I need some help thinking of a good news article that I can apply principles fro
ID: 3453949 • Letter: I
Question
I need some help thinking of a good news article that I can apply principles from Social Psychology to understanding a current local, national, or world event. You will use Social Psychology to explain and analyze the event(s) that you choose in a way that (a) demonstrates your mastery of the concepts, and (b) provides a deeper understanding of the events.
Make sure to identify one specific social psychological concept and to clearly explain the concept. Then, use that concept to provide a potential explanation for the events in the article.
Explanation / Answer
A concept of Social Psychology that has been chosen is Social Perception. Social perception is the way we see the society, put in simple words. Both social perception and social interaction are vital to understanding social behaviour. Why do people behave in a particular way when they are among other people? What are the reasons that make people attracted towards certain ideas and thoughts and refrain from others? This is not just about the others in the society but also about how an individual perceives himself or herself in the society.
The theory of Social Perception believes that the people around us shape our thoughts and behaviour, feelings and perception. This is done by a mental process in which we form impressions about others and then draw conclusions about them.These impressions are generally biased, stereotyped and subjective. These impressions are based on societal expectations and norms too.
Social Perception leads to another concept known as Social Categorization. This is our tendency to mentally club people together on the basis of their overt characteristics, such as, dressing sense, schooling, accent, frequently visited places, etc. This again leads to like or dislike for that particular social category.
An event which is now growing relevance is the social perception behind instagrammers. An ad campaign in the 1960s ran on the lines of, "Why be you, when you can be me?". Social media now has begun to influence people on the virtual world by making everyone form social perceptions about each other. It has been under research that the people who are using instagram and for that matter any other social site, are consciously and unconsciously forming continuous impressions about others. It has also been found that in many cases, these impressions are positive (for example when a celebrity is followed) and so this social perception goes to modelling of looks and mannerisms.
This has led to many people being hurt in the process. The idea of certain body shape, clothing style, etc has made people lose self confidence and self esteem if they fail to adhere to the virtual society. A new psychological disorder called 'selfitis' has also been under consideration even though it has not found a place in DSM-V.
As for the popular ones, this powerful drive of social acceptance gets further reinforced by their virtual friends online who approve of their social image and form positive impressions.
The critics question the longevity of such social perceptions. How much do people realise their true calling and inner self through such impressions formed by others or the impressions that they form of others is the question that needs answering.