Reflection on Self, Prejudice, and Attraction in Society (101557)

This essay presents a student's reflection on key concepts from a social psychology course titled "The Individual in Society." The reflection is structured around several key topics, including self and identity, prejudice and discrimination, and attraction and close relationships. The student explores how biological, psychological, and environmental factors influence individual behavior, drawing on personal experiences to illustrate these concepts. The section on self and identity delves into self-esteem, identity formation, and the impact of social influence. The discussion on prejudice and discrimination examines the nature of prejudice, its impact on social interactions, and the importance of intercultural communication. Finally, the essay explores interpersonal attraction and the factors that contribute to the formation of close relationships, including friendship and romantic relationships. The student also reflects on how the learning journal has contributed to their understanding of social psychology and scholarly writing, emphasizing the development of self-awareness and the ability to analyze emotional intelligence.

1. Reflection
Individual behaviour is depended on the perspective of the individual himself or
herself. I have learnt that there are six type of framework that will help me to
understand human behaviour (Passer, Smith and Norris 2016). According to the
biological model, the role of genetics and processing of brain has a major role in
influencing the behaviour of the individual. The main factors that shape the human
behaviour are the structured f brain, hormonal activity and the eugenics. Another
factor that affects the behaviour of the individual are psychological level of
analysisthat considers the cognitive ad the mental processing related to our general
understanding of the situation we are in. environmental factor also plays in important
role because the socio-cultural factors affects the human behaviour. I have learned how
this level of analysis can be applied to my own set of experience of studying and
learning. Since I am a student, I get the opportunity to learn about people across
cultural and historical background. After the long vacation I was in ambivalent
position because I could not figure out the reason I felt perplex and year I was very
excited about it. I could understand, that by physiological habits got in tuned with my
previous daily routine and when after a period of time I joined my classes. I could
detect the essence of the biological level of analysis. I was so being able to participate
in the class, thus I could recognise the cognitive level of analysis. I also overcame the
fear of interacting with a versatile group of students, thus I could figure out my socio-
cultural level of analysis.
2. Topic: Self and Identity
I have never been much vocal about my feelings rather have always underestimated
myself. Self-esteem or rather self-worth is an important part of success and I realised
that since I have such a low level of self-esteem I tend to feel bad and also fall in tragic

relationship. The reason I got interested to this topic is self-esteem at both the extreme
high and low ends can be harmful, thus, it is very important to strike a right balance
which is somewhere in the middle of broad spectrum (Brown and Capozza 2016).
Having a right measure self-esteem plays an important role for motivating the
individual. According to Abraham Maslow, self-esteem is one of the basic human
motivation, he also suggested people need both self-esteemfrom other people and inner
self-respect. He quotes, “The most stable, and therefore, the healthiest self-esteem is
based on deserved respect from others rather than on external fame or celebrity and
unwarranted adulation”. The main concepts that are related to this sub topic are
identity, which represents the unique elements of personality of one person. It is also
related to appreciation, because one is able to value, enjoy and express of gratitude and
feel the level of accomplishment and also maintain healthy relationship.Acceptance
and self-confidence is another related concept attached with self-esteem. Pride,
humility and selfishness also results due to varying level of self-esteem. This topic is
very much related to my nature of social world, because I a student, everything
depends on my level of performance and thus I cannot motivate myself sufficiently I
will not be able to perform well. Since I have the opportunity to mix with many
people, group influence will effect mein a précis way. Thus if I cannot create a space
of my own I will not be able to harness the unique element inside, thus there will be a
loss of identity. Being a student, I also have enough scope of opportunity to mix with
people, thus if I am able to understand the true purpose of self-esteem I will be able to
transcend the self and not focus of self excessively. This will allow me to become
independent andexercise my free will over my thoughts.
3. Topic: Prejudice and Discrimination

Prejudice refer to the preconceived opinion and sometimes people tend to discriminate
on the basis of the such preconceived idea or concept. I got interested to the subtopic
related to working for reduction of prejudices because prejudice thought process only
gives a partial understanding of the social reality. Prejudices can often lead to
inflexible ad irrational behaviour, these amounts to discrimination that is directed to
another group. Therefore I got interested in this topic because I think apart from
theorising or analysing prejudice, I should device ad strategic that should aim to do
away with such ideas or concepts. The main concepts that re related to the concept of
prejudice are self-concept, sexual discrimination or racial discrimination, identity of
the person, the process of socialization, the idea of using stereotype and the traditional
cultural and social norm. there are other important concepts that are related to it which
are positive discrimination, scapegoating, then there are different types of prejudices
which are religious prejudice or ageism and also on. This concept is related to my
social world because I am positioned as student who will face an intercultural
environment. With the onset of globalization, an increase of transition service and
communication service has actually aggravated the intercultural and cross-cultural
influence. Since I am student and coming form different cultural background I have
laws noticed that there is some kind of inter-cultural biasthat takes place during
communication. Due to the presence of such bias, the role of communicated cannot be
fully be affected as the people turn judgement and the judge flows from the
ethnocentric bias that is infused in the cultural and the social surrounding.Therefore it
is very important for me to have a proper interculturalcommunication without holding
any bias against each other.
4. Topic Attraction and close relationships

