Social Psychology Notion - Assignment Example

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY Q Answer It has aptly been viewed that man is the product of society and all his needs and desires are satisfied by living ina social set up and entering into interaction with other members of society. Hence, co-operating with one another and lending the fellow-beings a helping hand in positive and creative activities as well as while performing their personal, public or professional responsibilities is highly recommended for the welfare and happiness of society in general. The theorists, on the basis of their observation and research, view that different social conducts, manners and attitudes leave different impact on helping behavior of the individuals, which are either positive or negative ones in nature and scope. For instance, altruism is a state of selflessness that motivates the people in respect of observing social helping by sacrificing their time, money, energies and even life for the benefit and wellbeing of other members of society. Such a sympathetic, sacrificing and compassionate behavior, displayed either individually or collectively, is highly supportive one for others in respect of fulfilling their duties, obligations and everyday chores on the one hand, or is beneficial for the fulfillment of their desires and requirements on the other. The duties performed by the military personnel in the battlefield to protect their motherland and the nation is true example of altruism, where the personal comforts are put at stake for the collective safety and national solidarity. Similarly, displaying of empathy and compassionate attitude towards the fellow-beings by acknowledging their problems and suggesting solutions for them is also includes in social helping that is beneficial for eliminating social problems and evils from the very face of society. Getting involved in charity offering and looking after the sick and aged at hospitals and healthcare centers comes under the fold of empathy. If society exercises apathy and diffusion of their responsibilities towards the problems of others, the individuals will start feeling themselves isolated and alone in their social environment, and will start observing the same attitude towards other people, which could create chaos and anarchy in society subsequently. Thus, apathy and diffusion from responsibilities seriously challenges national integrity and unity at large. Pluralistic ignorance is also a state of collective behavior, under which few individuals start violating the prevailing social norms, cultural values, religious cults and traditions of society by declaring them as inadequate, out-dated and problematic, which, according to them, serve as hurdles on their way to progress. Such an attitude strictly inhibits social helping, and causes creating gulf of differences between the minority groups and the mainstream social norms and values. Consequently, the nations divide into factions, fractions, groups and communities, where national integrity is put in great jeopardy. Hence, altruism and empathy serve as social helping, while diffusion of responsibility and pluralistic ignorance leave negative impact on helping attitude and project and promote selfishness within the social establishment. Q 2: (Answer): Every social set up looks for the prevalence of peace, order and discipline within its jurisdiction and scope. Thus, disorder and mayhem are discouraged at larger scale by devise and articulating of specific set of norms, mores, values, customs, conventions, traditions and statutes of law, conformity and following of which is highly recommended by an overwhelming majority of society. The main reason behind such compliance and conformity includes the protection of the one’s personal rights. If the individuals start violating the rights of others, no one will guarantee the preservation of their personal rights and privileges against which the society provides security and surety. Hence, the fear of the promulgation of one’s personal rights regulates the activities of the people, and forces them abide by the set of prevailing norms, mores and values. It is fact beyond suspicion that deviant behavior and perversion have always been an essential characteristic of every human society since ever, and crimes and offences are committed time and again by different people at different occasions, but it does not mean that the state and society happily allows such deviancy against other members of society. On the contrary, there has been introduced the comprehensive system of check and balance in the form of law enforcing agencies, which announce punishments and penalties on the violation of any statute of law. Similarly, the system of social norms and values is also observed by showing disapproval on deviating from the existing norms and values. For instance, developing of extra marital relationships beyond the wedlock is a taboo according to the religious values of all the three Abrahamic religions i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the religious authorities of these three faiths vehemently condemn illicit sexual relationships including fornication, adultery, homosexuality and others, even both the parties have committed it willingly and with free consent. Consequently, the elders of family including parents, grandparents and elder siblings regulate the activities of the family members at domestic level, while priests, bishops and religious persons maintain check and balance at religious seminaries and church level. At schools, fear of teachers and mentors implement conformity and obedience, while at ceremonies, functions and festivals, the eyes of the majority of the people approve or disapprove social behavior of the individuals. In the same way, political authorities have established court, prison and police departments to ensure conformity and obedience by force. Hence, divergent measures are taken to impose the system of check and balance for proper conforming to the prevailing social