The way other people influence an individual comes under the
topic social influence. The NCERT 12th standard psychology (which
can be downloaded free from internet) has two chapters (6 and 7) which cover
this topic. Social influence is a broad term; I have described some aspects of
it here. An in-depth knowledge of this topic can be had from basic books of
psychology like Wayne Weiten.
Girija is a 35 yr old housewife and an excellent bathroom
singer. Her husband who is the president of the Resident association suddenly
asks her to sing on stage during the yearly meet. Would she be able to sing
well? The thought of singing before all made her to nearly faint. Here the
social situation of singing before the crowd was a tough call for her. (a
simple example of social influence)
Meanwhile, their son
6 year old Aditya was singing full throttle when invited to join a group song
consisting of 5 children. Here the small group activity could bring out the
best in him. (Social facilitation).
Would Aditya sing with same enthusiasm if the group strength
(for group song) was fifty instead of five? Human psychology says that in all
probability his effort will reduce. His effort won’t be much attended or cared
by spectators if he is in the middle of a fifty strength group. He probably
sings at a low voice and at times even stops singing! How many of us have done
what Aditya did when asked to recite pledge or anthem @ school (social loafing)
A lady was dragged out of the ladies compartment of a train
for robbery. There was a struggle inside the compartment, but none of the
passengers reacted at that moment. Why didn’t even one of the ladies who
witnessed the incident make an attempt to stop the crime? She fell on the track
and died during the struggle. Wouldn’t that death be prevented if any one
reacted? Why do people who enthusiastically
sms, tweet and talk endlessly about such issues on TV don’t react when seeing
the incident in real? Studies in psychology says that larger the group larger
the inactivity. (Bystander effect)
The same individual who was inactive in a group might have
been active provided he/she was alone. This concept is called Bystander Effect.
The reason for the bystander effect is diffusion of responsibility. A person
who was inactive in such a scene says to his mind “I didn’t do anything because
none did anything, so I am innocent and should not be feeling guilty”. I feel
that bystander effect is high in cities than in rural areas.
*The article attempts
to introduce the concepts concerning the topic “social influence” with
examples. Think of a similar example that you are familiar; it will simplify
the whole study process.There are other aspects associated with the topic ‘social
influence’, they will be covered later.
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