Three scientists who lose their university jobs, Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman, and Egon Spengler, set up a ghost catching business in New York City. They use their expertise in the paranormal to convince the mayor that the city is facing supernatural disaster. Their differing views with Walter Peck lead to conflict. Venkman uses persuasion to get Ray to fund their business with mortgages. The film depicts various forms of interpersonal communication between the characters, including nonverbal cues and the building of competence and trust.

2. 
After losing their positions at their
comfortable New York City university,
three scientists are forced to find work
elsewhere. With a background in the
paranormal Ray Stantz, Peter Venkman,
and Egon Spengler set about the city
trapping spectres, spirits, and ghosts until
they are forced to save the city from
certain destruction.

3. 
Additionally,
Ghostbusters presents
viewers with an
opportunity to inspect
varying aspects of
interpersonal
communication as the
characters interact
with one another in
conversational
situations which mimic
those in real life.

4. 
Nonverbal Communication, or “all human communication
events that transcends spoken or written words” plays as
large a role in fictional interaction as it does during real
encounters (131).
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During an early scene in the film, viewers are presented
with an example of how one form of nonverbal
communication, body language—the intentional or
unintentional movement of various body parts that sends
nonverbal messages—transpires and transmits messages
about the perpetrators feelings (135).

While still employed by the university, Dr. Peter Venkman
can be seen conducting an experiment in which he is
testing the effect of negative reinforcement—with the aid
of electro-shock therapy—on ESP ability.

5. 
Blatantly executing gender bias, Dr. Venkman refuses
to shock the attractive female student while
consistently shocking her male counterpart. However,
as the experiment progresses the student grows visibly
nervous, beginning to fidget in his seat. As his physical
representation transitions from slumped shoulder and
downcast eyes to a rigid spine and rapidly moving
pupils, the male student’s body becomes a physical
manifestation for the emotions he’s experiencing.
While his slumped frame communicates that he feels
defeated and downcast, the stiffness of his spine and
rapid eye movement shows that not only is he highly
aware of the doctor’s movements, but that he is both
cognizant fearful of their consequences.

6. 
Competence, or another person’s
perceptions that your messages are both
effective and appropriate in a given
relationship, account for a number of
interactions throughout the film. Without
such confidence (illustrated through
both the public and members of the
team) in place, the Ghostbusters would
be unable to aid New York City to the
extent that they do (21).

7. 
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Dr. Egon Spengler: There's something very important I
forgot to tell you.
Dr. Peter Venkman: What?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Don't cross the streams.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Why?
Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad
thing. What do you mean, "bad"?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it
stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body
exploding at the speed of light.
Dr Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right.
Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

8. 
Egon is able to convince Ray and Peter that
crossing the streams would be unwise not
only because the trio have a previously
constructed repertoire through which they
have come to understand each other’s
scientific strengths, but because Egon
designed the equipment and understands
better than anyone else that said
equipment has limitations and what those
limitations are.

9. 
One of the film’s early scene’s feature
the three scientists standing around a
prone librarian as she recovers from an
encounter with a ghost. During this time
she offers information to the trio that she
would not have otherwise.

10. 
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Dr. Peter Venkman: Alice, I'm going to ask you a
couple of standard questions, okay? Have you or any
of your family been diagnosed schizophrenic?
Mentally incompetent?
Librarian Alice: My uncle thought he was Saint
Jerome.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'd call that a big yes. Uh, are you
habitually using drugs? Stimulants? Alcohol?
Librarian Alice: No.
Dr. Peter Venkman: No, no. Just asking. Are you,
Alice, menstruating right now?
Library Administrator: What has that got to do with it?
Dr. Peter Venkman: Back off, man. I'm a scientist.

11. 
Due to the librarian’s confidence that Dr.
Venkman is both a professional and finds
substance in his credibility—the extent to
which your partner believes in your
competence, trustworthiness, and
likability— scientist, she feels comfortable
disclosing, or revealing confidential or
secret information, to him that she would
not share with a stranger or passerby on
the street (293).

12. 
Expert power is the potential to influence
rooted in someone’s subject-specific
knowledge and competence (328). It is
this concept that viewers see utilized by
the Ghostbusters when escorted to see
the mayor.

13. 
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Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical
proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of
God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers
and seas boiling!
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together...
mass hysteria!
Mayor: All right, all right! I get the point!
---------Dr. Peter Venkman: If I'm wrong, nothing happens! We go to jail peacefully, quietly. We'll enjoy it! But if I'm *right*, and we *can* stop this
thing... Lenny, you will have saved the lives of millions of registered
voters.

14. 
As the apocalypse looms overhead, the
city’s mayor is seeks a course of action in
hopes of resolving the situation.
Presented with conflicting accounts, the
Ghostbusters argument weighs more
heavily with the mayor as he views them
as a legitimate source of information as
the city moves closer to apocalyptical
brink.