norms, values, mores, traditions, cults and laws. Q 3: (Answer): It is one of the fundamental characteristics of all human beings that their heart is full of different types of emotions and feelings, which they express time and again for or against the others. Being emotional by nature, they look for intimacy with the individuals of their own choice and preference. Love is a universal phenomenon and neither any human nor any society of the world is without such innate human trait of love and affection at all. Humans long for intimacy for the people, pets, and articles they love. There are several kinds of intimacy, which the individuals belonging to divergent age groups express through different modes and manners. For instance, children fondle their mothers while lying and sleeping as a gesture of love and affection. In addition, they cling with their fathers and hide in the lap because there is a sense of security and protection in this action displayed by them. Similarly, parents caress and kiss their children and embrace and hug them to show their love, care and fondness for the children. Moreover, friends and lovers also embrace one another when they meet particularly after some gap. Physical intimacy is most desirable mode of expressing one’s feelings. The parents want to keep their children before their eyes; as such type of closeness keeps them satisfied and happy in respect of health and security of the children. It has often been found that if children get late from school or playground, the parents become anxious and restless till they return home and are close to the eyes of their parents. In the same way, the close friends also look for physical proximity of one another for entering into debates, discussions, studies and sports of mutual interest. The lovers are most fond of physical intimacy and get involved into kissing, hugging and even sexual intercourse in order to please and satisfy one another. Such intense state of intimacy is aptly repeated by the lovers, as the unabated feelings of love force them meet again and again and enter into social and physical interaction with one another. This intimate behavior does not take place immediately; on the contrary, continuous interaction, deep observation of affecttionate attitude and repeated exposure of unflinching love force the individuals meet again and again and enter into intimacy through physical proximity. By closely examining the activities of the children, it becomes evident that they develop reciprocal feelings of love with the person(s) looking after them, without knowing their relation to the care-giver. Q 4: (Answer): Human beings undergo various types of fluctuations in moods and temprament, which is outcome of mental and physical conditions, disposition, circumstances and the behavior of others. It is an innate characteristic of human nature that man displays anger, aggression and antagonism provided he is hurt or disturbed from his routine matters. Aggression is exercised both at individual or collective levels, and nature of its intensity also varies from person to person and from one state of affairs to the other. As the agression exercised by the Allied Forces during WWI and WWII pushed the entire world into the state of massive destruction, deterioration, devastation and turmoil. The contemporary world has witnessed drastic alterations in it, where the rapid immigration from pole apart regions of the globe caused acculturation and amalgamation of societies at large. Since the modern societies experience globalization, people belonging to divergent racial, regional, religious, ethnic and linguistic groups live together and enter into social interaction. sSince every racial, religious and ethnic group maintains prejudice and superiority complex, it looks down upn other groups and communities and takes them as the exploiter of resources and oportunities. For instance, outsourcing has provided the Asian and African people obtain lucrative jobs in the western societies, where the native citizens view the outsiders as devouring the resources and rights of the local population. Similarly, the immigrants and outsiders consider the local population as the rude and prejudiced one, which does not allow them exercise their abilities under a free and fair environment. Consequently, the divergent groups appear to be at daggers drawn against one anoter and adopt the policy of aggression whenever they seek an opportunity of exercising the same. It results into augmentation of hatred, abbhorence and disliking between different groups and communities, and the society looks standing at a very perplexed state of affairs, and the pace of progress and development is adversely affected and challenged accordingly. In addition, the economic downturn, unemployment, inflation and continuous rise in the prices of commodities have shrinked the purchasing power of the people, and they display aggression whenever they get any chance of doing the same. Political authorities recommend several methods to eliminate aggression from the society. One of the most imperative steps taken towards this direction is the implementation of statute of law discouraging and condemning aggression and prejudiced behavior. Hence, penalties and punishments are inflicted upon the individuals breaking the rules and exercising aggressive behavior upon their fellow-beings. The fear of punishment and penalty regulates the deviant behavior and perversive attitude of the people in one way or the other, and they control themselves because of the just and immediate system of law and order. Thus, observing of the statutes of law compel the population give up their getting involved into untoward activities, aggression, offences and crimes. But one more thing is necessary that is the self regulation that is taught at religious seminaries, churches and spiritual places so that the ethics and moral values could be communicated to the individuals. It will surely be supportive in minimizing and mitigating aggressive behavior from the modern society. Read More