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08
Apr 24

The Proximity Principle: Identifying the Dual Nature of Relationships Formed

According to the proximity principle in social psychology, individuals who are physically near to one another have a higher chance of forming a relationship than those who are farther apart. This is a much-studied phenomenon in social psychology.

Research indicates that proximity has a significant impact on who people interact and build connections with most, even though it often works in an unconscious way. It also means that you are more likely to build ties with people who work and live in the same city.

For example, relationships are more likely to develop between people who physically sit closer to each other in an office or classroom than between people who sit farther apart. Because of this, people are probably more likely to become friends with their coworker in the next cubicle or their lab partner at school than they are with random strangers (Finkel & Baumeister, 2010).

Even though relationships are more likely to be formed between people who are physically closer to them, some studies indicate that those relationships aren’t necessarily positive ones. One study, for instance, discovered that people are more prone to despise those who live nearby ( Ebbesen, Kjos, Konecni, 1976). Although it has also been demonstrated that physical closeness affects friendships, frequent in-person interactions were necessary for friendships to thrive. On the other hand, hostility persisted despite the fact that people who lived near to one another did not often interact in person.

Therefore, unwanted conduct exhibited by those nearby can result in negative interpersonal connections, just as positive interactions with those in close proximity to one another can lead to positive interpersonal relationships, either way demonstrating the proximity principle .

 

Ebbesen E, Kjos G, Konečni V. Spatial ecology: Its effects on the choice of friends and enemies. J Exp Soc Psychol. 1976;12(6):505-518. doi:10.1016/0022-1031(76)90030-5

Finkel EJ, Baumeister RF. Attraction and Rejection. In: Baumeister RF, Finkel EJ, ed. Advanced Social Psychology: The State Of The Science. 1st ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2010:419-459.

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19
Mar 24

Cognitive Costs and Physical Effects of Constant Connectivity

Constant access to information, entertainment, and one another is simplified by our smartphones, which rarely leave our sides. While these devices have the potential to enhance happiness, their constant presence may come with a mental cost. Studies reveal that using cell phones while multitasking, such as driving or walking, can be distracting and impair performance. Recent research in the article “Psychological and physiological effects of applying self-control to the mobile phone” shows that the mere sight of a cell phone, symbolizing social ties and networks, can be equally distracting during social interactions. Two experiments conducted within the article confirm that the mere presence of a cell phone can lead to attention deficits and poor task performance, especially in activities requiring high cognitive processing. The consequences of this could be significant, affecting efficiency in workplaces and especially for university students in schools.

According to the “brain drain” theory, owning a smartphone may compromise cognitive performance by consuming limited cognitive resources. Even situations where students successfully resist checking their phones show that the presence of these devices reduces cognitive capacity. Surprisingly, higher smartphone dependance is linked to more significant cognitive impairments.

In addition to cognitive impacts, high cell phone usage is associated with physical costs such as eye strain, neck pain, and back pain. Spending excessive time looking down at a phone can strain neck muscles, leading to tightness or spasms. Nerve pain may radiate to the back, shoulder, and arm, while vibrations from phones can impact tendons, muscles, bones, joints, and the nervous system.

No matter how we look at it, taking a physical and mental break from our devices, may improve our health in a variety of ways unbenounced to us before.

 

Reference

Markowitz, D. M., Hancock, J. T., Bailenson, J. N., & Reeves, B. (2019). Psychological and physiological effects of applying self-control to the mobile phone. PLOS ONE, 14(11). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224464

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03
Mar 24

Is Eyewitness Testimony Trustworthy?

An account provided by individuals of an event they have personally observed, is referred to as eyewitness testimony in legal terminology. They might be asked to explain a robbery trial or a traffic accident that they witnessed, for instance. This covers information on the crime scene, the identity of the offenders, etc. Research on eyewitness testimony is crucial for understanding human memory and cognitive psychology. Eyewitness testimony is typically given careful consideration by juries, who view it as a trustworthy source of information. However, studies in this field have shown that a variety of psychological factors can influence eyewitness testimony, none more so than Reconstructive Memory.

Knowledge of the validity of eyewitness testimony requires a knowledge of, Frederic Bartlett’s theory of reconstructive memory, which claimed that recall is open to individual interpretation based on taught or cultural norms and values, as well as how we view the world.

Individuals organize information according to what makes the most sense to them. We try to fit information into schemas, which are ways of organizing data, to make sense of it. Schemas are conceptual “units” of information that correlate to individuals, things, or circumstances that are encountered often. Prejudice and social values may have an influence on these schemas. Thus, schemas have the power to skew new or unintentionally “unacceptable” information to make it “fit in” with our preexisting knowledge or schemas. Consequently, this may lead to eyewitness testimony that is not trustworthy.

The legal community, law enforcement, and psychologists have collaborated to try and improve the accuracy and reliability of eyewitness testimony. Eyewitness memory significantly improved when researchers Geiselman, Fisher, MacKinnon, and Holland used an interviewing technique they called the Cognitive interview (CI). The strategy aims to inform witnesses of all the circumstances surrounding a crime without fabricating information or creating false memories. This method involves the interviewer getting to know the witness before posing any questions. The witness is then given the opportunity to provide an unrestricted account of what happened. The interviewer then probes further to get further details from the witness and reassures them that it’s okay to express uncertainty and move on. This method leads the witness, instead of following a strict expectation that the witness must recall every detail.

Correct implementation of the cognitive interview results in increased efficiency and accuracy of eyewitness testimony without the generation of extra false information.

 

References

Bartlett, F.C. (1932). Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Geiselman, R.; Fisher, Ronald; MacKinnon, David; Holland, Heidi (1986). “Enhancement of eyewitness memory with the cognitive interview”. American Journal of Psychology. 99 (3): 385–401

Ghetti, S.; Goodman, G. S.; Schaaf, J. M.; Qin, J. (2004). “Issues In Eyewitness Testimony”. In O’Donohue, W. T.; Levensky, E. R. (eds.). Handbook of Forensic Psychology. San Diego, CA: Elsevier Academic Press. p. 532.

Wells, G. L.; Memon, A.; Penrod, S. D. (2006). “Eyewitness Evidence: Improving Its Probative Value”. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. 7 (2): 45–75.

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23
Feb 24

Four Distinct Phases of Team Formation

Bruce Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development functions as a blueprint for how teams form and develop. It’s a fascinating way to understand all the highs and lows associated with working together. Here are the four phases that everybody can identify with:

The Forming stage is first. At this point, the group is still getting to know one another. It’s exciting and full of possibilities, much like the start of a new friendship. While attempting to determine who is better at what, they are all polite.

The Storming stage follows. Things can get a little difficult at this point. As people begin to hold conflicting beliefs, problems may arise. This is the point of a group project that students may argue on how to tackle the assignment.

The Norming stage comes next. At this point, the group begins to click. They established some guidelines and learned how to cooperate. Group members get together, respect one another’s opinions, and work more efficiently in the group project setting.

Lastly, is the Performing stage. At this point, the group is operating at its full potential. Group members contribute to an excellent final product for the group project that showcases their effort and teamwork.

The Stages of Group Development by Bruce Tuckman is a guide for learning how groups develop and thrive. Any group can do some amazing things as they work through the forming, storming, norming, and performing stages.

 

Reference

Truman, 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.

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17
Feb 24

Exceptionally Effective Contact Through Cyberspace

In 1954, Social psychologist Gordon Allport came up with his theory of Contact Hypothesis. He believed that prejudice, preconceptions, and the desire to discriminate would lessen if individuals with different social characteristics had the opportunity to get to know one another and interact. Fast forward to the present, and one of the world’s greatest resources is the internet. The Internet creates a protected environment for users with more control over the communication process. The internet’s ability to connect all types of groups with those they may never meet in person is a resource proving invaluable to social psychology.

As stated in Yair Amichai-Hamburger and Katelyn Y. A. McKenna’s article, “The Contact Hypothesis Reconsidered: Interacting via the Internet” the major challenges of the contact hypothesis are:

(1) The practicality issue: Contact between rival groups according to the conditions required by the contact hypothesis might be very complicated to arrange and expensive to run.

(2) Anxiety: Even though participation in a contact is voluntary, the high anxiety involved in the contact situation may hinder its success.

(3) Generalization: How can a generalization be created from a specific contact with certain outgroup members to the outgroup as a whole?” (2017)

For many decades these dilemmas have created issues for researchers, and through the internet all now have solutions.

Electronic means of communication have created opportunities for connections that were not previously possible back in 1954. People can now be brought “together” despite physical distance and time differences, at least in advanced countries. Electronic meetings don’t require a lot of setup money and typically take up little of a participant’s time. There are many benefits to having participants participate in the contact from the comfort of their own homes. Participants may feel less nervous and more at ease in their familiar settings.

Through the means of the internet, users no longer face language barriers and anxiety responses, and with generative AI and other technological advances, intergroup communication is improved. Its special qualities make the perfect basis for this form of interaction; for instance, participants can establish a safe space, lessen anxiety, bridge geographical gaps, promote equality of other groups and beliefs, improve communication without language barriers, and by utilizing the contact hypothesis theory, an overall improvement in society will happen.

 

Reference:

Yair Amichai-Hamburger, Katelyn Y. A. McKenna, The Contact Hypothesis Reconsidered: Interacting via the Internet, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Volume 11, Issue 3, 1 April 2006, Pages 825–843, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00037.x

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12
Feb 24

I thought I was a hermit, and other great realizations…

Charismatic is the word my mother uses to describe me, others have said social butterfly and I find this very peculiar considering my adoration for solitude.  When the world shut down during the COVID pandemic it seemed like a gift, here was a reason to stay home and do whatever I wanted and never have to see anyone ever again, I could stay inside without guilt.  Living in San Diego people often suggest getting outside, it’s a nice day they say, well I say every day is a nice day, it’s Southern California, leave me alone.

That’s not to say that I don’t love to be around people, and admittedly so, to be the center of attention, but I really like my alone time.  So, looking back I found it odd that the time in lockdown had the opposite effect I had originally imagined.  In the wake of the pandemic I had put on more pounds than I care to admit, lost my motivation for going anywhere, and therefore any interaction with people outside of a gas station attendant or my kids. Now possibly it was not getting any exercise, or because I had two small boys in school online while I was in nursing school prep courses, but I was not myself to say the least. I had lost my mojo, and I felt angry, and very much inside my head, it was indescribably difficult and I felt alone.

It has been a few years now, my boys survived and so did I, life has begun to seem normal again, but only recently.  As this awareness of normalcy came to fruition, so did the realization that something had gone wrong during that time of isolation, and it wasn’t just a lack of exercise, there was more to it, there was a host of emotional turmoil to sift through, but what struck me most, why had that been the outcome and not a shining butterfly of self-care and peace of mind emerging from that time away from everything?  I loved being alone, I enjoyed binging shows, and puttering around my house without any social contact, so why was I a mess?

It was Aristotle who first proposed that we are social creatures and seek the companionship of others as a component of our well-being.  Well-being, however, has become somewhat of a buzzword and feels rather elusive to attain, like Peter Pan’s shadow, just slipping one’s grasp.  That is, until I started piecing the puzzle together, the whys and whats so to speak of what happened to me, and so many others during this time that could have, and maybe for some, was used to better oneself, in my case, felt more like crawling out of a cave.

Studies have shown that those who regularly attend church or social events tend to live longer and healthier lives (Pew Research Center, 2019), (Godman, 2023).  Many of us have heard that religion leads to happier, and thus healthier lives, but what is it that offers this life extension?  According to (Umberson & Karas Montez, 2011) when adults are more socially connected, they too live longer and healthier lives than their counterparts (isolated adults).  And, in one news brief (Godman, 2023), researchers conducted a study examining the lifestyle and social environments of 28,000 individuals for a term of five years.  Findings show that the more that people were socializing the longer they were living, if they did not socialize every day, they still lived longer than those who did not socialize at all (Godman, 2023).

There was credible information showing we are indeed social animals, and this solitude many of us lived through had a serious impact on our overall health and well-being.  As the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023) state, people who are socially connected are more likely to have stability, healthy relationships, and improved decision-making ability.  They go on to mention that the very choices we make are better for our health when we are among others and that we manage stress better, and depression (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023).

