Muted Group Theory.

Muted Group Theory as defined by Griffin (2009, p. 455) is where people at the low rank in society have difficulties in expressing their opinions because they must carefully say about their thoughts for others in public, to understand them. This is especially being directed to women. Therefore, to understand this theory better, this post will use a 2003 film , 'Mona Lisa Smile', as an example. 

According to Shirley Ardener in Griffin (2009, p. 455) he stated, "Mutedness is due to the lack of the power that besets any group occupying the low-end of the totem of pole. People with little clout have trouble giving voice to their perceptions". In the movie,the story revolves around the era where men are more dominan than women. Katherine wanted to make some changes and differences around Wellesley College. Insted of following the syllabus set by the college, Katherine used 'Modern Art' work to encourage and teach her female students to discuss and share their opinions on what they see or how they feel toward a certain art piece such as 'Mona Lisa'. However, none of the students and the college staffs agreed to her methods at first, because they believe its not normal nor is it possible for any women to have a career rather than a housewife. Hence at this point, Kathrine's idea was muted.


In West and Turner (2010, p.484), Anita Taylor and M. J. Hardman (2000) commented that some feminist groups can become dominant within their own feminist movement which can mute other voices of other women who question their system of idea. This can be seen when Betty Warren, a conservative student, who oppose Katherine idea of encouraging other girls like her friend, Giselle Levy, to become more liberal in their views then the idealistic of how women should look at things. Betty published a story on how the college nurse, Amanda Armstrong, was giving out contraception; hence this is one of the visible prove of how Betty wants Katherine, Giselle and Amanda views toward women for becoming more than what they should be to be muted.


It is to known that, language plays an important role in this theory which involves with the 'Symbol Interactionism' concepts of naming( labelling or stereotyping) and minding. In naming as stated by Mead in Griffin (2009, p. 456) "the extent of knowing is the extent of naming". Kissack (2010, p. 543) stated the feminine stereotypes are established and systematize within the patirarchal society or male-world dominance. She further stated that to be 'feminine' is to act like one and muted in the way they act, speak and think, which is ideological seen by the masculine community. As seen in the movie, the 'name' or label that was used among the ladies were quite negative then it was against the men. For instance, Giselle was called as 'whore' and Betty was called as 'Bitch'. If it were to be counted, women have more than 200 words of sexual label then men as stated in Griffin (2009, p. 456). Here we can see the male-dominance in terms of language and hence as claimed by Kissack (2010, p.486) "women are silenced by their language".


In minding, as stated by Mead in Griffin (2009, p. 459) "an automatic momentary pause before we speak in order to mentally consider how those who are listening might respond." This did not happen in the movie, because Katherine was determined to make a difference in Wellesle College, she was open to her view about how women should have career rather than just end up as wives or mothers as intended. Katherine believed that women need to depend on her own and not to depend on others in terms of such as her welfare or housing. Hence, it created controversial views about this issue; some agreed to Katherine idea but many were against to the changes that can occur by Katherine's words.


In conclusion, Griffin (2009, p. 461) stated that "the ultimate goal of Muted Group Theory is to change the man-made linguistic system that keeps women 'in their place' ". In other words, it aims to silence what women have to say about what they think and how they act in the world of male-dominance. 'Mona Lisa Smile' made help us to realise that, women should stand on their own and should voice out what they think, in order to be heard in the public sphere. Despite the superior elements surrounding the male community, women should not be disregard of their own existence; they too are part of our daily significant of gender in communication. For Betty, it wasn't until she was cheated by her husband then she realised that Katherine's idea was right; that she needed to depend on her own, since even her own mother asked her to stay silent to settle down the scandal. 


References List;




Anita Taylor and M. J. Hardman (2000). In West, R. and Turner, L. (2010). Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application. (4th Ed.). New York; McGraw-Hill.


Griffin, E. (2009) A first look at communication theory. (7th Ed.) Glencoe, IL: McGraw Hill.


Kissack, H. (2010). Muted voices: a critical look at e-male in organizations. European Journal of Training and Development, 34(6), 539-551.