Human Behavior and Social Influence: A Psychological Analysis (PSY101)

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This psychology project explores human behavior and social influence.

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................2
LO1..............................................................................................................................................................3
LO2..............................................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION...............................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................9
1

INTRODUCTION
The project aims to provide a detailed understanding of various perspectives in psychology which helps
in the evaluation of human behavior. It also discusses various effects of social influences on behavior.
The project aims to discuss about group influence, conformity, obedience and prejudice. These topics
are discussed in depth by providing suitable examples to understand human behavior. Human behavior
is explained and analyzed in different situations by applying various theories and phenomenon.
2

3

LO1
There are a number of perspective in psychology which attempts to analyze and explain behavior. These
perspectives are fairly distinctive from one another. While some perspectives are famous and widely
accepted, some are not accepted due to number of reasons. Given below are some of the major
perspectives in psychology which have helped the psychologists to understand human behavior.
Biological perspective
Biological perspective is an influential perspective in psychology. It had gathered a lot of support in
earlier times and psychologists are still trying to understand the link between the brain and mind.
Biological perspective in psychology deals with the links between the human brain and behavior. A
biological psychologist would be interested in the mechanisms that go on inside the brain of an
individual when that individual performs a certain task or exhibits a certain behavior. One of the early
supporters of biological perspective is Charles Darwin. Charles Darwin held the view that behavioral
traits could be passed from one generation to the other. He believed behavioral traits to be hereditary.
And thus it indicates that he presumed a connection between genetics and behavior. Biological
perspective in psychology deals with the brain, genetics and basically the entire human body. Bio
physiological research includes sleep, emotions, learning, memory, sexual behavior, aggression and
disorders. Biological perspective provides an explanation that human behavior is a result of the changes
that take place in the nervous system. For example, a biological psychologist would be interested in the
mechanisms that go on in the brain when a person is stressed out. He/she would find out the cause or
motivation of the behavior in the physiological processes of the brain. (Eysenck, 2004)
Psychodynamic Perspective
Psychodynamic perspective in psychology has stemmed from the theory of psychoanalysis, based on
Sigmund Freud’s ideas. Sigmund Freud believed that human behavior was primarily motivated by the
unconscious mind. He was of the view that the unconscious mind drives our conscious behavior. Even
though an individual might not be able to consciously remember all the emotions, incidents and
experiences, the unconscious mind stores many such events (Brunning, 2006). Therefore, all human
behavior is driven by the thought processes and experiences of the unconscious mind. Freud’s theory
4

was basically based on his patients, which approached him for theory and thus he got intrigued with the
reasons regarding the cause of mental disorders. Freud was also concerned about how childhood
experiences influences behavior in adults. He was of the view that the experiences an individual deal
with in their childhood gets stored in the unconscious mind and is reflected in the form of problems
during the adulthood of the individual. Psychodynamic perspective in psychology is mainly driven and
composed of psychoanalysis theory of Sigmund Freud. According to this perspective, the personality of a
person is largely governed by the unconscious mind. Freud also believed that the unconscious and
conscious mind were in conflict with one another and thus an individual experiences anxiety and other
mental issues. (King, 2008)
Behaviorist perspective
Behaviorist perspective in psychology is driven by behaviorism theory of B.F Skinner. Skinner believed
that the behavior of an individual was governed by classical conditioning and operant conditioning.
Skinner was influenced by John B. Watson who in turn was influenced by the Russian psychologist, Ivan
Pavlov who conducted experiments on classical conditioning. Classical conditioning was broadly
concerned with the stimulus and response system of the body. Classical conditioning is the conditioning
of behavior by an artificial or conditioned stimulus. He performed many experiments to prove the
phenomenon of classical conditioning (Ertmer and Newby, 2013). Phobias too, can be conditioned by
classical conditioning. B.F Skinner gave another theory, called operant conditioning which stated that
the behavior of an individual was dependent on the consequences of their behavior. He believed that
behavior could be controlled by positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment. He
conducted many studies which led him to conclude in this theory. One example for operant conditioning
can be that if a child is given a chocolate every time he cries, he would then cry to receive the
chocolates. Here, the behavior of the child is increased because the consequence is pleasurable.
Behaviorist perspective in psychology basically deals with the basic idea that all human behavior is
connected or linked to the environment. This perspective is criticized by the psychologists because it
does not pay heed to the complexity of human behavior. (Lee, V.L., 2016)
Humanistic perspective
Humanistic perspective in psychology views the individual as a whole who is driven by the sense of self
and inner feelings. Humanistic perspective deals with the idea that a human being strives to attain full
potential. The humanistic perspective views the individual has a self-actualized person with free will. The
5

