...Abstract Kowalski, R.,& Westen. D. (2005). Psychology (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley This paper will examine basic concepts of human interaction from a psychology perspective. It will describe at least two examples of how human behavior changes based on social situations. The two behaviors that this paper will examine are teenagers who drink in a crowd of their peers but don't drink when they are alone and taking part in bullying in a group but not alone. In both of these scenarios the individual who participates in the behaviors to fit in are “changing their attitudes or behavior to accommodate the standards of peers or group by a process called conformity (Kowalski & Westen, 2005).” The paper will also discuss precursors and consequences of both of these behaviors. Next, the paper will analyze and identify any associated phenomenon like social facilitation, social loafing , or groupthink. Last, there will be some discussion from the NIMH on whether or not these behaviors necessitate intervention. Social Influences Paper Introduction “Sociologist and philosophers have recognized that people behave different in crowds than they do as individuals and that a crowd is more than the mere sum of its parts (Kowalski & Westen, 2005).” Human behavior changes based on the social situations they encounter. This paper will examine basic concepts of human interaction from a psychology perspective. It will describe at least...
Words: 1389 - Pages: 6
...Americas teenagers. I will be discussing several point in this paper from various studies to what exactly alcoholism is and the different dangers of this disease. This is a very personal topic to me so I hope you enjoy my research paper. The first point being addressed is what exactly alcoholism is. According to The Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary, alcoholism “is a diseased condition resulting from the excessive use or persistent use of alcoholic beverages.” Alcoholism has divided into two major forms--alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence (Goodwin 1998). Alcohol abuse is the excessive consumption of alcohol which has detrimental effects on the people and situations surrounding an individual; whereas, alcohol dependence is a physical attachment to the alcohol. Alcohol abuse leads to hazardous behavior, such as drunken driving and continued drinking despite negative consequences on family, work, or social functioning. Alcohol dependence involves withdrawal symptoms when alcohol is not used, and lack of control over drinking despite serious social and medical problems (Goodwin 1998). Various studies have been performed to show the relationship between alcoholism and genetics. New research on male twins show that genes play a critical role in the development of milder forms of alcoholism, such as, occasional abuse that can land the drinker in dangerous circumstances, particularly while driving (Goodwin 1998). The genetic similarity between twins makes them...
Words: 1594 - Pages: 7
...Learning Team Debate Paper Business Communication and Critical Thinking/BCOM 275 University of Phoenix Learning Team Debate Paper A topic with considerable debate is the legal age to consume alcoholic beverages. “Most cultures where alcohol consumption is legal have a mandated threshold age at which buying and/or consuming alcohol becomes permitted” (International Center for Alcohol Policies, 2011, para. 5). Currently, the United States has set the legal age to drink at 21. The age was once 18; however, society has changed its views concerning this issue. Because the legal drinking age changed to 21 there was an increase in mortality rate at age 21, increase in motor vehicle accidents, and increase in suicides. Even though 18 is considered an adult and a person should be able to make his or her own decisions, the drinking age should not be lowered because teens lack the maturity to handle alcohol and teens are at a higher risk of alcohol-related deaths. This debate has two sides as some people are for lowering the age to 18 again and some against. Many will argue that the average drinking age around the world is 18. According to International Center for Alcohol Policies (2011), “Minimum drinking and purchase ages in countries around the world range from 16 to 25 years of age, with 18 being the most common age limit” (para. 6). Others say that if a person age 18 is old enough to serve and die for his or her country, he or she should be permitted...
Words: 2686 - Pages: 11
...Injury Prevention: Motor Vehicle Injuries and Distracted Driving Among Teen Drivers Heather Stockman Waynesburg University Advanced Health Promotions Judith Adams August, 20, 2013 Injury Prevention: Motor Vehicle Injuries and Distracted Driving Among Teen Drivers Injuries are extremely widespread across society today and unintentional injuries remain among the top 15 killers for people of any age. The majority of people just accept these incidents as accidents, acts of fate, or a part of life although most of the events that result in injury, disability, or death are not only predictable but preventable. Beyond their immediate health consequences, injuries have a major impact on the well-being of society by contributing to premature death, disability, increased medical costs, and lost productivity. In addition, the effects of injury affect not only the injured person but also family members, friends, coworkers, and communities (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). The Injury and Violence Prevention objectives for 2020 include a wide range of issues that can improve the health of the nation if appropriately addressed. One such objective focuses on motor vehicle crashes that are due to distracted driving. This paper will focus on that initiative. INTRODUCTION Distraction is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. There are three main types of distraction. The first is when the driver takes his eyes...
