PSYCH 424 blog

The traditional face-to-face communities seem to have weakened. When we think of this, we think of the endless possibilities of why the new resource is online to have people engage with each other. According to an article, “During the past 10 years, the rapid development of social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and so on has caused several profound changes in the way people communicate and interact” (Pantic, 2014). There has been so much technological advancement in improving how people communicate with one another such as social media platforms, email, text, etc. This technology is supposed to help society build a community that allows people to share their common interests. Online communities can seem like a wonderful idea at first, but what happens when people are affected psychologically because they are isolating themselves from social interaction? Online social networking has been the new face-to-face and it can sound like it benefits everyone at first, and it does because it allows people from all around the world to communicate through technology, but what they don’t think about is how online social networking can affect our psychological health.

Since the pandemic “Nearly 93% of people in households with school-age children reported their children engaged in some form of “distance learning” from home but lower-income households were less likely to rely on online resources” (McElrath, 2020). There are households that can’t provide the technology needed for online learning. Online learning can be expensive for lower-income families. According to a news article, “Maria Viego and Cooper Glynn were thriving at their elementary schools. Maria, 10, adored the special certificates she earned volunteering to read to second-graders. Cooper, 9, loved being with his friends and how his teacher incorporated the video game Minecraft into lessons” (Esquivel et al., 2020). Before the pandemic hit these children were thriving in a classroom setting where social interaction took place not among peers, but with their teachers as well. “90% of the children are from low-income families” (Esquivel et al., 2020). Technology and online communities sure were great at first, but then they started to affect low-income families in a way where not everyone has access to computers to get the education needed. No one was ready for online communities to become a new face for millions of children all over the world. One thing is certain parents need more support to maintain the education of their children online. Not only that but there were adolescents also suffering from the consequences of being isolated. Another factor to bring about this issue of the negatives on technology as the main source of children’s education is that a lot of families do not have to income to access computers, laptops, etc. needed for the children to attend their online classes. “One-in-four teens in households with an annual income under $30,000 lack access to a computer at home, compared with just 4% of those in households earning over $75,000, according to the 2018 survey. There are also differences by race and ethnicity. Hispanic teens were especially likely to say they do not have access to a home computer: 18% said this, compared with 9% of white teens and 11% of black teens” (Auxier & Anderson, 2020). Children are susceptible to being easily distracted and who says that they won’t because either they don’t have the technology to attend classes, or they don’t pay attention? An asset to ensure online communities do not get such a bad reputation is to implement some sort of strategy to make the online community a better place of learning and interaction for students, but not in a way that can lead to a negative factor that includes cyberbullying. Creating some sort of online community can motivate the students to engage with each other and their education as well. This can be a long shot idea, but if the schools can be publicly funded to get iPad at least for households according to the household size that is attending school. If a positive online community is to be instilled, it needs to be supported by a group of people who uplift one another. Share your thoughts about this idea I would love to hear what you think.

Being online has its advantages and disadvantages, but the issue here is that online learning can create a sense of isolation and can deter children from learning. An online environment can benefit some children but can disengage children from paying attention during lectures. Providing students with proper education to ensure they are academically excelling is important, but sometimes online learning can interfere with children’s ability to learn. Schools need to take into consideration if online learning does help its students, “assessment of online learning programs should also take into account some of the unique aspects of this type of learning environment, such as “using established techniques for student success in traditional classrooms do not always work in distance courses” (Dumford & Miller, 2018). It is valuable to take into account the dilemmas of adolescents having access to online communities. Interacting with other individuals online stimulates our brains. Though, the issue at hand is that nowadays children have access to social media and other apps, so it is difficult to track how often they are on technology. This can increase the potential effect of psychological health issues such as depression, anxiety, etc. Their levels of addiction can create a degeneration in their mental health. Everyone is part of an online community but never expects the negatives. It is safe to say that when it comes to children, they are susceptible to anything, and e virtual world creates endless possibilities.

Online communication has had a profound effect on the way people communicate and interact. What people forget to think about is the psychological impact online communication can have on our mental health. According to an article, “Sleepio is a proven digital sleep improvement program based on cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. Users have the option to join an online community that includes weekly expert discussions, peer-to-peer discussion forums, and personal message walls. The aim of this study was to conduct an online survey to (1) explore the reasons for deciding to engage with the Sleepio online community, (2) explore the potential benefits arising from engagement with the online community, and (3) identify and describe any problematic issues related to use of the online community.” (Coulson, et al., 2016). This program resulted in advantages and disadvantages such as:

Advantage

• Engaging with other people
• Support
• Reduce feelings of isolation
• Nonjudgmental community

Disadvantage

• Uncertainty
• Comparing oneself to another
• Data privacy concern
• Time commitment issues

As a result, this program creates an online community to be behavioral therapy to help people with insomnia. If an online community can be created in a sense to be used to help people and in sense help them with other factors affecting their quality of life. Why shouldn’t students get some sort of program implemented in their school system to help them during the pandemic, or students in general who are learning online? Having a sense of balance in their environment like an online community will help them feel welcomed. Though, it is easy to worry about the unhealthy habits of online communities.

There was a lot to come about in this post on online communities because a community can be anything as long it regards the socialization aspect of interaction. Online communities are always issued as something that creates a lot of opportunities for people. According to our lesson 11, “Community psychology is one of the most applied branches of social psychology. It aims to promote the well-being of not only an individual but the group that surrounds them. Community psychology helps explain the dilemmas of modern society as well as helps suggest solutions to those problems” (L11: Conclusion). The consequence that scares people about online communities taking over is that it can affect people’s behavior in face-to-face interaction. Virtual life is seen as having many advantages, but there are always negative and positive to it. Technology is developing all the time and online communities are as well. Being aware of the potential consequences is important, but people should not let the consequences deter them completely. Social and emotional support is beneficial for all groups of ages from adolescents to adults. Having positive factors to help online communities be safe is important to provide a better future if technology continues to develop over the years.

References

Auxier , B., & Anderson , M. (2020, March 16). As schools close due to the coronavirus, some U.S. students face a digital ‘homework gap’. Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/16/as-schools-close-due-to-the-coronavirus-some-u-s-students-face-a-digital-homework-gap/

Coulson, N. S., Smedley, R., Bostock, S., Kyle, S. D., Gollancz, R., Luik, A. I., Hames, P., & Espie, C. A. (2016). The Pros and Cons of Getting Engaged in an Online Social Community Embedded Within Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: Survey Among Users. Journal of medical Internet research, 18(4), e88. https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.5654

Conclusion. (2023, March). Lesson 11: Community. Pennsylvania State University World Campus. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2245274/modules/items/37086607

Dumford, A. D., & Miller, A. L. (2018). Online learning in higher education: Exploring advantages and disadvantages for engagement. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 30(3), 452–465. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-018-9179-z

Esquivel, P., Blume , H., Poston , B., & Barajas , J. (2020, August 13). A generation left behind? online learning cheats poor students, Times Survey finds. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-08-13/online-learning-fails-low-income-students-covid-19-left-behind-project

McElrath, K. (2021, December 21). Nearly 93% of households with school-age children report some form of distance learning during COVID-19. Census.gov. Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/08/schooling-during-the-covid-19-pandemic.html

Online Communities. (2023, March). Lesson 11: Community. Pennsylvania State University World Campus. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2245274/modules/items/37086606

Pantic I. (2014). Online social networking and mental health. Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking, 17(10), 652–657. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0070

Throughout this lesson, we learned about the sense of community which is “a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members’ needs will be met through commitment to be together” (McMillian & Chavis, 1986). There can be many different types of communities, and the textbook explains that there are four aspects that make up a community. The four aspects include membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection (Gruman, 2016). One community that is an important one to evaluate is the sports community, specifically how the sense of community fits into a sports team.

Membership is “the idea that a community has geographical or social boundaries, and we can determine who belongs in the community and who does not” (Gruman, 2016). For a sports team, membership can be controlled by tryouts for the team. Membership is also not always guaranteed and sometimes people can be excluded from being a member of a team. Often times for professional sports team, membership can be based on performance and if performance is not kept up, then a member may be asked to leave.

Influence “refers to the power an individual has within a community and the power the community has over the individual” (Gruman, 2016). In a sports community or team, many people can hold influence. A coach can have influence over his players, as they can inspire, motivate, and push them to succeed. Team captains and leaders can also have influence because these are team selected players who already hold influence on the group by being good role models and leaders. While coaches and team leaders may hold more influence sometimes, any player can hold influence on the team as they work hard and motivate the rest of their teammates to be better.

Integration and fulfillment of needs “refers to the idea of shared values among community members, satisfying each other’s needs, and sharing goods and resources” (Gruman, 2016). In team sports, integration is completed because all of the members on a team are together for the same reason, with similar goals. They are each working hard to be the best at their sport and to will. Gathered around these goals, they are able to satisfy each others needs and share the same resources to do so.

Shared emotional connection is when “Community members in a cohesive community will feel a shared bond with others within their community” (Gruman, 2016). In terms of a sports community, this can mean multiple different things. Members of a specific sport can feel a connection and bond to others in their sport locally or across the world. Members of professional sports teams also share a love for their team and bond with the people in their community who support them. Sports communities are some of the best ones because they show the passion and love that people everywhere can share for a sport.

References:

Gruman, J., Schneider, F., Coutts, L.  (2016).  Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems.

McMillian, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Apa PsycNet. American Psychological Association. Retrieved March 30, 2023, from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1987-03834-001

Over the last decade, more and more people have been moving to big cities and leaving quiet rural towns for a variety of reasons, including career possibilities, cultural attractions, higher education, diversity, and convenience. They provide a concentration of jobs in diverse industries, top-tier universities and colleges, an abundance of cultural attractions, superior transportation systems, greater retail alternatives, and a thriving nightlife. Yet, residing in a big city also comes with its share of difficulties, including higher living expenses, an increase in noise and pollution, and a greater sense of social isolation.

Moreover, living in large communities can lead to “stimulus overload,” according to psychologist Stanley Milgram. In turn, the fight or flight response, a physiological and psychological response that gets the body ready to fight or flee from perceived danger, can be set off by the sensory overload brought on by living in large cities. Urban living’s fast-paced, high-stress environment can cause the sympathetic nervous system to be activated and stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to be released. Other constant sensory stimulations include noise, crowds, and bright lights. Chronic sensory overload can eventually cause an exaggerated fight-or-flight reaction, which can have detrimental implications on both physical and mental health. This includes a higher risk of stress-related illnesses like anxiety, depression, and heart disease.

in addition to triggering the fight or flight response, living in a major city can have a range of detrimental impacts on one’s physical and mental health. Chronic exposure to sensory overload can result in exhaustion, sleep disturbance, irritability, impaired cognitive performance, and even changes in brain structure and function (Clough, 2021).For instance, research in the journal Science Direct discovered that residing in a noisy urban environment can affect cognitive function and brain activity in the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain linked to executive function and decision-making (Thompson et al., 2021).

Hence, it’s critical for people who live in big cities to be aware of the possibility of chronic stress and take action to manage it by using relaxation techniques such as participating in activities that enhance wellbeing.

Refrences:

Clough, S. (2021, August 11). City sensory overload changes the brain. NoiseNet Worldwide. Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.noisenet.com/post/2018/04/11/city-sensory-overload-changes-the-brain

Thompson, R., Smith, R. B., & Karim, Y. B. (2021, October 12). Noise pollution and human cognition: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of recent evidence. Environment International. Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412021005304

The internet has gained the ability to alter not only society but also people individually, behaviorally, and emotionally. One of the reasons these influences have occurred is due to mass media. This this being said, people like to be involved and or change their opinions due to everyone else thinking, feeling, and or discussing whatever topic is popular at that point in time. One topic that never fall shy of mass media is gender and that is in the now from day to day. This could be topics like what roles should male and female have or a popular one today is sexual identity and that is acceptable and what is not.

Today’s society allows children of young ages to access media platforms with topics such as these. This leads young minds to easily be manipulated and shaped into that is currently cool in order to help them be accepted. This is diminishing their individuality and shaping them into the people that society wants them to be not what they should individually want to do.  This is a problem because these young individuals are not able to find their personal individually due to all of the pure pressure and influenced personally material, they are subjected two.

What can stop this lack of custom personality? Who is to blame for the lack of young children trying to become their own personal selves. By decreasing the amount of time younger children spend on social media these children may begin to create their own individuality again. Parents must put their feet down and not allow so much electrical access. This is not saying that children should not be allowed electronics at all, but they should be limited to resources and time spent on devices.

Our environment presents us with various forms of continuous stimulation. Whether it’s sitting in traffic, watching a television show, smelling freshly made coffee in your office, or listening to music in your sunroom while writing an assignment for class, we are constantly exposed to a myriad of stimuli. Stimulus or sensory overload happens when our nervous system is overwhelmed with the number of external stimuli and unable to handle everything, simultaneously in our environment, to which we respond by prioritizing activities that need our attention. (Gruman et al., 2016). There have been many studies that have evaluated the relationship between stimulus overload and behavioral, psychological, or physical results do the overload of sensory information in our environment. Focusing on the behavioral aspect, how does stimulus overload affect our decision to help another person?

Sherrod and Downs (1974) conducted a study that explored this exact question. They drew on the work of Stanley Milgram to describe the ways that people adapt to stimulus overload, by “disregarding or deemphasizing the needs, interests, and demands of others who do not directly relate to the satisfaction of personal desires” (Sherrod & Downs, 1974, p. 469). This adverse effect of stimulus overload is a direction contradiction to an altruistic nature. Altruism is defined as the practice of unselfish behavior, concern, and devotion for others at your own expense. In this experiment, sixty women were randomly assigned to three different stimulus conditions, overload, overload with perceived control, and no overload (Sherrod & Downs, 1974). It was hypothesized that altruism would be lowest in the overload condition and highest in the no-overload condition (Sherrod & Downs, 1974). It was found that even a small infraction of stimulus overload (fifteen minutes in the experiment) had significant effects on altruistic behavior and the same was found for perceived control (Sherrod & Downs 1974).

In applying the results of this study to real-life situations, we can take situations and apply no control and perceived control of external stimulus to subsequent altruistic behavior. We have two women, Violet and Heather. They are both full-time students and are in a study group with four other students. On the day of their study session, Violet got woken up by her roommates blaring classical music, encountered a horrid smell on her way to class, accidently burned herself while cooking food, and got stuck in traffic on the way to the study group. Heather was abruptly woken up by her intense alarm when she realized she was late for class, noticed a horrible smell coming from her trash can in her room, is experiencing muscle fatigue due to volleyball practice, and ran out of gas on the way to the study group. Given the similarity between the two situations, Heather has more control over the overload of stimulus in her situations versus Violet, who is encountering these without being able to control them. Which of these students is likely to stay after study group longer to help another classmate? Based on the results of the study, Heather is more likely.

Stimulus overload and its effect on altruistic behavior can have serious consequences on the social functioning of our environment. Interaction with too much stimulation that we aren’t able to control increases stress, anxiety, and causes us to prioritize and neglect actions that can have adverse effects on those around us.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications.

Sherrod, D. R., & Downs, R. (1974). Environmental determinants of altruism: Stimulus overload, perceived control, and helping. PsycEXTRA Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/e542822011-063

Do you ever think about the past and how in essence, we are the last generation to grow up without being surrounded by social media and technology? We had our childhood consisting of playing outside and getting our feet dirty and learning social skills through face to face communication. The world of technology is still relevantly new and online communities are still forming every day. With the COVID 19 pandemic, the country had to learn how to educate online through zoom and various other platforms. The world is constantly evolving with the internet being used more frequently for many different things.

