ANALYSIS OF AN INTERPERSONAL EVENT
The problem, with selecting a topic, based on viewing countless TV "Talk" shows is that there is a lot of talk and very little "listening". Dr. Phil, sponsored by Oprah Winfrey, and who seems to be to psychology what Jessica Simpson is to talent, has a popular syndicated show where he spends time with people whose lives are in some difficulty. Most of the "cases" he has on his program substantiate one or more features of one of his books, which he promotes frequently.
For a number of weeks, Dr. Phil focused on a family whose 15-year old daughter was pregnant and who decided to keep the baby. This, despite "wiser heads" proclaiming that as a high school student with no life experience, motherhood would be difficult. For several shows, Dr. Phil turned the family's problems into a mystery: Would she keep the baby? Would she change her mind? Would the family be supportive? Would her reputation at school be ruined? Why is the teen-age father not in the picture? Unlike other talk shows where the guests are always seated with the "host", this time much of the action was taped in the family's home in some other city. One or more of the family members- usually the mother and/or father was on hand live, but there were always some taped clips of activity at home.
Obviously, the family gave permission for the show's producers and host to delve deeply into their problems. Many times, what went on at home did not put them in a very favorable light. The two daughters felt the father, in particular, did not care while the younger sister resented all the attention given to her pregnant sibling. The audience, both in the studio and at home, was pulled into these situations for several reasons. First, because it was a sort of "expose" of a family in trouble, and second, because some of the audience obviously had gone through the same sort of thing, or knew someone who had. And the way the ...