Analytical essay example
Games People Play
- Subject
- Psychology
- Type
- Analytical essay
- Citation style
- APA 7
- Length
- 5 pages
About this sample
The paper applies the concept of interpersonal games to the film Jerry Maguire, examining Jerry's romantic relationships with Avery and Dorothy and his manipulation and nonverbal communication with characters such as Rod and Ray. It is organised as a scenario analysis, followed by sections on the game being played, its rules, and personal reflections on the importance of communication.
- Interpersonal games
- Relational maintenance
- Nonverbal communication
- Manipulation and persuasion
- Intimacy and commitment in romantic relationships
How it opens
The film, Jerry Maguire presents an illustration of the strategies that are involved in communication interaction. The lead role, Jerry Maguire that is played by Tom Cruise plays different games with other lead characters that surround him and demonstrates the human interactions that are operational in problematic relationships. There are various ground rules, repeated patterns, and insights that can be derived from this scenario
Different aspects are apparent in the romantic relationship that Jerry has with his girlfriend, Avery. This relationship reveals the strategy of relational maintenance at the start of the movies when Avery communicates honestly and is open to Jerry (Horan). Although Jerry is engaged to Avery, he is very distressed with the interactions that she has with him. The lack of affection in their relationship is more visible in Jerry's stag party when he is shown a clip of former lovers who discuss his incapacity to be single and his self-absorption (Design). This was a prediction of the intimacy issues that she has with Avery, and the lack of this affection in the relationship is a problem.
The trait that is visible in Jerry and Avery's interaction is that they fail to talk or hug each other and do not show affection to one another. Their relationships ends badly when Jerry annuls their engagement because of their issues but creates an opportunity for him to start another improved relationship with Dorothy. The relationship between Jerry and Dorothy reveals the game of relationship development that results in commitment (Horan).
The opening section, transcribed from the PDF. The full paper continues below.
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Using an example well
Read it for how the paper is built, not for wording to reuse: how the introduction frames the question, how each paragraph moves from a claim to evidence, and how sources are cited in APA 7. Submitting any part of it as your own work would be plagiarism, and it is written for a different brief than yours.
Writing one yourself? Read the guide How to write an essay and the APA format guide.