“Community psychology concerns the relationships of individuals with communities and society. By integrating research with action, it seeks to understand and enhance quality of life for individuals, communities, and societies. Community psychology is guided by its core values of individual and family wellness, sense of community, respect for human diversity, social justice, citizen participation, collaboration and community strengths, and empirical grounding (Gruman)”. Community psychology was founded during the 1960s concerning the aspect of mental health. Where several issues with institutional based facilities came to light during these times like the cost of hospital visits and health care.

A sense of community is important when it comes to forming relationships and having a stable environment around you. There are four different concepts to a sense of community. Starting with membership, the idea that a community has geographical and social boundaries that determine who is a part of the community and who is not. Influence, where individuals have power within the community giving them a sense of belonging. Integration and fulfillment of needs, where members of the community and interdependent where values are shared within the community. Shared emotional connection, where community members will feel a cohesive bond with shared emotions with one another.

The internet can be a very helpful and harmful place at the same time. You can reach out to old friends and distant family members and regain communication with them and form new relationships. On the other hand, there is the negative of cyberbullying and cyberstalking where people can use the internet for harmful communication. Also, in a study by Kraut and his colleagues (1998) gathered data on 169 Internet users in 73 households over a 2-year period. They found that although the Internet was used frequently for communication purposes, it was associated with declines in communication among family members and in the size of family members’ social subgroups. There were also increases in loneliness and depression associated with Internet usage. Kraut and colleagues referred to the Internet’s effects as causing a “disengagement from real life (Gruman).”

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

When we speak of community psychology we are dealing with the relationships between individuals and the society/communities in which they are a member (Gruman et al., 2016). Extensive research on the idea of community has been performed in the community psychology field. In today’s world which offers so many more opportunities for individuals to engage in online forums and communities. How do online communities compare to in-person societies? I believe that online forums provide an excellent source of community in addition to in-person communities or even in place of in-person communities. In the community model theorized by McMillan and Chavis (1986) there are four aspects which are essential to building a sense of community and belonging in an individual: membership, influence, integration & fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection. Using this outline as a guideline, we can investigate online forums. 

The first element that is crucial to building a sense of community is membership. Membership is a crucial and necessary part of online communities. In order to post, reply, or share content you must have some kind of login. Outside of the technical term and use of membership, taking the time to create the login information indicates an interest in becoming part of the group. Using the forum Fark(dot)com as an example, in order to contribute in the forums, you must have a username… and to take part in the exclusive paid community known as TotalFark, you must either purchase a subscription or be sponsored by an existing member. Membership is, as defined by McMillan and Chavis (1986) as a feeling that “one has invested themself” to become part of the group. Certainly paying to post would be seen as being invested in the group – literally. In becoming a part of TotalFark, you become one of the “in group” and members of regular Fark are members of the “out group.” As a TotalFark subscriber, a sense of security and belonging comes with that TF badge next to your username. You’re part of something special.

Influence in this online community is grown through reputation. The more witty content you contribute, the more replies (“green arrows” to those in the know) you will receive. In the interactions between TotalFark members, the powers of influence are defined. Validation is created in these types of interactions – the more replies and comments between members that are intertwined, the more influence the community has on the member while the more interactions between members strengthens the community (McMillan & Chavis, 1986b). There are typical themes of posts that garner more attention than others, which provide a typical expected experience when the community is visited. The uniformity or normalness of these posts provides validation for the individual in a sense of belonging – I like this content and I contribute, so I belong here. 

The third aspect of community is the integration and fulfillment of needs, per McMillan and Chavis (1986b) model. Simply put, this is reinforcement. A motivator to keep members coming back and interacting. Social capital is gained by identifying as a member of an online community (Pendry & Salvatore, 2015). The format of the online forum as opposed to social media sites like Facebook or Twitter allow for users to be a part of these social interactions simply by being present… also known as lurking. These characteristics reduce users’ feeling of threat and allow them to form a sense of identity and closeness to their like-minded virtual interaction partners while allowing people with stigmatizing conditions to remain at least initially anonymous as they ‘lurk’ before contributing (Pendry & Salvatore, 2015). 

The final trait to discuss in relation to building a sense of community is shared emotional connection. (McMillan & Chavis, 1986b) purport that a shared history is a necessary component to creating this connection – but that an individual need not be part of the original event in order to actually share the history. In forums such as TotalFark, this shared history can be found in references to users who have contributed some epic content years prior – everyone knows who they are and what the joke is, even though the user may not have been around for the entirety of an individual’s own membership. Constant throwback comments allow nostalgia to play out, with newer members able to glean the delight and/or hilarious disgust the story emanates. Shared emotional connection is also bolstered by interactions among the group. As I said, great comments get lots of replies – getting those green arrows or being the submitter of a 500 plus post thread can gain a super sense of belonging and connection to a user. 

The creator and moderators who work to make TotalFark and Fark a glorious respite for the members of the community provide moderator services to ensure that things on the forums stay homogenous. Part of uniformity also entails making sure that no one goes too far off the rails. In order to provide the space that we know we can access for the content we are expecting, community leaders provide the guidelines and expectations for interactions – similar to community forums held in person.

In conclusion, the four aspects that make a “sense of community” per the McMillan and Chavis (1986b) community model can be applied to online communities. There has been research to support the claim that online forum interactions can increase an individual’s sense of belonging and social capital. We spend so much of our time online, it is logical to believe that we would find comfort in online spaces with people of a like minded nature. By the way, if you pay for TotalFark, you’re just not funny enough to get sponsored… but we still accept you. Mostly. 

References:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Sage Publications, Incorporated.

McMillan, D. G., & Chavis, D. M. (1986a). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6629(198601)14:1

Pendry, L. F., & Salvatore, J. E. (2015). Individual and social benefits of online discussion forums. Computers in Human Behavior, 50, 211–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.03.067

Social media platforms, such as TikTok, have a profound impact on individuals’ lives, as they can shape their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. In many previous studies, social media has been found to influence individuals’ self-concept and self-esteem. Additionally, with the increased spread of false information or overgeneralized information, viewers may be easily misled in topics they are not as competent in themselves.

One way that social media platforms, like TikTok, may impact individuals’ self-concept is through social comparison. Gruman et al. (2016) explain that social comparison refers to individuals’ tendency to evaluate themselves in relation to others. On TikTok, users can see the curated and idealized versions of others’ lives, which may lead to negative social comparison and decreased self-esteem. This can be particularly harmful to individuals with psychological disorders who already struggle with low self-esteem.

Another way that TikTok spreads false information is through the use of viral videos that provide inaccurate information regarding symptoms and treatments of psychological disorders. An (2022) notes that these videos often go viral and are shared widely, leading many users to believe that they have a psychological disorder based on incomplete or incorrect information. This can lead to incorrect self-diagnosis and further stigmatization of mental health issues.

Overall, the spread of false information on social media platforms like TikTok can have harmful effects on individuals’ mental health, self-concept, and self-esteem.  An (2022) notes in their article how the spread of misinformation on TikTok can lead to the stigmatization of depression and further discourage individuals from seeking help or treatment. This can perpetuate negative stereotypes and lead to further stigmatization of mental health issues. It is important for social media platforms to take responsibility for the content being shared on their platforms and to ensure that accurate and helpful information is being shared. This requires a collaborative effort between platform owners, content creators, and mental health professionals to ensure that the impact of social media on mental health is a positive one.

References 

An, C. (2022). Stigmatization of Depression Caused by the Spread of Misinformation in Social Media—Taking China’s Douyin(TikTok) as an Example. Proceedings of the 2022 6th International Seminar on Education, Management and Social Sciences (ISEMSS 2022), 3475–3481. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-31-2_408

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. SAGE Publications.

When it comes to social situations, whether that be real or anticipated, many people  immediately begin to internalize and think about the outcomes. They determine and evaluate the rewards as well as the costs that come with these anticipated social situations. Naturally, they act to have the least amount of costs and higher amount of rewards, which in turn is more convenient as there is less difficulty and struggling involved (Gruman et al., 2017). This concept is known as the social exchange theory from Thibaut and Kelley (1959) and it emphasizes the importance of mutuality, as people expect and assume that their actions will be reciprocated in a fair and somewhat equal way.

To help better understand this theory, think about a couple deciding whether to go out to dinner or to cook dinner at home. The couple will think about the rewards and costs of both options. For example, they might think about the price of their meal being more expensive than cooking as a cost for eating out, but also might think about the time spent making dinner  as a cost for cooking at home. Once they weigh out the rewards and costs internally they may discuss how they are feeling together and start negotiating. The goal here is to try and talk about it in hopes of reaching a mutual agreement where they both feel like they are choosing the option with more rewards than costs.

Social exchange theory suggests that as individuals we are motivated by self-interest and look to maximize our rewards and minimize our costs in social interactions. Due to our motivations, we choose the greatest reward with the lowest cost. It is important to note that this theory also suggests that the quality and quantity of the rewards and the costs may differ from one individual to the next. In the example with the couple trying to decide what to do for dinner, one partner may think of spending time cooking the homemade meal as a cost, while the other sees it as a reward and wants to take that time to enjoy the other’s company. People have different values and goals making each process unique from one another.

Social exchange theory proposes the idea that our social interactions are shaped by this analysis of rewards and costs and we will behave in the way that provides us with maximum rewards and minimum costs (Gruman et al., 2017). This theory is applicable in interpersonal relationships and generally creates a mutually beneficial outcome in social situations.

Gruman, J., Schneider, F., Coutts, L.  (2017).  Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems

Social media has became a part of almost everyone’s lives, everyone owns a phone for the most part and can access the internet. The point is that everyone can access and use social media if they want to and engage with others on the internet. Many people can find a community of people that they relate to and engage with others with similar interest and opinions as them. Tik Tok and Facebook are some of the social media platforms where they really have a community based system. People actively comment on and create content for others to see. These social media platforms give people this gratification of engaging with others and can really benefit peoples mental health as long as they are surrounding their social media with positive people.

There can be major social support on social media platforms and people search for that connectivity through others on the internet. This article states, “It is increasingly clear that social support is critical for happiness and a sense of well-being. Social and emotional connectivity is one of the most powerful weapons against stress, loneliness, and depression. Having a support network is linked to greater resilience and even lessens the likelihood of developing symptoms of posttraumatic stress. The World Health Organization’s global health database recently published research on contextual factors associated with rates of suicide, recommending improving social connectedness as a public health strategy for reducing the suicide mortality rate” (Zubernis, 2023). Which shows that having a community of people you can turn to and talk to can have so many benefits psychologically. As humans we crave that connection with others and social media is a different way for us all to stay connected and meet people who we would have never met otherwise.

Another reason why social media and community based platforms is because there are people out there over the internet that may provide that emotional explanation on things. For example this article states, “A research study of college students recently looked at whether social media could be a source of social support in times of stress. Participants were more likely to turn to social media as a social support than to parents or mental health professionals, and to prefer similar-peer communities (such as fandom communities). The anonymity of virtual communities was seen as appealing to individuals experiencing depression, although they acknowledged that social media could also be stress-inducing”(Zubernis, 2023). Which shows that there are online communities out there where people have similar issues and can share their experiences and have someone else who understands to talk to.

People find comfort in social media platforms and expressing their issues on the internet because if you find the right people there is no one who is going to judge you on these online communities. Typing your issues to a munch of people on the internet who do not know who you are is a lot easier then talking with someone in person. Social media for some is a way to be able to vent all your feelings out there and be able to get that support back.

References

Zubernis, L. (2023). Can social media and online communities be good for us? Psychology

Today. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-of-fandom/202303/can-social-media-and-online-communities-be-good-for-us

With the development of Internet and technology, online community has become an important platform for users to share online comments. Compared with traditional offline communities, online communities not only have sociability and information sharing, but also have the timeliness of comments. This provides more opportunities for online users to share online comments. However, massive online comment data causes serious information overload, which makes it difficult for online users to make rational judgments in a short time when facing the complicated data.

Banerjee(1992) defines herding as people preferring to follow the actions of others rather than using their own information. Herding is a social phenomenon in which individual ideas and behaviors conform to the majority of people due to the pressure exerted by external environment or specific situation. In this phenomenon, even if an individual holds the default opinion, he will blindly follow the crowd because his opinion is not consistent with the majority of people, and will not subjectively think about the meaning of the event, but accept the long-term dominant ideas and behaviors.

“Herding” reflects the herd mentality of users, which often makes users lose their subjective judgment. There must be two basic conditions for it to happen, uncertainty and observing the behavior of others. First of all, when an individual is faced with an uncertain environment or incomplete information, he may ignore his own information and then follow others’ behavior. Second, individuals imitate others by first observing their behavior. Observing that many people make the same decision promotes safety and encourages herding.

Deutsch and Gerard (1995) pointed out that there are two main types of herding. One is normative social influence, the concrete manifestation is that individuals blindly follow their behaviors and ideas in order to converge with the majority of people. The other one is the influence of information society, which is manifested in that individuals lack their own judgment, but take the opinions and information of the majority of people as the basis for the analysis of problems and phenomena. As for the influence of Herding effect on online communities, Irrational Herding considers users’ blindly following behaviors from the perspective of irrational herding, which means that the behavior subject simply follows the opinions of the majority of people or the behavior of the model masses without rational judgment and independent analysis. From the perspective of Rational Herding, the claim is affected by information asymmetry, externality and other factors, and the herd effect is the optimal strategy of the agent. Thus, in an environment lacking in useful information, herd behavior plays a leading role in demonstration and reduces the risk of individual decision-making.

Reference

Banerjee, A.V. (1992). “A Simple Model of Herd Behavior.” Quarterly Journal of Economics. 107, 797–817.

Deutsch M, Gerard H B.(1005).  A Study of Normative and Information Social Influences upon Individual Judgment[J]. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 51 (3): 629-636.

A topic that was talked about this week in the textbook is the bystander effect which, “occurs when multiple people who witness an emergency situation fail to intervene” (Gruman & Schneider, 2005). This goes hand in hand with the diffusion of responsibility which people use to excuse why they don’t intervene in an emergency. They don’t intervene because they believe someone else is already doing something to fix or help the situation, leaving them to be a bystander.

I think this is something that can occur more often than people think. I remember in highschool when I was taking CPR one of the first things I learned was that once someone goes down, call 911. This was taught to us as the first step because when someone faints or is experiencing a medical emergency, there are times when emergency services do not come until it’s too late because no one calls for help. This is due to the fact that they think other people are calling for help. 

In order to avoid serious issues like this, it is important to encourage individuals to take personal responsibility for their actions and to act quickly and decisively in emergency situations. Additionally, educating people about the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility can help raise awareness and encourage bystanders to take action when needed.

Making people aware of this issue can ultimately save lives in so many ways. No one wants to be labeled as a “bystander” in any situation, and I think that it is most important to not be a bystander in a serious situation. This effect has been seen in so many cases, especially in a public place where the person in trouble is not known. It is extremely important to make everyone aware of this as it can save lives and help society as a whole.

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2005). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Sage Publications, Inc.

Do you remember being motivated to do well in school? Do you remember why? Perhaps it was your parents telling you that you had to get your homework done in order to go hang out with your friends. Maybe you wanted to make good grades so that you could get into a prestigious college. Whatever your reasons were they most likely had an impact on your education. One theory that can explain the connection between student motivation and academic behavior is the Self-determination theory.

The Self-determination theory is the degree that a person sees themselves as able to make their own choices and act on them, having a feeling of belonging, and not feeling pressured to act in a certain way (Gruman et al., 2016). This theory is trying to figure out where a student’s motivation to learn comes from. Is it within the student or is it forced on a student by parents and teachers? The biggest place that we see self-determination is in intrinsic motivation, or a student wanting to do something purely because they want to know more. The opposite of the self-determination continuum is external regulation (Gruman et al., 2016). This would be a student working on an assignment purely because they will fail if they do not complete it. More often than not a student completes their homework and has academic achievement because of a combination of external and internal factors.