So here it was, findings that show just how important social interaction is for our overall well-being, the elusive shadow, completely within my reach.  It took baby steps, I started delivering food, and would occasionally interact with a customer, and then I started easing into grocery stores, and more.  Now about 4 years later, I have begun to lose weight, I have people over to my house again, and I go out and socialize.  I realized that I am seen as charismatic and social because although I am a social butterfly, my “me time” is imperative for recharging my energy.  However, with that being said I can see clearly now that the support of others, and those daily interactions, no matter how brief, are all part of our nature, and something I was desperately lacking.  As Thomas Kottke once said “Medicine is a social science in its very bone and marrow” (Kottke, 2011).

 

 

 

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023, May 8). How Does Social Connectedness Affect Health? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/emotional-wellbeing/social-connectedness/affect-health.htm#:~:text=When%20people%20are%20socially%20connected

Godman, H. (2023, July 1). Even a little socializing is linked to longevity. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/even-a-little-socializing-is-linked-to-longevity#:~:text=Within%20the%20first%20five%20years

Kottke, T. E. (2011). Medicine Is a Social Science in Its Very Bone and Marrow. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 86(10), 930–932. https://doi.org/10.4065/mcp.2011.0444

Pew Research Center. (2019, January 31). Religion’s Relationship to Happiness, Civic Engagement and Health Around the World. Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/01/31/religions-relationship-to-happiness-civic-engagement-and-health-around-the-world/

Umberson, D., & Karas Montez, J. (2011). Social Relationships and Health: a Flashpoint for Health Policy. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 51(1), 54–66. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146510383501

 

 

 

 

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05
Oct 23

Air Balls and Knockout Brawls: An Overdue Psychological Analysis of the Lady Eagles

In the eighth grade, my friend Fantasia practically screamed Kurtis Blow’s “Basketball” for three weeks straight on our way home from school. In case you’ve forgotten, the earworm goes like this: 

Basketball is my favorite sport

I like the way they dribble up and down the court

Just like I’m the King on the microphone so is Dr. J and Moses Malone

I like Slam dunks take me to the hoop

My favorite play is the alley-oop

Basketball was, in fact, not my favorite sport, but all I ever did with Fantasia was play it. If she wasn’t playing it, she was talking and singing about it (guess which one I hated more). My incessant exposure to her obsession supplanted my common sense and before I knew it I was signing up to join the girl’s basketball team. I was taller than 85% of the girls in my grade, including Fantasia, and I am pretty sure that is the only reason Coach Kutz so vehemently dragged me onto the court with a smile of triumph. He was thrilled to label me a shooting guard and throw me to wolves without remotely explaining what a shooting guard was.   

Honestly, I never understood why I joined or stayed with the Lady Eagles for as long as I did. Social exchange theory posits that individuals make decisions based on a rational calculation of the benefits and costs associated with a particular choice, and they aim to maximize their overall rewards while minimizing their losses (Gruman et al., 2016). I can remember negotiating with Fantasia to never sing that song again if I agreed to join the team. Being new to the school, I anticipated the rewards as being able to bond with potential friends outside of school, expanding my friend circle, and gaining some social approval I could cash in during high school since the social hierarchy of this school appeared dominated by all the sports team members. In general, I had been convinced by the coach and other students that my height was advantageous and made me a natural. I thus anticipated recognition, praise, and a sense of accomplishment. And I was wrong. 

Unfortunately, the team had communication and dynamic issues from the start. In fact, the social dimension of the team was so adverse that several fights between our own teammates broke out on the court during games. Sports research literature, such as Weiss et al., (2021), highlights numerous social-cognitive-developmental theories that provide valuable frameworks for understanding the outcomes associated with youth sports participation, including why my teammates fought like cats. We can begin by looking at the motivational climate of Coach Kutz’s team, which describes how the social environment in sports, encompassing practices and competitions, is constructed to define and interpret competence and success (Kim & Cruz, 2016). These motivational climates are often classified as task-involving or ego-involving; task-involving climates focus on effort, improvement, and personal mastery and ego-involving climates emphasize social comparison and performance outcomes. Coach Kutz practiced very authoritarian leadership with a strong emphasis on discipline, structure, and winning, often at the expense of individual player development and a positive team culture. Honestly, he was the John Kreese of basketball. The foreground of his coaching style was control and normative evaluation, which tends to create ego-involving climates (2016). In multiple sports, higher ego-involved peer climates evaluated during the early season are associated with reduced task and team cohesion at the midseason stage among players aged 10 to 17 years (2021). This is exactly what occurred for the Lady Eagles.

During the first set of practices, Coach Kutz made it clear how he would manage us as a team. He frequently compared players to one another and prioritized projected or existing rankings to “motivate” us to be better. This meant girls who’d played basketball for five minutes were being compared to girls who’d played for five years. Coach Kutz claimed to be challenging me to be the best version of myself, but I got the feeling he really just wanted me to be Jessica or Tabitha so he could win whatever bet he was putting on our team’s season average. After the first game, Coach Kutz picked his favorites and stopped caring about the development of his weaker players. His neglect really festered in some of the more competitive girls. During games, the pressurizing atmosphere created the perfect conditions for those emotions to explode into brawls after someone missed a pass, or even accidentally brushed a girl after she’d failed a shot. 

Hanin (1992) explains four main communication styles in sports teams: 1). orientation messages, which involve planning strategy or technique and are typically exchanged before a performance; 2). stimulation messages serve to motivate and energize teammates during a performance; 3). evaluation messages allow the team to reflect on their performance and identify areas for improvement; 4). task-irrelevant messages which are any other forms of communication that do not directly relate to the task at hand. The Lady Eagles often failed as a team because we lacked effective orientation messages with Coach Kutz’s authoritarian and win-at-all-costs coaching style overshadowing strategic discussions. We didn’t have positive stimulation messages other than watching him yell “That’s my girl!” to individuals who scored points or blocked a shot. Sickly enough, his cutting us down only made us want his approval more. Our evaluation messages were reduced to simple peer comparisons that damaged our self-esteem and fostered resentment toward each other, especially amongst the higher-performing players. It’s obvious that Coach Kutz exacerbated conflicts and hindered effective team communication, but aside from dismissing him as a coach, what could have been better?

Had the Lady Eagles been framed as a social and not a severe caste system then Jessica may not have lost a tooth to Fantasia’s fist. Had Coach Kutz created an environment where we could have discussed the conflicts and the impact of comparisons on team cohesion then maybe Megan wouldn’t have whipped the basketball at Samantha’s head. Had he taken the time to explain to me my role as a shooting guard then maybe I wouldn’t have kicked my shoe into the audience. Does any of this sound familiar? In essence, the Lady Eagles were a dysfunctional family and the children were at their brink. Surprisingly, “we’re more than a team, we’re a family” is more than a sports cliche. Russel (1996) states that because families and sports teams have analogous features both can suffer some similar issues of conflict resolution, role clarification, group unity, etc. Therefore, family therapy methods could have remediated our team. An intervention for us would have involved acknowledging our poor team functioning as a consequence of our coach’s favoritism and player comparisons and addressing the emotional burden of the team (1996). 

As you can imagine, I experienced burnout from playing basketball under Coach Kutz’s leadership and I did not sign up for summer basketball camp. For the first few weeks after the season, when Fantasia asked me to play basketball I’d throw her stupid ball onto her house’s roof. Fantasia joined Lady Eagles the following year because she’s a maniac. After my experience, the closest thing I ever did to a school sport was somersault into the library each time high school coaches approached me in the hall. As for Coach Kutz, I like to think he had an intervention of his own.  

Citations

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

Kim, H., & Cruz, A. B. (2016). The influence of coaches’ leadership styles on athletes’ satisfaction and team cohesion: A meta-analytic approach. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 11(6), 900–909. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747954116676117

Russell, W. D. (1996). The Utility of Family Therapy in the Field of Sport Psychology. Family Therapy, 23(1), 37. https://ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/utility-family-therapy-field-sport-psychology/docview/1474314654/se-2

Weiss, M. R., Moehnke, H. J., & Kipp, L. E. (2021). A united front: Coach and teammate motivational climate and team cohesion among female adolescent athletes. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 16(4), 875–885. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541211006905

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18
Mar 23

Media Violence and Desensitization

When it comes to media violence and aggressive thoughts, it is public knowledge or “talk” that watching, listening, or engaging in anything relative to violence would lead to aggressive behavior. We have seen this be talked about for years through news channels, blogs, and social media. With claims like “if your child plays violate video games, they will be aggressive in the future” or even older claims such as “if your child listens to rock, they will be aggressive”. For example, the textbook references a study from Roskos-Ewoldsen et al., 2007 mentioning that people who are exposed to a violent TV clip are more likely to think aggressive thoughts. (Gruman et al., 2016). Of course, there are more factors and variables involved in whether a child will grow up to have aggressive thoughts or show aggressive behaviors, such as their environment, and temperament. But the textbook does support the idea of consuming media violence and the aggressive thoughts that could stem from it.

According to Berkowitz’s (1984) neoassociationistic model of media priming, the presence of something representing or creating violates would increase the likelihood that one would have aggressive thoughts (Gruman et al., 2016). This relates to the idea of Network models of memory because there becomes a connection in our memory, associating these together. The example used in the textbook was that node in our memory links “gun” with “crime” so these could affect our behavior when fired.

My question is, currently is there still a correlation between media violence and aggressive thoughts or even behavior? Could it change in the future? The reason I came to this question is because of the exposure to media violence everyone gets (or has access to) with social media. With platforms such as Twitter and Reddit, where it doesn’t take much to see traumatic and inappropriate images and videos, many people are aware that they have become desensitized to violent imagery. For many, scrolling through their feed and seeing violent media wouldn’t really insight a reaction out of them or disrupt their day-to-day routine. We are also living in a time where hearing about violent acts, from news channels, social media, and even our community, is so common it many believe it is our “norm” now. So, the question rises, when hearing about and seeing so many violate acts, do the nodes in your memory change? For example, can the node for “gun” change from a link to “crime” to a link to “normal”? Is this possible?

The textbook covers this question by referencing experiences from Drabman and Thomas (1974), and Engelhardt, Bartholow, Kerr, & Bushman (2011). Many of these experiments conclude that “Desensitization to violence increases people’s tolerance of violence and decreases their motivation not to act aggressively, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will act violently” (Gruman et al., 2016). And when continuing my own research into this topic, I found the article Emotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents’ Violent Behavior, by Mrug, Madan, and Windle. This article is another experiment that shows the effect of exposure to violence and how it can be linked with emotional desensitization, especially in adolescents. They found that “emotional desensitization to violence in early adolescence contributes to serious violence in late adolescence” (Mrug et al., 2016). These experiments answer my question about the present, but I still wonder if this can change in the future.

Unfortunately, it is typical for people, especially heavy social media users, and adolescents, to find something violent, disturbing, or heartbreaking while scrolling through their feeds. Some may even interact with the post, like, comment, or even repost it. So, I wonder if all this media violence exposure could affect how we see violence, and how we react to it and engage with it. Based on research from the textbook and my own findings; desensitization will only lead to more aggressive thoughts and behaviors. Meaning if the node for “gun” gets linked to “normal”, in our society, it will still be attached to “crime”, so increased aggression may be due to “normal”, and “crime” inherently being linked together. But I still wonder if so, much desensitization could remove the crime entirely and just have “normal” as our main link. Is this possible? What could happen to get our society there?

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

Mrug S, Madan A, Windle M. Emotional Desensitization to Violence Contributes to Adolescents’ Violent Behavior. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2016 Jan;44(1):75-86. doi: 10.1007/s10802-015-9986-x. PMID: 25684447; PMCID: PMC4539292.

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08
Feb 23

Comprehending Infidelity

What is it about infidelity that has made it one of the top reasons why relationships and marriages don’t work out in the United States? Do people thrive off the rush of meeting an attractive stranger? Are their partners just not doing it for them anymore? Maybe it’s not even that big of a deal to them, or maybe they can just blame it on the alcohol. A popular saying suggests that “once a cheater always a cheater,” but applied social psychology could possibly help this change this behavior. At the very least, it’ll help those prone to infidelity recognize why this is so.