behavior of a person is thus based on the innate feelings of the individual and is subjected to change as
per the free will of the individual. The behavior of an individual is driven by the desire to attain the
highest potential. Humanistic perspective is based on the ideas of Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow.
Humanistic perspective is used in psychotherapy for self enhancement and understanding, in modern
psychology. (Schneider, Pierson and Bugental, 2014)
Cognitive perspective
Cognitive perspective in psychology deals is a modern approach to understanding human behavior. It is
a scientific approach for analyzing human behavior and thus addresses cognitive functions as the
underlying cause for all behaviors. It deals with the internal processes in the mind that affects or causes
behavioral change in an individual (Collins and Smith, 2013). The idea of the link between human mind
and behavior was given by Wilhelm Wundt. Cognitive perspective deals with the internal processes of
the human mind when a person exhibits certain behavior. Cognitive perspective takes into account the
cognitive processes of memory, learning, intelligence, language and problem solving skills as the
motivation to behavior. The research on cognitive psychology involves viewing images of the brain using
fMRI, MRI, PET scan etc., when a person indulges in a particular behavior. This gives an insight of the
parts of the brain that are active when an individual performs a certain behavior. Cognitive perspective
forms the basis of cognitive therapy. (Eysenck, 2013)
6

LO2
Group influence
 Social loafing: social loafing is a phenomenon in which an individual exerts less effort while
performing a task in a group. The individual may perform better by giving in more efforts if he is
performing the said task individually. Social loafing can affect the individual itself and the group
as well. There is less motivation towards the goal if some individuals in the group aren’t as
invested in the work as the others. It also has negative consequences on the group and the
individual. (Liden et al, 2004)
 Deindividuation: deindividuation refers to the phenomenon in which there is a diffusion in
responsibility and identity of an individual when he/she is part of the group. When a person
becomes a part of a group, they can lose their sense of identity and adopt the identity of the
group itself. There is a diffusion of personal responsibility when this happens. A person is less
concerned about the moral implications of their own behavior and the responsibility of any
action is imposed on the entire group. This can affect the personality of an individual as their
actions would be influenced by the ideas of their group. (Lee, 2006)
 Bystander behavior: bystander effect is an effect in which a person experiences diffusion of
responsibility to help a person in need in a large crowd. Every individual thinks that it is the
responsibility of the other person to help the victim. Bystander apathy is a symptom of
bystander effect and it is very common. Bystander intervention is the phenomenon in which a
person analyses the situation and exhibits positive behavior to help those in need. Bystander
intervention requires an individual to intervene when the situation requires an individual to step
up. Bystander intervention can also be explained by empathy-altruism hypothesis which states
that when a person feels empathetic to someone, it increases the altruistic behavior towards
that person. So if an individual comes across a situation to which they can relate, the
phenomenon of bystander intervention occurs. (Thornberg, R. and Jungert, T., 2013)
7