15. 
After being told what to expect if their
dimension collides with another, Dr.
Venkman reminds the mayor that he
would not only be saving residents, but
voters. Armed with that in mind, the
mayor makes his final decision,
influenced by both the team’s credibility
and Venkman’s smooth talking.

16. 
Interpersonal conflicts occur when a
disagreement arises between “two
interdependent people who perceive
that they have incompatible goals”
(358). The film depicts such a scenario
using the characters Peter Venkman and
Walter Peck.

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Dr Ray Stantz: Everything was fine with our system until
the power grid was shut off by d***less here.
Walter Peck: They caused an explosion!
Mayor: Is this true?
Dr. Peter Venkman: Yes it's true.
[pause]
Dr. Peter Venkman: This man has no d***.
Walter Peck: Jeez!
[Charges at Venkman]
Mayor: Break it up! Hey, break this up! Break it up!
Walter Peck: All right, all right, all right!
Dr. Peter Venkman: Well, that's what I heard!

18. 
While Venkman and Peck began their
first encounter civilly it quickly escalated
after the pair realized that neither was
willing to acquiesce to the other’s wishes.
As such the conflict follows the pair
throughout the movie, reappearing
during their meeting with the mayor.

19. 
In order to ascertain if an individual will mesh
well with a company, business conduct job
interviews in which they hold a “conversation
or a series of conversations between a job
candidate and representative of the hiring
organization…” to gain an understanding of
potential opportunities for both the company
and the candidate (437).

Winston Zeddimore’s job interview illustrates an
interview style that is rarely encountered, if
experienced at all.

20. Janine Melnitz: Do you
believe in UFOs, astral
projections, mental
telepathy, ESP,
clairvoyance, spirit
photography, telekinetic
movement, full trance
mediums, the Loch Ness
monster and the theory
of Atlantis?
 Winston Zeddemore: Ah,
if there's a steady
paycheck in it, I'll believe
anything you say.


21. 
In terms of authenticity, Winston
Zeddemore’s job interview shares little
similarity with those conducted today.
After Zeddemore is hired after answering
one question it becomes apparent that
he is hired because of his willingness to
perform the job above all else.

22. 
Legitimate power is “the potential to
influence others rooted in the authority
granted to a person who occupies a
certain role” (327). As the film
progresses, viewers watch as Dr.
Venkman violates this concept and
insults his counterpart’s position.

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Walter Peck: And where do you
put these ghosts, once you catch
them?
Dr. Peter Venkman: Into a storage
facility.
Walter Peck: And would this
storage facility be located on
these premises?
Dr. Peter Venkman: Yes.
Walter Peck: And may I see this
storage facility?
Dr. Peter Venkman: No.
Walter Peck: And why not, Mr.
Venkman?
Dr. Peter Venkman: Because you
did not use the magic word.
Walter Peck: What is the magic
word, Mr. Venkman?
Dr. Peter Venkman: [looking
surprised] Please!
Walter Peck: May I *please* see
the storage facility, Mr. Venkman?
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Dr. Peter Venkman: Why do you
want to see the storage facility?
Walter Peck: Because I'm curious. I
wanna know more about what
you do here! Frankly, I've heard
alot of wild stories in the media
and we want to assess any
possibility of dangerous and
possibly hazardous waste
chemicals in your basement.
[Peck is angered]
Walter Peck: Now you either
*show me* what is down there, or I
come back with a court order.
Dr. Peter Venkman: [Venkman
snaps back] You go get a court
order, and I'll sue your funny ass
for wrongful prosecution.
Walter Peck: You can have it your
way, Mr. Venkman.

24. 
In order to fund their new venture,
Venkman persuades Ray to take out a
second and third mortgage on his house.

25. Dr Ray Stantz: My parents left me that
house. I was born there.
 Dr. Peter Venkman: You're not gonna
lose the house, everybody has three
mortgages nowadays.


26. 
By “using verbal
messages designed to
influence the attitudes
and behaviors of
others,” Venkman was
able to convince Ray
that their ejection from
the university was a sign
that they were meant to
go into business for
themselves (329). In
doing so, Venkman
plants a seed that he
can later cultivate in
order to obtain funds for
the trio’s entrepreneurial
needs.

27. 
Ghostbusters is rife with examples of
back-channel cues as the characters
utilize “verbal and nonverbal signals that
indicate you are listening and
attempting to understand the message”
(213).

28. [after nearly being crushed by a falling
bookcase]
 Dr. Peter Venkman: This happen to you
before?
 [Ray shakes his head]
 Dr. Peter Venkman: Huh. First time?
 [Ray nods]


29. 
Although Ray does not verbally respond
to Venkman’s questions, Peter is able to
see that Ray is listening to him as he nods
in repsonse the questions being posed.

30. 
Overall I think Ghostbusters accurately
depicts some of the forms of
interpersonal communication
experienced in everyday conversations;
with the content of the story gaining a
level of approachable plausibility
through the inclusion of interpersonal
relationships and the communicative
patterns that transpire within them.

31. 
Movie Quotes: imdb.com
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Images: Google Images