The theory of planned behavior, i.e., “theory of reason action” informs the reasoning behind the factors that influence people’s intention to engage in certain behaviors. (Gruman et al., 2016, p. 72). These intentions are able to be modified over time by evaluating three aspects that influence people’s behavioral intentions: 1) what is a person’s attitude towards infidelity? 2) How do people’s peers feel about and respond to infidelity? 3) How much self-control does a person feel that they have in high-risk situations (Gruman et al., 2016)? Let’s say that someone has a very lackadaisical attitude towards infidelity. They might not necessarily feel monogamy is important or feel that one person can’t satisfy all their needs. If this same individual has peers who hold the same attitudes towards infidelity, combined with the lack of perceived self-control is someone who is at high risk for engaging in extradyadic affairs without their partner’s knowledge.

Knopp et al., reviewed data that identified risk factors associated with the likelihood that one would engage in extradyadic affairs (2017). These include lack of commitment to the relationship and a decline in sexual satisfaction, having liberal attitudes towards infidelity, being around social norms that agree with the behavior, and certain personality characteristics, are all factors that increase the risk of infidelity (Knopp et al., 2017). This study examining the likelihood of prior infidelity being a factor in future infidelity, also found that not only are people at high risk of engaging in extradyadic relationships who have previously done so, those who had knowledge of a previous partner infidelity or had a suspicions, were also at high risk of having those same experiences (Knopp et al., 2017)!

Obviously, those who happen to engage in serial infidelity can greatly benefit from assessing these three dimensions of behavior intentions: their attitude toward the behavior, social norms about this behavior, and how much self-control one has towards this behavior (Gruman et al., 2016). But those who seem to find themselves on the unfortunate end of dealing with an unfaithful partner could also benefit from using this same framework to evaluate their attitudes and its possible effect on their tolerance for the behavior. If these techniques don’t seem to work, an ethically non-monogamous relationship may be the one for you!

References

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

Infidelity rates by country 2023. (n.d.). 2023 World Population by Country (Live). https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/infidelity-rates-by-country

Knopp, K., Scott, S., Ritchie, L., Rhoades, G. K., Markman, H. J., & Stanley, S. M. (2017). Once a cheater, always a cheater? Serial infidelity across subsequent relationships. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(8), 2301-2311. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1018-1

 

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01
Apr 22

Are children deprived of online communities advantaged or disadvantaged?

In this post I will analyze, then determine, if children allowed to socialize in online communities with peers advantaged socially or disadvantaged in the sense of increased prevalence of chronic depression and other various psychological effects. In recent years there has been much debate on this topic and I hope to summarize both sides and make a rational decision.

In my childhood and teenage years my parents were fairly easygoing with technology, social media, and the Internet. My siblings and I were allowed to have our own social media accounts with only limited oversight. Obviously, we were discouraged from visiting dangerous sites, giving away personal information, and other undesired behaviors. For the most part, these communities greatly benefited me. I joined Facebook and was fascinated by technology as a whole. This is what partly drove me to pursue a tech-related major at university. Most of the cited text also states how online communities can help narrow and filter the sometimes giant world and population. The argument for safe, guided participation in online communities as a youth is because of these social and developmental benefits of finding your niche and interests for later in life.

On the flip side, recent studies and in the case of Facebook, even internal documents, showing the sustained adverse effects that those platforms that host online communities have on our adolescents and youth. Depression, a fear of missing out (also known as FOMO), and many others mental effects are rising in younger generations at unprecedented rates. Using these platforms that portray others as living the perfect life (and censoring the negative aspects) can make others feel like their lives aren’t good enough. Either they’re not pretty enough, wealthy enough, or popular enough. This is the dark side of the online communities and their usage by developing minds.

In conclusion, more must be done about protecting younger users on these sites if their parents and themselves decide it is worth joining. In my case, online communities gave me an outlet to find my passions and socialize with others my age. It helped me more than I originally thought. However, in my opinion, parents need to weigh the risks and benefits of allowing their children to participate. Essentially, parents need to ensure the latter outweigh the former.

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

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31
Mar 22

Environmental Psychology & Correction Facility Design

Why is it that the majority of prisons built in the United States are designed by multinational companies only interested in meeting all required objectives laid out by their contractee, be it the United States government or various state-run correctional bureau? In our text, (Gruman) the authors in Chapter 13 posit a form of this question by defining social design as “a process by which any building may be designed in collaboration with those who will actually use that building….as opposed to being designed solely by an architect who will never use that building.” A prison not built by the latter would be safer, more efficient, and produce less recidivism than traditionally built prisons.

It’s logical to think that a prison could be designed and built with the input of former prisoners who have been rehabilitated as consultants or experienced guards. This process would follow the characteristics of social design. Social design enables the users of the building to have an input on it’s design, which in the case of prisons, could have life or death consequences. Prison violence, sexual or otherwise, is rampant in the United States. One article cited below highlighted the state of Alabama’s prison violence so rampant that its’ corrections system had “a homicide rate eight times the national average.” (The New Republic)

Other than prison violence, recidivism rates amongst the US prison population could also be improved upon by drawing on social design initiatives. A constant fear of violence and sexual assault ensures inmates must draw on the same bad habits that landed them in prison in order to survive. This can lead to very high rates of the vicious cycle of recidivism. One Department of Justice report noted “66% of prisoners released across 24 states in 2008 were arrested within 3 years, and 82% were arrested within 10 years.” (DOJ, 2018). If prisons had more anti-violence designs along with inside advice from those who have experienced time in prison these statistics could be better.

In conclusion, principles of environmental psychology such as social design should be applied in the design of new prisons in the United States or revamps of current facilities. This investment will lead to less cost of returning prisoners to the same system and reduce the level of violence perpetrated in these facilities.

Ford, Matt. “The Everyday Brutality of America’s Prisons.” The New Republic, 5 Apr. 2019, newrepublic.com/article/153473/everyday-brutality-americas-prisons.

https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/recidivism-prisoners-released-24-states-2008-10-year-follow-period-2008-2018

Mishra, U., Sharma, A., & Nasir, S. (2020). IMPROVING PRISONERS PSYCHOLOGY THROUGH ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN. 8(6), 2320–2882. https://ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2006350.pdf

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13
Oct 21

What Would You Do?

What would you do if you saw someone get bullied or hurt in front of you? The bystander “ states that people are less likely to help in an emergency when other bystanders are present” (Gruman, 289). There are many reasons why a person might not help in a situation and might consider the bystander effect instead. Some reasons are because the person doesn’t want all the pressure on him or herself, as well as not having any relationship with the person. On the other hand, there are positive aspects to ignoring the bystander effect like not having a guilty feeling and feeling good about yourself. Considering a close person to you is in a difficult incident, how would you want others to react? 

What if someone got into a fight right in front of your eyes would you go to help or would you act like you didn’t see it and move on? Well, there are many reasons why someone might not help if there was a situation happening in front of him or her. One reason someone might ignore the situation is because they do not want the pressure and attention to fall onto them. For example, if someone gets into a minor car accident then they might not help because they see other people around the victim. They would also say something like “why would I help, there are other people here.” They don’t want the pressure of having to tell the police what happened as well as making sure the person in the car is safe and not injured. Another reason why someone might not help is because of the relationship between the bystander and the victim. They might not be related to that person and feel the need to stay away from the situation and not get involved. There are many dangers within the bystander effect that we do not realize. One danger is that if you witness a crime or accident of death, and not speak about being a witness about what happened, that can result in you going to jail for two years. You can become guilty of not stating what you have seen in the accident. If I were in a difficult situation like this I don’t know what I would do, but I would most likely call the police or someone nearby that would be able to help in the situation. 

Although many won’t help in a situation and rather stay within the bystander effect, what are some ways that can be solved. What if you actually take action, how can that help? If a person decides not to be a bystander and help in the situation instead, then that would give the person more confidence. How can we drop the bystander effect? One way is to take action when a situation happens. For example, if a person is in an accident then stepping in the situation would help the person survive. First you would check if the scene is safe to go near, then make sure the people in the car are safe, and finally call for help from others. This situation would help a person feel good about themselves afterwards in which the idea of saving someone’s life is a big deal. Another reason why someone should step in is to not have a guilty feeling. If something bad happened to a person while you were watching that would make you feel guilty and think to yourself “if I helped him or her would that have changed anything?” That is one major reason to help save someone and ignore the bystander effect. Another reason why to ignore the bystander effect is, what if the person in the accident is a relative to you, would you want people to ignore the situation and act like they don’t see it? 

The bystander effect relates to the “Diffusion of responsibility (Darley & Latane, 1968) [that] reflect the notion that as the number of people present in a situation increases, each individual feels less compelled or responsible to help” (Gordon, 843). The diffusion of responsibility connects to the bystander effect because the more people there are in the situation, the less the responsibility is on a specific person. We assume that if there are a lot of people in the situation, then they are helping out in the situation. We can make a person have more responsibility by decreasing the group number and increasing accountability. This way the situation can be helped instead of just being looked at. 

The bystander effect is a social phenomenon in which a person doesn’t offer any help to a situation when others are present. Individuals might use the bystander effect because of the fear of being overwhelmed as well as believing that they don’t have any relationship with the situation and there is no need to help. Others that might ignore the bystander effect would help a person feel good about themselves and not have an after feeling of being guilty. The diffusion of responsibility relates to the bystander effect in which the help is assumed to not be needed with the increased number of people around. This can be solved through the same way as the bystander effect. What would you do if an incident happened in front of you, would you help immediately or would you stay as a bystander? 

References:

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

Moskowitz, G. (n.d.). Crowded minds: The implicit bystander effect. Retrieved October 13, 2021, from https://www.academia.edu/11870091/Crowded_Minds_The_Implicit_Bystander_Effect?from=cover_page 

 

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07
Oct 21

The Importance of Communication Skills

Communication skills are a major component in the everyday life that we live in. According to an article, “Interpersonal skills were defined as the ability to work on teams, teach others, serve customers, lead, negotiate, and work well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds” (Parton, 429). We grew up learning communication skills from family, friends, and teachers and continue to expand our knowledge on communication skills as we get older. Since we are young children we learn through school and family the importance of communication skills. Throughout adolescence, skills are expanded and are expected to be better. Careers as well require everyone to have communication skills that build up their work career. Communication skills are like active listening, respect, friendliness, confidence, public speaking, and many more.

Since childhood, we learn many different communication skills that are a big part of our life. Some communication skills are like respect, friendliness, active listening, confidence, etc. According to the textbook, “Semin (2007) suggests that communication is the most fundamental topic social psychologists can address because it represents the foundation of social life” (Gruman 271). communication is a very important aspect in our life. Going to elementary school we learn to develop communication skills like respect and friendliness. We learn how to respect teachers, students, parents, and any person. For example, as I was a child, my school used to require a course in which we learned the importance of these skills in our daily lives. Respecting a teacher helps a student get good grades and have great communication with teachers and faculty. While students, for example, do not respect a teacher and keep talking over the teacher and not listening, it causes communication to become more difficult with each other. Another communication skill is friendliness in which as we are young we are more innocent and we become friends with other students easily. This skill helps students communicate with each other easily and being able to work with groups. If a student is not liked, he or she might be bullied or no student would want to be friends with him or her.

As we grow older, our communication skills expand and relate to our life even more deeply. We continue to learn different communication skills as we grow older. In college, we learn how to develop confidence, independence, and being open minded. Through specific courses, for example, we learn how to speak properly using the proper language, as well as having proper gestures. I took a communication course last semester where I developed more communication skills and learned how to speak more properly through presentations and group work. Through the presentations I was to express my interest with my words of choice but making sure I used the proper language and gestures while presenting. As well as giving me confidence through the presentation and speaking in front of a class. College also teaches a person how to become independent and be open minded through the different courses that we take. Being open minded helps a person think outside of the box.

College allows us to expand our skills and apply them to our work fields which require us to have certain requirements. For example, if a person wants to work as a translator or a teacher then good language skills are required in order to expand on to other students that are being taught. Another job that requires a skill is like a doctor in which confidence in yourself is important because you have to be confident in yourself to have a procedure done on another person. These skills apply to every career there are with many different communication skills. Study “found 49% of entry-level ads included requirements for basic skills related to communication, including reading, writing, listening, and speaking” (Parton, 430). The most important skill in the work field is body positivity and talking skills (whether verbal or non-verbal). Our gestures in the career field are important to have a positive communication set with others. Connecting to the ideas that we learned through the textbook, we notice the importance of verbal, non-verbal through messages that are being coded and decoded.

