Social psychology

Is conformity human nature or a social pressure? Conformity is one of the largest problems society is dealing with today; it involves developing a change in behavior and thoughts to fit in a specific group. Although changes are part of everyone's lifestyle, there are certain levels at which some are considered acceptable and some unacceptable. For example, there are some groups which follow unique standards causing people to adapt these circumstances to be part of the group; consequently, many…

Stereotypes are widely shared generalisations about members of a social group (Leyens, Yzerbyt and Schadron, 1994) and, as Lippman (1922) suggested, they are used as templates to help individuals interpret the social world. Individuals form stereotypes for many reasons, such as to clarify social roles and enhance one’s self-esteem; by forming stereotypes, individuals can compare themselves to those perceived in a more negative light, thus enhancing their own status. Such stereotypes are often…

the effects of models are particularly relevant in this context. A significant model in one’s life can help instill self-beliefs that will influence the course and direction that life will take. Part of one’s vicarious experience also involves the social comparisons made with other individuals. These comparisons, along with peer modeling, can be powerful…

It is a system that divides society and labels individual's based on their social or economic status. In the novel 1984 by George Orwell there are three main class systems which are called the The Inner Party, Outer Party, and the Proles. The Inner Party class members have the upper hand and more over the Outer Party and Proles…

Bloom argues that humanity’s excessive communication alters our perception of reality. He says that in an experiment conducted by Solomon Asch 75% of people would agree with the group’s claim, even if it was wrong (31). This phenomenon is not peer pressure, it is the brain reworking what we see. If many people see something that you don’t, then your brain will assume something is wrong and try to correct your vision to the group’s, which is the reason why “[the participants’s] senses had been…

1. Explain the reasons that human decisions can be flawed and biased, thus leading to unsatisfactory outcomes. Psychologists have discovered many aspects of human decision making that lead to unsatisfactory outcomes. First, humans feel worse about negative things than they feel good about positive things of the same amount, most of the time. This is known as loss aversion. Second, the processing of gains and losses often depends on the view-point from which the judgment is made. This reference…

Driven for Some In this essay I will describe how my social styles impact my relationships with others as well as how I can change that. A social style is described in On Course written by Skip Downing. Social styles are defined as our style of interaction. I am a driver/amiable which means that I value my success before others. As well as not valuing others emotions. Challenges I face in my relationships that are a potential causes of social style differences are large. Therefore, I struggle…

Non-conformists Without realization people experience negative criticism from conformists, more than from bullies. Therefore, the thing that affects people to negatively criticize themselves, is not due to bullying it’s the issue of social conformity. Social conformity influences people in various ways. It causes each individual to become someone else in order to “fit in” to meet society’s expectations and be accepted. Meanwhile, non-conformists tend to approach the standards of society has…

Social Norms... What are they? What are some examples of them? What purpose do they serve? Which one can I break, while attracting the least amount of attention to myself? Why am I so reluctant to do this? These are all questions I asked myself when I first got assigned this project. The first few had answers that I could look up in a textbook. Social Norms are rules that are set by society telling you what behavior is acceptable in a certain group. Let’s pretend that you are meeting someone for…

Per Macionis (2016), social norms are the rules and guidelines that a society uses to influence the behavior of its members. Norms are not written down on paper, rather they are behaviors taught to children first by parents, teachers and other authoritative figures. However, as children grow older, their peer group becomes the main deciding factor of what behaviors are acceptable. As someone who has always tried to adhere to the norms I learned as a child, the idea of deliberately breaking one…