...“Social influence, refers to the influence of the presence of other people on thought, feeling, and behavior” (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). The effects of social influence from environments can have both positive and negative consequences. Each individual approaches situations with their own set of personal characteristics (McAdams, D. P., 2006); however different aspects of influence determine how an individual may modify their behaviors to react in a given situation. Let us explore two examples of socially influenced behaviors to understand the affects they may have on an individual. The blind obedience to authority study conducted by Stanley Milgram is an example of how social influence can actually change the way an individual will behave regardless of personal belief in the presence of an authority figure in a hierarchical situation (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). The Milgram experiment measured obedience to an authority figure through electric shocks, which are given by study participants to another person upon directives given from whom the participants thought of as an authority figure. Milgram’s study showed how far people would go to obey orders from an authority figure. Obedience is the act of carrying out commands in compliance to authority (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Information gathered from the web site for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2011), tells us that in World War II, Jewish slave laborers are recruited by Nazi’s, to help enforce Nazi laws in the Warsaw...
Words: 1116 - Pages: 5
...example of how social influence can actually change the way an individual will behave regardless of personal belief in the presence of an authority figure in a hierarchical situation (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). The Milgram experiment measured obedience to an authority figure through electric shocks which were given by study participants to another person upon directives given from whom the participants thought of as an authority figure (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). Milgram’s study showed how far people would go to obey orders from an authority figure. Description Obedience is the act of carrying out commands in compliance to authority (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). Information gathered from the Web site for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2011) tells us that in World War II, Jewish slave laborers were recruited by Nazi’s...
Words: 1179 - Pages: 5
...ideologies have enabled groups of people to inflict inhumane violence on other members of society through compliance to authority. Such historical events of massive genocides include the Holocaust; where Nazi soldiers killed six million innocent Jewish people based on their political and ethical reasoning. Troubled by situations of this nature, Stanley Milgram held a collection of experiments that his book “Obedience to Authority” outlines. Milgram tells us that “the aim of the study was to find when and how people defy authority in the face of clear moral imperatives” ( 4). Milgram found that there are social forces which allow populations to commit morally conflicting acts against other populations. The fundamental variable for this influence is ideology; which is defined in Webster’s dictionary as “a systematic body of concepts, especially about human life or culture”(“ideology”). Ideologies accompanied by social contagions, admit ordinary individuals to transgress in inhumane conformed evils. The obedient subjects of Milgram’s studies and the Nazi soldiers alike are not all necessarily sadistic psychopaths. Rather, they’re a result of ideological social conformity. It has been a commonly accepted idea that those who participated in the holocaust were all individually psychopaths, but conformity to a corrupt authority’s dogma influences ordinary people to behave malevolently. Between 1941- 1945, fifty-five thousand Nazi soldiers worked at death and work camps (Wikipedia, World...
Words: 1825 - Pages: 8
...student essays that were either pro or anti Fidel Castro. Told some writers freely chose be the pro or anti others were assigned determined by a coin toss. Participants asked to rate how pro/anti the attitudes of the writers were. Findings: participants believed writers freely chose= rated people who spoke in favor have a more positive attitude towards Castro (dispositional). Determined by coin toss= write in pro= more positive. Participants unable to see the influence of situational restraints placed upon writers could not refrain from dispositional belief even though participants were randomly assigned. Evaluation: lead to further research, all American sample, and question ecological validity. Suedfeld (2003) Attribution made by holocaust survivors. Questionnaire given to survivor groups and age-matched Jewish participants who had not experienced Nazi prosecution. 91% of survivors made situational attributions and 51% in control group. 34% of survivors made dispositional attribution and 71% in control group, Self-Serving Bias Attribution exhibits self-serving bias when we explain our...
Words: 1044 - Pages: 5
... Social Psychology Definition Paper | Julee Poole | | Jamie Uber | 7/29/2013 | In this paper I want to explain what the meaning of social psychology is and how social psychology differs from other fields, such as clinical psychology, general psychology, and sociology. Also I will explain the methods used to research social psychology. | Social psychology is the branch of psychology that deals with social interactions, including their origins and their effects on the individual. Social psychology looks at all different types of social interactions, including group behavior, social perception, leadership, nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and prejudice. One thing to know about social psychology is that it does not just deal with social influences, but they are vital to understand it. Social psychology has been around since the 1800’s, but wasn’t really used until the horrors of the Holocaust; it led researchers to study more on the effects of social influence, obedience, and conformity. Also the government wanted to use social psychology to influence the citizens; it has grown since then and more and more are interested in understanding social experiences and behaviors. Social psychology differs from sociology because it deals with social behavior of an individual and uses more experimentation, when compared with personality psychology; it tends to focus less on an individual and more on how they affect one another. Social psychology tends to ask questions...