Communication skills are the process in which we give information and we receive in return through verbal or non-verbal gestures. These skills are being implied to our life since we are children through family, friends, and schools. As we grow older our skills that we learned, like respect, confidence, friendliness, continue to expand on in our lives. Colleges allow our skills to expand and become more prominent in our daily lives. Our communication skills continue to grow with us and fall in the work fields which help everyone in their communication asset with others. These skills are very important in our daily lives, whether in school, home, work, or anywhere. What are some communication skills that you think are most important to you?

 

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

Parton, S. R., & Kinnick, K. N. (2005). Workplace communication: What the apprentice teaches about communication skills – Katherine N. Kinnick, Sabrena R. Parton, 2005. Retrieved October 07, 2021, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1080569905282099?casa_token=00lX3YLPq4EAAAAA%3AwIfxspcDV0JV6h8gZyLd38RJkm9QgyuLSZfX7ftXEbrV4qbc1dlBVCtnS_VyTCqPa_nDD-gw_AVN

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30
Sep 21

Gender Differences

Gender Differences

Gender differences have been a major issue in the society that we live in. People immediately give off stereotypes stating what a person can and cannot do. Gender differences can be seen whether they are stated verbally or non-verbal. Stereotypes lead to assumptions and norms about what activities, sports, and dress codes are considered masculine or feminine. Gender differences play a huge role since childhood and continue to expand as a person gets older. Biological and social factors affect the result of gender differences. A child’s gender influences the outcome of education, social life, and the judgment against them.

Gender differences is a way that we stereotype ourselves and keep ourselves in groups. There are different categories in which we separate for males and females. The activities, dress code, and sports are ways that we stereotype ourselves. For example, when we think of ice hockey, we think of males playing the game instead of females. While thinking about cheerleading, we think of majority females. Gender refers to “social or learned characteristics that are associated with being male or female” (Gruman 393). The way that we act in the social world is the way that we are being characterized. There are social norms that state things to be masculine and other things being feminine.

Even in early childhood, kids separate themselves based on being a male or female. Children separate themselves in activities, classrooms, and playgrounds. If you were to see a boy in a line of girls, then other kids would make fun of him for not being with them. When I was a child, I could relate to gender differences because I would only accept things that are pink and considered girly. I loved to have my hair done, nail polish, and dressing up as a princess. I used to also stay in areas around other girls and play with activities that are not as masculine. When playing a game or activity, do you normally pick others in the same gender or the opposite sex? Not only do our physical actions affect our gender differences, but also our verbal actions. The way that we express our feelings and emotions are different and might be expressed as being emotional for women. According to the textbook, “when a male child cries, people will often explain the behavior by saying that he is angry, whereas when a female child cies, they will often describe her as frightened” (Gruman 394). The way that we express our emotions as perceived differently in males and females. Men are considered to being angry and weak if they cry, while females are considered to be frightened and emotional.

Gender differences are the result of biological and social factors that influence a child’s response. Depending on the biological and social factors that a child grew up in, their responses might differ. If you were to tell a boy, what job do you want to work as you grow older, his answers might be like police officer, fireman, or athletics coach. They would consider jobs that are considered more masculine. On the other hand, if a girl is asked, she would say something like a teacher, model, doctor, or artist. Girls tend to choose careers that are feminine and less masculine. Not only do our choices affect the way that we choose things but also our biological and social factors. Some children might choose to be police officers because the social environment they live in might not be too safe.

In conclusion, the way that we are raised as children is the way that create gender differences and will be the same for future generation. In the society that we live in, gender differences have had a huge impact in our lives. Gender differences cause stereotypes in which we preserve ourselves and consider what and what not to do. Separating ourselves based on gender even developed since childhood and continues to expand as we grow. Gender differences expand to create stereotypes that create social norms since childhood. There are biological and social factors that influence gender differences. Does gender play a role in the way that you interact and communicate with others?

References:

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

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07
Mar 21

Juror Prejudice During Trial

On August 12, 2011, my life had changed forever. I awoke that morning to my mother calling me on the phone for our normal morning conversation over coffee. After some small talk was out of the way, she asked me if I had heard about the shooting that occurred in our town the previous night. She said that the shooter was my age. Suddenly, my heart dropped, and I instantly knew that something was wrong. I was not sure what yet, but my intuition was telling me that something was not right. I quickly got off the phone with my mother and took to the internet to try to find information about the shooting. No names had been released yet, but the address of the shooting was released. The address was that of one of my best and oldest friends. He lived at the address posted on the internet with his pregnant girlfriend. My jaw dropped. The news had reported that, the night prior, he had shot his girlfriend in the head with a new handgun that he had purchased that day. In disbelief, I tried to call his cell phone. He did not answer. I then called those who belonged to our close friend group to inform them of the news. We agreed to spend time together that night to try to make sense of what was happening. One of those friends was named godfather to their baby. The night came, and there were many tears shed and drinks finished.

The next morning, I received a phone call from a law firm based out of Brooklyn, NYC. It was my best friend’s lawyers. They had found my name on a police discovery and needed to speak with me about my relationship with the defendant. I met with them, and they decided that they wanted to use me and the proclaimed godfather of the child as a character witness during the trial. I showed up to the trial on the dates that I was subpoenaed to attend, but they did not want to use us for this portion of the trial. During his trial, there were a few issues that the prosecution ran into. For example, the prosecution called in a weapons expert to prove that the argument of the defense (the gun misfired while he was cleaning it) was not valid. While the weapons expert was handling the gun and explaining how it was impossible for that type of gun to misfire, the gun used by the defendant misfired inside of the courtroom. This was only one example of many of the complications during the trial for the prosecution. Never-the-less, the first verdict was read: the jury found him guilty of murder. Even with all the mishaps that gave evidence that my friend may have been telling the truth, the jury still found him guilty of 1st and 3rd degree murder. The next step was to figure out if he was to be tried for the death penalty or life imprisonment. But what made those jurors come to their verdict, even with evidence supporting the defendant’s story?

Looking at this scenario from an applied social psychologist’s standpoint, I would like to focus on juror prejudice. There are four different forms of juror prejudice: specific, normative, interest, and generic (Gruman, 2016). While I cannot comment on any interest or generic prejudice because I was not permitted to speak with anyone on the jury, I do believe that there was specific and normative prejudice when dealing with this trial. Specific prejudice occurs when a juror is unable to be objective because of principles or feelings that affect their decision making (Gruman, 2016). Because the trial was for the murder of a pregnant woman, a juror may have looked at that fact and already decided that he was guilty so that the woman and child can get justice for their death. Normative prejudice happens when the juror wants to appease the opinion of the public, so they do not take all evidence into account during the trial that could go against public opinion (Gruman, 2016). Like my example given earlier, it is hard to believe that the gun misfiring in front of the jury during the trial did not provide any doubt to any of the jurors. This could be in part because of how the public views violence against women and children.

I did eventually participate in the trial as a character witness in 2013, two years after the shooting. Testifying in that trial was one of the most difficult experiences that I ever had to and have had to do since. His lawyers attempted to move the trial to a different location because of the local media frenzy surrounding the case, but that motion was denied. He was not sentenced to the death penalty, but to life imprisonment for 1st and 3rd degree murder. While big-named local newspapers wrote about the trial in a seemingly biased manner, grassroots publications also wrote about the trial. They shared the same doubt that I did, and they did not have any bias towards the situation. I’ll always remember the last words of their last article about the trial, “We may never know if *name withdrawn* murdered *name withdrawn* and their unborn child. I am not sure if we ever will, but anyone can see that there is uncertainty surrounding this trial and how it was conducted. I hope that whoever deserves justice receives that justice one day.” He was recently denied for another appeal in 2020. It still breaks my heart to read their names.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. ProQuest Ebook Central. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com. Accessed on 3/7/2021.

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01
Mar 21

Abuse of Power Within the Workplace

In my first blog entry, I discussed security aspects of my first job. For this blog entry, I will be revisiting that job, but for another reason. When I was first hired, I was 16 years old. The manager that hired me for the position was a wonderful boss. Although she let everyone know that she was the woman in charge, she would still ask for input on how to better run our store and would implement changes as a team. She was a spitfire 65-year-old woman who loved her job and loved her employees. She would go above and beyond for all her employees in both their professional and personal lives. We all considered her our “surrogate grandmother”, and we worked very hard for her. Our store had received awards for customer service, speed of service and cleanliness every year that I worked underneath her. The main branch that we all worked under put our store as the store that all others should strive to be. We were the spotlight store on center stage. After 9 years of working for her, everything changed in an instant.

One day, I received a call from my store. When I picked up the phone, I was told that our manager had suddenly passed away. This was a devastating blow to all of us. Corporate had workers from other stores come and relieve us of our positions so that we could attend her funeral. After grieving the loss of our fearless leader, we wondered what that meant for us. She was the backbone of our store, so we were hoping that the next manager to come through would follow in her footsteps so that we could maintain our status and make her proud. Unfortunately, that was not at all what had happened.

The new manager that they sent to our store, I will call her “Trista”, was new to her management position (she had been working for the company for three years at that point). She held a meeting so that we could all meet her, and during that meeting, we quickly learned that her managing style was completely different from what we previously had. Trista let us know that she was the boss and any input from other employees who were not part of her management staff was not going to be considered or taken seriously. She was more of a tyrant than a boss, but we decided to give her a chance to see what we could do as a team. Being that I was one of four veteran employees and the most senior employee on my shift, I was looked to for guidance by novice employees. Because I was looked up to by the employees, Trista put a target on my back. From the moment that she realized that she could not intimidate me or force me to make decisions that were bad for the other employees, she treated me terribly. Instead of using me as a tool to bridge the gap between herself and the employees, she saw me as a threat to her managerial power. At one point, she even tried to set me up to admit to theft (which did not work because I was not stealing anything). That is only one instance of the many, many times she had tried to get me fired. Work life became unbearable for so many of us, and the turnover rate began to increase significantly.

Trista was the posterchild for the quote “power tends to corrupt” (Cislak et al., 2018). Studies have shown that power can negatively influence the ability to have meaningful relationships, decrease inclination to take other’s input, and can reduce empathy for others (Cislak et al., 2018). Because Trista was more concerned with having control over others and not personal control, the store began to fall apart (Cislak et al.,2018). If she were to utilize personal control, then both she and the store could have benefitted from the relationship (Cislak et al, 2018). Trista believed that she was powerful because of who she was as a person and not because the position that she was given gave her the illusion of power, therefore exercising the fundamental attribution error (Cislak et al., 2018). In the time that I had worked with her, she exhibited many signs of abuse of power. She was narcissistic, overoptimistic in her abilities, and harmful to the morale of employees. Because of her behavior, her supervisor staff (those under her, but above my position) began speaking to me about how we can stop her. When I brought her behavior to the attention of those above her, I was told that I was the problem and that I basically needed to shut my mouth and deal with her abuse. They were more concerned with protecting the system of power than helping abused employees. This led to me being treated badly by her boss as well. The store began to fail health inspections, receive bad reviews online, and customers began to stop coming to the store.

Eventually, I was able to transfer to a different store with the help of another store manager who was aware of my situation. After I had left and the buffer between Trista and the employees was gone, the employees revolted against her. Every single employee called into the employee hotline number multiple times a week. This caused the issues to gradually go further up the corporate ladder until someone from Human Resources paid the store a visit and personally interviewed employees, myself included (even though I was no longer there). In the end, Trista was relieved of her position within the company and was told that she should seek employment elsewhere. There are still one or two employees at the store with whom I had previously worked with. They still talk about me and what I had done for them by calling me their “founding father”. It is important that, if someone is corrupt with power, they are called out for their behavior and the situation is remedied. If anyone had listened to us in the first place, the decline of the store, loss of employees, and the loss of her position could have been easily avoided.

The last time I heard of Trista, she was being interviewed at a pet store by a former employee of hers. She did not get the job.

