Theories of Social Psychology Implied by Derren Brown - Essay Example

Theories of social psychology implied by Derren Brown: The Gameshow Episode analysis s Theories of social psychology implied by Derren Brown: The Gameshow Episode analysis Introduction Mass behavior refers to the social process and events which do not reflect existing social structure but which emerge in a spontaneous way. That this encouraging person to engage in acts them might consider unthinkable under typical social circumstances. Background Mass behavior has become a universal subject of interest for social scientists of the twentieth century. An example of totalitarian regimes was primarily concerned due to the large majority of Citizens Approved Their Leader’s Brutal Decisions. This Forms The Basis Of Discussion. Justification of the Study There is something scientifically explainable in mass mentality what influence the masses behavior that they would never act individually despite the power of propaganda. A number studies appeared on a field of social psychology, struggling to explain a phenomenon within scientific terms. In the modern society, when totalitarianism is over, behavioral changes continue to reveal themselves in different kinds of group activity, and that violence that masses may demonstrate is the most concerning issue. Aims of the Study Various experiments have been studied and experimented in a field of social psychology to explain a phenomenon within scientific terms. This takes into account violence that masses may demonstrate as opposed to an individual’s actions would take when faced with a similar situation. The reasons for these targets are experiments firstly have a tendency to be made by non-scientific professionals, as a hypnotist in case of Derren Brown. Secondly, a mass media naturally influences the experimental process due to its original characteristics. TV format is not appropriate for any researchers to visualize. The new feature of The Gameshow (2011) kind of experiments is to increase publicity and a general democratization. Below Derren Brown has used social psychology theories adequately in The Gameshow Series 1, Episode 2 by re-examining the concepts of deindividuation, dehumanization, and obedience to authority. Thesis Statement Section 1 “Behavioral Study of Obedience” research, Milgram (1963) firstly revealed a concept of obedience to authority (Milgram 371-378). Participants were told that the aim of it was to examine learning memory effects. One of the participants were playing a role of a teacher who punishes the confederate (a pretended participant) playing the role of a learner with an electric shock when the learner made a mistake. A scientist from the experiment told the teachers that the electric shock can do no permanent harm and how important the study was, and later, consistently encouraged the subjects to continue the experiment and stick to the rules (Milgram, 1963). According to Milgram (1963), he states that "All respondents predicted that only an insignificant minority would go through to the end of shock series (The estimates ranged from 0 to 3%)" (Milgram 1963: 376). The teachers raised the shock levels as they were told, and 65 percent of subjects completed the experiment and felt uncomfortable with their actions. Hence, a concept of obedience to authority was a psychological state of decreased responsibility when the responsibility for individual actions is displaced by authority (Scott, 2013). Another experiment is the Zimbardo’s Stanford Experiment, is a simulation study that Brown was mostly inspired (Brown, 2011).It states that the aim of the study was to examine “What happens when you put good people in an evil place? Does humanity win over evil, or does evil triumph?” (Zimbardo, 2015:1). Thus, the concept of dehumanization was also revealed as a psychological state when subjects of violence are not perceived as human individuals. Guards became “morally disengaged” with prisoners and saw them as enemies, or animals; and, therefore, justified anti-normative behavior towards prisoners (Scott, 2013). One of the Stanford Prison Experiment’s guards declares that he was not experiencing any shame or regret when punished prisoners and these fillings only came to him after the experiment (Zimbardo, 2015). In addition, Zimbardo ended the two weeks experiment after six days due to the violence happened in the simulated prison. Section 2 Derren Brown, a British mentalist, famous for his TV show takes those possibilities in his program The Gameshow (2011).The Gameshow (2011) is a sociological experiment that made in a form of a TV show where particular conditions are created to study mass behavior within a shooting area, and in real life condition.Specifically, the Episode 2, Series 1 of The Gameshow(2011) explores the “ “deindividuation effect” and reveals how individual behavior changes when they are allowed to act “anonymously as a part of a crowd” (The Gameshow, Series 1, Episode 2, 2011, 52:38). The deindividuation effect can be defined as “a psychosocial state of decreased self-evaluation and decreased evaluation apprehension, causing anti-normative behavior” (Postmes and Spears,1998:238). Anti-normative behavior is the heightened self-awareness and is usually characterized by deindividuation, dehumanization and obedience to authority effects (Martin, Carlson and Buskist, 2000; Scott, 2013).Therefore, none of these concepts is new, and in the interview on The Gameshow (2011), Brown (2011) emphasize that "We were trying to base some of the own experiments on already existing sociological experiments" (Derren Brown Discusses The Gameshow, 2011). Section 3 This section will discuss the applications of the psychology experiments to game show and the specific scene from it. Derren Brown’s The Gameshow Series 1, Episode 2 was