Survivor Blog Post #2
By the second episode of Survivor, members in both the Hunahpuh and Coyopa tribes have developed enough experience to become comfortable and ultimately expose more of their true personalities. As these personalities emerge, it appears that certain members are struggling to establish themselves within the group. For example, in the Hunahpuh tribe, members John and Drew are both shown boasting about their physical abilities and engaging in competitions with each other in front of their fellow tribe-members. It appears that in this case, their need for inclusion within the group has not been fully met, ultimately influencing them into becoming “oversocial members.”
In addition, John’s over-social behavior is also exposed after he realizes he is responsible for losing the tribe’s flint, a necessity for starting fires at camp. In a personal interview, John reveals that he feels it is necessary to emphatically express his admission to the mistake in order to ensure his place within the tribe. Already feeling that his status within the tribe is unstable, John believes that by attracting attention to the matter and profusely expressing his remorse, he will be able to avoid feeling ostracized by the group. Drew and John alike resolve to attract attention to themselves in order to make up for what they feel they lack: inclusion and companionship. In order to compensate for their feelings of inadequacy, they believe that by impressing the other members, they will be able to gain more acceptance overall.
On the other hand, in the Coyopa tribe, members begin to reveal their more of their assertiveness. In the episode, the audience begins to identify John as “low-apprehension member.” He becomes more confident overall, asserts himself, and expresses his opinions with the group more openly. However, as he struggled to successfully complete the first challenge, it appears that his assertiveness and lack of apprehension can quickly turn hostile and aggressive.
Coyopa member Josh also begins to assert himself more within the group as well, but in a very different manner. Josh, taking on the “coordinator” role within the group, brings it upon himself to strategize with other members before tribal council commences so that a common goal can be achieved. However, as alliances become fickle and decisions must be made, Josh’s behavior becomes “passive-agressive.” Towards the beginning of the episode, Josh converses with Baylor about his dedication to their own alliance, however later on, he meets with John and the other men in order to form a plan to vote Baylor off of the team. Although Josh has the facade of being a team player, he deceives and manipulates others only to further himself in the competition rather than do what is best for the team as a whole. He continually turns on the “alliances” he forms with the other tribe members and cannot commit to his word. Therefore, in the end, Val is sent home after he goes against his word to John and persuades the other men into questioning her possession of an idol. He is then able to keep his strongest alliance with Baylor and maintain his control over the team’s decisions through the plans he formulates behind-the-scenes.