References

Cislak, A., Cichocka, A., Wojcik, A. D., & Frankowska, N. (2018). Power Corrupts, but Control Does Not: What Stands Behind the Effects of Holding High Positions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 44(6), 944–957. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167218757456

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24
Feb 21

Social Identity Theory and the LGBTQ+ Community

In April of 2015, I had just moved into a new apartment in a small town in rural Pennsylvania close to my job with my new girlfriend (we will call her “Brittany” for confidentiality purposes). Although I had been dating girls for years, I was in the closet until I came out to my Roman Catholic parents with Brittany. While they were not too pleased in the beginning, they eventually warmed up to the idea of me dating women and even invited Brittany to Christmas with the family. We met some friends in our new town and quickly found the spot to go to that welcomes those who live an “alternative lifestyle”. This was the safe place to go for any queer individuals in that town. This place was for “the girls, the gays, and the theys”. The patrons of this bar introduced us to all the LGBTQ+ in the area and explained to us that we stick together because of hatred in small town America. Although I am from a larger city, I still understood hostility towards members of the LGBTQ+, I had just never experienced it myself to a threatening degree. About three months later, my words caught up with me.

One night, as I was walking home from the bar, I noticed that there was a piece of paper on the windshield of my car. I lifted my windshield wiper, grabbed the paper, and read the words (excuse the profanity) “You and your sinner of a girlfriend get the f*ck out of my town, you f*cking d*ke b*tch.” On the reverse side of the paper was a multitude of bible verses that I assume they would want me to look up to inform me about how I will go to hell for being a homosexual. I never did look up those verses. I did, however, check the rest of my car to see if there was anything else on it that I should be aware of. Turns out, they also decided to put razor blades in the handles of my car so that I could cut my hands when I went to open my car door. I ran into my apartment to make sure that Brittany was okay, which she was fast asleep and just fine. I then sent out a mass text to the group from the bar. They immediately were extremely supportive and were so concerned for my safety and my sanity. They all raced over to my apartment to check the perimeter and to make sure no one was lurking around the property. How my social group reacted towards me during my situation made me feel so good about the group that I belong to. They were people who had firsthand experience with hate from heteronormative people in the town.

When thinking about my group, I can apply my experiences with the social identity theory. My social identity, which is how I characterize myself within a group that I belong to, is being a part of the LGBTQ+ community (Gruman, 2016). While I cannot speak for the individuals who threatened me and vandalized my car (because I never found out who they were), I would assume that they belong to a heteronormative Christian Right group. Basing my conclusions off historical context, I would imagine that they created a negative social identity pertaining to me and my girlfriend because they feel as though the LGBTQ+ community is full of “sinners” and “sexual deviants” while placing their own community on a pedestal (Gruman, 2016). This comparison of the two groups has been documented for centuries, so it is not outside of the realm of imagination to assume so. They feel as though their “Christian moral high ground” means that they must have conflict with any group that does not necessarily share the same morals and ideas that they have (Gruman, 2016). However, I feel good about the group that I belong in (yet another trait of the social identity theory), and they did not abandon me when I was in possible danger (Gruman, 2016). My experience with the hate that I received has caused me to view individuals like those who spread hatred to my community with hostility. I wish that the conflict did not have to exist, but one can always dream.

While I never did find out who came to my car that night, it never happened again. Six years later, there were never anymore razor blades or notes for me to find. Luckily for me, theirs was an empty threat. I cannot say the same for others in the LGBTQ+ community. The sooner that those who oppose the community realize that we just want to love who we love and not be bothered, the better. While I do not base my friendships off if someone is a Christian or not, I do keep my eyes open whenever I am around a large group of Christians and feel someone unsafe in their presence. I hope to one day not feel as though I must look over my shoulder to secure mine and my girlfriend’s safety out in public spaces. No matter where I end up in my life, I will always remember those who had my back; my LGBTQ+ community. My social identity.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. ProQuest Ebook Central. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com. Accessed on 2/24/2021.

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15
Feb 21

Fear Appeal and Reefer Madness

When I was 16, I first watched the movie “Reefer Madness”. Reefer Madness is a movie of propaganda that was released in 1936 to show the then presumed effects of marijuana use in teenagers. The movie portrays marijuana as a dangerous drug that will eventually lead to a life of crime and will ultimately cause the user to become insane. The movie depicted that use of marijuana will lead to rape, suicide, murder, delusions, and an onslaught of other terrifying outcomes. When I first watched the movie, I was told that it was satire and not to be taken seriously. Honestly, I thought that the movie was hilarious. The predicaments that the teenagers would get themselves in because of marijuana use were so farfetched, I thought that the movie was an off-color comedy. After watching the the film, I was told that Reefer Madness was supposed to be taken seriously in that time-period and that people truly thought that marijuana use would lead to these events. During that time, there was little to no education about marijuana and its effects. There was also a racial stigma attached to marijuana (it was often referred to as the “Mexican drug”). Although the purpose of the movie is no longer relevant due to the progression of research about marijuana, those who financed and gave the green light to produce this film were attempting to utilize the fear appeal to try to reach teenagers about the risks of marijuana use.

The use of fear appeal, like the method in Reefer Madness, has been used in anti-drug campaigns for decades. I remember watching television in the 1990’s (which seemed to be a big time for anti-drug commercials) and seeing the “This is your brain; this is your brain on drugs” and all of its variations. There was another set of commercials that included a girl who had melted into her couch because of marijuana use. Oddly enough, a few years later, I wound up meeting that same girl from the commercial. She was excelling in college and a proud marijuana user and advocate. It is interesting how those circumstances work out sometimes. My school participated in the “D.A.R.E” campaign and the “Just say no to drugs” slogan. But are any of these fear appeal based campaigns and gimmicks truly successful?

Studies that have been conducted to test the success rates of the use of fear appeal have been mixed (Gruman, 2016). While early studies show promising success of use of the fear appeal, later studies found that placing too much fear into an individual could have adverse effects from what the campaign is attempting to accomplish (Gruman, 2016). It has also been found that the fear appeal may have more influence on what an individual would like to do rather than what they are going to do (Gruman, 2016). For example, someone who uses drugs may see an anti-drug ad campaign and would like to do something about their drug use, but that is as far as their thought process goes. There is no action taken to deal with their drug use, only thoughts. Although the fear appeal has had greater results than informational appeal, there are still problems with that route that need to be addressed and reworked into a more successful program (Gruman, 2016).

Myself, I always thought that anti-drug campaigns (those regarding marijuana) were too dramatic. Where I was from, I knew plenty of successful adults who used marijuana daily and did not have “scrambled egg” brains or could not get off their couches because of marijuana use. They may have become something similar if they had been using heroin or crack-cocaine, but never the “potheads”. Because of my experience with marijuana users and with marijuana later in life, I believe that I was right to think of these campaigns as dramatic. Fortunately, these fear appeal based anti-drug campaigns have moved further away from putting marijuana in the spotlight and have moved more towards drugs that have the potential to be lethal. With the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana in some states, research on the plant and its benefits and consequences will become more prominent and experts can leave the campaigns that use fear appeal for the real drugs. I find it remarkable how these fear appeal approaches got many people to think that marijuana was a dangerous drug.

To this day, I still love watching Reefer Madness. I watch it a few times a year, and it still astonishes me to think that it was supposed to be factual. My, how times have changed.

References

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. ProQuest Ebook Central. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com. Accessed on 2/15/2021.

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08
Feb 21

An Evaluation of Defensible Space

When I was 16 years old, I began my journey into the working world. My first job was at a well-known 24/7 convenience store and gas station on the East Coast. The location of the store was extremely busy during the day and rarely populated at night. I went through multiple hours of training, which included robbery training. One night, while I was brewing fresh coffee, a man approached me. He began small talk with me, asking me mundane questions about how my day was going. He then began to ask me questions about the store and its layout. His line of questioning raised a red flag, and I began to feel more and more uncomfortable as time progressed. After I was vague with my responses, he began asking me about the security of the store. Within seconds of asking his first security question, the music playing throughout the building cut off and an announcement came over the loudspeaker of the store. On the other end of the loudspeaker was a member of the corporate security team. She explained to the man that security is watching the store 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and, if he was done conducting his business, he was to leave the store. The man left his cup of coffee that he poured on the countertop and walked out of the door immediately. Directly after the end of the audio transmission, a screen capture of his face was taken and sent to my manager.

This story had me thinking about what makes a store more vulnerable to robbery than another? This involves the theory of defensible space (Gruman, 2016). This theory states that instances of crime will lessen and individuals within those spaces will feel more protected if specific elements of building layout and interior designs are implemented (Gruman, 2016). A model called the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) explains that, by changing aspects of a poor design layout of a business, the susceptibility of a business to robbery can be significantly diminished (Casteel, 2000). Access control, activity support, natural surveillance, and territoriality are the features of the CPTED model (Casteel, 2000). I have used that model to investigate the building layout and interior design of my store and to evaluate how susceptible my store was for a robbery.

I believe that the access control (flow of customer traffic in relation to outside doors of the building and their locations) in my store was of good quality (Casteel, 2000). In customer view, there were only two doors on either side of the building that the customer can come in or out of and a security door in the back of the building that cannot be opened from the outside and can only be opened inside with a code to keep the alarm from sounding off. The doors were positioned in a way that the customer can come in one door, conduct their business, and exit from the door on the other side and the customer can be easily seen from many angles.

The activity support (steps that are taken to ensure that a store is populated with happy customers) of the store was also positive (Casteel, 2000). While we were not busy at night, we were very busy during the day and there were many regular customers who would visit multiple times a day and were loyal to our store. As employees, we would build that rapport with our customers and the police force in our area. The more police you have visiting your establishment, the less criminals you have coming around.

The natural surveillance (cash register location, illumination inside the building, and transparency of the store from the outside) had some issues (Casteel, 2000). Our cash registers were located on either side of the doors to and from the building. The cash registers should have been placed further away from the entrances and exits of the building so that the surveillance cameras would have a better chance of capturing an image of a suspected criminal. That would also cause the perpetrator to potentially be seen by other customers or workers within the building before they could reach the register. The illumination within the building and the ability to see inside of the store from the outside were acceptable due to bright lights and large windows that make up the walls of the building.

Finally, the territoriality (the separation between customer and employee, where the store is sited and how populated that area is at any given time, and marketing strategies in the area surrounding the store) had its good points and its bad points (Casteel, 2000). The store is in a very populated area off a major highway. The area is not as populated at 3:00am, but there are a few regular customers who frequent the store at nighttime. There are billboards and bright signage advertising the store both on and off the highway, so it is well known that the store exists to the public. The separation between customer and employee could be adjusted. The cash registers are located at one end of the building and were manned by one or two employees. The rest of the workers are at the other end of the building to make food orders. I think that the cash register area and the food preparation area should be connected to better ensure employee security (safety in numbers!).

Ultimately, that man never came back into the store and we never had any issues with him. However, that was not the last I heard of him. The police came into my store a few weeks later, holding a printed out criminal line up. The officer asked me if I could identify the man who entered my store that day and was asking me questions. I was able to positively identify him for the officer, so he thanked me and left. A few days after that, I read in the newspaper that he had robbed another convenience store down the street from mine. Thanks to the creation of a defensible space (and the vigilance of corporate security) I did not have to experience such a terrifying ordeal.

