Social Psychology in Life is Beautiful Movie - Essay Example

Life is Beautiful Film Analysis Film Synopsis The Film “Life is Beautiful” has the main character who is a gentle Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice (Roberto Denigni). As a waiter, he was very charm and had a lot of humor that made many customers like him. It was these characters that helped him win a soul mate Dora (Nicoletta Braschi) who was an Italian schoolteacher who was set to marry a second man. In due course they married and gave birth to a son, Giosue (Giorgio Cantarini) as they continued to stay at Guido’s uncle happily without realizing the existence of holocaust beyond their boundaries until one day when they were ambushed and captured to be held captives in a concentration camp. There is a devastating impending fate waiting the family of Guido as they were separated, Guido and his Son was taken to a different camp from Giosue mother and the beautiful life turned sour for the family due to their separation. However, Guido worked hard to ensure he saves his family to live a happy life again after the reunion to an extent of exchange his dreams with his life, for example, he used a perfect mixture of humor, will and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp. This shows the psychological bond that exists among family members. Introduction In the field of social psychology, the film tries to depict social psychology concepts such as: attraction and relationship, attitudes and behavior, aggression and altruism (helping) a)      Attraction and Relationship The kind of love that is often found in a long term relationship has always defined a stable life with each other as interpersonal attraction forces lead people to like each other establishing a mutual relationship and in some cases lead to falling in love. Frequent meeting and the impression that we create when we socialize with other people helps to define the kind of attraction that we create with other people. Attraction helps to develop relationship among people hence defining the level of socialization existing between or among the people. From the beginning of the film, there is a feeling of attraction when Guido first met Dora when e was working as a waiter commuting from his uncle’s place. It is as a result of this attraction that the two married to live together with their son Giosue. Additionally, it is because of the attraction of a family bond relationship that Guido worked tirelessly to help his son unite with his mother on the other side of the camp hence the separation of Guido’s family showed how attraction and relationship can make people go to an extent of foregoing their life to save their loved ones. It is also crucial to pinpoint that, physical proximity often increases attraction but long distance makes relationships to be difficult to maintain and that is why Guido is ready to do everything at his reach and ability in order to return the happy life they used to enjoy as a family before the incidence of holocaust. b)      Attitudes and Behavior Attitude and behavior are inseparable social psychological concepts. Self-perception theory states that, the actions manipulate attitudes since people deduce their attitudes by examining their own norms and the situation that their behaviors happen. Additionally, altitude often influences behavior in most determined ways by rapid intentions that activate plans to act in particular ways. Our attitude towards people or any activity we undertake determine how perfect we do things and the behavior we portray as the outcome of the attitude that we posses. The Nazis led by Adolf Hitler, showed an attitude of hatred by practicing racism when they arrested the Jews during the time of holocaust and held them captives in the Nazi camp with the intention of killing them.  On the other hand, Guido has a loving attitude towards his family. He tries every means possible to protect his son from the danger of the camp and defending his son that he is fearless. He is very optimistic that his son will be able to get to his mother one day. However, Giosue is pessimistic and does not believe that there any tank or games existing behind his mother knowledge hence had the behavior of getting his father in trouble from the Germans soldiers especially when he refused to take a shower, he got help from his fathers’ other inmates. It is vital to pinpoint that, attitude and behavior helped Guido achieve his vision and mission of uniting his son with his mother although he lost his life for that achievement. c)      Aggression The film is covered with the action of violating the rights of other people by force with the intention of inflicting harm and other unpleasantness upon other people such that they latter do not have any freedom to enjoy their rights. Torture during the captives in the camp where Guido and his inmates are forcefully required to do casual labor can result to both physical and psychological harm to them. Additionally, Giosue is arrested together with his father and jailed together with other adult inmates without be taken to juvenile. This exposes Giosue to many dangers that his father is trying to protect him from when he even go to an extent of cunning the Germans solider that he knew to inteprate German. Separation of Guido’s family by being arrested by the Germans soldier is also a form of aggression as it hurts the family emotions as we notice from the Dora when she tried to follow her family to an extent of requesting to be jailed in one camp with her family but to no avail. On the other hand, Guido is hurt emotionally to see his son suffer from her mother’s nostalgia when he cries to be with his mother. He therefore, decides to lie to his own so that the camp was a place to play the game of hide and seek with his mother and in a few days they will join the mother. d)     Altruism (Helping) The concept of altruism involves risking our well-being in order to help others that can be explained by the theory of “diffusion of responsibility” that explains the effect of bystander. Our inner courage is drawn by the courage that people need help from us at the point of need as we would require o be helped when we are stuck somewhere.  From the film, there are several incidences that altruism is practiced in the course of the film. Firstly, we evidence the love of a father to his son when Guido risks his life to safe his son’s life from the torture of the Germans soldiers and this shows how much Guido loved his son. Secondly, the Guido’s inmates were very willing to help Guido hide his son amongst themselves from the thorough search that was conducted by the Germans Soldier in search of Giosue. Thirdly, we observe Guido establishing a good rapport with some Germans soldiers who at the end assisted him to his son make a reunion with his mother.            Overall, the film “Life is Beautiful” has a great teaching on how attraction an relationship, attitude and behavior, aggression and altruism can affect of social psychology that have direct or indirect impact on our personal life. Therefore, it is the responsibility of everyone to ensure that he or she causes no harm to others, physically, mentally or spiritually. Reference Niv, Ḳobi. (2003). Life Is Beautiful, but Not for Jews: Another View of the Film by Benigni. Landham, Md: Scarecrow Press. Read More