What is an individual’s role in society in regard to other individuals?

What is an individual’s role in society in regard to other

individuals?

In particular social contexts, people engage in behaviour in which they

would otherwise not participate (e.g. compliance or aggression)

In particular social contexts, people do not engage in behaviour in which they

would otherwise participate (e.g. helping or aggression)

Kitty Genovese Case

In Groups of 3, discuss:How do we react when confronted with authority?What do you think are 6 factors that affect obedience?

Obedience – changing your attitude or behaviour in response to a direct command from authority.

Factors affecting Obedience:• Legitimacy of the authority

• Proximity of the victim• Responsibility

• Prestige• Threat of punishment

• Direct surveillance

Milgram’s Obedience Study

As you are watching the experiment write down three discussion questions about the content you view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOYLCy5PVgM

Form discussion groups (Four people will be assigned) and have each member ask one of their questions (try to vary your questions).Go around the whole group until each member has had a question answered.



Asch’s Conformity Experiment:Explain how one of Asch’s conformity experiments were constructed.What were some of the ethical issues of this experiment?How has this experiment changed the way we think about Social Interaction and Influence?Where in history is this experiment relevant?

Stanford Prison Experiment:Explain how the Stanford Prison experiment was constructed.What were some of the ethical issues of this experiment?How has this experiment changed the way we think about Social Interaction and Influence?Where in history is this experiment relevant?

Milgram’s Obedience Study:Explain how the Milgram Obedience experiment was constructed.What were some of the ethical issues of this experiment?How has this experiment changed the way we think about Social Interaction and Influence?Where in history is this experiment relevant?

What do we know about cults - mind map:

In groups of three, create a mind map of everything you know and perceive about Cults. List the functions of Cults, the names of different Cults, etc.

A Cult is a group that has a great devotion to some person, idea or object.

What elements of Social Psychology do you think could be used by an individual to manipulate others to join their Cult?

https://todaysmeet.com/S1PsychologyMsGrear



Characteristics of Cults

[1] Authoritarian Leadership [2] Exclusivism

[3] Isolationism

[4] Opposition to Independent Thinking [5] Fear of Being “Disfellowshiped”

[6] Threats of Satanic Attack

Research a Cult:Task: In groups of 3, research a Cult and prepare a quick presentation to give back to the class.

The Cults are:• Jim Jones and the People’s Temple• Heaven’s Gate (Marshall Applewhite)• Rev Moon and the Unification Church• Branch Davidians (David Koresh)• Jehovah’s witnesses• Mormons • Scientology (Rev Hubbard)• Klu Klux Clan

For your cult include:Why it is classified as a cult and not a sect or a religion.Who founded it, when, where and why.An outline of the belief system.Who joined it, how many and any common characteristics they had (ie why they were targeted).What sort of social influence the founder exerted over his/her followers.Any brainwashing or deprogramming that was done to the followers.

The Shrinking Cult of Scientology:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

N0UFZVHfel4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0UFZVHfel4



Factors affecting Obedience:

• Legitimacy of the authority• Proximity of the victim• Responsibility• Prestige• Threat of punishment• Direct Surveillance

Give an explanation of each factor – Why do you think they would affect Obedience?

Jim Jones and the People’s Temple

Heaven’s Gate (Marshall Applewhite)

Rev Moon and the Unification Church

Branch Davidians (David Koresh)

Jehovah’s witnesses

Scientology

Klu Klux Clan

Cults - RAFT

This task will go towards 50% of your Summative grade for this unit. The other 50% of your grade will be based on a written report (We will start this in Week 5).

This is due Monday, Week 5 at the start of the lesson. The presentations are to take place on this day.

Characteristics of CultsSchool?


[3] Isolationism


[6] Threats of Attack

Characteristics of Cults


[3] Isolationism


[6] Threats of Attack

What do you know?Definitions:ConformityComplianceObedienceAggressionAltruism - Factors that affect Conformity

- Factors that influence a reluctance to help - Factors that affect Obedience

An Explanation of:Asch’s ConformityStanford Prison ExperimentMilgram’s Obedience

Zimbardo BingoPlace the following Key Terms in the grid below (9x9):

Role, Zimbardo, Ecological Validity, 24, identification number, males, Stanford University, Pathology of power, ethical guidelines, real prison, 6 days, newspaper article, military, debriefing, chain and lock, randomly, underwear, randomly, simulation, helplessness,

deindividuation, observation, aggression, laboratory experiment

The first person to get 5 in a row wins!

Altruism Questionnaire

Altruism: behaviour that is intended to help others with little benefit to ourselves, often with the possibility of

personal risk.

What are some factors that could influence altruism? – Todaysmeet

Create twenty questions for a questionnaire on “What’s your aptitude for Altruism?”. You might like to use a Google doc to create a survey you could share with the class.