 Pluralistic ignorance: pluralistic ignorance is a state in which a person feels that they exhibit
different behavior from the other members of the group, even though their behavior is similar
to other members in the group. (Shelton et al, 2005)
Influence by groups and the phenomenon stated above can affect team work and group assignments in
work.
Conformity
 Majority influence and peer pressure: majority influence occurs when an individual holds certain
views or acts in a particular to be accepted by a particular of people. This urge to fit in is driven
by the desire to be accepted into a group. It can have negative as well as positive consequences
for the individual as there is a diffusion in the actual personality of the individual. Peer pressure
can also be considered as a majority influence as the activities or views of majority of people in
the group can influence the behavior of an individual. Peer pressure too, can have negative and
positive consequences and this phenomenon is more commonly observed in youngsters.
(Imhoff, R. and Erb, H.P., 2009)
 Compliance and Acceptance: compliance occurs when an individual aligns their behavior and
thought processes with a particular group while secretly or individualistically disagreeing with
the behavior and views of the group. Acceptance is when an individual behaves or holds views
which is in agreement with the views and behavior of the group. The basic difference between
compliance and acceptance is that in compliance, an individual is disagreeing with the group
privately and in acceptance, an individual agrees with the group completely. (Demyttenaere, K.,
2001)
 Information social influence and normative social influence: information social influence is when
an individual alters their views to conform to the views of a group to attain a correct conclusion.
Normative social influence is when an individual alters their views to match the views of a group
to be accepted by the group. (Nolan et al, 2008)
 effect of perceived expertise and Effect of perception of emergency situation: the effect of
perceived expertise does not alter due to change in settings and depends the strength of advice.
The effect of perception of emergency situation increases the perception of risk in an individual,
(Sjöberg, L., 2000)
There can be various effects of conformity on a number of professions which are sensitive to social
influences.
8

Obedience
 Groups we obey: An individual tends to obey their seniors, family, professionals older people
and people who share common interests. We tend to obey our family and older people due to
the sense of culture views which demands respect for family and elders. An individual tends to
obey professionals or seniors due to work ethics and the sense of the people having more
experience than oneself. A person may obey another person who shares common interests as
an individual view it as conformity of views. (Moghaddam, 2013)
 Factors affecting obedience: there are a number of factor that can influence obedience. One
factor is observance. Another factor is buffer which was seen in Milgram’s experiment when the
rate of obedience was around 65% when the learners and teachers were in different rooms.
Another factor that influences obedience is authority. An individual is likely to be obedient to a
person who seems to be authoritative. Milgram’s experiment also highlighted the effect of
personal responsibility on obedience. If a person acquires less responsibility in a given situation,
he/she would most likely be more obedient and if a person acquires more responsibility in a
situation, the obedience level would drop. The link between prestige that is perceived and the
level of obedience is that the higher level of obedience indicates to higher level of perceived
prestige. (Slater et al, 2006)
The concept of obedience can be implied to prisons and following rules and the framework of
instructions and rules in workplace.
Prejudice and discrimination
 Prejudice and its forms: prejudice is defined as the irrational belief that a particular group in the
society is inferior to another. Prejudice is the basis for discrimination. There are various types of
prejudices; gender prejudice, ethnic minority prejudice, class prejudice, age prejudice, sexual
orientation prejudice and disability prejudice. There are many situations where a certain group
of people are subjected to prejudice. For example, refugees from a country can be prejudiced by
the people of the country. (Brown, R., 2011)
 Reasons for prejudice and discrimination: there are many causes for prejudice and
discrimination (Stephan et al, 2013):
9

1. Ethnocentrism: ethnocentrism is evaluating other’s culture with our own and
prejudicing our own culture.
2. Socialization: socialization refers to passing of ideas or stereotypes from one person to
another. This dispersion of stereotypical views can be done via close friends or relatives
or even social or entertainment platforms.
3. Conforming behaviors: the tendency to conform to the views and prejudices of a group
of people can also be a cause for discrimination of a particular group in society.
4. Conflict theory: the theory explains that the socially privileged group tend to have the
desire to be socially dominant and authoritative and thus treat or conform to extreme
measures to regard the minorities as submissive.
 Individual control of own behavior: an individual must not submit to the stereotypes created by
the society and must delve into rational thinking. Coexistence is necessary between the
minorities and majorities and a person should not discriminate a particular group of people
based on their caste, color, culture, age or sex. A person must be consciously aware of the
necessity of balance in the society and must not encourage stereotyping or discrimination of any
kind. (Porter et al, 2003)
 Impact of prejudice and discrimination on victim or organization (Tropp, L.R., 2003):
1. Poor performance: when an individual is made aware of the stereotypes, they tend to
be conscious about it which may affect their performance.
2. Mental health issues: prejudice and discrimination can have great impact on the mental
health of an individual as it can cause anxiety, depression etc.
3. Physical health issues: the stress and mental aspect of prejudice can have impact on the
physical health of an individual.
The concept of racism can creep into institutions and may lead to bias treatment by person who is
providing care services.
10