Very rarely is a student purely just intrinsically motivated. Our peers and environment have an effect on our motivation whether we like it or not. For example, if you wanted to go to a prestigious college and you would want to work harder to make better grades, you would be doing it for the outcome. This is called external regulation (Gruman et al., 2016). If you wanted to make good grades because you thought that your friends or peers would look down on you, you would be doing it for approval from others. This is called introjected regulation (Gruman et al., 2016). If you were completing your assignments because you thought that what you learn could help you someday, you would be doing so because you have goals that you value. This is called identified regulation (Gruman et al., 2016). When you study because you believe that you are a “good student”, you are doing so because it has become a part of your self-concept. This is called integrated regulation (Gruman et al., 2016). This is also when your external and internal motivators line up.

All of these external motivators will end up determining what academic goals you will embrace and how you define successful academic achievement. These motivators are important for any student to explore. It can help them understand why they are doing school work and perhaps identify reasons to achieve more academic success.

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Self-perceptions, also known as self-concept or self-esteem, can have a significant impact on academic performance. A student’s self-perception refers to their beliefs, attitudes, and feelings about themselves in relation to their academic abilities and achievements (Gruman et al., 2016). Positive self-perceptions can have a significant impact on a student’s academic performance, motivation, and confidence. Students who believe in their capabilities and have a positive self-concept are more likely to succeed and persevere through challenges (Gruman et al., 2016). On the other hand, negative self-perceptions can lead to lower motivation, lower confidence, and poorer academic performance (Gruman et al., 2016). Self-handicapping is a behavior where individuals intentionally engage in actions that may undermine their future performance, in order to have an excuse for potential failures.

While not everyone engages in self-handicapping, many people can recall at least one instance where they did not perform to their best ability (Gruman et al., 2016). Although self-handicapping may protect one’s self-image in the short term, it undermines optimal performance and is self-defeating in the long run. Additionally, others may view self-handicapping negatively and may evaluate individuals who engage in this behavior as having lower ability, performance, and personality traits.

Teacher expectations can also influence students’ self-perception and academic achievement. Teachers’ expectations of their students did not always align with the students’ actual abilities and motivations (Gentrup et al., 2020). However, these inaccurate expectations still have a significant impact on students’ achievement, even after other factors were taken into account (Gentrup et al., 2020). Specifically, high teacher expectations that were not accurate or in alignment with students, were associated with greater achievement in reading and mathematics, while low teacher expectations that were not accurate were associated with lower achievement in reading only (Gentrup et al., 2020). Self-fulfilling prophecies in the classroom involve three main steps: (1) teachers form inaccurate expectations, (2) these expectations lead to differential treatment of higher- and lower-expectancy students, and (3) students react to this differential treatment, confirming the initial expectations and resulting in greater achievement gains for higher-expectancy students and lower achievement gains for lower-expectancy students (Gentrup et al., 2016). As such, student self-perception in the classroom is not the only concern. It is important to challenge teacher biases and their perceptions of students as well.

Social psychology has a significant impact on student-teacher relations in the classroom, particularly in terms of cognitive errors and self-perceptions. Fundamental attribution, belief perseverance, and social categorization all have an impact on how students perceive themselves, and these perceptions influence their academic outcomes (Gruman et al., 2016). Self-serving bias is a perception where students take credit for good performance and blame faculty for poor performance (Gruman et al., 2016), this behavior can lead students down a path of not taking accountability for their actions and disengaging from learning. The over-justification effect is another issue where students tend to dislike class material more when they are required to study it (Gruman et al., 2016). With these concepts in mind, we can see how modeling and creating a fun learning environment is important for the classroom environment. Teaching concepts such as a growth mindset is important for both teachers and students. Individuals with destiny beliefs demonstrate less resiliency (perspective taking, being flexible, addressing adverse experiences) than those with growth beliefs (Chen et al., 2012). Growth beliefs can impact an individual’s response to adversity potentially increasing their resilience (Chen et al., 2012). Having resilience is an important promotive and protective factor for mental health, academic and personal  growth and more.

References: 

Chen, Z., DeWall, C. N., Poon, K. T., & Chen, E. W. (2012). When destiny hurts: Implicit theories of relationships moderate aggressive responses to ostracism. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 48(5), 1029-1036.

Gentrup, S., Lorenz, G., Kristen, C., & Kogan, I. (2020). Self-fulfilling prophecies in the classroom: Teacher expectations, teacher feedback and student achievement. Learning and Instruction, 66, 101296.

Procrastination is a common problem among students of all ages, and it can have a significant impact on their academic abilities and performance. As noted in the study by Kármen et al. (2015), there is a significant negative correlation between procrastination and academic performance, indicating that students who procrastinate tend to perform poorly in their studies. This finding is supported by Tibbett and Ferrari’s (2015) study, which identified risk factors associated with procrastination, including indecisiveness, low self-esteem, and fear of failure.

The negative effects of procrastination on academic performance can be explained by the fact that procrastinators tend to delay their work until the last minute, resulting in a rushed and incomplete assignment. Furthermore, procrastinators tend to experience higher levels of stress and anxiety, which can negatively affect their cognitive abilities and memory retention. As noted by Kármen et al. (2015), procrastination can also lead to a negative attitude towards studying, which can further exacerbate the problem.

To overcome the negative effects of procrastination on academic performance, it is important to develop effective time management skills. This includes setting realistic goals and deadlines, breaking down assignments into manageable tasks, and prioritizing tasks based on their importance and urgency. Additionally, students can benefit from developing a positive attitude towards their studies, such as by setting personal goals and finding ways to stay motivated and engaged in their learning.

In conclusion, procrastination can have a significant negative impact on academic abilities and performance. Students who procrastinate tend to experience higher levels of stress and anxiety, delay their work until the last minute, and may have a negative attitude towards their studies. To overcome the negative effects of procrastination, students can develop effective time management skills and a positive attitude towards their studies. By doing so, they can improve their academic abilities and achieve their academic goals.

References: 

Kármen, D., Kinga, S., Edit, M., Susana, F., Kinga, K. J., & Réka, J. (2015). Associations between Academic Performance, Academic Attitudes, and Procrastination in a Sample of Undergraduate Students Attending Different Educational Forms. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 187, 45–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.03.009

Tibbett, T. P., & Ferrari, J. R. (2015). The portrait of the procrastinator: Risk factors and results of an indecisive personality. Personality and Individual Differences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.03.014

Children are very easily influenced. They see someone doing something, then all of a sudden they are doing it, too. Especially when it is an adult. Children look up to adults. As described in our lesson for this week, Albert Bandura performed an experiment involving children mimicking what they had seen in a tape. The children demonstrate observational learning. Bandura was testing the social learning theory by studying children’s behavior after watching an adult model act out aggressively towards the bobo doll. Bandura’s theory was that people learned behavior by observing others. They then process what they have seen and then act it out themselves.

Bandura tested 36 boys and 36 girls who were all between the ages of 3 and 6 years old from Stanford University Nursery School. Beforehand, the researchers had tested the children to see how aggressive they were on four 5-point rating scales. Next, they matched the children to the group where they had similar aggression levels. The independent variable was manipulated in three different ways: aggressive model is shown to 24 children, non-aggressive model is shown to 24 children, and no model is shown to 24 children.

The results of this experiment showed that the children who saw the aggressive model were the ones were far more aggressive with the bobo doll than the ones who were shown the non- aggressive model or in the control group. The girls who were shown the aggressive model were showing physically aggressive responses if the model was male, but verbally aggressive if the model was female. However, genders were reversed based on how many times they had hit the bobo doll. Boys were more likely to imitate same sex models than the girls. Boys were also more physically aggressive than the girls and little difference in the verbal aggression between boys and girls. The experiment demonstrated children learn social behavior such as aggression through observation learning.

In conclusion, Bandura proved that children learn their social behavior through observing others. Prior to Bandura’s findings, psychoanalysis proposed that seeing others actions would weaken the response to model those behaviors. When children were shown aggressive behaviors, they modeled those same behaviors out on the bobo doll. When children were shown non-aggressive behaviors they did not exhibit aggressive behaviors towards the bobo doll. They not only learned the aggressive behaviors by watching, but also were creative by elaborating further.

References:

Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment on Social Learning

Every person is different with various thought process and comprehension skills when it comes to learning. There are children who are gifted intellectually and there are other children who need extra help with comprehending and learning new things. If we were all the same, the world would not be full of different career paths and talents and life would be pretty boring. Not everyone is going to excel in the school environment and that is completely ok. There are many social learning theories and concepts that contribute to understanding how one learns.

The fundamental attribution error plays a huge role in social psychology. The fundamental attribution error is the tendency people have to focus on personal causes of other people’s behavior. For example, ” if you come to school late because of a flat tire, and your teacher assumes that your tardy because you are a lazy student, then the teacher is guilty of making a fundamental attribution error” (Gruman). This error can happen in many different settings and it is sometimes hard to recognize that we are guilty of this because it seems to be an automatic brain process.

Belief perseverance is another aspect of social learning where people tend to maintain their initial ideas or beliefs despite opposing evidence to show different. It can happen in the classroom, when people have used and known a word to mean a specific thing for a long period of time, it can be hard to change their perspective. Guarding against belief perseverance is beneficial for maintaining an open mind helps learning and acquiring new information for upcoming exams and assignments. It is very important to try and catch yourself if your beliefs and generalizations make you ignore new information that could be beneficial to your knowledge.

Those are just a few of the concepts of social learning and it’s important to educate yourself on these because it can help you open your mind to things you may not have before. There is always something that someone else knows that you don’t and vice versa.  You can learn so many things when you maintain an open mind. Education is something that is richer than any wealth or assets, because it can change your life and your mentality on how you think, act, and live.

Reference

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

I have a nuisance in my life; my fiance’s best friend, Nick. Nick is 24 years old and is one of the most immature and irresponsible people I have ever met. He is very bad with stereotyping, having no filter, and overall being very disrespectful (especially towards females). How does any of this relate to social psychology and education? Well, I’d love to tell you.

Nick was homeschooled. He uses this as his excuse for all of his negative behaviors. “Sorry I said that, I was homeschooled”, “I’m socially stupid because my mom homeschooled me”, and so on… How much does being homeschooled actually affected your social learning behaviors?

Before researching, I would have based my understanding off of my experiences. These experiences have been mostly negative so of course I have been assuming that homeschooled children do not receive the same amount of social interaction and therefore, do not learn all of the necessary social behaviors as children who attend private/public school. I assumed that if Nick had attended a regular school with other children and teachers to interact with, that he would have had a more positive social influence and would have been able to observe better behaviors.

Surprisingly, the research is the complete opposite. The research suggests that homeschooled children have the same, if not better, social skills compared to their regular schooled counterparts (Abuzandah, 2023). This article did also suggest that the parent’s interaction was an important part and how the parent addresses the developmental needs of the child can make a difference (Abuzandah, 2023).

So what is Nick’s excuse for being an immature nuisance? Who knows. It could be how his mother taught him. Maybe she did not address problem behaviors and focus on his developmental needs, so he thought his behavior was acceptable. Maybe he modeled after his many siblings whose behavior was also not corrected.

Personally, I think that at least some of Nick’s behaviors could have been corrected earlier in his childhood and I also think that being around other teachers, students, and engaging more with peers may have benefited him.

References

Abuzandah, S. (2020, July 07). Social Skills for homeschooling students. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation.aspx?paperid=101655#:~:text=The%20study%20reveals%20that%20homeschooled,child%20since%20learning%20is%20interactive.

Humans are social creature and often learn through observing others. We learn through others actions and words and see what is rewarded and how successful they are at a task or job. When learning something new I often have to watch someone else do it to feel confident enough to try to go to it myself. One of the main ways as humans that we learn is through observation, at a young age we are observing our parents. We learn from the environments we are in and observe through that and Social Learning Theory is good at explaining how we learn.

Social learning is a common thing we all experience as we go throughout life. To define Social learning theory, “The theory suggests that learning occurs because people observe the consequences of other people’s behaviors. Bandura’s theory moves beyond behavioral theories, which suggest that all behaviors are learned through conditioning, and cognitive theories, which consider psychological influences such as attention and memory”(Cherry, 2022). This shows that we observe behaviors of others and see how those behaviors are rewarded. We may see someone being funny and cracking jokes and notice everyone seems to like that person, so you might try to do the same thing to get people to like you. That’s observing someone behaviors and learning how to interact with others but that’s also social learning.

Being rewarded for learned behaviors can be really successful in keeping that behavior on going. A quote that really explains this more, “in order for observational learning to be successful, you have to be motivated to imitate the behavior that has been modeled. Reinforcement and punishment play an important role in motivation. While experiencing these motivators can be highly effective, so can observing others experiencing some type of reinforcement or punishment” (Cherry, 2022). Which shows that reinforcement and observing others being rewarded for good behaviors will cause those behaviors to be learned.

In conclusion, social learning theory is a valid concept that we learn through social interactions and observing other behaviors. Seeing how others are rewarded for behaviors and using those behaviors to benefit ourselves in some way. Being motivated with rewards to learn new behaviors is what is part of the human experience. We all have learned how to do something by observing others.

References

Cherry, K. (2022, October 14). How does observational learning actually work? Verywell Mind. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://www.verywellmind.com/social-learning-theory-2795074

Self-determination theory links student motivation and academic behavior together. According to the theory, everyone has three core psychological needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Autonomy refers to feeling like you have control of your life and having the ability to make choices for yourself. Competence refers to feeling accomplished and effective in one’s own activity. Lastly, relatedness is feeling connected and having a sense of belongingness to others. Evidence suggests that people behave more independently, are more likely to stick with their habits, and feel better all around when these requirements are met (Deci, 2017).

It is important to recognize both ends of the self-determination continuum. Intrinsic motivation comes from within and is when we do things for ourselves because it is rewarding to us. Extrinsic motivation comes from external factors and is when we do things to be rewarded by others or avoid punishment from others (Gruman et al., 2017). An example of intrinsically motivated behavior is if individuals are working out and exercising to be healthy both physically and mentally healthy and to treat their bodies right. On the other hand an extrinsically motivated behavior would be exercising to look a certain way and get approval by others.

A lot goes into self-determination theory that we are unaware of. Part of this theory is autonomous regulation or motivation, which relates back to the need of autonomy. There are two types of autonomous motivation known as intrinsic motivation, which, as mentioned before, is doing something for yourself because you enjoy it or it is rewarding to you. The other type of autonomous motivation is internalized extrinsic motivation (Deci, 2017). This is when you do something because you were motivated by potential external factors, but it becomes something you internalize because of its value.

Another part of the self-determination theory is controlled regulation or motivation. This is when people do things because they feel pressured to. There are also two types of controlled motivation. The first is extrinsic motivation, which again as mentioned before, is doing something for a reward or to avoid punishment. The other type of controlled motivation is called introjected regulation (Deci, 2017). This is forcing yourself to do something because you have partially internalized an extrinsic reason. Guilt is frequently linked to this kind of motivation as well.

It is crucial to pay attention to the different types of motivation, both autonomous and controlled, when learning about self-determination theory. Although the different types of motivation create similar behavior, depending on the sort of incentive driving the activity, the effectiveness of the behavior and your experience engaging in it can change. It is important to engage in activities and do things for ourselves and not just for the approval of others. The example of exercising can help people to better understand why we need to do these things for ourselves. The pure enjoyment is taken away when we do it for other people and the value in it is lost. 

References:

Deci, E. L. (2017, October). Edward Deci – Self-Determination Theory. The Brainwaves Video Anthology

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.

Education has been constantly changing, throughout history and even more in recent years. Recently, because of the pandemic that caused the country into lockdown, the education system had to find a new way to teach students without going to physical school. This ultimately not only changed teaching during the pandemic, but for the next years to come. 

