If I had to pick one chapter or concept from psychology that I will remember, it would be the social psychology. No, I did not pick this simply because it was a more recent chapter; I genuinely find the topic interesting. Particularly I will remember the concept of conformity, tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure, and its sub-topic groupthink, the emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking. It is interesting to see how groups influence an individual, especially through the Asch studies and other examples provided in the book. After reading this section on conformity and groupthink, I can recall things that I have seen or done in a social setting, and think of how the "group" influenced actions or decisions. I would have never thought of these things in terms of psychology, but now I realize how conformity really has a huge impact in everyday sorts of things. Also, I thought cults were interesting and bizarre--I never really understood how they came about, but now I understand that they are an extreme result of groupthink. It is fascinating to see the effects that conformity and groupthink have, and how important and interesting social psychology really is!
Social Psychology
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I agree that this is one of the topics that I will remember from psych because I didn't realize how groups of people play such an effect on an individual. I was amazed to see people that knew the answer just agree with the group just so they wouldn't feel alone. I just found this topic really interesting and glad someone else thought it was too.
I agree, I found this topic interesting too! Conformity, especially, because it was one of my most memorable too. I have always noticed how much society and social groups influence our behaviors. It's everywhere in the clothes we wear, the way we talk, everything! I see it in myself everyday, conforming to the "norms" of society.
I thought social psychology was the most interesting as well. It's scary to think how easily people can conform and how big of an impact it can have on society. I've always been confused as to how people could actually believe some of the cult leaders and how they could be convinced to go as far as killing themselves but social psychology really helped explain that one.
I thought this was an interesting topic as well. The way I behave has many times been influenced by other people. The way cults form and act is extremely intriguing. The Jonestown massacre comes to mind right away. Jim Jones had convinced hundreds of people to kill themselves which is disturbing.
The social psychology was very interesting topic for me as well. I am the one who observe others and learn how to act in the society. Groupthink is very powerful and necessary for people.
I thought this was a interesting chapter as well. I think its fascinating how quickly people change to what the general consensus is even if they know that they are right. The video in class really demonstrated this point and was very interesting, especially the non conformist.
I also found this topic very interesting. The video of the experiment we watched in discussion I found especially interesting. It was cool to see the different types of people and how the responded to the pressure of the group and whether they have conformed with the group. Great job with this blog!