Words: 753 - Pages: 4
...which often leads to the man getting a higher designation and salary than the woman. Even among children, boys tend to exert more influence than girls (C1). One of the major elements that contribute to social influence in todays world is the internet. Social media such as blogging and instant messaging are the core reasons for an individual to want to change their behavior and fit in. what makes online social influence stand out from the others is that you do not have to be physically present with the person you are interacting with for the change to take place. It could happen when the individual is totally isolated and can control to whom and when they want to interact (I2). There are different categories of social influence, such as conformity, obedience, social facilitation, social loafing, group polarization, groupthink and deindividuation (Myers), some of which this piece of work will discuss...
Words: 1496 - Pages: 6
...Abstract Extreme cases of social roles or influences usually need treatment. Such as in the case of social influences and altruism were in the extremes it is necessary to correct behaviors that occur. However, choice is the clear decision maker in determining actions, whether good or bad, correct or incorrect, education needs to be available for people to make the right decision. Social Influences on Behavior Paper By examining the basic concepts and of human interaction in social situations and the way behavior changes by examining altruism and social influence we can get a better understanding of these concepts through a psychological perspective. What happens in these situations and if the effects of the situations require treatment or if the behaviors require correcting. Altruism is “behaving in a way that helps another person with no apparent gain, or with potential cost, to oneself.” (Kowalski, R., & Westen, D., 2009) There are several theories within altruism, there is ethical hedonism, “…asserts that all behavior, no matter how apparently altruistic, is and should be designed to increase one’s own pleasure or reduce one’s own pain.” (Kowalski, R., & Westen, D., 2009) This theory offers that giving money, food, etc. is only done by an individual to compensate for their own sorrow and making themselves feel better. Another theory is reciprocal altruism, “…natural selection favors animals that behave altruistically if the likely benefit to each individual over...
Words: 1020 - Pages: 5
...relation to individual differences • Skills of analysis, evaluation and application in relation to individual differences • Knowledge and understanding of research methods associated with this area of psychology • Knowledge and understanding of ethical issues associated with this area of psychology. |Content outline | |Social influence |Conformity (majority influence) and explanations of why people conform, including informational | | |social influence and normative social influence | | | | | |Types of conformity, including internalisation and compliance | | | | | |Obedience to authority, including Milgram’s work and explanations of why people obey | |Social...
Words: 10453 - Pages: 42
...Introduction The things the author will discuss and cover in this paper are; the definition of social psychology, a brief history background of social psychology. The way social psychology differs from clinical psychology, general psychology, and sociology. Also the role of research in social psychology will be discussed. Define Social Psychology Social Psychology is a discipline that uses scientific method “to understand and explain ones thoughts, feelings, and behavior that are influenced by the actual, imagined or implied presence of other human being” (Gordon Allport, 1985). The year social facilitation was introduced was 1800’s. After WW2 was when the research of social psychology began. The holocaust was what led the researchers to study the effects of social influence, conformity, and obedience. The US Government was interested to apply social psychology concepts to influence citizens. The Differences The way social psychology differs from Clinical Psychology, General Psychology, and Sociology are; Clinical Psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Some of these disorders are learning disabilities, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. General Psychology is a term that refers to the entire science of psychology. Psychology is the study of mind and behavior that includes the studies of perception, motivation, emotions, personality, relationships, and the unconscious. Sociology...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...“The Experiments That Still Shock” by Carol Tavris, The Wall Street Journal In 1963, Stanley Milgram conducted an experiment on “obedience to authority” just 2 years after the Nazi Adolf Eichmann had claimed in his trial he was “only following orders” in the murder of Jews during the Holocaust. After World War 2, Milgram, along with many other people, was curious as to how many normal, everyday citizens would obey authority even when directly hurting another human being. About 780 Participants arrived at the Yale lab under the pretense they were to be part of an experiment studying the effects of punishment on learning. Three people were involved in each trial, one assigned the role the ‘teacher’, and the other the ‘learner’, and the experiment conductor (who was nothing but a man in a white lab coat). The learner, seated in an adjoining room as the teacher, was to receive an electric shock from the teacher whenever an error was made when reciting a pair of words. The teacher was to press a lever on a machine that had varying intensities of voltages. The shock levels were labeled “SLIGHT SHOCK” to “DANGER-SEVERE SHOCK” and finally “XXX”. With each error the learner made, the voltage intensity was to increase. What the participants didn’t know was that the learner was a confederate of Milgrams who didn't receive any shocks. He shouted and pleaded to be released with each “shock” according to a prearranged script. If the participant-teacher wanted to leave, the experimenter...
