Perry Benson Essays (348 words) - Fiction, Film, Literature

Perry Benson 09/22/2017 Professor Brushaber Movie Analysis - 12 Angry Men In the movie titled, there are many displays of social psychological phenomena. This nail biting, tense, and unendingly suspenseful film features 12 jurors who have in their hands the fate of someones life, through a not guilty or guilty verdict. Near the beginning of the film, initially 11 of the appointed 12 jurors vote guilty, a decision that would ultimately kill the accused. As the movies run time continues, gradually they alter their verdict to one of not guilty. When viewing the film it is easy to spot the psychological theories of conformity and group process. Conformity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xNlNV-UIUs Contextualizing the jury room, the simple idea of conformity is irresponsible and dangerous. Twelve Angry Men puts this idea in one of the most clear and sufficient ways, displaying the power of sheer social influence. Conformity due by social influence is shown in the first moments of the film. The jury room is in heated up debate and is obviated by a beginning vote. When the jurors place their verdicts, 11 who voted guilty, there is obvious hesitancy among the 11. In the clip above you can see the man at the front of the table call for the vote, in the very beginning of the vote only 6 people raise their hands. After a couple seconds 3 more raise their hands, then the last 2 raise their hands sheepishly, almost regrettably, showing their hesitance brilliantly. Lastly, Fonda, the one person who believes from the start that the verdict is not guilty, does not raise his hand. Change in Attitude and Persuasion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqDd06GW76o Persuasion is an inherent characteristic in the provocative nature of Twelve Angry Men. The idea of persuasion is a series of small ideas working towards changing someones integral attitude towards something. Fonda appeals for the accused persons innocence in a clear, well thought out matter, sourcing his points directly with factual evidence and eventually ends up changing the jurors initial votes. However, the sick business man appeals to the racially and ethnically motivated, pointing towards stereo typically motivated ways of persuasion, which leads him to be shunned by the other jurors.