"American Beauty"

Paper Summary:

A discussion of interpersonal communication based on the movie "American Beauty." The objective being to identify ways that interpersonal communication theory is understood within the context of the film. Application of three theories from Steven Beebe's "Interpersonal Communication: Relating to Others" are explored: assertiveness, emphatic listening and responding skills, and emotional contagion theory.

From the Paper:

""American Beauty" is the story of American suburbia, the lives behind closed doors. Lester Burnham is a middle-aged man facing a middle-aged crisis in a middle-class neighborhood. He sums up his life in the beginning of the movie when he says, "In less than a year I'll be dead. . . in a way I'm dead already" (American 1999). His wife, Caroline, is a struggling real estate agent obsessed with success and status. His daughter, Jane, comes across as the typical teenager, filled with anger, resentment, and embarrassment for her parents. The story's theme is Lester's transformation from passiveness to assertiveness (Beebe 270-271)."

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