father said that he loved the
performance.
The ego-involvement for the Reverend Mother was that she didn't like it and was
afraid of change. The Father and the other nuns liked the new way and adjusted
to the idea that it was best for them and the church to keep the new style. The Reverend
Mother demonstrates the concept of how ego involved that she is. She rejects all
ideas of change and wants nothing to do with this new style. She cares deeply for
the old traditional styles and doesn't want to see it changed or modified in anyway.
Any new change to the nuns' way of life will always fall into the latitude of rejection with her.
The other nuns and the Father see this as an opportunity to call out to other people
and to get people to come back to the church to worship God.
In the end the Reverend Mother was persuaded to accept new style and realizes that
the changes that happened to her convent especially the choir were for the best.
It positively affected herself, the nuns, Sister Mary Clarence, the Father, the church
and the community. So in the end her ego-involvement changed for the better because she realized that
she was not keeping an open mind and in the end she was just hurting herself.
Make sure you look at these other pages also.
Lindsay's Critique
The Title Page
Check out this link about the Uncertainty Reduction Theory
.The Reverned Mother and Whoopie are both strangers and they go through the process
of getting to know each other or decreasing the uncertainty between them.