Words: 532 - Pages: 3
...The experiment[edit] Milgram Experiment advertisement Three individuals were involved: the one running the experiment, the subject of the experiment (a volunteer), and a confederate pretending to be a volunteer. These three people fill three distinct roles: the Experimenter (an authoritative role), the professor (a role intended to obey the orders of the Experimenter), and the Learner (the recipient of stimulus from the Teacher). The subject and the actor both drew slips of paper to determine their roles, but unknown to the subject, both slips said "teacher". The actor would always claim to have drawn the slip that read "learner", thus guaranteeing that the subject would always be the "teacher". At this point, the "teacher" and "learner" were separated into different rooms where they could communicate but not see each other. In one version of the experiment, the confederate was sure to mention to the participant that he had a heart condition.[1] The "teacher" was given an electric shock from the electro-shock generator as a sample of the shock that the "learner" would supposedly receive during the experiment. The "teacher" was then given a list of word pairs which he was to teach the learner. The teacher began by reading the list of word pairs to the learner. The teacher would then read the first word of each pair and read four possible answers. The learner would press a button to indicate his response. If the answer was incorrect, the teacher would administer a shock to...
Words: 2580 - Pages: 11
...Obedience is a form of social influence that occurs when a person yields to explicit instructions on orders from an authority figure. Obedience is compliance with commands given by an authority figure. In the 1960s, the social psychologist Stanley Milgram did a famous research study called the obedience study. It showed that people have a strong tendency to comply with authority figures. Milgram’s Obedience Study Milgram told his forty male volunteer research subjects that they were participating in a study about the effects of punishment on learning. He assigned each of the subjects to the role of teacher. Each subject was told that his task was to help another subject like himself learn a list of word pairs. Each time the learner made a mistake, the teacher was to give the learner an electric shock by flipping a switch. The teacher was told to increase the shock level each time the learner made a mistake, until a dangerous shock level was reached. Throughout the course of the experiment, the experimenter firmly commanded the teachers to follow the instructions they had been given. In reality, the learner was not an experiment subject but Milgram’s accomplice, and he never actually received an electric shock. However, he pretended to be in pain when shocks were administered. Prior to the study, forty psychiatrists that Milgram consulted told him that fewer than 1 percent of subjects would administer what they thought were dangerous shocks to the learner...
Words: 1700 - Pages: 7
...when writing The History Boys as there are several humorous scenes in it. The mock interview disagrees with the critics view. ‘How do I define history? It’s just one fucking thing after another.’ This is an example of one of the entertaining moments of the History Boys as he wouldn’t say that in an interview. Bennett proves to the audience that Rudge adds to the comedy. The French scene shows the Head teacher contrast with the student intelligence. The persuasion of the Headmaster into speaking French and the willingness of the boys to encourage this shows the connection of the boys and Hector and how they mock people with essentially, more authority but the boys are at the advantage with their intelligence, which enhances the comedic effect of the headmaster failing to express his French correctly. The Boys themselves are the core of the play; and their sexuality. Dakin generates an extended...
Words: 1452 - Pages: 6
...Protection of German Blood and Honor. These laws—to be know as the “Nuremberg Laws”-- deprived Jews of German citizenship and many civil rights. Unresolved in the initial Nuremberg Laws were the actual definition of Jews. The first of thirteen supplementary decrees, all designating the biological composition of Jewish blood, was published on November 14, l935, and defined Jews in terms of their lineage. These laws enforced a new morality on Germans that made it acceptable to ostracize, discriminate, and expel Jews from society. According to Hitler, the Nuremberg Laws were just a precursor to other much more degrading decrees. These laws allowed Adolf Hitler to get close to his goal of getting rid of the “parasite” and imposing racial conformity on society. The Nuremberg Laws were the first attempt by the German government to define the Jew, and the first step towards the annihilation of the Jews in Germany. Even before the Nuremberg...
Words: 2091 - Pages: 9
...How Should I Live? With each decision, we constantly ask ourselves, “Is this the right decision?” Sooner or later, we are all presented with the task to choose between what is right and what is easy. In one of my favorite novel series, Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore says to Harry, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” (Rowling 1998, 219) This is true. Our decisions in life, our struggles, selections, and choices, are the bindings to our stories; ultimately holding together what makes us who we are, just as Dumbledore said. How should we live our lives? It is not a question that can be simply stated in a few words. One word out of the posed question is the main subject- “live”. What does it mean to truly live and what is the best way to do it? I think it is a mixture of many things. However, out of many lifestyles that involve moral behavior, I think the life of an altruist is an extremely honorable one, and it is one by which I want to model my life. In order to do good, one must know evil. So, what is evil? What makes good people do bad things? According to Philip Zimbardo, “evil consists in intentionally behaving in ways that harm, abuse, demean, dehumanize, or destroy innocent others -- or using one’s authority and systemic power to encourage or permit others to do so on your behalf” (Zimbardo 2007, 5). Throughout history, we have seen multiple examples of evil acts; from the Rwandan Genocide to Abu Ghraib to the actions...
Words: 2681 - Pages: 11
