Video and Multimedia

Click on the following links to expand and show embedded video:

Miss Teen South Carolina

Part of this clip made the rounds on YouTube in 2007 when Miss Teen South Carolina stumbled over a question she was asked on a weekend pageant. You should now be in a better position than in 2007 to analyze what is going on in the clip and also what is being done by the Today Show presenters who interviewed her the following Monday. What identity is she trying to project as she gives her answer, and why is her performance failing? How do the Today Show hosts help her to repair her identity? There are several ways and you should find at least four.

Amelie

The movie Amelie tells the story of a woman who discovers a box that contains mementoes of the boyhood life of someone who lived in her apartment 50 years before. This sets her on a quest to discover his identity and then to set about changing other people’s lives. One of the ways in which characters are introduced by the filmmakers is through a narrative list of the things that they like and do not like. These clips also briefly address self-disclosure and interactions that influence identity formation. The movie is in French with English subtitles, but the clips give you somewhere to start in your quest to determine what makes someone the person he or she is.

Self-concept and Success

As you watch this video, refer to the section in Chapter 3 on self-concept. How do you present yourself to others? How does your personality reflect yourself? How do you think one’s self can help or hurt a person’s career goals? Based on the video, do you think most people are chickens or eagles? Why?

Let’s Reciprocate

Read the section in your textbook about self-disclosure. Then, as you watch this clip from the television show Cheers, consider how the exchange of personal information between Sam and Carla works in their friendship. While this is an exaggerated case of reciprocity, how and what kinds of personal information do you share with someone you have just met? With someone on a first date? With someone you have known for a year or more?

Positive and Negative Altercasting

Read the brief section in your textbook about altercasting. Then, watch this video about how we use altercasting to gain compliance (get others to do what we want them to do). Think of a time when someone used altercasting to try to urge you to do what they wanted you to do. Think of a time when you used altercasting to try to have someone do what you wanted them to do. Do you think altercasting is a useful strategy or should be avoided?