Theories Of Interpretation

Theories of Interpretation

Effective communication is a necessity in today's society. The proper skills and knowledge of communication is used everyday, all day long. More importantly, being able to understand how to communicate and how to interpret communication is stressed upon in a lot of settings. The interpretation of the communication styles from the movie In the Gloaming covers numerous different theories developed. Analyzing the theories on interpreting communication and explaining some examples from the movie will help the reader to better understand how to communicate properly and effectively.

The first theory, primacy effect, states that one places heavy emphasis on the first few pieces of information attained about someone, forming an impression (73). This could also be referred to as a first impression theory because your first impression about that particular individual sticks in your mind (notes). A great example of the primacy effect from In the Gloaming is one of the first scenes when Danny is eating his first meal after he came home. He is seated around the table with his parents. Martin, Danny's father, assumes that Danny still likes meat, however, over the years Danny has changed and become a vegetarian. During this scene, it begins to become clear that Danny and his father, Martin, don't have a strong relationship.

Another theory on interpreting communication is the consistency theory. This theory states that we assume similarities between ourselves and people we think we understand (notes). Throughout the movie many different things happen to explain this theory of similarities. Upon numerous occasions Martin and Janet, Danny's mother, are discussing past events with Danny. Martin begins to assume that Danny agrees with all of the past experiences and his opinions. The audience can tell by the look on Danny's face that he doesn't agree with his father. The audience also feels the tension growing between Danny and his father, reflecting on their lack of communication earlier in their lives and today.

Stereotyping is thought of as attributing a set of certain qualities to an individual based on that person's involvement with a group or category (78). This theory is usually used in extremely negative instances, but also could be classified as positive for a few cases. Towards the end of the movie, when Janet is wheeling Danny down the lane in his wheelchair, the two are conversing about Thanksgiving. Danny asks his mother why she never invited him and his lover to Thanksgiving diner. Danny's parents, specifically Janet, never invited