References

Casteel, C., & Peek-Asa, C. (2000, April 28). Effectiveness of crime prevention through environmental Design (CPTED) in Reducing robberies. Retrieved February 08, 2021, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074937970000146X

Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.). (2016). Applied social psychology : Understanding and addressing social and practical problems. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

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07
Oct 19

Football and Discrimination

I love the New England Patriots, but when I say that, especially after someone has already met and spoken to me, they immediately give me a look. Most of the time their face is filled with disgust. You would think that would bother me. Does it? Absolutely not. I love my team, win or lose.
The New England Patriots is an in-group I belong to. In-group means when someone categorizes themselves as a part of a group they feel committed to. I promise you, I am 100% committed. Now, there are many teams that I don’t like which would be the out-group (any other groups seen as potential rivals). Being the fan of a winning team, clearly, we have some rivals. We won today 33-7 against the Redskins.
What’s interesting is how this could play out in real life relationships. I do know plenty of people who are a part of the out-group regarding football and my in-group. That has not affected my relationship with them in any way. We’ve remained friends that hang out. I mean my best friend is an Eagles fan and I dated a Giants fan at one point in my life. For others that is not the case.
Prejudice is a set of attitudes towards members of a group. There are some that have prejudices against fans of other sports teams. For example, I could say that I do not like Seahawks fans (this is actually not true, but they were the first team to come to mind), but I wouldn’t allow that to stop me from working with one or hiring one when I used to work in HR. I even hired Steelers fans.
Discrimination is an overt negative behavior towards a person based on his or her membership in a group. Discrimination has begun to play a large role in sports teams and relationships. A lady I was acquainted with discussed with me that she refused to date anyone that was a Redskin’s fan (she loved the Cowboys). A coworker of mine gave up her love for the Cowboys to become an Eagles fan to keep the peace in her home with her fiancé. Personally, I could never and secondly, I would never have thought to use that as a determining factor on dating someone.
Stereotypes can also be projected based on your in-group, by out-group members and vice versa. Stereotypes are defined by Gruman as beliefs about the characteristics, attributes, and behaviors of members of certain groups. When I worked in HR, an interviewee saw my Patriots lanyard and tried to make a funny remark about if I like the Patriots, I must be a cheater too. He thought it was funny, I however, did not.
Statements and actions like those create conflict. They go beyond the original reasons why two teams are rivals in the first place. This is how things get personal. While I use football as a way to relax and release stress by yelling at my television as if Coach Belichick and Julian Edelman can hear me calling out plays, others may use a win to feel validation over other people as a part of their emotional significance attached to their membership to that group.
Social identity reflects a sense of identity based on the social groups to which individuals belong or with which they identify according to Gruman. A sports fan’s commitment to their group may include putting down others.
While I do believe that contact hypothesis which is “the assumption was that positive contact with members of an out-group could decrease negative stereotyping of the out-group by the in-group and lead to improved intergroup relations” (Gruman, 2017) could work in other situations. It’s important that both parties feel relatively equal in power and status, but with sports, if a team loses, you can throw that notion out of the window.

Gruman, J. A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology. [MBS Direct]. Retrieved from https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781506353968/

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10
Nov 18

Similar-to-me

When it comes to attraction, romantic or not, the similar-to-me effect states that we get along with people who look, think, feel, and act like we do (Nelson, 2018). Personally, I definitely see that in nearly every friendship that I have. When it comes to relationships, it hasn’t always been like that though. Dating someone who was the opposite did result only in a short-term relationship and I don’t recall dating someone who was exactly like me. However, when it comes to friendships, most of my friends do at least think like I do. We share the same views and opinions, for example, so we tend to get along most of the time.

I think that this can also be applied to bullying in a way, as in you connect to those with similar experiences. I survived bullying, and in some ways sometimes deal with it to this day, and I do see myself connecting with other people who have gone through the same thing. Over the years I have become friends with many people who have had similar experiences that have changed their lives and realizing that we all pretty much think and feel the same about specific things has brought us closer together. However, I don’t think that the similar-to-me effect has to be there all of the time in order for real friendships to form. You can be friends with someone who isn’t exactly like you, or have a romantic relationship with someone who’s different, but some differences do tend to get in the way in the end and cause problems. Diversity is a very good thing, and there is a lot of it in my personal life, but I have to agree that deeper relationships form when you are similar (same culture, background, etc.).

 

 

References

Nelson, A. (2018). Lesson 12 Relationships/Every day life, Attraction. Retrieved November 8, 2018. https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1942493/modules/items/25002553

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21
Oct 18

Filtering Factors

Have you ever thought that you would look better if you had plumper, more kissable lips? How about if you had a completely different skin complexion? Or even better, how about a set of dog ears and a canine’s nose? Well, it seems that the latest in social media-based psychological disorders, “Snapchat dysmorphia,” may be a cause for such intriguing requests. This condition stems from the circumstances in which people develop an obsession with correcting their physical appearance to resemble the filtered images produced in Snapchat, a popular social media platform. In further examining this unique predicament, a look at its unattended consequences and potential developments may shed new light on the risks of using social media.

According to information provided by the American Psychological Association, a body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a condition in which an individual’s fixation with imaginary or miniscule physical defects begins to consequently affect their mental and behavioral health (Traynor, 2018). While there is no known cause for this ailment, some have started to fear that the filtered images produced in Snapchat are causing people to invent or exaggerate flaws in their natural, physical appearance (Welch, 2018). What may initially appear to be a casual, and even humorous, selfie session can slowly begin to change how an individual may view their own self-image without the benefit of alterations. As these feelings continue to manifest, people may become depressed, embarrassed, and ashamed of their outward appearance in comparison to their Snapchat image (Traynor, 2018). These sentiments can also cause one to isolate themselves from society, develop eating disorders, or seek permanent medical procedures to alter their outward presentation (Traynor, 2018).

A recent story produced by CBS News focuses on an uptick in plastic surgery requests from individuals seeking to look more like their Snapchat photographs. While some use to provide images of celebrities to describe their ideal corrective procedures to surgeons, these doctors are now more commonly being presented with selfies that have been filtered to erase one’s faults. From 2015-2017, surgeons saw a 13% increase in the number of patients who wanted to look better in their selfies as a reason to seek a corrective procedure (Welch, 2018). Where the process of revamping or photoshopping images was generally limited to models and actresses, now one’s neighbor, childhood friend, or coworker may be able to modify their appearance with a telephone. This leaves many individuals, particularly adolescent girls, even more concerned with their everyday image, and ultimately, vulnerable to taking drastic measures to portray beauty (Welch, 2018).

“Snapchat dysmorphia” presents another reason for society to discuss the consequences risky outcomes involved with increased social media usage. As individuals continue to use photo-filtering technology to perfect their digital image, the concern that these techniques can lead to serious ramifications continues to rise. For those who develop a body dysmorphia disorder due to invented physical defects from Snapchat filtering, there is an increased likelihood of depression, social isolation, and acquired eating disorders. For some, plastic surgery has become the most viable option to obtain an appearance fit for, and because of, social media.

References:

Traynor, T. L. (n.d.). Body Dysmorphic Disorder [Scholarly project]. Retrieved October 19, 2018, from https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/undergrad/ptacc/body-dysmorphic-traynor.pdf

Welch, A. (2018, August 06). “Snapchat dysmorphia”: Selfies, photo filters driving people to plastic surgery, doctors say. Retrieved October 21, 2018, from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/snapchat-dysmorphia-selfies-driving-people-to-plastic-surgery-doctors-warn/

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06
Feb 18

Art and Neuroscience

Have you ever been curious about why some people are perfectly content being a “starving artist?” Maybe, it’s because their core job of creating art is stress relieving and relaxing. I must admit that when I first heard of art therapy several years ago, I was skeptical. I, like many others, thought that the purpose of art therapy was primarily for children or simply an outlet of expression. This is likely because I perceived art and neuroscience to be complete opposites. Though, the benefits of creativity and artwork is commonly underestimated, and research has suggested that participating in different forms of art can have several beneficial effects on one’s brain.

How do two seemingly opposite fields such as freely driven art and the scientific study of the brain work together? Curiously, art therapy has the potential to be much more than this, as it offers a different approach from the traditional talk therapy. Konopka suggests in their journal article, that there are significant connections between art therapy and healing the brain. Konopka notes that “Art therapy has gained popularity because it combines free artistic expression with the potential for significant therapeutic intervention” (Konopka, 2014). Konopka also discusses that even further research is necessary to fully understand the potential of art therapy and its relationship to cognitive functioning.

Many people have experienced the positive effects of art therapy, and some claim that it has even contributed to changing their life. Some brain injury survivors attending art therapy, share their stories on a local PBS news station. One participant, Jennifer, shares that she is now able to “Reconnect with her cognitive functions and mobility that she lost from her [brain] injury” (PBS, 2016). This program also discussed how “recreational therapy such as Art and music can help heal the brain at faster and more complete rates” (PBS, 2016). Martin, who is an art therapist also shares how art therapy contributed to understanding and centering a young man who was threatening homicide (American Therapy Association, 2018).

Perhaps you do not have a traumatic brain injury, and this whole concept seems very specific and non-relatable. Perhaps, the idea of attempting to create something visually appealing may be intimidating. Regardless of your ability or need, art therapy may still have beneficial effects on the brain. Konopka notes that “for years, we recognized that art-making allowed one to re-frame experiences, reorganize thoughts, and gain personal insight that often enhances one’s quality of life” (Konopka, 2014).  Writer, Priscilla Frank discusses in their article various findings supporting the notion that just 45 minutes of artwork can reduce cortisol levels (Frank, 2016). In Frank’s article, they discuss how the act of engaging in an artful activity relieves the very common experience of stress (Frank, 2016). Frank suggests that if you are feeling the burden of stress, you will likely find relief in some old-fashioned arts and crafts.

From relieving stress to rewiring one’s brain after a traumatic brain injury, participating in art is beneficial. It is important to also note that there is certainly a difference between art therapy and personal participation in art. Art therapists are trained at the Master level and “work with people who are challenged with medical and mental health problems, as well as individuals seeking emotional, creative, and spiritual growth” (American Art Therapy Association, 2018). However, regardless of your needs, engaging in forms of artistic participation can have widespread beneficial effects on your brain. So the next time your feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it’s a good idea to engage in some creative expression.

 

References

American Art Therapy Association. (2017). About Art Therapy. Retrieved from Arttherapy.org: arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/

American Art Therapy Association. (2017). Story Library. Retrieved from Arttherapy.org: arttherapy.org/story-library/

Frank, P. (2016, June 16). Study says making art reduces stress, even if you kind of suck at it. Retrieved from Huffingtonpost.com: huffingtonpost.com/entry/study-says-making-art-reduces-stress_us_576183ece4b09c926cfdccac

Konopka, L. M. (2014). Where art meets neuroscience: a new horizon of art therapy. U.S. National Library of Medicine. DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2014.55.73

PBS (Director). (2016). Art therapy helps patients with traumatic brain injury. Retrieved from PBS.org: pbs.org/video/njtvnews-art-therapy-helps-patients-traumatic-brain-injury/.

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10
Apr 17

Physical Attractiveness Stereotype — Amendment Needed?

We’ve all heard the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover”, and while that may be true, it’s often difficult to ignore physical characteristics when meeting new people. The first piece of information that we receive when meeting someone new is his or her looks, which is why we are prone to be influenced by physical attractiveness. This notion is called primacy effect (Schneider et. al., 2012). Try to think back to a social event that you attended recently where you were introduced to new people, and think about your initial impressions of them. I think it would be difficult for us to have based a first impression on somebody’s personality rather than his/her looks.

When you thought back on a particular social event, did you feel like you favored some people over others? Were these favored people more attractive? I think we all would like to believe that we don’t care about looks, or that we don’t make conclusions about a person based on their looks. But unfortunately, this phenomenon is quite a regular response. People tend to associate good looks with other good qualities about the person (Schneider et. al., 2012). A study found that attractive people are expected to be better people – more sensitive, sexually responsive, interesting, and sociable. These common beliefs underlie what’s called the physical attractiveness stereotype. This is good news for individuals who are ‘better looking’, but not so much for others who do not fit this category. When two individuals, one good-looking and the other not, with similar resumes apply for a position, employers generally prefer the more attractive applicant, since they perceive that they will be better employees.

Even though this often seems to be the case for more attractive individuals, I have had experiences that are just the opposite of this stereotype. This is not to say that I’m calling myself America’s (or Armenia’s) next top model – but I feel I am on the more attractive spectrum. I like pampering myself, dressing nicely and applying makeup, not to please anyone else, but because that’s how I like to see myself. When I attend public seminars or talks and meet people there, I always get talked down to and feel like they dumb down their conversation when I am being addressed. When I tell them that I study at Penn State, or when I start talking about a topic passionately and knowledgably, I see a perplexed expression on their faces. I think this is a prevalent opinion in this part of the world – that pretty women, or women who look like they’ve taken some time to look presentable, are usually ‘dumb blondes’, or only care about their looks. This has particularly been an issue for me in the workplace. A couple of years ago when I applied for a job at an online based news agency in Armenia (Civilnet), my interviewer was not taking me seriously, and thought that the only reason I was there was to be on TV, when in fact I was applying to be a writer for their column on political issues in Syria. When I gave him my portfolio of my writing, I recognized that same perplexed visage.