One theory discussed in this weeks lesson was the Self-determination theory which, “is the degree to which an individual sees him or herself as being autonomous, being able to make choices and act on those choices, having a feeling of belonging to others in the social environment, and being able to self-regulate their behaviors without feeling pressured to behave in a particular manner” (Deci & Ryan, 1985). This definitely has to do with education and students in general. Students are constantly given work, and while they have guidance from teachers and faculty at schools, a lot of the time students must make decisions on their own and figure things out as they grow up.

As someone who went to a somewhat smaller school and lived in a small town, I found myself using my faculty resources a lot of the time. This was the case until I reached high school where there were less faculty available and it was more than 3 grades to a school. During this time period I definitely can resonate with the self-determination theory as I felt like I was an autonomous agent and had to make choices both socially and academically. 

Another time I feel like a lot of people started to really resonate with this theory was during the time of the pandemic when all of school went online and classes were unorganized and held on zoom. People did not have the physical school organization and were unable to physically meet with their classmates, teachers, and faculty members. During this time people were forced to make their own educational decisions regarding when to do what and how to do it. 

I think that the self-determination theory affects people and can affect people in both positive and negative ways. I think that self-determination makes people more independent and helps them as they get older when they don’t always have the guidance of others. I also think that in situations, specifically like the pandemic, when people are forced to act this way, they may struggle because they don’t know exactly what they are doing. I think that self-determination definitely is involved in the education system. 

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2005). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Sage Publications, Inc.

People have a natural tendency to bias. The natural and normal instinct of human nature drives people to make one-sided and subjective judgments on the present things according to the present situation and personal preference, and then take corresponding behaviors. This oversimplified approach to the problem begins with the subject’s emotional projection and fantasy. On this basis, people tend to ignore the facts and make unfounded predictions, thus breeding irrational behaviors.

Teachers, as professionals engaged in the cause of rationality, live in the teaching field, must always keep a rational teaching attitude, to guide the healthy development of students. If we turn a blind eye to teachers’ prejudice, it will inevitably lead to teachers’ unreasonable teaching behaviors which are not conducive to students’ development because of their own subjective assumptions. It can be seen that the attention and research of teachers’ bias is a key link to promote high quality teaching. In order to avoid the negative effects caused by bias in teaching, a series of measures can be taken. Strengthening effective communication between teachers and students can be placed in the first place.

Communication is the process by which people share information, thoughts and emotions through contact. Through communication, information is passed on to each other in order to achieve mutual understanding. This kind of understanding can help individuals get out of the limitation of self-cognition and enter the world of others, so as to reduce the prejudice against others. As Gaines and Reed (1995) argues, most programs to eliminate bias are based on the assumption that the more we know about each other, the less hostile we will be to each other. At the same time, the contact hypothesis theory in social psychology also holds that increasing communication and contact between different groups can help eliminate bias. Therefore, if teachers achieve effective communication with students, they can make up for their ignorance of students and thus reduce the generation of bias.

In addition, educators should consciously create a classroom atmosphere for communication and dialogue between teachers and students. By allocating classroom participation opportunities reasonably and arranging classroom space properly, students who were previously disliked by teachers due to prejudice can be expanded to communicate with each other. Achieve equal discussion and communication between teachers and all students. An ideal discussion among many people is more likely to come to the right conclusion than any one person’s own careful thinking. Because in our daily lives, communicating with others overcomes our prejudices and broadens our horizons, we are asked to see things from their point of view, and we deeply feel the limits of our own horizons. Therefore, in the classroom, mutual deliberation through communication between teachers and students is better than the teacher’s authoritarian judgment.

Reference

Gaines Jr, S. O., & Reed, E. S. (1995). Prejudice: From Allport to DuBois. American Psychologist, 50(2), 96.

We communicate via written text over online sources – text messages, instant messages, email, chat rooms, and so on – regularly throughout the day. As a society, we have seen the evolution of written communication rise from hieroglyphics and petroglyphs available only to those in the immediate vicinity to written letters and telegrams to expand continents in a few weeks to today, where we can send a text based message in any language multiple forms instantly. As we continue to speed up not only production processes for goods and services, we have reached the point of instantly being able to communicate with each other with no barrier or time or place to slow it down.

With these immediate messages, we do have the ability to fire off a sentence or paragraph and send it to our intended (or accidental) recipients. Written communication will always be inferior to spoken communication, however, because it does lack the ability to consistently and effectively extend nonverbal cues as to the sender’s intent. Nonverbal cues can include things like the speaker’s tone of voice and pauses as well as things like facial expressions and body language (St Clalr & Giles, 2013). Ever evolving, however, sms text messages, Slack, Teams, email, and many other forms of written communication are used by nearly all individuals in the current time the use of emoticons fill in the gaps in context cues that the lack of nonverbal communication leaves open (Thompson & Filik, 2016).

Literally made from the terms “emotion” and “icon,” emoticons are commonly used to convey an emotional tone to a message, to include sarcasm. Skovholt et al. (2014) propose that emoticons are used in emails to express a practical alignment of context – that the use of emoticons is expressly to frame the context for the message being sent via text so that the reader understands the intentions of the author. It was also found that the use of emoticons was less effective than a spoken message, but I believe we all can recognize that a spoken conversation will likely always be the best way to convey meaning and intent. Thompson and Filik (2016) have found that emoticons can strengthen a message. A sentence sent with a wink face, for example, drives home the cheeky intent of the written message it’s contained within – not signaling an emotion, but offering a cue as to the message’s tone.

In a study involving 1606 email messages from three different companies’ internal communications, Skovholt et al. (2014) analyzed the use of emoticons in different contexts of messages used within. The most common emoticon used was a smile – 🙂 🙂 – and it was most commonly used in messages that were coded as requests from the sender to the recipients. The researchers deduce that the inclusion of emoticon in this type of message is to lessen the harshness of a request for action based on politeness strategy (Skovholt et al., 2014). It was found that the use of emoticons in the professional emails used in the study were intended to convey a positive attitude, a friendly demeanor, and to soften or hedge a request made upon the recipient. This study presents evidence that the use of emoticons go beyond the face value of adding a “face” to a message, but are used in a pragmatic way to set a tone inside written communication.

I believe this to be true based on personal experience. As a millennial, I grew up with the internet – not in the way that the internet was there while I grew, but in the way that the internet grew from its infancy to adulthood while I was growing up. The days of Yahoo! Chat rooms, message boards (which still exist! Looking at you, Fark), and fledgling “hotmail” email addresses mark my own growth milestones. We know how to send a message with emotion using text because we learned to do so in learning to communicate on the internet. When we receive a “melting smiling face” emoji from a friend, we know their face is not literally melting – but that they are sarcastically implying being fine while struggling with the written information that’s been included with the graphic.

References:
Skovholt, K., Grønning, A., & Kankaanranta, A. (2014). The Communicative Functions of Emoticons in Workplace E-Mails: :-). Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 19(4), 780–797. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12063

St Clalr, R. N., & Giles, H. (2013). The Social and Psychological Contexts of Language. Psychology Press.

Thompson, D., & Filik, R. (2016). Sarcasm in Written Communication: Emoticons are Efficient Markers of Intention. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 21(2), 105–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12156

In today’s society social media has a huge influence on groups and individuals. When having access to social media at a younger age it is common that social media has an impact on the way an individual creates their own individuality. They are more likely to shape it tours the interests and likes in today’s society rather than the things they actually enjoy. As generations modernize and children become more common to electronics at an early age their individuality will disappear.

It has become normal that humans today us social media as a form of mental health therapy and a cure for boredom. When someone is feeling down about themselves, they look tours social media to stay in contact with other people without them being about to see them in person. This helps them feel connected with other but at the same time more secure.

Using too much social media can affect an individual’s mood. The negative impacts of using too much social media are that it can boost anxiety, depression, and stress. Not only do people hide behind social media because they are already self-conchos but by doing so it is making their disorders worse. One main concern about social media is social displacement. This can cause people to lack social skills due to the time they spend behind the scream.

References:

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Social Media’s growing impact on our lives. American Psychological Association. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.apa.org/members/content/social-media-research

Microsoft. (n.d.). Bing. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.bing.com/search?q=how%2Bdoes%2Bsocial%2Bmedia%2Bimpact%2Bindividuals&cvid=58437dfd8b284a048f08593520cc4fcd&aqs=edge.1.69i57j0l7.13232j0j1&pglt=41&FORM=ANNTA1&DAF1=1&PC=ASTS

In many recent studies, psychologists have been able to see how violence in the media and on TV leads to aggression among children and adolescents. The social cognitive theory, according to Boston University, is “learning that occurs in a social context with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of the person, environment, and behavior” (Boston University, 2022). In the social cognitive theory, the book states that there are four processes: attention, representational, behavioral production, and motivational (Gruman, 2016).

In the first step of attention, people learn by watching and the behavior that is modeled to them. This type of behavior can also include actions, emotions, and traits of other people. In terms of children, when they are shown media violence, it creates a presence in their mind that makes it seem normal. While aggression may not be explicitly acceptable, it still gives a perception to children that it happens and they are immune to it. They may start to not see it as a bad thing and therefore accept the violence, which could lead to them doing it on their own.

The second step is the representational process, which includes remembering the modeled behavior from step 1. In order for the child to actively participate in the aggression, they must first remember how the behavior was shown to them. The child can perform a different type of aggression and it may not be as extreme as what they were shown. However, without showing a child aggression, they will likely not go out of their way to do it since they have not been shown it before.

The third step is behavioral production, which is the step where someone learns to perform the action that they have been shown. In this step, a child learns how to be aggressive by mimicking a behavior that they have seen. This could be something as small as them hitting another child or a guardian. The action may also not be meant as spiteful, but as a way of getting attention.

In the final step of motivation, a person is motivated to perform a behavior that they have seen. For a child, this could be something as small as a pinch, a push, or a small hit. The motivation for the child could be a lack of attention or that someone has made them angry. An example of this action would be that another child has stolen a toy from them on the playground and the child who has seen aggression is promoted to push the other child out of anger of them taking the toy.

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Boston University. (2022, November 23). Behavioral change models. The Social Cognitive Theory. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/sb/behavioralchangetheories/behavioralchangetheories5.html

Social media and attachment styles, two topics that often become the forefront of psychological conversations regarding the evolution of human communication and the different ways we interact and behave in relationships. Often, these topics are in separate conversations and evaluated on a mutually exclusive basis. But these two areas have a myriad of scientific articles examining the relationship between attachment styles and social media usage, together.

Attachment styles fall under four basic categories, secure attachment, dismissing-avoidant attachment, preoccupied/anxious attachment, fearful-avoidant/unresolved attachment. Those who tend to have dismissing-avoidance attachment styles shy away from intimacy and commitment, aren’t as emotionally supportive, and have pessimistic views on romantic love. Preoccupied/anxious attachment styles tend to hold more anxiety about losing their partners, so they will willingly change themselves for their partners, experience stress from being separated away from their partners, and falls in love easy that tends to not last long. Individuals who have a fearful-avoidance/unresolved attachment style exhibit high anxiety and high avoidance in their romantic relationships. The high anxiety can cause them to exhibit the same behaviors has someone with an anxious attachment style, but also show avoidance tendency as well. Even though they want to be close to their partners, they distance themselves at the same time to prevent any possible rejection from partners. Finally, those with secure attachment styles believe love can last, are emotionally supportive, and can be separated from their partners without extraneous worry. So, what do attachment styles have to do with social media?

Motivations to use social networking sites are different for everyone. Uses include keeping in touch with friends and family, personal or business networking, marketing, trolling, and finding new connections and intimate relationships. Shorter et al., (2022) examined the relationship between attachment styles, social media usage, and loneliness. Specifically, how attachment styles can impact the how much time is spent on social networking sites and the motivations for using these sites with regards to loneliness. This study found that those who are most likely to use social media sites “to reduce loneliness are those with anxious attachment styles” (Shorter et al., 2022, p. 4).

Costanzo et al., (2021) also evaluated the relationship between social networking sites and attachment styles. In this study, the relationship between attachment styles and problematic social media usage is evaluated using maladaptive daydreaming as a mediator between the two. According to the article, maladaptive daydreaming is engaging in “excessive fantasy activity that interferes with an individual’s life” (Costanzo et al., 2021, p. 656). The results of this study revealed that secure attachment styles showed lower scores of problematic social media usage, while preoccupied and fearful attachment styles were associated with higher levels of problematic social media usage (Costanzo et al., 2021). Maladaptive daydreaming is used by those who are preoccupied or have fearful attachment as a “psychic retreat” (Costanzo et al., 2021, p. 659) from any distress they are experiencing in their relationships and fantasizing can be a motivator to use social networking sites as a place where “the idealized self-representation” (Costanzo et al., 2021, (660) is displayed without the possibility of rejection in relationships.

The literature discussed above discusses the relationship between social media and attachment styles. It was found that those who have anxious attachment styles are more likely to use social media to reduce feelings of loneliness (Shorter et al., 2022). In another study discussed, those who have fearful attachment styles and preoccupied attachment styles are at risk for engaging in maladaptive daydreaming, which can lead to problematic social media usage to curb feelings of rejection or to present the desired self without negative feedback. Next time you’re thinking about posting on Instagram or TikTok, take a moment to think about what your motivations are for posting, it might increase self-awareness of your attachment style that you might not have previously thought about.

References

Costanzo, A., Santoro, G., Russo, S., Cassarà, M. S., Midolo, L. R., Billieux, J., & Schimmenti, A. (2021). Attached to virtual dreams. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease, 209(9), 656-664. https://doi.org/10.1097/nmd.0000000000001356

Shorter, P., Turner, K., & Mueller-Coyne, J. (2022). Attachment style’s impact on loneliness and the motivations to use social media. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 7, 100212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100212

Social media allows people to create and connect with one another. While it seems harmless there is evidence that proves that social media can be the cause of violent behaviors in youths, and can create violence in communities, schools, and other life events. I am not proclaiming that social media is a negative benefactor to society, but it causes rifts between people and rights. The groups that are being affected by social is adolescents. Adolescents are susceptible to being psychologically affected by social media, especially with platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, tik tok which allow them to connect with other people. It is important to be aware of the potential negative effects that come with adolescents having access to these platforms because it increases the chances of cyberbullying, school shootings, or even putting them in danger of communicating with strangers online that they do not know.

Social media has been around for years, and it would be difficult to eliminate social media even if seen as a potential threat to society. Social media creates an established sense of openness to possibilities for the economy and people to connect sure that is the positive side that social media reveals, but the negatives are the endless possibles of violence, crime rate increasing, and suicide. This post is not to bash social media it is to make us become more aware of the influence that social media holds on a community that is persuaded easily, which is adolescents. I am now 22 years old and even when I was in middle school social media was still developing even today 2023 it is still developing. My number one potential danger of social media is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is an indirect form of bullying but could be just as harmful to an individual as physical bullying could be. “Regardless of its form, bullying can have enormously damaging effects on their targets: depression, anxiety, poor performance at school, stress, lowered self-esteem, and thoughts of suicide” (Gruman, 2016, p. 246). Adolescents nowadays are all about social media and that is a threat to their well-being. Eliminating technology in adolescent’s life will not eliminate the dangers they can still face. It is not about controlling how often they are on their phones, computers, laptops, etc. It is more about becoming more aware of the issue that is becoming more prevalent and that is mental health and with that, the issue is cyberbullying.