Words: 2973 - Pages: 12
...Here author state that is it okay to allow the 17 year old to drive or do we need to rise the driving age to 18? Brain and auto safety experts fear that 16-year-olds, the youngest drivers licensed in most states, are too immature to handle today's cars and roadway risk do not comprehend the implications of rash driving aggressive and reckless behavior than their adult counterparts . Want to experiment new things while driving like speeding up, racing etc. So, I think it is better to allow a 17 year to get the permit but not the licensed until 18 and it is important to give them plenty of time to make them drive in presence of their parents or the persons who holds the valid driving license. Firstly, I believe that the people below 17 years will not mature and they involve in more accidents than the people of 18 + years age. As we see daily in the news paper saying that high school student involved in road accident dies in the crash. The survey says that only 7% people account for driving license of the total population but 14% of them are in involved in fatal accidents , it is because of driving inexperience, lack of driving skills, risk taking , poor driving judgment and decision making, alcohol consumption and excessive driving during high risk hours. Most of the people feel more independent and counts the days to get the driving license but instead of driving carefully and they feel like it is fun and drives recklessly which is more dangerous not only to them but...
Words: 742 - Pages: 3
...SW 324 Human Behavior in the Social Environment Interview and Social History Paper Jason W. Goebel Presentation College I interviewed a seventeen year old female named Sara (pseudonym) for this paper. Adolescence is a time of growth and development when threats to health can arise, these threats are often related to physical and social exploration. For example, sexual exploration may lead to sexually transmitted infections or unintended pregnancies. Experimentation with drugs or alcohol is another cause of morbidity and mortality that is implicated in deadly motor vehicle crashes in adolescents. Unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide are among the leading causes of adolescent deaths in the United States, and are the top 3 causes for those aged 15 years and older. Additionally, consequences of adolescents’ stressors may include obesity, eating disorders, depression, or other mental health problems. Sara is currently a senior in high school. She resides in a single-family home in Aberdeen, SD, with her mother, stepfather, one brother, and one half-sister. They have resided at the same residence for over seven years. Her familial relationships are typical of those discussed in our texts. She is very close to her mother and has an open and honest relationship with her which she finds important. Sara suffers the typical teenage stressors and can easily speak with her mother regarding her stress. Her stepfather is gone much for work and when...
Words: 791 - Pages: 4
...Opponent: Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Lozi Ms. Rhodes Comp 2 November 11, 2011 Opponent: Lowering the Minimum Legal Drinking Age Introduction At the present time, the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) Law is set at the age of 21 years old. Proponents would have the law revoked and the Minimum Legal Drinking Age reduced. This paper intends to prove that the MLDA should remain as it stands. The Minimum Legal Drinking Age of 21 protects our youth and society as a whole. Evaluation of the Present MLDA: Success Drinking and Driving The present MLDA laws set at 21 are effective. “Almost every state has seen a decrease in teenage driving fatalities since the law went into effect” (Hamilton, 2008, para 3). Before the law took effect, many American youths died in car accidents that could have been avoided if this law had been in effect at the time. “Over the past 20 years, the number of 15 to 20 year olds killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes has been cut in half. The number of 15 to 20 year old drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes also has been cut in half” (Hamilton, 2008, para 15). One cannot argue with statistics. Maturity Factor Most teens would argue that we, as adults, really don’t know anything that they don’t already know. The youth of America have a sense of entitlement, and for the most part, we have created a spoiled generation. “Many youth experiment with unlawful drinking-often to disastrous effects” (National Household Survey On...