mostly studying the concept of deindividuation. The aim was told by Derren Brown formulated before the show by “What happens when people are allowed to act anonymously, and as a part of a crowd?” (The Gameshow, Series 1, Episode 2, 2011). During the show, audience was asked to make fifty-fifty decisions on one man’s life, 27 years old Chris from Essex, choosing either “nice or nasty” events to happen (The Gameshow, Series 1, Episode 2, 2011). All the events were happening in a life time mode performed by a group of actors and Chris’s friends participating in the experiment, and the audience was shown the result of each decision. The audience was voting anonymously, with a majority of votes choosing nasty events for Chris every time, which has demonstrated the violent behavior. The show ended with a fake car accident that shocked the participants and made them slowly turn into individuals again. The Gameshow (2011) experiment was a mixture of Zimbardo, Milgram and Miller and Rowold’s experimental methods and findings. For this reason, it is hard to identify, where applied methods specifically are retrieved. The audience was asked to participate in a new Derren Brown’s show without knowing they were the subjects of a study, similar to Milgram (1963) and Miller and Rowold’s (1979) studies. Similarly to Zimbardo (1963) experiment, Brown (2011) ended the show with the explanations to the audience, “Tonight’s experiment is about something called deindividuation… which is something we all do” (The Gameshow, Series 1, and Episode 2, 2011). Brown (2011) has reached obedience to authority by being that authority to the audience himself. Masks that the audience was asked to wear were driven from the concept of Miller and Rowold’s (1979) study in order to serve for a better deindividuation. Secondly, Brown (2011) reached dehumanization by counterpoising audience and Chris in a way similar to Zimbardo’s experiment: for a one-evening audience was a Chris’s supervisor. The result of The Gameshow (2011) was also in a consensus with all earlier studies findings: deindividuated audience who obeyed to authority demonstrated an increasing violence towards dehumanized Chris. Interestingly, a technical modernization had enhanced earlier experimental methods; for example, the partly due to a TV show format audience was feeling less responsible and more obeyed, because it is commonly known that nothing permanent can happen on a TV show. Moreover, dehumanization was increased by online translation from Chris’s apartment where Derren Brown’s team showed to the audience Chris’s underwear (The Gameshow, Series 1, Episode 2, 2011). A modern system of voting served both, for a better and quicker voting and deindividuation of voters, and a current TV show format served for the increasing sense of reality, helping Derren Brown to create a better simulation Conclusion Section 4 Thus, it can be concluded that no new concepts were applied by Derren Brown in The Gameshow Series 1, Episode 2. After a closer study of earlier experiments in a field of sociological psychology made by Milgram, Zimbardo and Miller and Rowold on concepts of obedience to authority, deindividuation and dehumanization, The Gameshow episode appears to be a mixture of those earlier methods, and Derren Brown’s findings are assonated to those earlier scientific findings too. The main difference between The Gameshow experiment and ones from the twentieth-century studies is that new, twenty-first-century study brings more visual ways to conduct the experiment. Specifically, TV show format increased classical scientific methods applied by Derren Brown and helped him to establish the obedience to own authority, deindividuation among audience and dehumanization of a victim. Also new were a bigger amount of data and faster results, comparing to ones from the Stanford Prison Experiment Derren Brown was mostly guided. The study of a change in mass behavior seems to stay a very timely issue, and some classical psychological conceptions continue to be explored in new ways. There are bigger experimental groups that can participate in experiments bringing the more significant amount of data, and there are also new greater possibilities to convey the study results to a mass public. However, what makes those scientific activities attractive may also make them a pseudo-scientific, because close to some real scientific conceptions a show may be, it still differs from academic experiments and its findings have a less academic value. Brown (2011) emphasize “There’re few and far between which are really interesting and juicy” (Derren Brown Discusses the Gameshow, 2011). What seems The Gameshow (2011) kind of programs will do, is popularize the most interesting scientific concepts, not making the science itself.A strong theoretical base makes the program also enlightening as The Gameshow explores several right conceptions of social psychology. The accuracy of those theories implication can be disputable, because none of the earlier experimental methods was adequately maintained in the discussed episode, and a mix of most general from Zimbardo, Milgram and Miller and Rowolds was provided. This fact never deprives show of its strong sides comparing to traditional entertaining programs which modern TV is filled with. Thus, will increase their popularity on TV. References Milgram, S. 1963. ‘Behavioral Study of Obedience’. In: Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology 67, pp. 371-378. [Online]. At: http://academic.evergreen.edu/curricular/social_dilemmas/fall/Readings/Week_06/milgram.pdf. (Accessed on 03.04.15). The Gameshow, Series 1, Episode 2. [Television Program Online] Channel4 2011, 52:38 mins. At: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/derren-brown-the-experiments/on-demand/47993-002(Accessed on 08.03.15). Read More