Groupthink: Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of people are highly cohesive and have a strong desire for consensus.
This can lead to the suppression of dissenting opinions and a lack of critical thinking.
Groupthink can have negative consequences, such as poor decision-making and unethical behavior.
Cognitive Dissonance: Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable state that people experience when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs.
This discomfort motivates people to reduce dissonance by changing their attitudes or behaviors.
For example, if someone smokes but knows that smoking is bad for their health, they may experience cognitive dissonance. They may reduce this dissonance by quitting smoking or by rationalizing their behavior (e.g., "I only smoke a few cigarettes a day").
Discrimination: Discrimination is a form of prejudice that involves treating someone negatively based on their perceived membership in a category.
Discrimination can be overt (e.g., refusing to hire someone because of their race) or subtle (e.g., microaggressions).
Discrimination can have negative consequences for both the individual and society.
Other Key Ideas:
Social influence: How people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others.
Conformity: The tendency to change one's behavior or beliefs in order to fit in with a group.
Obedience: The tendency to follow the orders of an authority figure, even when those orders are unethical.
Aggression: The intentional infliction of harm on another person.
Altruism: The selfless concern for the welfare of others.
Best Quotes:
"Social psychology is the study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in a social context."
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"Attribution theory is concerned with how people explain the causes of their own and others' behavior."
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"Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable state that motivates people to change their attitudes or behaviors."
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"Discrimination is a serious problem that can have negative consequences for both the individual and society."
Criticism:
Some critics argue that Aronson's focus on individual behavior ignores the role of social structures and power dynamics.
Others criticize his use of laboratory experiments, claiming they fail to capture the complexity of real-world social interactions.
Influence:
The Social Animal has had a profound influence on the field of social psychology. It is one of the most widely cited books in the discipline.
Aronson's research on attribution theory, groupthink, and self-serving bias has shaped our understanding of human behavior.
The book has also been widely used as a textbook and has influenced generations of social psychologists.
Interesting Facts:
The Social Animal was one of the first textbooks to cover the entire field of social psychology.
Aronson conducted a classic experiment on groupthink during a President Kennedy assassination simulation.
Aronson was an early advocate for the use of social psychology to address social problems such as prejudice and discrimination.
WORDLIST:
attribution theory – теория атрибуции
tendency to overestimate – тенденция переоценивать
underestimate – недооценивать
self-serving bias – эгоцентрическое смещение
negative outcomes – негативные результаты
highly cohesive – сплочённый
strong desire for consensus – сильное стремление к консенсусу
suppression of dissenting opinions – подавление инакомыслия
negative consequences – негативные последствия
cognitive dissonance – когнитивный диссонанс
when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs – когда они придерживаются двух или более противоречивых убеждений
form of prejudice – форма предубеждения
overt – открытый
subtle – тонкий
conformity – конформизм
obedience – послушание
intentional infliction of harm – преднамеренное причинение вреда
selfless concern – бескорыстная забота
fail to capture the complexity – не могут уловить сложность
profound influence – глубокое влияние
entire field of social psychology – вся область социальной психологии
assassination simulation – имитация убийства
Exercise 7
Fill in the gaps with the correct words or phrases from the list below:
● profound influence
● Conformity
● self-serving bias
● form of prejudice
● entire field
● suppression of dissenting opinions
● cognitive dissonance
1. Elliot Aronson's book The Social Animal has had a __________ on the field of social psychology.
2. __________ is the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors when explaining our own behavior.
3. __________ is a state of discomfort that people experience when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs.
4. Discrimination is a __________ that involves treating someone negatively based on their perceived membership in a category.
5. __________ is the tendency to change one's behavior or beliefs in order to fit in with a group.
6. __________ is the suppression of opinions that differ from the majority view within a group.
7. Aronson's book covers the __________ of social psychology, from attribution theory to aggression.
UNIT 7
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Philip Zimbardo (2007)
Key Ideas:
Evil is not a fixed trait but a fluid state. Anyone can be capable of evil acts under the right circumstances.
Situational factors play a powerful role in shaping behavior. Obedience to authority, group conformity, and dehumanization can all lead to unethical conduct.
Good people can be easily swayed to commit evil acts. Even those who would normally act morally can be influenced by situational pressures.
The path to evil is often paved with good intentions. People may rationalize their evil actions as being for a greater good or as a necessary response to a threatening situation.
It is important to be aware of the situational factors that can lead to evil behavior. By understanding these factors, we can take steps to mitigate their influence.
Promoting ethical conduct in institutions is crucial. Institutions should create clear ethical guidelines, provide training on ethical decision-making, and foster a culture of accountability.
Individuals have a responsibility to resist evil. Even in difficult situations, it is important to maintain one's moral compass and to speak out against injustice.
Zimbardo argues that the key to preventing evil is to create social and institutional conditions that promote ethical behavior and to empower individuals to resist situational pressures that may lead them to act immorally.
Best Quotes:
"Evil is an extreme but understandable reaction to situations that make it psychologically difficult to resist antisocial behaviors."
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"The greatest danger is that when we see evil, we comfort ourselves with the thought that we are not that kind of person. But it is a false comfort."
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"The path to evil is paved with good intentions."