Words: 1178 - Pages: 5
...your argument in clear, coherent steps, so your reader or listener can see how you get from one conclusion to the next. Or you can appeal to authority. Here you may want to find experts or facts to support your argument—think about Tiger Woods endorsing golf clubs. (Of course, do we also trust Tiger to advise us on buying watches? Not so clear.) Or you can appeal to emotion. Emotional appeals can be extremely powerful, especially when you are able to relate your argument to your readers' values or needs. Most good arguments make use of all three appeals in some way. But how do you actually construct an argument? First things first: the thesis. The thesis is probably the single most important sentence in the entire paper, because it's what every other element of the paper is working to support. It's the anchor, providing a point for both the reader and you, the writer, to come back to. This puts a lot of pressure on you to choose a good thesis statement, but...
Words: 2586 - Pages: 11
...Teen Suicide Research Paper People need to be informed on why teens commit suicide and what signs to look for. Teens are slowly slipping away because of this deadly subject and people need to start noticing. Sometimes people can get caught up in their own personal lives and not even notice when a loved one is considering suicide. In the seven articles read, there were a variety of things that people seem to overlook often. Why teens are committing suicide and what people can do to help victims who are considering, are two main points that are important for people to know. In a Kids Health article about teen suicide, it talks about teen suicide and different things people need to know about it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year-olds. Most of the time, people don’t realize that they could have helped a victim because they didn’t know any of the warning signs. The article goes on to talk about the risks of suicide, that 60% of all suicide in America are used with a gun. This is why no one should ever have a gun unlocked or kept in a place where it is easily out of reach. In 1996, more teenagers and young adults died of suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, and chronic lung disease combined .In 1996, suicide was the second-leading cause of death among college students, the third-leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 24 years,...
Words: 3883 - Pages: 16
...Alcohol as among the drugs that are been abused in large number and has become a major ill in our society. Alcohol destroys the lives of their victims in many ways. Alcoholism is the later stage after been addicted to alcohol but it can be recovered but it needs self discipline. Contents: Page: 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………. 3 1.1. Definition of alcohol…………………………………………………. 3 2.0. Effects of alcohol…………………………………………………….. 3 2.1. Healthy effects of alcohol……………………………………………. 4 2.2. Social effects of alcohol……………………………………………… 4 3.0. Alcoholism…………………………………………………………… 5 4.0. Causes of Alcoholism………………………………………………... 5 4.1. Social and Emotional causes of Alcoholism………………………… 6 5.0. Ways to recover from Alcoholism…………………………………… 6 6.0. Conclusion…………………………………………………………… 7 INTRODUCTION Drug abuse is an intense desire to obtain increasing amounts of a particular substance or substances to the exclusion of all other activities. According to WHO “Drug abuse has become a major ill in our society; it destroys the lives of their victims in many ways because these chemical substances are not intended to be introduced into the human body and as a result weakens the body system for instance the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and brain are often damaged by heavy drug use and all of these organs are vital for life. Due to the broad case with drugs, I have chosen alcohol as an example of drugs been abused in the society. What is alcohol? According to Buddy. T...
Words: 1548 - Pages: 7
...Challenges Single Moms Face Liberty University Abstract The purpose of this paper is to inform our society of the significant challenges single mom face. Raising children in this era is a very difficult task for couples and it brings greater challenges when is done by a single parent. This paper explores the emotional, psychological and financial aspect of raising children as a single mom as well as the main reasons why. It will review the causes and consequences in which it affects children, parents and entire families. There is data that has been collected where it indicates the reasons why there has been an increase and the impact that it has on children and adolescents. There are ways single moms overcome challenges. II. Introduction to Challenges Single Mom Face According to DeBell( 2008), about half of American children will spend part of their childhood in a single- parent family. DeBell stated that the absence of a father in a child’s home, the most consequential trend of our time, leads to social disaster(Pg. 427). Goldenberg (2008), states that a dysfunctional family, by definition, has failed to fulfill its purpose of nurturing the growth of its members. Single-parent families are more common in today’s society and are...