CONCLUSION
The assignment aids in understanding the human behavior. The perspectives of psychology which details
the relationship between the given perspectives and human behavior in many situations helps in
understanding the nature of complexity of human behavior. Human behavior is also assessed by the
effect of social influence. The assignment discusses the effect of groups on behavior and provides an
explanation for a particular behavior by theories like bystander effect or deindividuation. It also focusses
on the idea of conformity and relates human behavior to it. It also states the negative impact of
conformity on the individual. The project has also aided in understanding the concept obedience and
the factors that drive it. It also relates the concept of obedience by applying the Milgram’s experiment.
the text also focusses on prejudice and discriminated and tries to be analytical of the cause of
discrimination and the effect it has on the victim.
11

REFERENCES
 Brown, R., 2011. Prejudice: Its social psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
 Brunning, H. ed., 2006. Executive coaching: Systems-psychodynamic perspective. Karnac
Books.
 Collins, A. and Smith, E.E. eds., 2013. Readings in cognitive science: A perspective from
psychology and artificial intelligence. Elsevier.
 Demyttenaere, K., 2001. Compliance and acceptance in antidepressant treatment. International
Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 5(1), pp.29-35.
 Ertmer, P.A. and Newby, T.J., 2013. Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical
features from an instructional design perspective. Performance improvement quarterly, 26(2),
pp.43-71.
 Eysenck, M.W., 2004. Psychology: An international perspective. Taylor & Francis.
 Eysenck, M.W., 2013. Anxiety: The cognitive perspective. Psychology Press.
 Imhoff, R. and Erb, H.P., 2009. What motivates nonconformity? Uniqueness seeking blocks
majority influence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(3), pp.309-320.
 King, L.A., 2008. The science of psychology: An appreciative view. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher
Education.
 Lee, E.J., 2006. Deindividuation effects on group polarization in computer-mediated
communication: The role of group identification, public-self-awareness, and perceived argument
quality. Journal of communication, 57(2), pp.385-403.
 Lee, V.L., 2016. Beyond behaviorism. Routledge.
 Liden, R.C., Wayne, S.J., Jaworski, R.A. and Bennett, N., 2004. Social loafing: A field
investigation. Journal of management, 30(2), pp.285-304.
 Moghaddam, F.M., 2013. The psychology of dictatorship. American Psychological Association.
 Nolan, J.M., Schultz, P.W., Cialdini, R.B., Goldstein, N.J. and Griskevicius, V., 2008. Normative
social influence is underdetected. Personality and social psychology bulletin, 34(7), pp.913-923.
 Porter, L.W., Bigley, G.A. and Steers, R.M., 2003. Motivation and work behavior.
 Schneider, K.J., Pierson, J.F. and Bugental, J.F. eds., 2014. The handbook of humanistic
psychology: Theory, research, and practice. Sage Publications.
 Shelton, J.N. and Richeson, J.A., 2005. Intergroup contact and pluralistic ignorance. Journal of
personality and social psychology, 88(1), p.91.
 Sjöberg, L., 2000. Factors in risk perception. Risk analysis, 20(1), pp.1-12.
 Slater, M., Antley, A., Davison, A., Swapp, D., Guger, C., Barker, C., Pistrang, N. and Sanchez-
Vives, M.V., 2006. A virtual reprise of the Stanley Milgram obedience experiments. PloS
one, 1(1), p.e39.
12