Social Influence in January 2004 Term Paper

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The study also asked whether people would develop paranormal beliefs more readily if those in a higher life status than themselves would promote such beliefs.

Social influence refers to changes in feelings, beliefs, values or behaviors that result from the actions of others. Examples of influenced behaviors may include: following orders at work (obedience to authority), dressing like one's peers (conformity to a group), and convincing a friend to change her vote in an upcoming election (persuasion) (Thye, 2002)."

The research study found that most people have developed some belief in a paranormal existence. It further discovered that many of those beliefs were strengthened because of social influence.

Social influence is also used in marketing. When the marketing department of certain products or services are able to convince potential customers that everyone else believes in their particular product or service it is easier to sell the product to the new customers.

The soldiers who were involved in the torture of prisoners were unduly influenced by social influence. The fact that not only their superiors but everyone they were working with seemed to approve of and desire that the prisoners of war receive some form of punishment for what their society stood for helped to coerce the soldiers into the behaviors that occurred.

If one wants to liken it to something easier to understand one can examine the hazing incidents that have made national news in recent years.

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During those incidences a group of college fraternity members would gather together and begin to coerce a hopeful member into doing something dangerous. When the hopeful member died as a result of the situation the public at large was shocked at what the group had supported and allowed. Each of those college students individually may never have done what was done on their own, but once they were pressured through social influence they became changed in their thinking and behavior.

Gangs operate the same way. In addition, positive outcomes have been seen with social influence including the Just Say No programs in schools designed to prevent drug use. In the case of the soldiers, there is no question that they were coerced through social influence to do what they did to those prisoners. They were in stressful circumstances to begin with, in a group of others in the same situation. Their superiors and equals as a group had an attitude of anger and punishment toward the prisoners they were guaring. Individually the soldiers would not have committed such acts of hatred and anger against other humans, but with social influence they individually took part in heinous acts.

This should not mean that they are held individually accountable because individually it would never have happened......

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