Although I think that the physical attractiveness stereotype is in fact a phenomenon that does occur, I feel like it should take into consideration how attractive women are perceived in society sometimes. What do you think?

Thank you for reading!

Hilda Yacoubian

References:

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

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27
Mar 17

Effects of Expectation on Academic Achievement

This week’s topic of applying social psychology to education is one of the more important subjects to read and know about in my opinion. A good education is the very tool that allows us to be able to overcome a lot of the obstacles that we face in life, by allowing us to know right from wrong, to be able to make informed decisions about the next right step for us.

I was raised in a family that stressed the importance of education from early on in my childhood – so I grew up with the notion that continuing to a getting a higher education was a must for my brother and I. Although this upbringing has allowed me to be the person I am today, it also meant that my family, especially my father, had very high expectations of me. I do believe that his high expectations are what instilled a sense of mastery and achievement in me in high school, and not to toot my own horn, but I did very well in high school—I was an A student, involved in extra curricular activity, president of student council and so on. This expectation of me to go above and beyond did not only come from my family, but also from my teachers. A lot of my teachers expressed quite regularly to me about their approval of my work and how they expect me to do well on future assignments. They did pay particularly more attention to my and a couple other student’s progress in the courses. I was known as the ‘teacher’s pet’ all throughout high school, and was not particularly liked by my classmates. In retrospect, I did not know how this ‘special’ treatment could have had an effect on my academic achievement and the effects it could also have on the other students’ learning experience.

This week’s reading highlighted an experiment conducted by Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) that highly resonates with my high school experience. The impetus behind Rosenthal and Jacobson’s Pygmalion in the Classroom experiment was their observation that teacher’s had higher expectations for the achievement of good students, and wanted to explore whether this expectation could have an effect on the students’ academic performance (Schneider et. al., 2012). Rosenthal and Jacobson told teachers at the beginning of the school year that some of their students showed above-average potential, which they labeled as ‘bloomers’. In reality, the ‘bloomers’ were a group of students that were randomly selected at so did not show more potential than the other students in the class. The results at the end of the school year revealed that the students who the teachers thought were ‘bloomers’ showed significant increases in their IQ scores in comparison to the other students (Schneider et. al., 2012). Rosenthal and Jacobson suggested that the reason that these group of students thrived is because their teachers began to treat them differently when they believed that they were ‘bloomers’ – the teachers gave more attention, support and encouragement to these students, gave them more challenging material, provided them with more feedback (positive and negative) and allowed them to have more opportunity to participate in class. This ‘special’ treatment allowed this group of students, who were on average no different than the other students, to go above and beyond. The teachers did not change their treatment of the bloomers on purpose though, but fell prey to the self-fulfilling prophecy – which states that having expectations about another person will influence how you perceive and behave towards the person (Schneider et. al., 2012).

This experiment allowed me to think about my own academic experience in a new light, and made me realize that both my parents’ and teachers’ expectations and treatment of my academic life contributed to my success in that area. What could have happened is that I responded to my teachers’ high expectations of me by becoming more interested in succeeding and working harder, which could have in turn been cause for my teachers to invest even more time and energy in my schoolwork.

Knowing that the expectations of parents and teachers could have a pivotal impact on a child’s learning experience, both parents and teachers have to be aware that the same amount, or probably even more, attention needs to be geared towards students who seem to be lacking motivation and need an extra push to be able to reach their potential. Of course the teachers don’t intentionally provide special treatment to students who they perceive as ‘bloomers’, but by making this notion more salient, it could potentially allow them to be aware of their behavior, and make adjustments in order to provide every student in the class with the same opportunity to succeed and thrive.

Thank you for reading,

Hilda

References:

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

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27
Feb 17

Homogeneity Breeds Prejudice

Growing up, I was constantly being introduced to different cultures, ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds. I remember being fascinated at the vast amount of cultural traditions and nuances, and I craved to meet new people, people with different stories. In Damascus, Syria, attending an International High School quenched my thirst for meeting different people, as the student making up the school were mostly children of diplomats who were stationed in Damascus. I had friends from all four corners of the world – from Buenos Aires, to Ghana, to Amsterdam. For me it felt natural being in a diverse environment, and I wouldn’t know any other way of interacting.

That was until I move to Yerevan, Armenia around four years ago. During the first few months, it was both comforting yet strange to be in a country where everyone is of the same ethnicity, of the same nationality, and of the same religion – everyone is Armenian, following the Apostolic church. It first felt comforting because I felt like I was ‘home’, being in my own country with ‘my’ people. But it was also strange at the same time because I was not used to the homogeneity. It was when I enrolled at the American University of Armenia that I began to notice the prejudice that existed here.

There was only one international student in the freshman class, and he was from India. I will not disclose any names for the protection of this individual’s privacy. I first was oblivious to it, since I had never witnessed first hand people exhibited prejudice towards another person. Slowly but surely, I noticed the whispers when this student walked into a class; I noticed how everyone else created a bubble around if as if he were contagious. This student was picked on, laughed at, and publicly humiliated on many occasions. I was ashamed and appalled at my peers’ behavior, and the first thing I did was blame it on their characters – believing that they were a bunch of disrespectful bullies, who are also immature for exhibiting this type of behavior – ultimately falling prey to the fundamental attribution error. The fundamental attribution error underlies that we find it easier to explain other people’s behavior in terms of personal dispositions, rather than thinking about situational factors that could have played in a role in their actions (Schneider et al., 2012). The more people I saw exhibiting prejudiced behavior towards another, the more people I ended up attributing being disrespectful and horrible to.

It was not until much later that year on a day that I was reminiscing my high school days when I had an epiphany. I was introduced to diverse environment growing, but Armenians who were born and raised in Armenia here never had. There is little to no diversity in Armenia, so how could these people ever be accustomed to a diverse environment when they have never been in one? Their entire lives has been underlined by the similar-to-me effect – since everyone around them is similar to them, they have been accustomed to perceiving others who are like themselves more favorably than others (Schneider et al., 2012).

This is fortunately taking a turn for the better in Armenia. Tourism has seen a boost in recent years, which means locals are being introduced more and more to individuals of different ethnicities and backgrounds. A lot of citizens of neighboring countries have also come to Armenia to start business, and there has been a huge influx of Syrian Armenians (due to the civil unrest in Syria). I am noticing how the dynamic has changed between local Armenians and an individual who is not from here – and it is definitely a great aspect to witness. Gordon Allport introduced the contact hypothesis, which “assumes that positive contact with members of an out-group could decrease negative stereotyping of the out-group by the in-group and lead to improved intergroup relations” (pg. 343, Schneider et al., 2012. I definitely see a link between this hypothesis and what I have experienced throughout my four years here by observing in-groups (Armenians) contact with out-groups. The more that Armenians had contact with anybody who is different than they are, the more they are not only developing acceptance, but also realizing the great outcomes of meeting diverse individuals.

Thank you for reading,

Hilda Yacoubian

 

References

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

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09
Feb 17

So, What’s Your Opinion?

The chapter started off with giving us a snippet of Deena’s struggle with social anxiety and depression for us to keep in mind while reading the rest of the chapter. I, however, ended up reading the chapter relating the concepts to my own anxiety instead.

One of the main reasons that I changed my major from Journalism to Psychology is because of the fact that I have battled with anxiety and many different phobias for as long as I remember. Majoring in psychology has actually played a pivotal role in my ‘recovery process’, even though many family members and even therapists urged me not to switch majors, thinking that being more submerged in the context of psychology will be detrimental. I proved them all wrong.

A lot of social psychological theories have helped me understand the roots of my anxiety and the mechanism behind the physical symptoms that accompany a panic attack, and it has been life changing. One question that used to keep me up at night was: “Why do I care so much about what other people think about me all of sudden? Why does it matter so much?” Before my anxiety worsened, I didn’t give a s*** about what other people thought of me, and I used to behave exactly the way that I wanted to. But as my anxiety symptoms increased, so did my concern about what other people thought about me. As I talk to more people who also have different types of anxiety, I noticed that they exhibited the same trend– they also started worry compulsively about other people’s impressions. At around this same time this happened, I also noticed my avoidant behavior when it came to social events, especially with a lot of new people, because of my fear that I would completely embarrass myself – either faint, throw up on someone, or run away – and that everybody would remember it until eternity. Of course for those of you who have never experienced anxiety, these circumstances don’t sound horrifying or don’t qualify as ‘worst-case scenarios – but it can be extremely debilitating.

There is an existing theory about what I’m experiencing, and it is illustrated in chapter 5 of our textbook, called self-presentation theory (SPT), developed by Leary and Kowalksi (Schneider et al., 2012). SPT underlies the origins, maintenance, and treatment of social anxiety; and according to SPT, it becomes more probable for people to experience anxiety or a fight-or-flight response in social situations when two conditions are present: high self-presentational motivation and low self-efficacy (Schneider et al., 2012). What self-presentational motivation refers to is how much people worry about what others think about them, and when people have high self-presentational motivation, it means that they are very concerned about their image in the eyes of other (Schneider et al., 2012). As for self-efficacy, it refers to the level of confidence that a person has about exhibiting a particular image of themselves to other people. As you probably guessed, having low self-efficacy means that people don’t feel confident that they are portraying the image that they would like others to have of them, whether that is being interesting, loyal, responsible, or sexy (Schneider et al., 2012). As if feeling these two conditions wasn’t enough, they work together to create a main symptom of social anxiety, which is anticipatory embarrassment. Anticipatory embarrassment is what led me to avoid social situations, because I was convinced that if I did go, I would completely humiliate myself in one way or another, and that it would not only haunt me forever, but would also result in “irrevocable social rejection” (Pg. 91, Schneider et al., 2012).

Now you are probably thinking that my social life looks pretty bleak – but I think you’d be happy to know (or maybe not) that I’m fighting my anxiety head on, and pushing through the debilitating and suffocating burden that is panic attacks. Majoring in psychology has truly been an amazing experience for me, and I cannot wait to be there for other individuals who are fighting the same battle, and extend my hand to pull them out of the rabbit hole.

I would also like to say that if anybody has any questions about anxiety in general, or would like to hear some tips about how to help a loved one or for yourself, I will be more than happy to help in any way that I can, with not only the knowledge that I obtained from my psychology courses, but also from the many personal experiences I’ve had with anxiety.

Hope everybody has a great weekend!

Hilda

References:

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

https://www.google.am/search?q=helping+someone+from+a+hole&rlz=1C5CHFA_en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjN-9qhxYPSAhUGXBoKHafjDO0Q_AUICCgB&biw=1168&bih=597#imgrc=Wf58qmGMvUf4nM:

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12
Oct 16

Racism in the Justice System

Although the founding fathers of our nation did their best to ensure fair and due process of law when they established our justice system, there is a sickness that’s eating away at what we know as the due process of law. Racial bias is alive and well in our justice system, and it has been found to influence jury decisions and subsequent sentencing. Right now, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments on two cases involving explicit racial bias that has affected juror deliberations and ultimately the sentences recommended by these juries.

Almost ten years ago, the Supreme Court asserted that it is unconstitutional to base decisions on the assigning of students to particular schools on race, regardless of the goal being the integration those schools. The opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts for the majority dismantled two school districts’ plans for desegregation and created obstacles inhibiting the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education. He justified the Court’s ruling by stating that “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”

There are two cases before the Supreme Court right now that shine a light on the type of indisputable, unequivocal racial discrimination that fly in the face of the Chief Justice’s colorblind statement. The Court’s handling of matters of racism will decide the fate of two men and will also bring into focus the Court’s recurrent disposition to overlook the implicit racism that undermines our criminal justice system.

Pena Rodriguez v. Colorado and Buck v. Davis are two very distinct cases. Miguel Angel Pena Rodriguez was convicted of allegedly attempting to grope two teenage girls. Dwayne Buck was convicted of murder. Mr. Pena Rodriguez received a sentence of two years’ probation and was required to register as a sex offender. Mr. Buck was sentenced to receive the death penalty. The similarity between these two cases arises in juries that were both contaminated with explicit overtures involving racist stereotypes, which in turn jeopardized the process of deliberation.