Is everyone selfish?

Is there such thing as a purely selfless act?

Thorndike’s law of effect, a fairly “generic” reinforcement theory, assumes that people act in such a way so as to

maximize gains for the self (positive reinforcement) and avoid losses (pain, punishment etc).

But what about Altruism?

#1: Altruism is, in fact, selfish behavior after all

• The “I couldn’t live with myself in the morning” theory

• Ayn Rand• Gets around the problem by asserting that there really is no

such thing as altruism to begin with.

Explaining Altruism – Theoretical Approaches

#3: The selfish gene view(sometimes called “kin selection”)

• Revision of Darwinian theory– Old view: survival of the fittest organism– New view survival of the fittest GENE

• Genes, not organisms, are the unit of analysis

– Burnstein et al. (1994)


Those genes that are conducive to the survival and reproduction of copies of themselves are the genes that win. They may do this straightforwardly, by prompting their vehicle to survive, beget offspring, and equip the offspring for survival and reproduction. Or they may do this circuitously—by, say, prompting their vehicle to labor tirelessly…and “selflessly” so that a queen ant can have lots of offspring containing them. However the genes get the job done, it is selfish from their point of view, even if it seems altruistic at the level of the organism. (Robert Wright, 1994; p. 162)

Organisms as “gigantic lumbering robots” (Dawkins, 1976; p. 19) under the control of their genes.

#4: reciprocity norm

• Altruism sometimes does occur between unrelated organisms

• Reciprocity norm• Has survival value and hence can become

genetically based


#5 Social exchange theory• Borrows some elements from evolutionary

psychology, but doesn‘t assume that desires and motives are genetically based

• Examples


#6 Empathy-altruism hypothesis (Batson)

• Degree of initial empathy key– If empathy triggered, will help regardless of cost-

benefit analysis– If empathy NOT triggered, social exchange theory

comes into play– See figure on p. 363

• Toi and Batson (1982)


Other factors • Individual differences?• Gender• Culture• Mood• Situational factors

– Urban vs. rural– Latane and Darley’s model


Altruism

What is the purpose of Altruism? If we stand to gain nothing from it, why do we do it?

A theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8C-

ntwUpzM

AggressionAggression: any form of behaviour directed towards the goal of harming or injuring another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment.

What scenario’s fit into this definition?An assertive and persistent sales assistantDomestic ViolenceBrutally bullying a younger studentOver-exuberant netball player who is penalised for accidental physical contact

There’s a difference between … and … If harmful behaviour is ..., then it can be described as aggressiveIf harmful behaviour was …, then the behaviour maybe described as reckless, but not aggressive

Aggression

Aggression: any form of behaviour directed towards the goal of harming or injuring another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment.

Create a scenario where Aggression might take place.

Biological basis of Aggression: Is it human nature to be aggressive? P. 139-142

Instinct Theory: An instinctive behaviour is behaviour that an organism is born with, rather than learns.

Genetic Influences: Whether or not human aggression is instinctive and therefore a behaviour that we are all, at least, capable of is debatable.

Biochemical influences: If we are confronted with a threatening situation, our nervous system automatically responds by activating our body to deal with the threat.

Task:Create a scenario where an individual behaves in an aggressive way. Explain the scenario according to the three biological explanations of

Aggressive behaviour.

Independence DefianceConformityObedience

Yielding to Influence Resisting influence

Continuum of Social Influence

Independence Assertiveness DefianceConformityComplianceObedience

Yielding to Influence Resisting influence

Continuum of Social Influence

Factors affecting Obedience:

• Legitimacy of the authority• Proximity of the victim• Responsibility• Prestige• Threat of punishment• Direct Surveillance

Give an explanation of each factor – Why do you think they would affect

Obedience?

Factors affecting Conformity:

• Group Size• Unanimity (uncertainty amongst

the group)• Group Cohesion• Status (Medium status people have

the most need to conform)• Gender (Same-sex groups – women

have higher rates of conformity)• Minority Influence (a single person

that feels strongly about an issue and resists influence as a result)

Give an explanation of each factor – Why do you think they would affect

Conformity?

Compliance:

Changing your attitude or behaviour in response to a direct request by another person.

In what way are obedience and compliance similar?In what way are they different?

Characteristics of Pro-Social Behaviour:

• Group Size• Unanimity (uncertainty amongst the group)• Group Cohesion• Status (Medium status people have the most need to

conform)• Gender (Same-sex groups – women have higher rates of

conformity)• Minority Influence (a single person that feels strongly

about an issue and resists influence as a result)

Give an explanation of each factor – Why do you think they would affect Conformity?

Documents

What is an individual’s role in society in regard to other individuals?