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Latisha James
Aaron Estabrook
COMM 148
6 February 2023 Film Analysis: The Proposal
Communicating personal information to others throughout our lives can sometimes be
difficult as many of us know. Sharing this new and personal information to our friends or
significant others is what helps us build trust between the two individuals although it is difficult.
In the movie, The Proposal, it displays times when the two main characters in the story share
personal information and then the after effects of how it shapes their relationship. In
Interpersonal Communication it is referred to as disclosure which can also involve some privacy.
Disclosure is when you reveal to other(s) confidential or secret information which can
include personal ideas, feelings, or even confidential information about others (Petronio, 2002).
Privacy is when you withhold confidential or secret information to minimize volubility
(Margulis, 1977). In the movie there are a few good examples of the two-main characters,
Margaret and Andrew, using privacy and disclosure to withhold and share secret information
about themselves.
A theory that is involved when they disclose information and keep information private is
the Communication Privacy Management Theory. This is a background on understanding the
decision-making processes we use to manage our disclosure and privacy (Petronio, 2002). This
theory describes how everyone set and develops their own rules on how to and when to share
confidential information about themselves and others. In the movie, Margaret and Andrew use
these rules they have developed and set in place in their minds to let them know when to share
their confidential information to each other.
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One scene in the movie comes after Andrew and his father get in a fight. Margaret comes
out of the shower and needs a towel and Andrew comes inside after working on a canoe. They
both end up running into each other and freaking out. Then a little later that evening they are
laying down in the bedroom trying to go to bed when they start to get into a deep conversation.
This conversation consists of private information about Margaret that she decided to share with
Andrew because she felt like it was the right time. She shares information about her tattoo to him
that he has asked her about in the past a couple times, about how long it has been since she has
been with someone, some of her first times doing something, and some things she has never done
before.
Margaret now feels comfortable enough and values him more than just as an assistant to
share this information to him. Even though this was still difficult for her, it was still easier than it
