"What are people drawn to and why"? Does social influence play a role in the socialtrends that we see - dating, parenting, social media usage, careers of choice, hairstyles,style, drug use, etc. - organic or natural social trends or social trouble?

Answered: "What are people drawn to and why"?…

Ciccarelli: Psychology_5 (5th Edition)

5th Edition

ISBN:9780134477961

Author:Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland White

Publisher:Saundra K. Ciccarelli, J. Noland White

Chapter1: The Science Of Psychology

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 1TY

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Question

"What are people drawn to and why"? Does social influence play a role in the social
trends that we see - dating, parenting, social media usage, careers of choice, hairstyles,
style, drug use, etc. - organic or natural social trends or social trouble?

Expert Solution

Introduction to social influence

Social influence refers to how social agents such as family, peers, or the media play a role in forming or changing our behaviors in the social context. This may extend to not only what people do, but also how they think, perceive, and feel about everything in their social world. When we are talking about social influence playing a role in social trends, we are often talking about how these social agents influence and determine our day-to-day cognitions, feelings, and behaviors.

There are several mechanisms through which social influence works to shape our lives. We will see the influence of each of them as follows:

Imitation: Imitation, it is often said, is the highest form of flattery. This holds in the psychological sense of social influence as well. When we imitate the style of life of others or use social media to replicate viral trends, we are engaging in imitation. This allows us to align our self-image with those of "influencers" and allow them social influence over our actions and thoughts.
Conformity: Conformity is a very strong motivator that can influence our behavior to tremendous extents. We are often influenced by the prevailing norms and customs (and lately, trends) of our social group in deciding our spouses, our careers, and even smaller things like the clothes we wear or the foods we eat. The reason why conformity is such a great motivator is that human beings have the innate urge to belong to a group. Being by ourselves causes anxiety and we seek to address it by conforming to groups and following the norms laid down in them. Although it restricts our freedom, it also gives us a structure on which to base our lives. This structure can then be used across contexts like parenting, marriage, career, or even negative activities like an addiction.
Obedience: Obedience is the third primary form of social influence in which the influence comes from an authority figure. From Stanley Milgram's experiments to the Stanford Prison experiment, there have been many studies that have shown how obedience is a driving factor in human decision-making in the social arena. In daily life, this can be seen in several areas where prevailing norms and trends may be imposed on individuals by those in positions of authority. This can drastically influence the individual's behavior and their life outcomes, such as in marriage or in their career.