After watching the movie ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, I was surprised by the ending that Andy finally leaves her boss and fashion behind. In Jiangxin(Azure) Zhu’s blog, she thinks that value can affect and guide Andy’s decisions and evaluate her behaviors. Therefore, Andy made her decision based on her value that friendship, family, and love are always more important to maintain than a fascinating job dreamed by a million people. She also notices the problem of inappropriate leadership and power of Miranda.
However, in Andy’s 24/7 working hours she follows whatever Miranda says regardless of how ridiculous and impossible the requirement is. She was asked to get manuscript of Harry Porter for Miranda’s children; to get Miranda’s favorite steak while the restaurant is still closed; to recite an entire book of guest names before an event. I think she suffers a lot but what attract Andy to stay and work this hard?
It first can be related to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The assistant job basically satisfies her physiological and safety needs because she can get salary to pay her rent and on the process of adapting to her job Andy actively finish the tasks. Later when she’s attending some social events she can meet celebrities and be praised by others. At this stage, she receives esteem. After being Miranda’s first assistant she can easily solve problems and enjoy at finishing impossible tasks to get her dream job at other magazine office, which is her growth and self-fulfillment. She meets her higher-order needs by the job since she is satisfied internally.
On the other hand, motivators can also explain the reasons behind. Theory X, which suggests that people are almost exclusively driven by extrinsic motivators, explains Andy’s first stage working with Miranda because she dislikes the workplace environment and is controlled by the first assistant and Miranda’s requirement. She knows that after working with Miranda for one year she will get any job she really wants. At the second stage, she is into being praised and involved in events with celebrities so she became more positive. She is intrinsically motivated because she enjoys taking challenges and fulfilling herself.
Although at last she goes back to her real life after realizing fashion and the job are not what she is pursuing, there are some worthwhile reasons explaining why she works so hard.
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Source:
https://blogs.ubc.ca/jiangxinzhu/
Kohn, Punished by Rewards (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993).
H. Maslow, Motivation and Personality (New York: Harper and Row, 1954).
