Critical Review of in a Critical Review of a Book Titled “psychosocial Explorations of Film and Television Viewing: Ordinary Audience

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As opposed to Daniel, Chris feel reluctant to get ‘lost’ in viewing, He considers himself as worrisome as he experiences a clash with his nature of work (work time) and his free time. Author suggests part of his anxiousness is based on the fact he choses to watch “difficult” and ”threatening” films. Chris expressed some insecurities in his work life as he worries films he finds difficultly intellectual would be easy for his colleagues. Unlike Daniel Chris has a girlfriend, who is at a high job status than he is. He also is new to the ‘middle class lifestyle as was previously in a working class family. Researcher suggests that Chris’s tone of expression suggest he has fears towards his complex identity. The researcher was able to visually identify these emotions with close shots of one of Chris’s favorite text ‘Fink’ as he shows discomfort in viewing films. This is evidence that Chris uses characters from his choice of films in interrelation to his self-identity. The author describes Chris’s character as ‘Flawed as she suggest Chris tries to “portray” himself as a cultured intellectual. This argument can be linked to one of Chris’s favorite texts ‘Frasier’, which shows a funny middle class man surrounded by working class family but they still get along. Author argues this identification submerges with Chris’s relationship with his family. Chris’s research seems to consist more of story than analysis. Chris used to have a relationship with and shared history of viewing with him. Its possible his anxiety stems from inner frustration caused by his lost relationship with his father due to his social class change. Freud suggest manifestations in anxiety can be caused by “missing someone who is loved or longed for” (Klein, 1989)

In conclusion, researcher choice of method and analytical description was clear and informative, However researcher tended to give more analysis on Daniel than on Chris, Some of evidence used based on the personalities of Chris and Daniel was stemmed from ‘assumptions’ or ‘feelings’ they ‘gave off’, which cant be used as strong analytical data. I would argue that Chris and Daniel had very similar lives so researcher has a lot of repetitive findings, which might have been the cause for lack of evaluation on Chris’s research evidence. Study also lacked elaboration on theories of masculinity and rationality that would have been useful as study revolves two single men.

Bibliography

Walrond-Skinner, S. (1986). Dictionary of Psychotherapy . Routledge and Kegan Paul.

Ben Calvert, E. a. (2002). Telvision Studies: The Key Concepts. Routledge.

Klein, I. E. (1989). Developments in Psychoanalysis. Karnac Books.

Ollman, B. (1971). Alienation: Marx's Conception of Man in a Capitalist Society . Cambridge University Press.