Social media benefits everyone, but it also poses a threat to adolescents, who are more poised to be influenced and harmed. There can be teens spending time on social media because they have social anxiety or depression, which allows them to not interact with people face-to-face, but with that, there are consequences like peer pressure, negative emotions, the feeling of being isolated from face-to-face interaction, etc. Too much time on social media can create a crisis in the mental health of the younger generation. It is important to address the negative effects on the well-being of adolescents that could be affected by cyberbullying via social media. With this comes preventions and interventions on how to decrease psychological distress, and suicidal intentions in adolescents.

Are adolescents spending too much time on social media?

Another issue is how much time adolescents spend on social media. Nowadays cell phones have a chart in settings on how much time you spend on your phone. According to an article, “95% of teens report that they have a smartphone or access to one” (Anderson & Jiang, 2018). This allows adolescents to have more access to the internet and that doesn’t mean access to the internet will be used as a positive benefactor. Adolescents are at risk for exposure to violence, cyberbullying, pornography, etc. To reduce these tendencies of negative influences there must be prevention and interventions. Bandura mentions vicarious learning through media. According to the textbook, “according to social cognition theory, viewers are more likely to act aggressively if they watch media violence, remember the violence they watched, figure out how to perform the violent behaviors and practice those behaviors, and are somehow motivated to perform the violent behaviors” (Gruman, 2016, p. 164). Adolescents being exposed to social media presents potential dangers to themselves and other teens. Social media is like a black hole, it is never-ending, and the cycle continues. Violence, and death, and it is all present on the internet.

Having resources to help adolescents being subjected to violence is important because it helps them feel safe. Having interventions to help adolescents from cyberbullying creates a safer environment and helps their mental health. According to an article, “The negative impacts of bullying on schooling, relationships and the emotional and psycho- logical health of young people who are its victims can be long term; in some cases, the impacts continue into early adulthood [4]. There are also long-term implications for bullies; for example, they have been found to typically exhibit higher levels of antisocial, violent, and/or criminal behavior in adulthood” (Notar et al., 2013, p. 133). Preventions and interventions to help adolescents feel safer can be implemented first, by preventing cyberbullying in school districts. Schools’ interventions and prevention strategies can help develop support groups for students who are being bullied. Most of the bullying comes from students themselves attacking other peers. According to the article strategy prevention for cyberbullying; “schools should intervene to prevent cyberbullying off-campus and should define cyberbullying in school regulations. Poland [40] proposes that teachers and parents be educated about cyberbullying and that educators limit the use of cellular phones by students in school settings” (Notar et al., 2013, p.137). This is one way for schools to help decrease cyberbullying among adolescents. It is critical to find any preventions to help adolescents who are being psychologically tormented because of the power that social media holds. This is just one prevention, while there are many more this is a start.

References

Anderson, M., & Jiang, J. (2018, May 31). Teens, Social Media and Technology 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/

145. Notar, C., Padgett, S., & Roden, J. (2013). Cyberbullying: Resources for intervention and prevention. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 1(3), 133–145. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2013.010301

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://ereader.chegg.com/books/9781506353968

The element of framing in storytelling involves setting the scene, the writer or speaker telling the audience how the story will go – controlling the angle of the audience’s thoughts and how they see the story based on the information the teller presents… or chooses to omit. The major news media outlets are professional bullshitters, according to my regular-guy uncle Fred. As he points out, you can watch CNN show a story, presenting their information on the scene and then turn to Fox News and see the same story being presented in a completely different manner. News companies like this have billions of reasons to frame their story in a different manner than the other – billions of dollars of reasons. 

Gruman et al. (2016) describes the agenda tiers – which I picture as a set of nested dolls – as the policy agenda being set by the public agenda which is set my the media’s agenda. The author is detailing that the media controls what we, as the public, consider important, which we then clamor for and the politicians cater to our demands of attention to specific issues. Issues which weren’t even our own ideas! Ideas placed with us by the media. I remember when conspiracy theories were just a fun thing that group of silly nerds used to talk to Mulder about when he left an “X” in tape on his window, but it turns out this is no conspiracy at all. It’s social psychology! The availability heuristic posits that people make judgements on how easy it is to recall something – how available thoughts about that something are for us to remember (Gruman et al., 2016). That is, we are likely to remember issues we have heard of recently when asked how we feel about the state of the nation or how woke Disneyland is becoming. When the news media is playing their curated stories with frequency and repetitive tropes, it makes sense that media policy would be the one to rule them all in the policy hierarchy. 

For older people (think boomer generation and above), this can take on a hint of sociological gaslighting – placing minority ethnicities or genders in positions in their storytelling to erode these viewer’s realities (Sweet, 2019). Weaponizing well known insecurities and irrational views of “the others” who could be creating perceived turmoil in their lives – even when there is no turmoil to be had, really – earns money for the news media companies. Our textbook says that there are the options of issue framing, in which the reporting agency can cover issues by presenting the pertinent, important issues along with the associated pros and cons for said issues. Or the reporting agency can use strategy framing, focusing on the motivations behind why someone is doing something (Gruman et al., 2016). For the media giants, it’s all strategy frames, all the time! Being able to tell a story framed in the light that the motivations for a politician are to the benefit of a certain group or at the behest of a lobbyist rather than for “the good of the people” gets clicks, views, and shares. I am focusing on self proclaimed news outlets in this post, because I feel the radio broadcasts and late night tv shows referenced in our textbook don’t try to be a “news source” so much as explicit entertainment. 

The news media format focused on strategy frame has created a large, angry rift amongst the United States. I do feel it is more the focus on the so called “right wing” news media. Media outlets who cater to the right-wing side of politics tend to frame their stories in a manner which erodes their sense of reality, imploring them to accept the fictional reality that the outlet has created (Sweet, 2019). The fake reality full of broken borders teaming with immigrants tearing across, guns and drugs both blazing, based on their reporting alone. The company has the ability to tell the viewers exactly what the issues are with the US, and how outraged they should feel about each one of those issues (Gruman et al., 2016). The feeling? Cynicism. 

Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z are increasingly getting news from sources such as TikTok or Twitter – platforms that have much less structure as to what stories are offered to the viewer. Multiple sources providing coverage and commentary on issues as they happen can provide a more – fair and balanced – set of information for the citizens, which will result in a better informed society in time so long as the information continues to be in such a freeform format, untainted by Big Media money. In order to assist our older friends and family, introducing them to other sources of news would be beneficial, if they’ll have it. 

To conclude, media policy controls the issues that the public feels are important by deciding which issues to share, how often, and in which frame. When the people believe an issue or set of issues is important, it then becomes the focus of policy agenda by politicians. News media companies are a billion dollar threat to free thought and social equalities. They set the agenda for American thought – but only if we let them, and only for now. 

References:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Sage Publications, Incorporated.

Sweet, P. L. (2019). The Sociology of Gaslighting. American Sociological Review, 84(5), 851–875. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419874843

In our world today people are influenced by the media and the amount of time spent engaging in it affects how influenced they really are. Cultivation theory looks at the results and consequences of excessive TV watching, specifically for someone who watches more than four hours a day. With this theory, TV acts as the main source of social information. This type of media is affecting people’s views and perceptions about the world and one’s culture.

A potential problem with excessive TV watching is a skewed view of the world in which we live as well as portraying a false reality. Specifically, the TV world shows more violence, shows more men than women, and misrepresents wealth. According to cultivation theory, people who spend over four hours a day watching TV are likely to view the world in a more dangerous way. This could lead to fear of leaving the house causing even more hours to be spent watching TV, and further misrepresenting one’s views of the world. Now more than ever, people are engaging in time spent watching TV and potentially being misled about the real world.

There is a ton of evidence about the cultivation theory’s suggestion, that people’s ideas of social reality are distorted by the prevalent messages conveyed by television. Studies have shown that excessive TV watchers misinterpret the amount of crime in the world. If people watch violent shows for hours on end their view of the real world gets mixed up with the violence they just watched on TV. This can cause individuals to fear and avoid leaving their homes and can also cause anxiety. This theory is important to understand to be able to separate the real world from the TV world. Another issue is that TV tends to show a 2:1 ratio of men to women and portray women in a more stereotypical light. This leads heavy TV viewers to have somewhat sexist views towards women (Gruman et al., 2016).

It is crucial to recognize that TV is a powerful form of media and producers profit off of audiences who engage in their shows. There are consequences in our world today regarding excessive TV watching and these effects are usually misleading and negative. In general, although many may not realize this, most TV programs are similar in that they overemphasize and misrepresent the real world. People who spend time engaging in this type of media are naturally taking in information and it is changing their views, attitudes, and behaviors (Vinney, 2022). I think this theory helps us to recognize the effects of the media on individuals and how important it is to not be too excessive when it comes to TV watching. Having other activities to do or other forms of entertainment to snap people out of their TV world is important and can help bring people back to reality. In a world with the media having so much power, this theory is more significant than ever, and recognizing the results could help to create a healthy balance between media and reality.

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated

Vinney, C. (2022, January 18). What is cultivation theory in media psychology? Verywell Mind. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.verywellmind.com/cultivation-theory-5214376

I have previously looked into the different ways watching tv and playing video games can affect people, more specifically affect their aggression levels and attitudes towards aggression. Something that goes hand and hand with this is the cultivation theory which, “focuses on the effects of heavy exposure to TV (i.e., more than four hours a day)” (Gruman and Schneider, 2016).  It is interesting in the first place that this theory exists because in today’s society, TV watching and electronic use is so common that I believe over half the population has watched at least 4 hours of tv in one day. 

The textbook points out interesting effects about the cultivation theory, or watching tv for a longer amount of time, that I had never thought about or knew could happen. Watching TV, specifically fictional shows, brings people into a false reality and introduces them into false characters. This can ultimately lead them to coming up with fantasies and expecting things that are not part of a true reality. It is interesting to think how shows like this can create false expectations and make people believe that something may be true or happen when it is not actually real.

Another effect of the cultivation theory has to do with what people learn from watching so much television for a long amount of time. The textbook explains that in many shows there are stereotypes, whether they are extremely obvious or somewhat hidden within the characters. The textbook says, “As a result, questionnaire studies have found that people who are heavy viewers of TV tend to have more sexist views of women” (Gerbner et al., 2002; Morgan, 1990). It is interesting that these stereotypes whether they are obvious or not or on purpose or not can alter the way someone thinks about the real world and imbed these stereotypes into a person’s mind. These stereotypes then may be thought about in reality causing people to think as if their mind was still the past, not the present. 

The last effect I want to point out is the one I began to discuss earlier in my post, how watching a certain amount of TV or playing video games consisting of violence may affect the aggression in the person involved. The textbook explains that a serious consequence of media violence is that people engaging in it begin to see the world in a different light, a more dangerous light. Because of this, they may engage in more dangerous activities, as well as it may affect their mental health in a negative way. Because they are viewing the world as more dangerous and hostile, they can develop different anxiety and panic disorders. People may fear leaving the house or walking certain places. 

It is extremely interesting to take a deeper look into how watching more amounts of TV can affect a person. It can affect them in many ways as they may come up with false realities, be exposed to stereotypes, and develop aggression and anxiety. The cultivation theory is so common in the world today because there is so much internet and TV being watched all the time. I think raising awareness about the effects of this theory would be extremely eye-opening to everyone in society, the same way it was to me.

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2005). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Sage Publications, Inc.

Social media has become an indispensable part of people’s lives in today’s society. However, the widespread use of social media comes with a host of physical and mental health problems. For young people in particular, the impact of social media is even more pronounced. According to Richards et al (2015), the excessive use of social media can have an impact on young people’s mental health. On social media, young people often compare their own lives with those of others to assess their own worth and happiness. However, this comparison may cause them to have bad feelings such as low self-esteem and anxiety. In addition, violence, pornography, hate speech and other bad information on social media can also have a negative impact on young people’s mental health. Apart from that, overuse of social media can also have an impact on young people’s physical health. Excessive use of social media can make young people stay in a bad posture for a long time, leading to shoulder, neck, lumbar and other pain, and even cause diseases such as cervical spondylosis. In addition, bad information on social media may also lead to poor eating habits among young people, such as overeating.

There are also many reasons why social media can lead to the physical and mental health of young individuals. The stimulation of social media design is an important factor. The design of social media focuses on stimulating the user’s brain so that users can continue to use social media. For example, notifications and likes on social media can give users instant feedback and a sense of reward. This design will make users have a strong desire to use, which leads to overuse. In addition, the information from social media is very wide, however, it is also mixed with a lot of bad information. Such as false information, fake news, hate speech, etc. The deluge of information will confuse young people and increase their difficulty in obtaining true information, leading them to be easily misled by incorrect information, resulting in negative emotions and bad behaviors.

It is worth noting that social circles and groups on social media often have strong group pressure. Young people may be subjected to other people’s expectations and judgments on social media, which can lead to anxiety and discomfort. For example, when other people share the wonderful moments of their lives on social media, young people may feel that their lives are boring compared to theirs, resulting in feelings of inferiority.

In order to cope with the impact of social media on young individuals, there are some necessary measures to deal with these negative effects. For example, limit your time on social media. The impact of excessive use of social media on physical and mental health can be reduced by limiting the time spent using social media. Specifically, it could set a time of day for social media use and enforce it strictly so that young people are aware of how long and how often they use social media. In addition, it is necessary to actively monitor bad information on social media and delete and shield bad information in time. These methods can reduce young people’s exposure to harmful information and protect their physical and mental health. Moreover, schools or relevant departments should strengthen the education and guidance of young people to help them develop the correct habit of using social media in view of the design and overflow of social media. For example, instruct them how to distinguish between true and false information and avoid being misled by false information. Teach them how to use social media properly and keep a good attitude and mood.

In conclusion, social media is an inevitable presence in today’s society, but its use can also have an impact on young people’s physical and mental health. Therefore, it is crucial to take measures to limit the excessive use of social media and guide young people to use social media correctly.

Reference

Richards, D., Caldwell, P. H., & Go, H. (2015). Impact of social media on the health of children and young people. Journal of paediatrics and child health, 51(12), 1152-1157.

These new generations are growing up with social media and new technology. It is shaping a new way of how we all interact with each other. Social media is often a way how teens, kids, and adults can express themselves. There are also negative effects of social media, there is often cyber bullying. Which can have negative affects on peoples mental health.

Some positive things associated with social media for example, “Social media benefits teens by expanding their social networks and keeping them in touch with their peers and far-away friends and family. It is also a creativity outlet. In the Common Sense Media report, more than a quarter of teens said that “social media is ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ important for them for expressing themselves creatively” (Allen, 2019). Which being able to express yourself without hate and have support from your peers is something that is very rewarding. Social media can be a positive place if you are surrounding your social networking with positive people. Having a supportive platform can improve anyone’s mental health just knowing they have people who understand them.

There often can be some negative effects with social media. For example, “”But there are also risks. The Common Sense Media survey found that 13 percent of teens reported being cyberbullied at least once. And social media can be a conduit for accessing inappropriate content like violent images or pornography. Nearly two-thirds of teens who use social media said they “’often’ or ‘sometimes’ come across racist, sexist, homophobic, or religious-based hate content in social media.””(Allen, 2019). There can be a lot of negative posts put out there on the internet in general. Anybody can look it up and find it or it can just come across someone’s social media feed. There can be hate everywhere and that can negatively affect someone and how they feel. Another example of hate on the internet is cyberbullying. This article states, “According to this report, between 2011 and 2018, rates of cyberbullying among teens have increased markedly in nearly every nation across the globe. For instance, in the US, rates of teens reporting having been victims of cyberbullying connected with social media increased from 15% in 2011 to 26% in 2018” (Hagan, 2021). Anyone can make a hateful comment on someone’s social media and everyone seems to know how to pick at someone’s insecurities and make them feel bad. These thing can have a negative toll on anyone’s mental health and with comparing yourself to others constantly. Seeing people with filters on their face and caked up makeup, it feels hard to even compare to these social media influencers most of the time.

