Final Assignment

Psychology of Women
June 27th, 2013
Final Assignment “This is a man’s world, this is a man’s world but it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl.” –James Brown Think Like a Man, a film directed by Tim Story is about four friends who realized that the women they were dealing with were learning tricks from a popular relationship book written by Steve Harvey entitled Act Like a Lady; Think Like a Man and the guys decided to turn the tables when they found out what was going on but then it suddenly backfired against them. The main characters in Think Like a Man are: Lauren, Dominic, Candace, Michael, Mya, Zeke, Kristen and Jeremy. Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, a film directed and written by Tyler Perry is about a successful married woman whose relationship with her husband was falling apart and her temptation led her to have an affair with a handsome billionaire. It doesn’t end on a good note. The main characters in Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor are: Judith, Brice, Melinda and Harley. Two gender norms that are depicted in both movies are: Relationships & Sex and Violence against Women. In the movie Think like a Man, there are five more men than women. The storylines for the four couples in the movie were: “The Dreamer vs. The Woman Who is Her Own Man,” “The Mama’s Boy vs. The Single Mom,” “The Player vs. The 90 Day Rule Girl” and “The Non-Committer vs. The Girl Who Wants the Ring.” Lauren (the woman who is her own man) and Candace (the single mom) are best friends while Dominic (the dreamer) and Michael (the mama’s boy) are great friends. Lauren is a strong, independent, lonely woman who feels like she shouldn’t have to lower her standards for any man. She is the COO of a media company. Dominic is a funny guy who has a lot of dreams but just doesn’t know which direction to take to fulfill his dreams. He really loves to cook and wants to open his own restaurant. Lauren and Dominic’s relationship consisted of romantic love and as time passed by it grew into consummate love. There was one scene in the movie where Lauren used token resistance because she realized it was their first date but they continued to engage in their sexual interaction.
Candace has a son and hasn’t dated for a few years until she met Michael who is a good guy but just has a hard time separating himself from his mother who was also a single mom. Candace and Michael’s relationship isn’t really sexual but they do kiss a lot and go on many dates in which he always asked her out. At one point Michael told her that she was a priority in his life. He had his Mama’s number saved as work so that Candace wouldn’t know it was actually his mother. Candace picked up his phone and realized it was mother. She was devastated and broke up with him because he lied to her. Whenever Lauren and Candace have conversations they are either taking a walk or at a restaurant. They are always updating each other about what’s going on within their relationships. They also use Steve Harvey’s book as a guide to help them understand men and to help them approach Dominic and Michael in a way that will keep them around. Lauren didn’t want to read Steve Harvey’s book at first because she felt like he was being sexist and she didn’t feel like she should have to lower her standards for any man. Candace was able to convince her that the book was helpful and she took her best friend’s advice. As a result of reading the book Lauren and Candace asked Dominic and Michael what were their long-term and short-term goals. Whenever Dominic and Michael are together they meet up with their other homeboys to play basketball and talk about females. They also go out to the bar to drink beers and talk about their relationships or the problems they are having. When Michael was telling his homeboys about Candace and showed them a picture of her, they automatically called her a “hoe” because she had a son and she had a nice body. Lauren and Candace were happy that they were dating guys that were friends and even considered double dating. Dominic told Michael that he knew of Candace because that was Lauren’s best friend and their homeboy Zeke told them to make sure they don’t double date. In a group discussion the guys were having at the bar they agreed that they were “happy to be free and they are better without women.” They also said “who needs to put up with their s***, their demands, the nagging and their expectations.” This is an example of how guys like talking about females and they talk more to give information. In the beginning of the movie the narrator said that “marriage used to be the ultimate goal for boys and men because in the old days it was the only way a guy could get what he wanted. In today’s society men don’t have to work as hard to get what they want because they have the internet and they can be whatever they want.” Steve Harvey said that “men respect women that have standards.” Some women in today’s society are portrayed as “hoes” or a “video vixen” which means they are willing to expose themselves just to get attention for the wrong reasons. They don’t really have any standards and they aren’t setting a good example for young children. In Steve’s book he says that a guy only fishes for two reasons. One reason is because he’s looking for a keeper, someone that he can bring home to meet his mom and build a life with. The second reason is he’s looking for a trophy, someone to show off to his buddies. Women want a man that is attractive, a good provider, attentive, healthy, funny, respectful, and loyal along with many other qualities. Women don’t necessarily worry too much about showing their man off to their friends as much as men worry about showing their woman off to their homeboys. In the movie Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, there are seven more female characters than male characters. Judith was a successful therapist who had a dream of opening her own practice and becoming a marriage counselor. Brice was a pharmacist who was also Judith’s husband. Melinda was Brice’s friend and he helped her get a job as a cashier at the pharmacy he worked at. Harley was a billionaire who worked for a computer company. Judith was unhappy in her marriage but didn’t know how to tell her husband so she had an affair with Harley because he kept pressuring her. Every time Harley was around Judith he would give her hints that he was attracted to her and wanted to have sex with her. Harley was a very aggressive and demanding person that didn’t know how to control his anger. He physically abused Melinda and Judith and gave both of them HIV. He basically bribes women because he has money and is able to wine and dine them. He treats them nice in the beginning but then makes a complete 360 when things don’t go his way. In the movie Melinda told Brice “It’s okay. I’m dealing with it. I made the choice to be with my ex even though I knew he was sleeping around and I accepted my part in it. I’m taking my meds so I’m doing good.” This is an example of a woman blaming herself for something that wasn’t her fault and she had no control over it. Even though Judith kept telling Harley she was married, he always found a way to talk her into being with him and leaving her husband. He would tell her “if you were mine, you wouldn’t have to work.” I feel like young children are getting mixed messages from the media and they are more subjected to the role of sex objects. If a child were to see Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, they would probably think it’s nothing wrong with a man beating a woman. They would also think that it’s nothing wrong with having an affair behind their partner’s back because they are unhappy with their relationship. If a child were to see Think Like a Man, they would probably think it’s okay to lie to your partner. They would also think that it’s not wrong with playing tricks on your partner. Children spend about five hours a day watching television and it definitely affects them in a negative way. Researchers say that in the media women are portrayed as pretty, young and thin. This affects children, teenagers and women because they feel like they have to be thin like the women in the media in order to be accepted by society and that’s not the case at all. This causes females to have low self-esteem and suffer from eating disorders because they want to look a certain way. Researchers also say that “women’s magazines have more ads and articles promoting weight loss than men’s magazines.” Researchers say that “the messages the media sends to women about thinness, dieting and beauty tells “ordinary” women that they are always in need of adjustment, and that the female body is an object to be perfected.” For the most part my findings refute the researchers’ findings because the women in both movies were pretty and had nice bodies. They weren’t skinny and depressed about their body image. The only thing I can say that may support the researchers findings is when Ava (played by Kim Kardashian) from Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor kept telling Judith that her outfits were ugly and she needed new hairstyles.
The reason I chose Think Like a Man and Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor is because I felt like both movies were good examples of how men and women are portrayed in regards to relationships and sex and violence against women. It has always been said that men have more power than women do and they have more control over women. No matter how hard a woman tries to stand out and prove people wrong she is always discriminated against in some shape or form. Women are usually portrayed as weak, emotional and dependent human beings. Men are usually portrayed as strong, dominant and forceful human beings. The women in Think Like a Man were portrayed as sexy, strong, independent, and dominant whereas the women in Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor were portrayed as bossy, weak, and dependent. The men in Think Like a Man and Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor were portrayed as dominant, strong, aggressive and sexy.