Words: 3397 - Pages: 14
...Carlos Johnson Jr. Speech 101 Persuasion speech Marijuana is a mixture of dried and shredded leaves, stems and seeds and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant. This drug can either be brown, gray, green or purple. It has multiple names; cannabis, grass, marijuana and weed are only a few of them. Marijuana can be used in multiple ways. It can be smoked through a water pipe, “joint”, smoking paper used to roll it into, or as a “blunt,” which is a hollowed out cigar filled with the drug. It can also be made into edible items such as brownies or cookies. It was originally brought to the “New World” in 1545, but was introduced and used as a cash crop in Jamestown in 1611. The drug never really caught on and had been used until the 1920’s. Many people believe that the prohibition was the cause of the cannabis use. It was mostly used by people in show business and was not considered a social threat, but yet a treat (Narconon). Marijuana was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia until 1942. The United States Federal Bureau of Narcotics conducted a campaign in the 1930’s to show that weed is dangerous to society and is very addictive. In 1937 the Marihuana Tax Act made Cannabis federally illegal in the United States. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified marijuana along with heroin and LSD as a Schedule I drug (Narconon). Should this product really be illegal? People look at it as being such a negative drug, but have they ever really looked at the positive views of...
Words: 1454 - Pages: 6
... Abstract Excess drinking is associated with lost productivity, accidents, disability, early death, crime, neglect of family responsibilities, and personality deterioration. These and related concerns have justified special restrictions on alcoholic-beverage commerce and consumption. The nature and extent of government involvement in this arena vary widely over time and place, and are often controversial. Economists have contributed to the evaluation of alcohol policy through empirical work on the effects of alcohol-control measures on consumption and its consequences. Economics has also provided an accounting framework for defining and comparing costs and benefits of interventions, including excise taxes. Outside of the policy arena, economists have analyzed alcohol consumption in the context of stretching the standard model of consumer choice to include intertemporal effects and social influence. Nonetheless, perhaps the most important contribution by economists has been the repeated demonstration that there is nothing unusual about alcohol in at least one essential respect: consumers drink less ethanol (and have fewer alcohol-related problems) when alcohol-beverage prices are increased. Important econometric challenges remain, including the search for a satisfactory resolution to the conflicting results on the effect of price changes on consumption by consumers who tend to drink heavily. There are also unresolved puzzles about the relationship between drinking and productivity;...
Words: 21217 - Pages: 85
...For this assignment, you will choose a topic, narrow it, research different points of view about it, and identify your audience in order to develop your angle on the topic. After looking at the list of topics below, which was shared in Week 1’s lecture, choose a topic in which you have more than just a passing interest. The best topic to choose is one which impacts you in some way. Having personal experience with the topic will probably lend some perspective on it and may get you closer to an angle on it. Also, sometimes research can be daunting, but if you have personal experience with the topic, or are even passionate about it, you will probably be more motivated to keep working when the “going gets tough.” Thus, while “interest” in a topic is important, mere interest will probably not sustain you through this project. You might ask yourself, “What is it about this topic that sparks my interest enough to write a ten page paper about it?” Once you choose the topic, please respond to the five questions below. Each of your responses should be approximately two paragraphs in length. This assignment will be graded using the Week 1 Assignment Rubric available in Doc Sharing. Education | Technology | Family | Health and Wellness | School Bullies | Multitasking and Technology | Sexualization of Girls | College Students and Weight Issues | No Child Left Behind Act/Race to the Top | Technology and Social Isolation | Gender Discrimination | Childhood Obesity...
Words: 1691 - Pages: 7
...For this assignment, you will choose a topic, narrow it, research different points of view about it, and identify your audience in order to develop your angle on the topic. After looking at the list of topics below, which was shared in Week 1’s lecture, choose a topic in which you have more than just a passing interest. The best topic to choose is one which impacts you in some way. Having personal experience with the topic will probably lend some perspective on it and may get you closer to an angle on it. Also, sometimes research can be daunting, but if you have personal experience with the topic, or are even passionate about it, you will probably be more motivated to keep working when the “going gets tough.” Thus, while “interest” in a topic is important, mere interest will probably not sustain you through this project. You might ask yourself, “What is it about this topic that sparks my interest enough to write a ten page paper about it?” Once you choose the topic, please respond to the five questions below. Each of your responses should be approximately two paragraphs in length. This assignment will be graded using the Week 1 Assignment Rubric available in Doc Sharing. Education | Technology | Family | Health and Wellness | School Bullies | Multitasking and Technology | Sexualization of Girls | College Students and Weight Issues | No Child Left Behind Act/Race to the Top | Technology and Social Isolation | Gender Discrimination | Childhood Obesity...
Words: 2058 - Pages: 9