In conclusion, there can be positive things about social media like have creative freedom in what they post. Also it can be a way to communicate with people you have not seen in a long time. But there are also negative effects like cyber bullying or constantly comparing yourself to others. Social media is not going away anytime soon and will be apart of peoples lives for a long time.

References

Allen, S. (2019). Social Media’s growing impact on our lives. American Psychological Association. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.apa.org/members/content/social-media-research

Hagan, E. (2021). The social media problem. Psychology Today. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/darwins-subterranean-world/202102/the-social-media-problem

Mass shootings have become a major public health concern in the United States, and research suggests that media coverage of such events can contribute to the contagion effect, whereby the occurrence of one mass shooting increases the likelihood of similar events to  occur in the near future (Meindl & Ivy, 2017). The contagion effect is distinct from general imitation, which refers to the tendency for individuals to imitate the behavior of others in a more general sense, rather than in response to a specific event. While the two concepts are related, the contagion effect is typically more focused on the specific event, whereas general imitation is more broad in scope.

According to Meindl and Ivy (2017), the media can play a significant role in promoting the contagion effect by providing extensive coverage of mass shootings, including detailed descriptions of the events and the perpetrators, as well as images and videos that may be perceived as glorifying or sensationalizing the violence. This can lead to what is known as the “copycat effect,” whereby individuals who are predisposed to committing acts of violence may be inspired by the media coverage to carry out their own attacks (Meindl & Ivy, 2017).

Moreover, the way in which the media frames its coverage of mass shootings can also contribute to the contagion effect. For example, Meindl and Ivy (2017) note that media coverage that focuses on the perpetrator’s personal and psychological characteristics, rather than broader social or environmental factors, may reinforce the idea that mass shootings are a result of individual pathology, rather than broader societal issues. This can lead to a normalization of mass shootings as a form of individual expression or a means of gaining attention.

To mitigate the contagion effect, Meindl and Ivy (2017) suggest that the media should avoid providing excessive coverage of mass shootings, and instead focus on reporting the facts of the event without sensationalizing the violence or the perpetrator. They also recommend that the media take a more proactive role in promoting public health by highlighting the social and environmental factors that contribute to mass shootings, and advocating for evidence-based policies that can reduce the risk of future events.

References: 

Meindl, J. D., & Ivy, J. W. (2017). Mass Shootings: The Role of the Media in Promoting Generalized Imitation. American Journal of Public Health, 107(3), 368–370. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2016.303611

About a year ago or so, one of my sister’s talked me into getting TikTok. I had been vehemently opposed to it because I didn’t understand it and wasn’t sure if I even wanted to. She would occasionally send them to me via text and once when she was visiting, she showed me the variety of what TikTok had to offer. The videos could be funny, informational, heartbreaking, relatable, the list goes on and on. I begrudgingly got the app, and I can fully admit I love it just as much as I hate it. While it can keep me entertained for hours, it is also the thing I hate about it. I will tell myself that I am only going to go on for a limited amount of time then cue the SpongeBob voiceover, “Two hours later…” and I continue to swipe. I have a husband, a daughter, three cats, a fulltime job, and I go to school fulltime. I don’t have that kind of time to devote to something as frivolous as TikTok. I have had to move it from the home screen on my phone to avoid temptation. TikTok has taught me it can make you famous for positive reasons and infamous for negative ones, at times with no conscious attempt from the individual being targeted. While I knew this in the back of my mind, nothing taught me more than a personal experience that happened over the weekend. My other sister had texted me asking if I had watched the TikTok’s she sent me yet. It was an odd request so I knew something must be up. I took to TikTok immediately and watched a stand-up comedian by the name of Matt Rife at a show where he engaged several audience members, with one in particular. It was a funny banter discussing the one audience member’s love life when another audience member chimed in and said there was someone else. Someone by the name of Brittany, and “everyone knows Brittany”. The comedian went on to say, “Brittany sounds like a ho”. Comedy turned to shock when I realized the Brittany being referred to is my sister and the man in the audience was her ex. At the time of the post of this blog that video has 20.9 million views on TikTok.

Gruman, et. al. speaks to the way in which media can influence our thoughts (2017). While the text poses this in consideration of political news coverage, media influence is a considerable issue in other circumstances as well. People are much more naïve than they want to believe they are and do not want to admit that they are as impressionable as everyone else. There is an innate need to be perceived as free thinking, independent citizens but that simply isn’t the case. Case in point, 20.9 million people have this ugly perception of Brittany without ever even meeting her. I know it was all for show, I know it was all in good fun, but it has impacted my sister deeply knowing this is the perception of millions towards her when that could not be farther from the truth. Brittany is one in a million-she is beautiful, funny, ambitious, resilient, a breath of fresh air. Reading the comments people are making on the video is hurtful and brings the true impact of the media’s influence on our thoughts to light. This could impact her future personal life, her future professional life, and impede on her ability to trust. This has already caused a rift with a family member because she didn’t want this to be made any more public than it already was, and this family member posted it to their Facebook and Instagram. The excuse was that it could be good for her, to be a platform to which she disagreed. Would the family member feel the same if the shoe was on the other foot? Or is this again, a gross misrepresentation of how the media influences our thoughts? It sure does give you something to think about and in the meanwhile, perhaps not believe everything you see on the internet, especially comedians trying to get the last laugh…

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L.M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems, 3^rd edition. SAGE Publications.

https://www.tiktok.com/@matt_rife/video/7209075443230690606

A major problem that the media and the federal government does is not curtailing the ease and availability of Pornography. Compounding the problem is the medias’ ability to embed sexual material (Kingston et al., 2009), and thereby conditioning the mind (Love et al., 2015), as to inoculate and desensitize from the harmful effects that it causes. Based on recent research in the neuroscience field it is now proven that pornography can become an addiction. As with all addiction(s) it brings a set a problem.

An addiction is classified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine “a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences. People with addiction use substances or engage in behaviors that become compulsive and often continue despite harmful consequences. Prevention efforts and treatment approaches for addiction are as successful as those for other chronic diseases.” Based on Pavlov’s famous classical conditioning theory we now know that being exposed to pornography produces a similar stimulus in the brain that affects our brain not only psychologically but also biologically. Clearly indicating some changes in our brain neuroplasticity (Hilton, 2013).

This is remarkably like the responses that drug, and alcohol addiction produce. As such, my belief is that if pornography causes similar damage, then those companies producing and transmitting pornography, should be responsible for treatments interventions. So now what? A question that should be posed to all is, do we take a reactionary stand, or do we tackle this head on? If we tackle this head on, what shall we do about it? The key to assuming the right stance is understanding the problem and implementing the correct intervention strategy by addressing the issue head on. One solution is to compel the media companies to assume responsibility for the content that they produce. The second is to implement safeguards within the media to reduce the proliferation of sexual content.

Let me be clear that my argument is not for the restriction of free speech and that of the 1^st amendment, but merely to address the social dilemma, medical, psychological, and social problems pornography causes. As well as to make a case for those companies that produce such material to contribute financially to the development of treatment plans for the problems that pornography causes. Much in the same way, cigarettes and alcohol get taxed based on the harm that is has proven to cause.

How harmful is pornography? The effects of watching pornography and its proliferation have been linked to medical and psychological conditions. In a recent study, pornography was shown to increase because of Erectile Disfunction (ED). ED among young men (Hilton, 2013). According to Gruman, et al. (2016), there is also “an association between the availability of pornography of any kind in various countries and the corresponding levels of sex-related crimes, such as rape, exhibitionism, and voyeurism.” Of concern is also how pornography changes our perception of women, men, and the world. Such as, “how rape can be perceived, judgments about a victim and perpetrator in a rape trial.” Gruman, et al., (2016). Of course, one cannot forget to mention the different martial problems that the chronic use of pornography has been correlated to. Pornography respects no gender, religion, creed, or sexual orientation. Although not all media companies perpetuate this type of mass means of communication, the ones that do are no doubt making Billions of dollars doing so, all while ignoring the effects of such programming (Anonymous, 2023).

The abolishment of pornography may be viewed as tyrannical or outright oppressive and a clear violation of our first amendment rights. This may be problematic at best and impossible at worst. We have tried many times before to tackle this social issue before, much the same way we tried to get rid of alcohol during prohibition. Without a doubt there is no clear and easy answer to this social systemic problem. As we strive as a society to figure out how to best address this, there are proactive measures that can be taken. We should strive to provide preventive medicine for the betterment of those afflicted by such illnesses. Who would not go to the doctor’s office when they are sick? One way in which we can address pornography addiction is by making those companies that produce, distribute, embed violent sexual material; or broadcast such material, pay for social recovery programs that aim at reducing such addiction. Another method by which to address this is by clearly displaying a message on the psychological and physiological effects, that explicitly sexual material causes or can cause, much in the same way alcohol and cigarettes currently display their messages.

Clearly there is no easy answer in trying to address this social problem. The proliferation of pornography by the different methods of media within our society has introduced a new social dilemma that is exacerbated by limited resources. Exactly how many individuals’ does pornography addiction affects might be difficult to determine but it may be safe to say that it may affect someone close to us. The psychological and physiological problems are many and the intervention strategy may not have the one shoe fits all approach, but based on recent research, it may be safe to say that we must do something before the bucket becomes full and begins to drip out. One thing is clear we must avoid, a flight or freeze type response from, only time will be able to tell how we approach this.

Drew A. Kingston, Neil M. Malamuth, Paul Fedoroff & William L. Marshall (2009) The Importance of Individual Differences in Pornography Use: Theoretical Perspectives and Implications for Treating Sexual Offenders, The Journal of Sex Research, 46:2-3, 216-232, DOI: 10.1080/00224490902747701

Love, T., Laier, C., Brand, M., Hatch, L., & Hajela, R. (2015). Neuroscience of internet pornography addiction: A review and update. Behavioral Sciences, 5(3), 388-433. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs5030388

American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Public Policy Statement: Definition of Addiction. Available online: http://www.asam.org/for-the-public/definition-of-addiction (accessed on 14 March 2023)

Hilton, D. L. (2013). Pornography addiction – a supranormal stimulus considered in the context of neuroplasticity. Socioaffective Neuroscience & Psychology, 3(1), 20767-20767. https://doi.org/10.3402/snp.v3i0.20767

Jacobs, T., Geysemans, B., Van Hal, G., Glazemakers, I., Fog-Poulsen, K., Vermandel, A., De Wachter, S., & De Win, G. (2021). Associations Between Online Pornography Consumption and Sexual Dysfunction in Young Men: Multivariate Analysis Based on an International Web-Based Survey. JMIR public health and surveillance, 7(10), e32542. https://doi.org/10.2196/32542

Applied Social Psychology : Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems, edited by Jamie A. Gruman, et al., SAGE Publications, Incorporated, 2016. ProQuest eBook Central,

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pensu/detail.action?docID=5945490.

Anonymous, A. Enough is enough: The Porn Industry Archives. Enough Is Enough: The Porn Industry Archives. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://enough.org/stats_porn_industry_archives.

Today, it is almost impossible to imagine a world without the internet, smartphones, and social media platforms. Communication has gone through a significant transformation with the advent of media and technology. Admittedly the impact of media and technology has been positive in many ways, but I would argue the impact to be more negative. Let’s explore the ways in which communication has been influenced by media and technology.

Obviously one of the positive impacts of media and technology on communication is its efficiency. It has made communication faster, easier, and more convenient than ever before. In today’s world, we can communicate in real-time with people all over the world, breaking down physical and geographical barriers. Thanks to the internet, we can also access information and news from anywhere, anytime. All of which has undisputedly led to more innovations in education, medicine, and many other aspects of our society. It has brought people closer together in a sense, facilitated the exchange of ideas, and created a global community.

With that said, in the same ways it has brought people closer together it has somewhat driven a wedge between people. People are spending more time online, communicating via social media, instant messaging, and email leading to a decrease in meaningful face-to-face interaction. This is by far one of the most significant negative impacts media and technology has had on communication, especially in combination with COVID-19. This decrease in face-to-face interactions can lead to a decrease in social skills and emotional intelligence, as well as overall wellbeing. It could also lead to increased feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Another negative effect of media and technology on communication is that it has made communication more impersonal. As discussed in our discussion this week, with the rise of digital communication, it is easy to misinterpret messages and fail to understand the tone or intent behind them, often as a result of egocentric bias and the fundamental attribution error. This can lead to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and ultimately damaged relationships. The lack of personal touch can lead to an “emotional void” in communication further contributing to people feeling disconnected and isolated (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2017).

There is also an issue in terms of the quality of information and communication as a result of media and technology. With the upswing of social media platforms, there has been an overwhelming dispersal of misinformation, fake news, and propaganda. This has caused a decline in critical thinking skills and an erosion of trust in traditional media sources. Gruman, Schneider, and Coutts (2017) contend that media and technology have created a “post-truth” era, where people are more likely to believe information that confirms their existing beliefs and biases, rather than seeking out objective facts and using critical thinking.

I think in this day and age it is important to approach media and technology with caution. It comes with a vast amount of profound advances for society, but at what risk? As we continue to rely more on media and technology in our daily lives, it is important to acknowledge the negative impacts and take steps to mitigate them. This includes making attempts at face-to-face communication and interactions, being mindful of how we use digital communication, and always seeking out objective facts and sources of information.

Reference

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE.

How many of you have heard the terms “keyboard warrior” or “keyboard Karen”? Likely most of you have heard it at some point. What is a “keyboard warrior”? A “keyboard warrior” is someone who is bold behind the screen, but would not dare say the same thing in person. Basically, they feel safe saying something online, but not saying it in person. This can lead to a lot of potentially rude or hurtful comments made on a post.

I see “keyboard warriors” a lot on Tik Tok. Is there an explanation for this? According to lauren Farrer (2019), there is an answer to why people seem meaner online than in person. This explanation is called the online disinhibition effect (Farrer, 2019). This phenomenon is explained in that it lowers a person’s inhibitions, allowing them to open up more online and come off in a mean manner than if they were talking in person (Farrer, 2019).

When scrolling online or commenting on a post, people tend to have a sense of anonymity and feel like they are not being held accountable for what they say (Farrer, 2019). The truth is, you are still accountable for your actions whether it is online or not. What you say can affect how a person feels and can affect you.

A common problem though is that people are not actually meaning to come off as mean, but it is taken that way due to lack of body language, tone, and can be interpreted differently by each person (Farrer, 2019).

How can we try to avoid sounding like a “keyboard warrior”? Think before you post. How might someone else interpret your words? How might this make you seem? What if someone you know sees it? How will you feel about myself if you post this? It costs $0 to be kind. There is no sense in being mean online just because you feel like you have a screen to hide behind.

References

Farrar, L. (2019, August 05). Is the internet making you meaner?: KQED Education. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.kqed.org/education/532334/is-the-internet-making-you-meaner

As the world’s population grows faster than it ever has due to many revolutionary advancements, the quality of life is arguably not better for most, and the environment is paying the price. The difference between Sparta’s oligarchy, which ruled from the 6th to 2nd century BCE, and now, is the amount of damage the few elites controlling the United States are currently doing to the environment because of their excessive amounts of money and capabilities. Comparably, Sparta’s oligarchy, although also detrimental, did not have the same capabilities the top 1% has now in terms of exploitation, possible damage, and most importantly, control. When speaking of resource dilemmas, environmentalists and psychologists cannot shy of pointing fingers at the group that controls the most valuable resource of all, which in turn limits all other environmental progression because people and countries are financially stunted around the world as a result. The question governments and activists alike must ask themselves is how this unfortunate truth can be changed and what interventions can be made to minimize such damage done to people and the environment.  