In Mr. Buck’s case, his own attorney called an expert witness during the penalty phase of the trial, Dr. Walter Quijano, who testified that Mr. Buck was more likely to commit future crimes because he is Black. In Texas, where Mr. Buck was tried, future hypothetical danger posed, or “dangerousness”, is a factor that the jury must unanimously determine as existing in order to introduce the death penalty. The expert’s testimony was then utilized by the prosecutor during his closing arguments to convince the jury that Mr. Buck was too dangerous to not receive the death penalty. The jury subsequently issued a death sentence.

In Pena Rodriguez, the jury was in the middle of intense deliberations, when (according to two jurors’ affidavits) a juror who established himself as a former law enforcement officer, made a number of racist statements. Included in these statements were remarks that the defendant probably committed the crime because in his (the juror’s) experience, when he “used to patrol, nine times out of ten Mexican men were guilty of being aggressive toward women and young girls.” The juror also cast aside an alibi provided by a witness, who was also Latin, because the juror asserted that the witness was an illegal immigrant, even though the witness was in fact a legal immigrant. The jury was not able to come to a verdict on a felony charge, but instead found the defendant guilty of three misdemeanors.

Though in both cases the claims of racial bias are largely admitted to, the lower courts denied requests for relief due to obstacles in procedure. In the Pena-Rodriguez case, the Colorado Supreme court denied the racial bias claim based on the statute stated in the so-called Mansfield rule. The Mansfield rule states that jury deliberations are inviolable and does not allow testimony from jurors about those transactions, even in proceedings where jurors may have behaved improperly. It is now within the power of the Supreme Court to repair this error and elucidate that unequivocal, racist stereotyping during jury deliberations is so immoderate as to exceed any benefits awarded by the Mansfield rule.

In comparison, the lower courts have maintained that Mr. Buck waived his right to appeal the issue of the performance of his attorney in calling the expert witness and has defaulted in procedure on any claims in connection with the ineffective assistance of counsel. In this as well, Supreme Court precedent permits exception to such defaults in procedure, but lower courts maintained that Mr. Buck’s assertions weren’t “extraordinary” enough to warrant such an exception. The Supreme Court now has an chance to right the lower court’s improper decision that being subject to the death penalty because of racist stereotypes is not an exceptional circumstance.

These are just two instances of implicit racial bias in our justice system that are being heard by the highest court in our nation. The fact that racism is allowed in juror deliberations seems to undermine the entire process. Many jurors are sequestered from the outside influences of TV and print media as well as public opinion. Would it not also be prudent to ensure that juror’s explicit biases are not skewing their better judgment?

Buck v. Davis – Ballotpedia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2016, from https://ballotpedia.org/Buck_v._Davis

Parents Involved in Cmty. Sch. v. Seattle Sch. Dist. No. 1, 551 U.S. 701 (U.S. 2007).

Peña-Rodriguez v. State of Colorado. (2016, July 1). Retrieved October 11, 2016, from https://www.aclu.org/cases/pena-rodriguez-v-state-colorado.

Totenberg, N. (2016, October 11). Supreme Court Hears Case On Racial Bias In Jury Deliberations. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/2016/10/11/497196091/top-court-hears-case-on-racial-bias-in-jury-deliberations.

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09
Oct 16

Good hair-vs-bad hair

benny-1Chris Rock did a movie a few years ago and he asked the question, “What is good hair”. So really what is good hair? Is it hair that is in its natural form? Meaning there are no chemicals added to your hair to change or enhance the texture. Is it long straight hair or is it hair that can defy gravity? As black women myself my hair is part of my identity, it is part of my crown and glory. One day I can wear it in an afro, the next day I can braid it up, the following day I can wear it in a weave. All of the different things my hair allows me to do is why my hair is so important. There is a guy on social media, he and his daughter have changed what people use to believe about black hair;  their natural hair is so long that people cannot believe that it is real.  The debt about hair is something that black women in particular have been dealing with for centuries; but what is it about black hair that cause so much drama?

 

American first developed an obsession with black hair back during slavery. During slavery, slave’s hair was often removed; this would create a disconnection between the slave, their cultural and their identity. During slavery, black women did not have time to do their hair like she would have, back in Africa. Moreover the products she would have used in Africa are not available in America; as a result slave women would have to use things like butter and bacon grease to style their hair. The idea of good hair was also something that grow from slavery. Black women were made to feel and believe that their natural kinky hair was bad hair; while straight flowing hair similar to white women was considered good hair.  It wasn’t until the 1900 when Madam CJ Walker developed revolutionized black hair care making her one of the first black women millionaire. In fact black hair care is a billion dollar industry that makes money off of black women wanting to change the texture of our natural hair. However black people all over the world are starting to understand how powerful their hair really is.  Black hair can be worn in cornrows, black hair can defy gravity because of our afros, black hair can be worn in dreadlock, and black hair can be worn straight; Black hair can be done in weaves, black hair can be worn in high top and low tops; regardless of how black people wear their hair, if it does not reflect what white people consider to be beautiful, it will never be so. So why does white American hate black hair?

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The effect of the idea of good hair was so embedded in American cultural that even after slavery ended, this idea flourish. Good hair became the prerequisite for entering certain schools, churches, social groups and business networks (www.thirstyroots.com), unfortunately this had not changes.  In 2016, the 11th U.S. Circuit court of Appeals ruled that banning employees from wearing dreadlocks is not racial discrimination. The EEOC argued, that banning dreadlocks in the workplace does constitutes race discrimination because wearing the hair in the dreadlock form is physiologically and culturally associated with people of African descent (http://financialjuneteenth.com/banning-dreadlocks-workplace-not-discrimination/). My father is a Rastafarian, his dreadlocks are not only part of his religion, they are also how he identify with his cultural; dreadlock themselves are a symbol of power and strength.  Moreover I was taught that our hair is our crown and glory, and we should never cut it. However this ruling make it clear that if you want to work for a certain company part of your racial identity should be changed. The same issue is happening in schools all over the world. In South African, the Pretoria High School for Girls, were told to chemically straighten their hair or they will not be able to attend class. Pretoria is a prestigious school that was historically only for whites. The students asks powerful question that I would like to have answered myself. Why are black people not allowed to enjoy their black heritage?

 

 

 

 

 

https://abagond.wordpress.com/2010/02/11/black-womens-hair-a-brief-history-1400-1900/

http://everydayfeminism.com/2014/08/how-natural-hair-is-shamed/

http://financialjuneteenth.com/banning-dreadlocks-workplace-not-discrimination/

http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-08-30/school-south-africa-tells-black-girls-chemically-straighten-their-hair

 

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06
Nov 15

Part of A Community

Earlier this week, I took my mother grocery shopping, and there was this lady that couldn’t start her car. She asked a man if he had jumper cables and he said no. I knew I had some in my car, so I approached her and asked if she needed a jump. I pulled my car around and helped her. After, letting her car run for a little, I told her she should really get her battery checked out, just to make sure that everything else is okay with her car. She thanked me and asked if she owed me anything. “No, not at all,” I said. On my drive home, I kept thinking about what she said to me. Here was this woman who thought that she may owe me something just because I helped her out. Was she used to people always wanting something from her? I thought about the community we were in. Yeah, we didn’t live in the same area, but she is a part of my mother’s community by geographical association. (Both women live in a small town called Conyers.) By helping her, I felt like I was helping someone from my global community-a human being. We should be able to rely on one another for help without there being a “one-hand-washes-the-other” situation.

This situation made me re-examine the global community that I believe in. According to our textbook, a positive sense of community is established by people if members feel that: a) they have membership, that they are valued and a part of the bigger picture; b) they are influenced by their community and/or have influence on their community, which fosters responsibility; c) their needs are met by the other members; and d) they share an emotional connection, which helps us to build lasting relationships and to discover our own thoughts and feelings. These 4 aspects combined is what makes us feel like we have a positive experience. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. There are too many young people who don’t feel like they are a part of our global community and feel that taking their lives is the only way to become part of a community. Is there a way we can make everyone feel and believe that they are wanted?

 

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01
Nov 15

In the classroom

Having worked in a charter school system, I had an opportunity to see why some students perform better then others. I am not saying that this is true in all schools or that it is true for all students, but what I am saying is that my experience has led me to believe that many students who underperform do so because of self-handicapping. Students are constantly evaluated by standardized tests; this format of testing has been hounding them as early as first grade with pre- and post-tests and ITBS testing. These students are used to sitting at their desk and taking a multiple choice test to determine how much information they’ve retained from the lessons, how smart they are and what they may or may not already know. These tests are also an easy way for teachers to be evaluated; if their data shows that more then half of their students are retaining the information, then maybe they are doing something right.

But what about the students who don’t think like that, the students who don’t do well in school because they can’t sit still long enough for a test, or students who don’t understand the content in the same way as the other students do? They are evaluated on the same standards. So if Michael, a 6th grade student in a classroom of 27 other students, has not been doing well on classroom tests and has a record of not performing well on tests since 1st grade, is asked to take a test, he is less likely to study hard and ask for help in class. He may fly under the radar because the teacher has so many other students to worry about. Instead of studying for history or for his post-test or his CRCT (now GA Milestone), he plays video games and goes skateboarding. When the results come back and he doesn’t do well at all, he blames it on not knowing the content, not having studied because he “knows” he will not do well. (This is the concept of self-handicapping.)

So, is there a way we can target kids like Michael, who may need some extra help in order to get them on grade level? Finding an answer to that is difficult. There are systems in place, such as remedial education, EIP and IEP that will help students in their education, but here in Georgia, it is hard to qualify for these programs. After 6 months of teacher observation and a battery of tests, a student can be denied this extra help.

What if there was more funding to reduce class sizes and hire more teachers, so that all students in a classroom could get more one-on-one time with the teacher? I am not suggesting hand holding, but I am suggesting more individualized educational experiences for students so that everyone can have an equal opportunity at success. Where would this money come from? Great question… maybe private prisons, or a greater portion of our taxes… I don’t have the perfect answer to this.

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24
Oct 15

The Agenda of the Media

Many of us look to the media for the latest political or social news. I know that I love listening to NPR on my way to work, or to have CNN running in the background when I am at home trying to multitask! But how much of the information is based on objective content? Part of why we sometimes tune in is because we want to know what Wolf Blitzer thinks about a given situation, we want to know if we should agree or disagree with the rulings of major court cases. So, the media tells us, the media uses key works  and images that give us a scandal spin on the story. When Justin Biber was arrested for drunk driving, they showed his mug shot. First of all, that was not news worthy, but they could have shown us a picture of him from his last concert or from him in a suit, but they chose to add drama and shape the way we feel about him.

If we look at the Bengazi hearings, we see another example of agenda setting, this time it is the government that wants to shine light on something. The conservatives are dragging Secretary Clinton into the lime light with more then 7 hearings on the same issue and there has not been a result. It started out being an investigation into what happened, then turned into finding out if Clinton was negligent, and now it seems that they are just looking to pin something on her. Perhaps, the conservative party wants to tarnish her image with the American people for the 2016 election.

Planed Parenthood, school shooters, and many other incidences have been brought to the media and the people that we rely on for unbiased reporting of the facts, give us what they want us to see.

The government has a saying when they don’t want the public to know something happened but they still need to report it in press meetings, and that is “Send it out with the Trash.” The Whitehouse delivers any bad news on Fridays at the end of the business day, that is considered the trash, because the press corps is ready to go home and listeners are getting ready for the weekend. What goes out on Fridays is typically an update on something that took place during the week, it is never something that the Whitehouse really wants the American people to hear, because it’s not too important. This is another way to shape the public opinion; by sending this information out on a day that people aren’t paying attention, we are again, taking advantage of an opportunity. So when there is something embarrassing that needs to go out, they can say that they sent it out.

My final thought is about satire or reporting. One of my favorite shows is the Trever Noah show. He is funny and he does bring up some very good points about politics and social behavior. But again, it is tailored to be funny and to be satire and not real reporting. He doesn’t go out and conduct interviews, he uses clips from other news sites and we never really see the whole story. What happened to real reporting, where we just get the facts and nothing else? Would we tune in to that? Have we ever been in a place where reporting was unbiased?

 

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