Question

Based on the film The Kings Speech Describe how King George’s self concept was influenced by the four factors that feed into one’s self concept. (peers, self, significant others, culture) Describe two examples of feedback and two examples of self-disclosure. Be very specific. How does information move from a blind area to an open area (feedback) and how information moves from a hidden area to an open area (self disclosure). You can pick any character in the movie.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) In the film, “The King’s Speech”, King George’s journey to overcome his problem with stammering is the basis of the film. The king’s pursuits to better his speech are highlighted in progressive stages until he is finally able to deliver a speech with eloquence and grace.

We see how the culture around him managed to affect his confidence in his speech. In the film, he is a King and therefore in a position of great power. Yet, we see that King George has insecurities about his speech. This might probably be because everyone else around him, was of a lower position than he, yet, they could all manage to speak without hurdles. He was brought up in a culture where he was always viewed as the person who could not manage the simplest of tasks.

His peers may have not overtly talked about his flaws, yet, his insecurities made him believe that they were always thinking about it. His wife was supportive throughout his journey of overcoming his speech impairment. It was her relentless encouragement and fervent support that helped him with his stutter.

The king himself was personally quite timid and shy. The source of his shyness seemed to stem from his speech impairment. He is loved by the people who are close to him. However, his shortcomings seem to be his cause for concern throughout the film.

When the king initially goes to his speech therapy, he is quite annoyed. The loud music, while he is reading, makes him anxious and he simply storms out of the therapist’s office. Later on, he listens to the recording of his voice only to realise that he spoke normally through the loud music. This was a moment of self-disclosure.

The second moment of self-disclosure is when he reads the final speech in the film like a person without speech impairment. The king would have never believed that he was capable of doing such a thing. Let alone speaking for a large audience. A part of himself that was hidden has now been disclosed.

The speech therapist and the king form a bond. The therapist even views the king as someone who is quite humorous, especially when the therapist asks him to tell a joke. This is a moment of feedback because the therapist treats the king in a way that none of the people around him had treated him before. His therapists actually valued what the king had to say.

Another moment of feedback is when the king is yelling at the therapist for sitting on the throne. While he is agitated he simply yells out that he should be listened to, because he has a voice. This is when the king realises that it does not matter how he speaks but rather it is what he says that matters.