A resource dilemma is defined as a situation in which people must choose between self-interest and the interests of their community or environment, a dilemma people face daily. In terms of the resource dilemma of money, it is important to mention a few ways in which the world’s top 1% is responsible for significant amounts of damage to either the community or the environment. If everyone in the world had the same lavish and luxurious lifestyles as the rich, we would need 3.7 planets to be able to sustain all living people (Touboulic & Wells, 2017). On top of that, many of the flights taken in private jets compare to years’ worth of driving an average U.S.-owned car. These non-traditional lifestyles do not only consist of transportation, which account for a lot of their carbon footprint but also rely on consumerism that often requires inhumane practices such as the mining of blood diamonds, child slave labor, and other methods of exploitation. Because money is a limited resource, earning and spending copious amounts of money immediately indicates the inappropriate ways in which it was achieved, a system that is often maintained by the government. Although each individual person is technically, legally, and morally responsible for their own actions, social psychology points to a greater influencing and controlling power when it comes to societal norms, the law.  

Galbiati et al. (2021) found that laws change behavior through the individual perception of social norms, often changing the norm to that of the law, which could be utilized in many instances such as this. Because the world’s elite are a consequence of the government’s oligarchy system and the law reform has the power to change societal norms, it is the government’s responsibility to enact the change the world needs to see through addressing the problem and provide an intervention. This resource is a perfect example of the process called tragedy of the commons, a process in which people are in a system where they produce the resource to no limit in a world that is limited. By taking all the money for themselves, almost half of the world (47 percent) is currently living below the poverty line, which is under $6.85 a day (World Bank Group, 2022). In this case, the information-deficit model, which claims that by educating the population, change may be enacted, does not seem to be the case because of its assumption that the elite do not know. It is crucial that researchers begin focusing on intervention strategies that may assist in solving this dilemma. 

While solving such a dilemma can take generations, the process has to start somewhere. One possible first step in an extensive intervention process might include investing in lower-income communities, which can be done by the government, in turn giving them a better chance of attaining higher income levels. Internationally, higher-wealth countries must acknowledge their part in this social dilemma and respond accordingly, such as by providing funds and infrastructure to lower-income regions. Lastly, the upper class must be responsible for giving back resources that they essentially, but indirectly took from others through taxes and non-profits. While these interventions are too vast to measure their impact, it is most likely that despite the process’s complexity, people and the world would significantly improve after they have been implemented. There are no disadvantages to people having food nor are there any disadvantages of a lower carbon footprint. Although it may be controversial and may trigger some cognitive dissonance for the so-called environmentalists and activists among the elite, it is arguably the most valuable resource, but unfortunately, people are not willing to share.  

An area where I believe all individuals should be involved, if they truly wish to curb down the use of drugs and criminal behavior, is in implementing more after school programs that offer extracurricular activities. There is compelling evidence to build more after school centers that are funded and supported by all within the community. One of those reasons is that according to Gruman & et. al., (2021), it is proven that access to extracurricular centers help reduce antisocial and delinquent behavior in early childhood. So why should we all contribute to this, and why should we all be involved in one way or another?

The case to adopt and fund more extracurricular centers should be as easy as asking a simple question. Do I care about reducing drug consumption, helping those in need of role models, mentors, and the overall safety of their neighborhood? Do I care if children associate with those who consume drugs or participate in crime related activities? How do I help other parents who want and need help raising their children? These are all important questions that should be asked before a comprehensive intervention is developed and subsequently implemented.

According to Gruman & et. al., (2021), one of the risk factors in the General personality and social psychological model of criminal behavior, is the association of pro-criminal peers and isolation of noncriminal behavior. Another factor is the poor leisure time and the lack of prosocial leisure pursuits and recreational activities, and lastly lack of effective parental monitoring (Gruman & et. al., 2021). Although, there are only 2 out of the 8 risk factors being addressed, I believe this is sufficient to make an impact. Based on three risk factors alone, I believe we should advocate to build and fund more extracurricular centers with the necessary resources.

If we follow the General Personality and Social Psychological model of criminal behavior as a guide to implement these centers, with the appropriate staff, we can prevent some of the crime and drug usage early on. Of course, there are certain financial implication that must be well known and addressed early on. This is necessary to understand the long-term benefits. Community involvement is critical to the support of such programs due to the social economic disparities within communities, and the lack of resources within certain household, who are unable to afford discretionary income to support this (Weininger & et al., 2105).Additionally, we should consider the importance of volunteers that could serve as role models, mentors to help and guide others. After all it takes a village to raise a child.

The benefits of implementing such intervention strategy are beneficial to all members of the community but especially to our youth. Not only do we provide an avenue by which to take a non-conducive environment and those external negative influence out of the equation, but we are providing an avenue by which to enrich the children’s lives. For starters, school-based extracurricular activities have been associated with lower levels of substance use among adolescents Moilanen & et al., 2015). Extracurricular activities have been linked to positive school performance, better college performance, and increased elite job prospects (Weininger & et al., 2105). From an economical perspective, this has implication both in the long term and short term. Short term effects mean we are reducing the number of potential crimes, reducing drug trafficking by reducing drug consumption, and taking away those external factors that influence such behavior (Moilanen & et al., 2015). The Long terms costs are truly costly, it is reported that most states spend an average of $588 per day or $214,620 per year. If only we would take a prevent stance and not a reactionary one.

While reducing the usage of drugs and the proliferation of drugs is dire, this is only possible, if we can address another risk factor of General Personality and Social Psychological. Having and obtaining the necessary experts to help parents with the necessary skills to raise their children. After all parents should be the first social support that children receive. As such they should be empowered with the skills and tools necessary to educate their children. There is no shortage of studies that validate this fact (Valente & et. al., 2017) For this reason alone, the necessary resources should be easily attainable and available to those communities that need it most. The amount of compelling evidence that shows the correlation between parenting skills, and the lower consumption of drugs use is astonishing (Valente & et. al., 2017).

As with any effort that requires large amounts of resources and a national movement to effectively implement these strategies, it is necessary to obtain the constituents buy in. The cost, time, effort, and dedication to implement is not an easy hill to climb but a mountain that must be climbed one step at a time. Many may ask if this is all worth it, but the more and more kids, adolescents consume and become addicted to illegal substances the more society must pay for. The cost is not just monetary but also emotional for some and worse for others.

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Weininger, E.B., Lareau, A., & Conley, D. (2015). What Money Doesn’t Buy: Class Resources and Children’s Participation in Organized Extracurricular Activities. Social Forces 94(2), 479-503.  https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/600815.

Moilanen, K. L., Markstrom, C. A., & Jones, E. (2014). Extracurricular activity availability and participation and substance use among american indian adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(3), 454-69. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-0088-1

Valente, J. Y., Cogo-Moreira, H., & Sanchez, Z. M. (2017). Gradient of association between parenting styles and patterns of drug use in adolescence: A latent class analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 180, 272–278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.08.015

Research archive. Justice Policy Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://justicepolicy.org/research/?page=1&keywords=&sort=desc&cat=all

I remember being in first or second grade and hearing about recycling and climate change. This was 1992, so the saying “reduce, reuse, and recycle” was being said and repeated across much of the media people were consuming. I remember checking out a book from my elementary school library that detailed things one could do to help prolong the planet’s life. Simple things like “add a brick to your toilet tank to conserve water with every flush” and “turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth” were the rage. 

I even remember my elementary school having an assembly to let us know we would no longer be using milk cartons at lunch, but we would be receiving individual milk bags in which a straw could be inserted, similar to a Capri Sun. I vividly remember this assembly, as there was a huge poster featuring a tall and dreary pile of milk cartons stacked haphazardly next to a slim, nondescript pile of empty plastic milk bags. 

Let’s not forget the cartoon Captain Planet, which featured an animated cast of ethnically diverse Planeteers who were able to come together to summon Captain Planet. The Captain would arrive to assist with things like oil spills and greenhouse gas. Recycling was a hot topic laced throughout many episodes of Captain Planet. Who was his target audience? Why, I was! I was young, impressionable, and a latchkey kid being raised by the television. 

Public goods problems bring forward a choice for an individual to voluntarily contribute to a cause that’s for the good of everyone by contributing time, money, or another personal resource while sacrificing that personal resource they are contributing (Gruman et al., 2016, p. 448). The dilemma of slowing down or stopping waste from overtaking our oceans and entire planet are definitely to be considered a problem of the public good – individuals can voluntarily choose to use less, waste less, and recycle more at the sacrifice of their time and convenience. People’s behavior, however, can be influenced by descriptive and injunctive norms – the expected or normal way people act in a situation and what is approved of in a situation, respectively. As our world was becoming more grab and go with more plastics being used for all sorts of products, more products being created – more waste being generated, our lifestyles were a precipitating factor in the demise of our home. With the early 90s focus on climate change, recycling, and the introduction of our dear beloved Captain Planet, science activists were beginning to address a perpetuating factor for the continuing decline of our world – lack of coverage and information. 

The show’s creator/producers were attempting to influence not only the young audience who would be drawn to the cartoon but also their older relatives who may be in the room (Chin, 2021). In this way, they were hoping to avoid the reactance that came with telling someone directly that they need to stop a certain behavior, creating an opposite reaction in the individuals due to their thought that some of their freedoms or choices were being removed (Gruman et al., 2016, p. 116). As we know from our text, reactance is one of the major causes for an intervention to fail, causing people to act against the influence in a knee-jerk, reactionary manner. By framing the villains and worlds as extremely cartoonish but using real life situations and displaying actual behaviors that real people can take to reduce or prevent the situations depicted, the feeling of guilt or blame was able to be avoided by adults who were watching with their kids.

This was not a professional applied social psychology intervention by any means, but I feel the intentions behind the cartoon were such that it could have been designed as one. Evaluating such an intervention would be nearly impossible without controlling who and when the cartoon was viewed, however, it did strike me as a entrepreneurial foray into the works we have been studying this semester. It was a strategic decision intended to influence those who watched it with the intention of solving a social problem which Gruman et al. (2016) defines as an intervention. 

References:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Sage Publications, Incorporated.

T., & Chin, T. (2021, August 27). The surprising story behind the making of ‘Captain Planet’ Grist. https://grist.org/culture/captain-planet-planeteers-real-story/

Social psychology is a field of study that investigates how social influences and situations shape individual behavior and thoughts. The criminal justice system, on the other hand, is a complex system of institutions, policies, and practices that aim to prevent and respond to criminal activity (Gruman et al., 2017). By applying social psychology to the criminal justice system, we can gain insights into how to effectively prevent and address criminal behavior.

One of the fundamental principles of social psychology is the power of social/environmental influence. This principle suggests that people’s behavior and attitudes are strongly influenced by the people around them (Gruman et al., 2017). In the context of the criminal justice system, this means that the behavior of individuals within a particular social group, such as a gang or a prison population, can significantly influence the behavior of others in that group.

To apply this principle, criminal justice policymakers and practitioners should consider the social dynamics of the groups that they are dealing with (Gruman et al., 2017). For example, if a prison population is known for its violent behavior, policymakers might consider separating individuals who exhibit violent tendencies from the rest of the population. Alternatively, policymakers might consider introducing programs that aim to reduce violent behavior by encouraging positive interactions between prisoners.

Another key principle of social psychology is the importance of social norms. Social norms are the unwritten rules and expectations that govern behavior within a particular group (Gruman et al., 2017). For example, the norm against stealing is a social norm that is widely accepted in most societies. By understanding and manipulating social norms, policymakers can shape behavior and reduce criminal activity.

To apply this principle, criminal justice policymakers and practitioners should consider how social norms operate within the populations that they are dealing with. For example, if a particular community has a social norm against reporting criminal activity to the police, policymakers might consider introducing programs that aim to change this norm. Similarly, if a community has a social norm that glorifies violence, policymakers might consider introducing programs that aim to change this norm by promoting non-violent conflict resolution.

In general, social psychology highlights the importance of empathy and understanding in shaping behavior. By understanding the motivations and perspectives of individuals, policymakers can design interventions that are more effective at reducing criminal activity. Additionally, there are theories that general personality can influence criminal behavior. Eight risk factors that increase the likelihood of a person engaging in criminal behavior have been identified (Gruman et al., 2017). These include early onset of antisocial behavior, personal characteristics that facilitate criminal activity, antisocial attitudes, association with pro-criminal peers, negative parenting and family experiences, low levels of education or vocational achievement, poor use of leisure time, and drug/alcohol abuse.

To apply this principle, criminal justice policymakers and practitioners should consider the individual circumstances of the individuals that they are dealing with. For example, if a person is involved in criminal activity due to economic hardship, policymakers might consider introducing programs that aim to alleviate poverty and provide opportunities for economic advancement. Similarly, if a person is involved in criminal activity due to a history of trauma or mental illness, policymakers might consider introducing programs that aim to address these underlying issues.

By applying social psychology principles to the criminal justice system, policymakers and practitioners can gain insights into how to effectively prevent and address criminal behavior. By understanding social influence, social norms, and individual motivations, we can design interventions that are more effective at reducing crime and promoting a safer society.

Reference:

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

Based on the eyewitness evidence of a single witness, who recognised Anthony Porter in a police lineup, Porter was charged with and found guilty of the 1982 murders of two adolescents in Chicago’s Washington Park area. William Taylor, the witness, claimed to have seen Porter close to the crime scene during the time of the murders.

Taylor’s testimony at trial, which was crucial to the prosecution’s case against Porter, stated that he was “100%” positive that Porter was the murderer. Taylor’s identification of Porter, however, may have been influenced by a number of errors in the eyewitness identification process.

For instance, Porter was the only person in the lineup who fit the description of the suspect given to Taylor by police, making the lineup suspicious when Taylor took part in it. Furthermore, Taylor’s identification may have been influenced by the police having previously given him a picture of Porter.

Also, several other witnesses who saw the murderer and gave differing descriptions of him disputed Taylor’s identification of Porter. Notwithstanding these concerns, Porter was found guilty and given the death penalty mainly due to Taylor’s allegations.

Porter’s case sends a strong message against overly relying on eyewitness testimony, particularly when the identification process is faulty or defective. Eyewitnesses frequently assume they are naming the right person, but there are several things that can affect their memory, such as stress, fear, and suggestions (Loftus & Palmer, 1974). So, whenever possible, other pieces of evidence should be used to support and carefully assess eyewitness testimony.

Elizabeth Loftus’s research on eyewitness memory is highly relevant to cases like Anthony Porter’s. Loftus has shown through her experiments that eyewitness testimony is not always reliable, which is why it is very important to consider using the evidence in her research to create a more fair criminal justice system.

refrences:

Bright, S. B. (2002). Race, poverty, the death penalty, and the responsibility of the legal profession. Seattle J. Soc. Just., 1, 73.

Loftus, E.L., & Palmer, J.C. (1974). Reconstruction of Automobile Destruction: An Example of the Interaction Between Language and Memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 13. 585-589.

When I started college I was undecided with no idea what career path I wanted to pursue in the future. Then as the years went on, I found that I had a passion for crime and investigation. I declared my major as Criminology in my junior year of college with a minor in Psychology because I believed they go hand in hand. With two months left of my college career I cannot believe it is almost over. I am excited to see what the future holds for me in the journey of Criminology.

I am particularly interested in investigating and interrogating potential suspects of a crime. I watch countless interrogating shows on the network A&E such as the show Interrogation Raw. The only way for law enforcement to prove a suspects mens rea is a clear confession of the crime that was committed. You do not know what someone is thinking in their head, therefore without a confession you must use circumstantial evidence to continue with charging the suspect with the crime. Interviewing and interrogating have different meanings as you interview a potential witness or victim you are not looking for a confession. But when you are interrogating a suspect, your main priority is to make them feel comfortable enough to confess what they did.