Interpersonal attraction plays an important role for influencing all human interactions
and relationships. Interpersonal attraction plays an important role for the development
of voluntary close relationships, for instance, friendships and romantic relationships
(Bethlehem 2015). The topic I have chosen for my sub-topics are related to friendships
and romantic relationships. This is because I was curious to know how does people
apparently strangers get along with each other and what is crux of the matter that is
helping them to get bonded (Hogg 2016). Therefore the sub-topic that I have chosen is
related the leading factor that allows attraction and friendship. Scholars have analysed
that there are four ways in which attraction is experienced and these form of attraction
change with time. There are four types of attraction which are friendship attraction,
romantic attraction, subjective physical or sexual attraction and objective physical and
sexual attraction. In friendship attraction, there is no involvement of romantic or
sexual intentions. One gets attracted to the person because one gets attracted to the
personality of the person and also starts enjoying the presence of the person. This type
of attraction is mostly related with heterosexual people and how they feel towards their
same-sex friends. Then there is romantic attraction and it can be easily confused with
physical one sexual attraction, however there might be an understanding that is
different in nature. This is because one may be attracted in term of physicality but have
desire to be romantically involved with the relationship with them (Whitley and Kite
2016). Romantic desire that erupts basically due to friendship attraction and there arise
a tendencies to alter the present status of relationship with couple relationship.
Subjective physical or sexual attraction refers to the attraction that is primarily based
on the intimacy part of the relationship (Fiske 2016). The last but not the least form is
labelled as objective physical or sexual attraction. This refers to the thinking that a
person is physically attractive in general terms. This is the dominate form of attraction

that, most people experience. This subtopic is relevant to my social world because it
allows me to know and understand the motive of the people bonding together. The
motive mostly influenced by the selfish gains and selfish interest, however this is only
partly true because the if it was only for personal gains then how should I explain
cooperation. These understanding helped me to make meaning about my personal
experience and it helped to understand self and social management skills. The
understandings that I have gathered has helped me to decipher the factors that will lead
to friendship and attraction.
5. How has this learning journal contributed to my understanding of social psychology
and scholarly writing?
The learning journal one has helped to locate my position in relation to emotions that
not only emerge out of my understanding of self. The assessment helped me to analyse
the thought process so that I can evidently self reflect upon my emotional intelligence.
The thoughts that are bothering me or how the ideas are pattern around, developing
themselves into stereotypical notions or preconvinced notions that manipulate the
intercultural communication (Herek 2016). Thus the communication between two
individual remains incomplete and as a result a bias picture is painted, I realise the
how this kind of mechanism take in play. I understood how prejudice is related to the
undercurrents of discriminatory practices and I also understood that factors that causes
attraction and close relationships. Friendship though considered as the cornerstone lays
the foundation of all kinds of relationships. The underlying factors of friendship are
reciprocal candor, mutual interest, personableness, similarity and physical attraction.
People with same open agreeable vigour with conscientious personality are commonly

reported as being in a relationship. These kind of understanding helped me to become
self-aware and self-reliant because if I get ware my emotional feelings and can process
them in better way. it is very important to be aware of the weaknesses and strengths of
the ones won personality. This because it is becoming aware one can make progress in
the practical fields. Initially I was shy and coy but now when I sit to perfect that I
realised that there is no reason why things were not falling in right track. I understood
the extent I can push back the, like the nature of friendship is ought to break when
there is lack of communication, the presence of jealousy, betrayal of trust, or refusing
to forgive, spending too less time together, all these can be great source of ruining the
bond. Thus the journal helped me to locate y emotional turbulence and also helped me
to overcome the situation from a positive point of view.

References
Bethlehem, D.W., 2015. A social psychology of prejudice. Psychology Press.
Brown, R. and Capozza, D. eds., 2016. Social identities: Motivational, emotional,
cultural influences. Psychology Press.
Fiske, S.T., 2016. Prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping. NOBA Project.
Herek, G.M., 2016. The social psychology of sexual prejudice. Handbook of prejudice,
stereotyping, and discrimination, 2, pp.355-384.
Hogg, M.A., 2016. Social identity theory. In Understanding peace and conflict
through social identity theory (pp. 3-17). Springer, Cham.
Whitley Jr, B.E. and Kite, M.E., 2016. Psychology of prejudice and discrimination.
Routledge.