NAME: ALLEN KYLE O.

MAGUNDAYAO
COURSE AND SECTION: AB FOREIGN SERVICE - FS301
SUBJECT: INNF17F
PROFESSOR: MR. JUMEL ESTRAÑERO
“DIFFERENT INTENTIONS, FAILED NEGOTIATION”
(A review of the movie, “The Break Up”)
The Break-Up introduces us to Gary and Brooke who are very different
people. As fate would bring them together at a baseball game in their hometown of
Chicago, we are met with two personalities that seem completely opposite but have
an obvious chemistry that implies from the beginning of an opposites attract
situation. With this type of relationship, there will always be a tendency to have
multiple disagreements and misunderstandings but a big misunderstanding after a
busy day for both prompted the two to break-up but there were many factors as to
why their relationship failed to evolve. Unwilling to give up the condominium unit that
they purchased together, we then see the couple try to desperately make each other
jealous in an attempt to show the other that life is better apart. What they both realize
toward end is that they needed each other more than they originally thought.

After a friends and family game night at their shared condo, Gary and Brooke
have a rather heated argument in front of their guests. The argument prompts their
friend and real estate agent Mark to suggest that they move on from one another.
The only way to do so would be to sell their very in demand condo. Brooke and Gary
agree but continue to set boundaries in the Rules of Negotiations as to how their
living situation would be feasible. The most important rule between the two was to
respect each other’s personal space to make sure they are both getting their
resources from the condo without the fear of conflict, aggression and malice.
Brooke’s space was the bedroom while Gary’s space was the living room. Common
ground included the kitchen, dining room and bathroom. This could be similarly
compared to two groups who share a common ground such as the Israelis and the
Palestinians who historically have not gotten along but must share common ground
to hopefully live in a civil manner as negotiated in Oslo Accords which clearly stated
which groups controlled what areas and how to share the common ground of
Jerusalem. In Brooke and Gary’s situation, this negotiation was the key to
successfully living together as a former couple to avoid aggression and malice
toward one another.

This type of Bilateral Negotiation that Gary and Brooke agree upon is a
classic example of two parties who set the ground rules through negotiation with one
outside person acting as a mediator, in this case is their friend and real estate agent
Mark. When it comes to their living situation, in theory, it could work but shared
factors such as common friends and shared possessions became a problem. In their
negotiation skills, Brooke and Gary did not follow two key factors to successful
negotiations. The couple did not follow adaptability  because even if there are set
rules through their initial negotiation, both were not willing to compromise on issues
such as involving common friends. Their friends were put in the middle of activities
such as the friends bowling team and family friends game night in which Brooke and
Gary made their common friend choose sides on who to be loyal to, which is unfair
to all people involved. This also violated another protocol in negotiation which is
patience. Both Brooke and Gary clearly did not even want to compromise on how to
handle common ground such as friends and family because even minor changes in
their agreement could have prevented conflict. When Brooke’s brother Richard
arrived with his chorus group, Gary was upset at the loud singing however Richard
and his group were in Brooke’s bedroom so there was no violation of agreement
there. They were just making Gary upset because of the singing so early in the
morning but Gary had no say and acted aggressively to which has lost his battle due
to impatience. 

This now ties into the Details stage of Around-The-Table Negotiations in that
both parties involved must adhere and follow the rules set forth upon the
negotiations and if any violations occur, one or both parties will suffer the
consequences. After Brooke’s brother Richard took aggressive action on Gary
because Gary overstepped his boundaries into Brooke’s bedroom, Richard choked
Gary and pinned him to the floor which resulted in a nose bleed and bruises. This is
Gary suffering from the consequences of not adhering to the negotiations. After this
incident, Brooke and Gary set a new protocol, as a type of Packaging Agreement,
that the rules set in the original negotiation should be fairly executed by both parties
and not using petty ways to annoy the other, even if that was the purpose of Brooke
to make Gary realize that he needs her more than he thinks and also Gary’s purpose
to annoy Brooke to have her leave the condo on her own. This also exemplifies an
issue the Details stage of negotiation in which the Atmosphere is clearly being
rewritten during the process because of the personal reasons involved which poses
a problem to the original negotiations.

Negotiation is key to having a healthy and functional working relationship. In

the case of Gary and Brooke, the negotiations were pitted to be doomed from the
beginning because the two had separate agendas and intentions. Brooke just
wanted Gary to realize that he had a great girlfriend who cared about him and she
wanted to feel appreciated. Gary on the other hand had felt like he needed space
because Brooke was constantly controlling him. Their objectives to keeping the
condo were not common to begin with as Brooke just wanted Gary to appreciate her
and take her back but Gary really wanted Brooke to move out of the condo and
leave. Still, although the two had different purposes to the negotiations, the set rules
and regulations were needed in order for both live in a common area to try avoiding
conflict among themselves. Although it was only toward the end when Gary realized
that he was being selfish and was a person who did not like to compromise, Brooke
also determined that she and Gary were not in the same mentality and heart in which
Brooke then decided the original negotiations were not worth fighting for if both
parties were not in the same goal mind set. Sometimes, as stated in the Rules of
Negotiation, it’s best to Manage the Chaos. In the case of Brooke and Gary, in
Packaging Agreement, Saving Face at a Premium to try regaining favorable standing
after something embarrassing has happened is the best solution to move on to the
next chapter of your life.