PSYCH 424 blog

When thinking of online communities we often think of social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Indeed, Pinterest or Tik Tok. In todays world though, there are online communities that are specific to particular things, websites promoting or encouraging those involved in specific things. Keto lifestyle, Veganism, motherhood, boy moms or girl moms websites are just a few trending examples.

Online communities can afford people the connection they need to others without the feelings of anxiety, or overwhelming feelings experienced in person when an individual is less available and equipped to handle in person interactions. With these virtual communities, individuals are able to control just what they are exposed to and who, which makes for an easier encounter.

While it is true that with an online community the setting of the community is much more controlled, there is still the possibility of negative encounters like bullying or “anti-” groups with the sole goal to promote hatred and to discriminate against or target a particular group of people.

Online communities have tremendous potential to afford individuals with opportunities to build relationships and communities with others within personal and professional relationships. There are so many social media platforms today that just a decade ago didn’t even exist. It is important to consider though, the negative effects these communities can have on individuals especially the already vulnerable. with the right attention, I believe online communities can benefit people around the world.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1-4833-6973-0

Experiencing discrimination can provoke feelings of inferiority and anxiety. The effects,  inevitable behaviors of discrimination, are so pervasive that it is at times unclear without close observation how it truly effects those who experience it.

Biases in schools from administration to teachers ultimately affect engagement with students. Learned stereotypes dictate how individuals perceive and behave toward one another. If a teacher is to believe a negative stereotype about particular students, they will react accordingly.

Jane Elliot an elementary school teacher performed an experiment called the Blue eyes/Brown eyes exercise to asses how easily children pick up learned behaviors and the effects of them. In the experiment, even when the information provided was not true the students believed it about themselves and other students and it directly effected the students academic performance. Those students being discriminated against became less productive in school and felt feelings of inferiority and failure.

Discrimination contributes to student success rates, particularly those in minority groups. Many students suffer from mental health issues due in part to discrimination and added stressors in school. It is imperative that as a society, these issues are addressed and more attention is brought to them so that learned negative behaviors seize.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology; Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc

One often concludes that no innocent person would confess to a crime they didn’t commit, but is this really true? False confessions actually happen quite often. There are various reasons one may confess to a crime they didn’t actually commit, and psychology is a major component.

According to studies, an individual can voluntarily give a false confession, but an individual can also be subconsciously or intently persuaded to give a false confession. For example, an individual may want to protect their loved one who actually committed a crime they’re being accused of and confess voluntarily, an individual may be getting interrogated and the interrogator uses tactics to cause doubt to the individuals own memory, and of course in instances where an individual is being asked leading questions, or threatened with harm in some way a confession is made to end the intended psychological pressure.

Coercive language is not only a problem in interrogations but in interviews with eyewitnesses. Eyewitness testimony has been among the most convincing forms of evidence in trials and convictions yet “convincing” is not synonymous with “accurate”. In fact, witness testimony has debated in validity for decades and studies have been conducted to prove influence.

The Lotus and Palmers experiment showed that language can alter memory. The experiment aimed to show that the wording of questions and language introduced to an individual from the point of an event to recalling it, has effects on what and how they recall an event. The experiment ultimately showed that eyewitness testimony can be highly unreliable and influenced by leading questions and language, leading to leading interrogations and thus falls confessions.

References

Loftus, E. F., & Palmer, J. C. (1974). Reconstruction of automobile destruction: An example of the interaction between language and memory. Journal of Verbal Learning & Verbal Behavior, 13(5), 585–589. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5371(74)80011-3

In the modern world, social media is an essential part of every day life. Waking up and grabbing your phone for a Facebook or Twitter timeline scroll is the new coffee and newspaper read. The US consists of approximately 325 million people in population, and just under 75% of the population uses at least one online platform. The anxiety rate in the US is just under 20% and rising each year, with more than half suffering from social anxieties.

What could be the cause? New friend requests, follows or likes on social profiles actually trigger the feel good hormone dopamine to release, offering a rewarding sensation in the brain. Feeling that reward encourages further desire for that reward sensation and subconscious monitoring of new positive interactions on social platforms.

With typical social anxiety, fear of and anxiety over judgment sets in and causes discomfort. Adding in this new social media gratification, anxiety and self perception is inevitably influenced. Likes on social media or the lack of, can leave individuals evaluating their self worth, lowering self-esteem and enhancing anxiety. With all the new Instagram models, influencers and celebrities, the feeling of not meeting those same standards will likely cause persistent comparison of oneself and others on these social platforms.

Hopelessness theory describes two conditions likely to influence ones mental health, one being vulnerability, and the other negative environmental circumstances. Being vulnerable to FOMO, or low self-esteem in general added with the appearance of others living a lavish life and attending fun events and activities that oneself cannot will likely over time deteriorate ones self-esteem, leading to mental health disorders like social anxiety disorder, anxiety and depression.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.).

Liu, R. T., Kleiman, E. M., Nestor, B. A., & Cheek, S. M. (2015). The Hopelessness Theory of Depression: A Quarter Century in Review. Clinical psychology : a publication of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association, 22(4), 345–365. https://doi.org/10.1111/cpsp.12125