“Police in North America are said to interrogate individuals who they think are guilty” (Kassin 2010). The police use their discretion and based on evidence on who they think the suspect is. The interrogator wants the suspect ultimately to feel comfortable and interviews can potentially last for several hours. Until the suspect says that they do not wish to talk anymore and want an attorney, the investigators are free to keep asking questions to the suspect.

There is also the idea of false confessions that can cause innocent people to confess to a crime they did not commit. This may be because they have been interrogated for hours in an uncomfortable situation and want to get out of it so they say they say they committed the crime the police are asking about. If the suspect is vulnerable in some way with a weak mental state and anxiety or if the interviewer already has their mind made up that this person is guilty regardless of what they say

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

There are few things more abhorrent to me than a man who has any amount of power and financial resources and uses that to take advantage of women. The person I am referring to regarding a well-publicized court case is none other than Hollywood mogul, Harvey Weinstein. Someone with that status, and millions of dollars could have easily had his pick of women but the depraved usually want what it is they can’t have. The chase and subsequent coercion are what “lights their fire”. If it isn’t already explicitly obvious, I beyond a shadow of a doubt believe that Weinstein committed the acts that he was ultimately found guilty of. The court case was regarding five complainants and Harvey was found guilty on one count of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and one count of rape in the third degree. The other three charges he was cleared of. While five victims are still too many it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of those he violated. Over eighty-five women came forward with their own accounts of how Weinstein assaulted them. I’m sure it didn’t heal all wounds but there had to be some internal vindication when he was sentenced to twenty-three years in prison. Given the fact that when he was sentenced, he was sixty-nine years old, it was likely he would live out his life behind bars. What some may not know is that Weinstein had requested an appeal and it was recently granted.

Having that many accusations you would have to wonder, how did he get away with it for so long? Why didn’t anyone say anything? My opinion is that it is a direct outcome of the social learning theory for both the victims and Weinstein himself. The social learning theory according to Gruman, et. al. indicates that criminal activity represents learned behavior through social interactions and realizes that this bad behavioral is rewarded and leads to and lead to desired outcomes (2017). Because of this, I feel that Weinstein learned that his power and status permitted him to do what he wanted no matter the suffering of others. Also, the victims likely didn’t feel empowered to come forward because it was a concern, they would suffer by being overlooked for roles or blacklisted from the industry. They may have been unaware that others were suffering from the same bad treatment however, staff were aware. Staff did not come forward because of the bystander effect thinking someone else would. Either that or because they didn’t want to be next or held accountable for something (Roberts, 2019).

Weinstein cites “he was denied a fair trial” because of his notoriety and because of witness statements that were inaccurate and done maliciously. Although the #metoo movement began in 2006, it became viral in 2017 largely in part of the crimes perpetuated by Weinstein. In August of 2022, Weinstein (unfortunately) was granted the appeal. I do not agree with the approval of requested appeal as the reason for request was without merit. The Sixth Amendment guarantees certain rights to citizens including the right to a public trial without unnecessary delay, the right to a lawyer, the right to an impartial jury, the right to know your accusers, and the charges against you. Weinstein was not denied any of these rights, and if anything had advantages that others often do not. The area Weinstein argues is that he did not have an impartial jury as he was entitled to have. His assumptions are likely baseless and speaks to his narcissistic personality. At current date, Weinstein is still awaiting his appeal date. Personally, (and likely with at least eighty-five others) I hope the appeal is affirmed. If it is not, it could very likely create an unhealthy precedent for others in power to believe that their preferences outweigh someone else’s suffering and that is a scary place to be.

References:

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L.M. (2017). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems, 3^rd edition. SAGE Publications.

Reiss, A., Stelloh, T. & Dasrath, D. (2022 August 25). More than two years after his rape conviction, Harvey Weinstein was granted an appeal. NBC News. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-years-rape-conviction-harvey-weinstein-granted-appeal-rcna44709

Roberts, S. (2019 February 22). ‘We are all responsible’: how #metoo rejects the bystander effect. Longreads. Retrieved from https://longreads.com/2019/02/22/we-are-all-responsible-how-metoo-rejects-the-bystander-effect/

Smith, Jennifer. (2021 April 5). Harvey Weinstein, 69, appeals conviction claiming witnesses who gave evidence were not impartial and ‘just think he is loathsome’-as he insists sex with his victims WAS consensual. Daily Mail. Retrieved from  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9437861/Harvey-Weinstein-appeals-rape-conviction-claiming-didnt-fair-trial.html

If you were accused of a crime you didn’t commit you would never confess to it, right? Well, research says that is not the case. There are many variables that can lead to a false confession. Some of these factors include, the interviewee being young, having low intelligence, or being in an anxious mental state (Gruman et al.,2016). The person in charge of the interview can also affect the outcome. They can do this by already having their mind made up about the guilt of the interviewee. If you perceive someone as guilty it will be easier for you to try and prove their guilt rather than their innocence.

One study done in 1996 demonstrated how easily people can be manipulated into giving a false confession (Kassin & Kiechel, 1996). In this study, they told participants that they would be performing a task on a computer. They were then told that if they hit the ALT key on the computer it would cause the computer to crash and the researcher would lose the data. Sometime after the experiment started the researcher would shut the computer down remotely. They would then come into the room looking distressed and told the participant that they hit the ALT key. Over 69 percent of the participants confessed to hitting the ALT key when obviously, they had not (Kassin & Kiechel, 1996).

How interesting that these researchers were able to get a confession from over of the participants within this study with only one distressed-looking researcher and a statement that the participant had hit the key. This is a good example of how the social context can elicit a false confession. In this study, the researcher is a trusted and respected person. So what reason would the participants have to question them? If I were a participant in that study, I surely would have confessed to hitting the button and even felt guilt about it. This is because I would not suspect the researcher to be lying to me.

Now imagine a situation where a young kid is accused of stealing by a cop. This kid knows that he did not steal, but the cop insists that he did. How long before the kid confesses to the crime because an intimidating, oftentimes trusted, person of power is insisting he did it? This can be dangerous and is why legislation that protects interrogations and confessions is so important. No one wants to be falsely accused of a crime much less manipulated into a confession. 

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated

Kassin, S. M., & Kiechel, K. L. (1996). The social psychology of false confessions: Compliance, internalization, and confabulations. Psychological Science, 7, 125– 128.

Who we surround ourselves with impacts us for better or for worse. Naturally, the behavior of others who we spend a lot of time with rubs off on us. The social learning theory suggests that our behavior is learned from observing and imitating those around us. If an individual chooses to surround themselves with a poorly behaved group of people, then it is likely that they will adopt some of their poor behaviors. The social learning theory directly correlates to criminal activity. Committing crimes comes from these learned behaviors that stem from an individual’s social environment through experiences and interactions.

This theory suggests that learning these criminal behaviors result from a number of different factors. These factors include observing and imitating behavior of other people, gaining rewards for engaging in illegal activity, learning that such activity can successfully result in desired objectives, and growing a strong sense of self-efficacy in employing antisocial methods to accomplish goals (Gruman et al., 2016). In the media today we see tons of crimes being committed ranging from misdemeanors and felonies. These criminals may be surrounding themselves with people who act poorly and potentially peer pressure people into doing things. This could start at a young age and be something as small as disobeying one’s parents and staying out past curfew. If this behavior gets any praise or attention from the individual’s peers, they may partake in more activities that are wrong just to get this type of attention.

Criminals that we see all over the news may have acted out violently to get this sort of attention in the media. This media attention could simply be their desired outcome and part of why they committed the crime. They may have seen other people who committed crimes prior to them all over the news and social media and crave that attention even if it is negative attention. This craving of recognition could develop from a lack of attention at home or with friends. It is important to be aware of others’ behaviors and why people may act out in certain situations. The way that such behavior is rewarded or punished could potentially cause further issues. By rewarding bad behavior and not punishing it, people could encourage others to commit crimes. These reinforcements can be positive or negative. In the case of positive reinforcement, the conduct yields a favorable outcome. Such consequences may be “money, the pleasurable feelings associated with drug use, attention from parents, approval from friends, or an increase in social status” (“Crime Causation: Sociological Theories”, n.d.). This results in the negative behavior to be repeated or worsened as the criminal has learned that their behavior gives them the potential desired outcome they want. For this reason negative reinforcements are important as they typically result in the behavior to stop. For example if they do not receive peer approval or higher social status, money, or drugs they will see that the result is negative and nothing comes out of it.

Our social environment affects us more than we realize. It is crucial to surround yourself with people who support you when making good decisions and who make you recognize and do not support your bad decisions. Parents need to check in on their children and be there for them to make sure they are not getting into trouble. It is also important for parents to give their children attention and reward them when necessary to prevent them from acting out to gain what they are missing. Furthermore, it is vital to recognize when one’s child is acting poorly and how to fix this behavior by giving them negative reinforcements to prevent such behavior from being repeated. This theory is important to understand as it explains how we are shaped into who we are and the decisions we make.

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. SAGE Publications, Incorporated.

Crime causation: Sociological theories – social learning theory. Social Learning Theory – Individuals, Engage, Beliefs, and People – JRank Articles. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://law.jrank.org/pages/815/Crime-Causation-Sociological-Theories-Social-learning-theory.html 

“In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separates yet equally important groups: The police, who investigate crime, and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories” (Wikiquote, 2023).  This of course is the opening line that begins the hit Television show law and order.  Is the full story really be told on these shows, especially when it comes to the defendant.  In these terms I am speaking of what makes them commit criminal offenses, where do they come from and how does the system in a sense work against them.

The first thing to realize in the criminal justice system is that it works against those who let’s say have a poor socio economic background.  What I’m referring to in this case is a persons’ economic, educational and cultural background (Gruman, 2016. We all know that one of the reasons the U.S. is so diverse is because of the differences between all of us.  Depending on how we are brought up may determine if we travel down the wrong path in terms of justice.  If we have laxed parents or those that believed they are owed something they are not getting it can project on the children.  They may think they have to take to get what they deserve.  No money leads to boredom and survival which may also lead to crime.  A lack of education in the same manner can lead to crime.  What is needed here is help financially and putting programs in communities that can help members with employment and give them the necessary tools to improve their lives.

Every situation does not require a police presence as many other first responders can handle what is going on.  To many times when the police arrive at an emergency, they antagonize and make things worse.  Should they not be called at all?  I would not agree with that however the overall situation needs to dictate when their presence is needed.  You may not be aware but there are times when first responders are needed and are never called.  The reason is people are “scared, fear the police and have a believe that they may be arrested” (Maslow, 2022).  Once in the system things like high bail and minimum sentencing come into play.  Many times, cash bail is needed to be released and this is simply not possible as the offender especially those from a minority group do not have the means.  In the case of mandatory minimum sentences in most cases the person is going to jail whether they plead guilty or have a prosecutor that presses the issue.  Of course, in many cases the offender is not rehabilitated and ends up speeding more time than is necessary for the crime.

I realize that we must have a judicial system otherwise there may be no law and order.  It is a fact that people can’t police themselves.  The system however can be improved to not work against those that come from poor socioeconomic conditions.  Money and education seem to always be a fixer for situations like this.  The more money we spend leads to the more we can educate communities. Although many are not rehabilitated while incarcerated, things can change and bringing educational programs is key to the rehabilitation.

References

Applied Social Psychology : Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems, Pg. 374.  Edited by Jamie A. Gruman, et al., SAGE Publications, Incorporated, 2016. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pensu/detail.action?docID=5945490.

Maslow, J.  (2022).   “5 Biggest Problems with the Outdated Criminal Justice System”.  Retrieved March 1, 2023 from:   https://www.legalscoops.com/5-biggest-problems-with-the-outdated-criminal-justice-system/.

Wikiquote.  (2023). “Law and Order”.  Retrieved March 1, 2023 from:  https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Law_%26_Order#:~:text=4%20External%20links-,Opening,These%20are%20their%20stories.

Something that has always interested me was the bystander effect. If you are unfamiliar with the bystander effect, it is basically the idea that a person’s likelihood to help in an emergency situation decreases when there are others around (Emeghara, 2020). An example would be if I saw someone fall to the ground and become unresponsive, I would be more likely to just stand there if someone else was around because I assume someone else would help and take the responsibility.

When I think of the bystander effect in TV, I think of the season 9 episode 5 of Grey’s Anatomy (IMBb, 2009). There is an example of the bystander effect when Meredith encounters a car crash where a woman is pinned under a car, unable to breath due to weight (IMBb, 2009). Meredith is unable to move the car herself but when she begs for help, everyone just stands there staring (IMBb, 2009). No one wants to be responsible for her injuries so they just assume someone else will help. Luckily, after some pleading, multiple people step up to help (IMBb, 2009).

Why wouldn’t someone want to help whether someone else was there or not? The article by Emeghara (2020) describes another article by Latané and Darley (1970) where the researchers suggest that there are 5 main reasons a person may not step in during an emergency situation.

• they may not notice due to being in a rush
• they may not think the situation is actually an emergency, so not worth stopping for
• they do not want the responsibility of helping and/or assume that someone else will take on the responsibility
• they do not know how to help or what to do in this particular situation so they do nothing
• they worry about what would happen if they do decide to help including putting themselves in danger, or legal action that may be taken against them

I think it is crazy that someone would not want to immediately step in to help, but I have never been in the position (that I can think of) where the bystander effect may be an issue. I wonder if the personality of the bystander would have en effect? Emeghara (2020) mentions that the bystander effect increases as the size of the group increases. Someone with social anxiety may be less likely to step in then someone who does not have social anxiety.

What can you do to help prevent the bystander effect? The University of Cambridge (N.d) recommends the four “D’s” when encountering an emergency situation: Direct action, Distract, Delegate, Delay. I feel like delegating roles for helping would be the most useful. With the bystander effect, people will not step up to help on their own, but they may be more likely to help when directly called out and given a specific task to help.

References

Emeghara, U. (2020, September 24). Bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility. Bystander Effect and Diffusion of Responsibility – Simply Psychology. Retrieved March 1, 2023, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/bystander-effect.html

In constructivist epistemology, the observer observes the world based on different distinctions, and the self-reference to the distinctions used is the process of self-description. The legal system sees the world in terms of legal/illegal codes, and the legal side is seen as the side of self-description. Of course, self-description can’t just rely on the observation of the revealed part, we already describe the hidden part when we describe the revealed part. It is a process from the self to the non-self and finally the realization of the non-self. In the famous “pipe” diagram, we can distinguish the image of the pipe because of the difference we observe between the pipe and its extension. When the subject of observation changes from our eyes to the pipe itself, the pipe stands out from the whole chaotic complexity with the help of self-description.

Moreover, there is a strong link between social evolution and self-description. In essence, the history of legal self-description is a part of social evolution, and the self-description theory is a reflection of social evolution, especially the development of law.

The dispute between law and morality has a long history. It is usually expressed as whether morality and law are necessarily related, and whether law without moral support is still law. With the end of the two world wars, and especially the worldwide reckoning with the Nazi Holocaust, the debate about the relationship between morality and law has been revived. Fuller, the representative of the new natural law school after the war, believed that law and morality were inseparable. Fuller put forward the eight principles of rule of law as the internal morality of law, and called it the procedural morality of law. Laws that do not conform to the principles of the rule of law will lose their qualifications as law.

In contrast to Fuller, Hart, the master of new analytical positivism, retorted that there was no essential relationship between law and morality, and that the validity of law did not depend on morality (Gomez, 2014). Although we accept that the law should have some social value. Whether a law is effective or not is one thing, but whether it is good or bad is another. The boundary of criminal law should stop at the privacy of citizens. Morality should not be the reason for invading citizens’ privacy and making citizens unfairly punished for voluntary acts that do no harm to others.

Reference

Gomez, J. V. (2014). The Hart‐Fuller Debate. Philosophy Compass, 9(1), 45-53.