Description of the TV Show and the Event being Analyzed

This Is Us is an American drama television series that mainly follows the lives and families of two parents and their three children. This Is Us premiered on NBC on September 20, 2016 (MAD GROUP SAN DIEGO, 2018). The TV show has been nominated for Best Television Series and has also been chosen for Top Television Program, normally undertaken by the American Film Institute. NBC initially picked the TV show in September 2016 for a full season composed of 18 episodes. The TV show was later renewed for two more seasons in the following year.

Kevin, Kate, and Randall are the key siblings being followed by the TV show, and they are commonly referred to as the "Big Three," while on the other hand, the parents are Jack and Rebecca. Although the TV show is more of the present, it uses flashbacks as one of the most significant approaches of showing the family's past. Since both Jack and Rebecca were white, they decided to adopt Randall, African American, after his biological father abandoned him at a fire station. Rebecca later married Jack's best friend Miguel after his death while their children were 17 years old.

The majority of the episodes within the This Is Us TV show uses a storyline at present and others for a set time in the past. However, others include a variety of flashback periods. Flashbacks used in the TV show focus on Jack and Rebecca in their c. 1980, including before and after having their babies (MAD GROUP SAN DIEGO, 2018). The majority of the TV show scenes have taken place in Pittsburgh, whether both the children and parents were born and raised. Additionally, the TV show uses future flashbacks when Randall has an adult daughter called Tess and the elderly Rebecca. Therefore, after choosing the TV show, it is important to conduct its analysis using two of the contemporary theoretical perspectives introduced in The Family-Chapter One by Philip Cohen.

Description of the Two Theoretical Perspectives

Exchange Theory

The exchange theory generally focuses on individuals or groups that possess different resources, strengths, and weaknesses and how they enter into mutual relationships to maximize their gains and minimize costs. In cases where the risks are more than the rewards, people tend to terminate such relationships. That is generally considered the costs vs. benefits. The costs describe things perceived as negative by human beings, including putting money, time, and effort into a relationship (Cropanzano et al., 2017). On the other hand, the benefits are the positive things from any relationship, including fun, friendship, companionship, and social support. While outweighing the value of any relationship, the exchange theory mostly encourages one to decide whether the benefits of such a relationship outweigh the potential costs.

Symbolic Interaction

The symbolic interaction is the theory that is normally concerned with the capabilities of individuals in seeing themselves through the eyes of others and to exact social roles based on the expectations of others. The theory plays a significant role in the development of both practical considerations and alludes. Therefore, that helps in understanding the effects of communication and interaction between individuals, which plays a key role in making images and normal implications among the people for either deduction or correspondence with them (Gharacheh et al., 2021). In other words, symbolic interaction is a theory that helps understand the normal interactions between individuals, which can act as a way of creating symbolic worlds or shaping individual behaviors.

Interpreting the Situation based on Exchange Theory

The problems of the family seem to be increasing as time goes on. As the head of the family, Jack seems to be struggling with different things, including alcoholism and chronic job dissatisfaction. On the other hand, Rebecca always wishes to become a professional singer, but that never happens eventually. Therefore, since she never had any other goals in her life, the exchange theory can be realized in that Situation based on how she devotes herself to parenting.

On the other hand, Kate has an eating disorder that significant results in negative consequences, including becoming extremely overweight. Therefore, her mother's pattern makes her fail to have any personal goals rather than become a professional singer. However, she never receives any formal training towards that. The exchange theoretical perspective is present when Toby, her fiancé, decides to spend most of his time understanding her and soothing her insecurities and relationship ambivalence. That is mainly because the theory suggests the importance of taking the benefits and subtracting them from the costs as one of the most significant ways of determining the worth of a relationship.

Interpreting the Situation based on Symbolic Interaction

The symbolic interaction theoretical perspective can be noticed in situations mostly in the second season when a family therapy session was understood as part of Kevin's stay in rehab. Some of the resentments, especially those that took place in the past surface, include how Kevin was never loved compared to his other siblings. The argument was that Randall was considered his mother's favorite while Kate, on the other hand, was closest to Jack hence being a symbolic interaction for Kevin.

Another situation that can be interpreted through the symbolic interaction threaded through the TV show is the existing trauma resulting from Jack's tragic accidental death while, on the other hand, the children were continuing with their school. Such trauma is believed to be the triggering factor towards Kate's eating disorder and Kevin's problems. The therapist supports such causes and effects, which plays a significant role in the traditional attachment orientation (Cohen, 2014). That acts as a reference to better understand the interaction between individuals to create a symbolic world.

Comparing and Contrasting the Two Perspectives

People are believed to be different in their ways, while they also perceive events differently. The symbolic interaction and exchange theories play a significant role as key theories, especially during social interaction. The symbolic interaction theory within the TV show guides the way people act based on their symbolic meanings, especially during different situations they experience in their lives. While interacting with such symbols, they end up developing relationships with others. On the other hand, the exchange theory is based on the give and take within w a relationship. The theory plays a significant role in explaining different situations within the TV show especially based on how relationships are developed.

Description of the TV Show and the Event being Analyzed

• This Is Us is an American drama television series that mainly follows the lives and families of two parents and their three children
• Kevin, Kate, and Randall are the key siblings being followed by the TV show, and they are commonly referred to as the "Big Three," while on the other hand, the parents are Jack and Rebecca

Description of the Two Theoretical Perspectives

• The exchange theory generally focuses on individuals or groups that possess different resources, strengths, and weaknesses and how they enter into mutual relationships to maximize their gains and minimize costs
• The symbolic interaction is the theory that is normally concerned with the capabilities of individuals in seeing themselves through the eyes of others and to exact social roles based on the expectations of others

Interpreting the Situation based on Exchange Theory

• The problems of the family seem to be increasing as time goes on
• As the head of the family, Jack seems to be struggling with different things, including alcoholism and chronic job dissatisfaction

Interpreting the Situation based on Symbolic Interaction

• The symbolic interaction theoretical perspective can be noticed in situations mostly in the second season when a family therapy session was understood as part of Kevin's stay in rehab

Comparing and Contrasting the Two Perspectives

• People are believed to be different in their ways, while they also perceive events differently
• The symbolic interaction and exchange theories play a significant role as key theories, especially during social interaction