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Godfather by Mario Puzo,
is a world acclaimed piece of work. Not only did the book win many accolades but
the movie was a trendsetter in its own right. The Godfather trilogy to this day
is considered the best trilogy of its times. The saga carefully and intimately
inspects the ups and downs and psychology of the Corleone family and the fears
and insecurities that each character possesses and how they compel them to
behave in the way they do. The movie was not only popular for its artwork, but
also for its close relation to real life. There were many nuances at a primal
level that most of us could relate to. Not only do we see glimpses of personal
life but we also see how the Corleone mafia worked as an organization. The
workings of the mafia closely endorse some of the age-old motivation theories.
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One such theory is the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s theory is
considered quite simplistic. So it has been decided that instead of achieving
these needs even on a single level bases, a person could be working towards
different needs at different times. We see such a play of emotional triggers in
the characters of the Godfather. Although there was no one on the highest-level
i.e. self-realization but there were all the other needs playing a major role in
the actions of the Corleone family, self esteem and security being the most
dominant.
However as an organization other motivational theories were more pertinent. One
such theory is Mc McClelland’s needs theory. He specifies the three basic needs
as achievement power and affiliation. All these needs play a major role in goal
setting. The need to achieve is what drives The Don to succeed, to build an
empire, to provide for his family. The need for power is what drives to control
others behavior. When one has achieved the goals limited to his personality then
he extends his goals to other people’s lives. The Corleone family ruled and
succeeded because the Godfather knew how to be the most effective user of power.
Interestingly when we study their behaviors in detail, we realize, that in
reality it was the need for affiliation that was instrumental in propelling
forward the above 2 needs and not the other way round as is usually the case in
most cases. We see that The Don did all that he did for the family and to
protect those that he loved. In the Sicilian tradition, family always came
first. That is the practice that the Don held till his dying day and the same
was passed on to his son, the next Don, Michael.
Family and ritual are very important to the Corleones. Staunchly Catholic, they
believe in church weddings, baptisms, and funerals. Every important milestone in
life is celebrated with religious rites – baptism, first communion, wedding, and
funeral. Equally important are the family traditions; above all respect - and
justice, often in the form of bloody murder for the disrespectful.
Based on the best-selling novel by Mario Puzo, The Godfather brought
respectability and box office success back to a genre that had been relegated to
B-movie status after the initial success of James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson,
and Paul Muni in the original gangster movies of the 30s. (George Chabot, 2001)
Interestingly it was the same need for affiliation that propelled Michael into
the world of Crime. It was for his family that he was forced to take on the role
of the godfather and not something that he desired for himself. Even later we
see that he made sacrifices and bore heartache to protect his family and keep
them from harm’s way. Another important theory is the positive and negative
reinforcement theory. This theory states that behavior is only caused by
external stimuli and ignores the inner state of the individual. This theory
works with the reward and punishment theory. That if good behavior is rewarded
and bad behavior is punished the person will become conditioned to behave in the
desired manner regardless of how the person feels internally.
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