PerCo

Dev 12 Name___________________________________ Score ____________ Prefinals

MODULE
MODULE
23 Social Relationships Among Adolescents
Influence, along with its many forms, is a two-way street; we influence others, and they, in turn, do same to us. Adolescents
should not only know how to they affect people, but also know how people sway them, affecting their feelings, their thoughts, and
their actions.
Genes, Culture, and Gender
Natural selection states that certain predisposed traits that increased the odds of survival and reproduction are passed onto
future generations. Culture is the enduring behavior, ideas, and traditions shared by a large group of people that is passed from one
generation to the next.
When we are confronted by another culture, it often results to discomfort. Norms are standards for accepted and proper
behavior within any culture. Cultures may vary in norms for expressing one’s self, punctuality, personal space, and rule-breaking.
Despite differences, however, researchers have found essential universality or norms that are common across cultures. Some
examples of this include friendship norms, social status norms, or incest taboo.
Gender is the biological or socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female. In many ways,
males and females are alike, but their differences attract more attention that their similarities. Consider these differences:
1. Independence vs. connectedness
2. Social dominance
3. Aggression
4. Sexuality
People create the culture they adapt, and these in turn, shape people so they act in ways that follow their culture. Gender
roles are a set of behavior expectations for males and females, and these are shaped by culture. Culture is transmitted through
parental nurture and largely, peer influence. It is important to note, however, that culture is not dependent of biology.
Conformity and Obedience
Conformity is a change in behavior or belief as a result of group pressure that is either real or imagined. These are three
varieties:
1. Compliance- Outward conforming to an implied or explicit request while privately disagreeing
2. Obedience- Acting to follow a direct order or command
3. Acceptance- Sincere, inward conformity to an implied or explicit request
These are three classic sets of experiments that illustrate conformity.
1. Muzafer Sherif- Sherif wanted to isolate and study how norms are formed. He used the autokinetic phenomenon (the apparent
movement of a stationary point of light in the dark) to study how other people’s judgements influenced their own. He found that
norms for “proper” answers emerged and survived over time and even through generations.
 The chameleon effect is our natural mimicry of other’s postures and language.
 Suggestibility can also occur on a larger scale.
2. Solomon Asch- His experiment studied group pressure by having participants determine whihch of three lines matches length of
a standard line. Then he had them listen to other people’s judgements. When other unanimously have wrong answer, 37%
conformed to their answer. His experiment shows that people can conform in response to minimal pressure.
3. Stanley Milgram- He tested what would happen when authority clashes with conscience, and the extent to which people will
obey authority. With a “learner,” “teacher,” and experimenter, he showed that 65% of participants fully obeyed instructions to
deliver “traumatizing” electric shocks to a screaming victim in an adjacent room. His experiment revealed four factors that
determine obedience.
Factor Description
Emotional distance Participants were much less obedient when the victim was visible. In everyday life, it is
easier to be cruel to someone who is distant, such as anonymous bullying over social
media.
Closeness and legitimacy of Compliance increases when the person making the command is legitimate and
authority physically close.
Institutional authority Authorities that are backed by institutions (in Milgram’s case, it was Yale University)
are more influential.
Group influence can be liberating Conformity can also be constructive; Milgram placed two confederates that defied the
teacher. 90% of participants liberated themselves and conformed to their defiance.
These experiments illustrate that behavior and attitude mutually reinforce each other; thus, a small act fosters an attitude
that can lead to an even bigger act. This phenomenon can make a good person, when faced with dire circumstances, commit a
reprehensible act. However, dire situations can also lead to heroic acts.
What other situations predict conformity?
 People conform more depending on the group size, particularly when three or more people of group sets the behavior.
 Conformity is reduced if there is no unanimity in the behavior or belief. It is enhanced, however, when a group is cohesive.
 People with a higher status are also shown to have more impact on behavior.
 A prior commitment to a given behavior or belief increases the likelihood that a person will stand by it rather than conform.
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There are two reasons why people conform:
1. Normative influence- This result from our desire for acceptance or to be liked. Simply put, it is going along with the crowd
to avoid rejection.
2. Informal influence- Stems from our desire to be right, and results from other people providing evidence about a given
reality. This is especially true when we don’t know what we are doing: “I don’t know what to do, but this guy seems to
know what he’s doing.”
Persuasion
The purpose of persuasion is to convey a message or content that elicits good (education) or bad (propaganda) judgements.
Education is more factually based and less coercive, but often, we call it “education” when we believe it, and “propaganda” when
we don’t. There are two paths that lead to persuasion:
1. Central route- Occurs when people are interested enough to focus on the arguments then respond favorably if these are
strong and compelling. The central route or processing can lead to more lasting behavior change.
2. Peripheral route- Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues or cues that lead to automatic acceptance without
much thinking.
There are four elements of effective persuasion:
1. Communicator-A credible communicator is someone perceived as both expert and trustworthy.
2. The message- Associating a message with positive feelings often enhances persuasion by relying on peripheral cues.
3. The channel- The way the message is delivered.
4. The audience- Age makes difference, the evidence mostly supports the generational explanation, as younger audiences are
often more open to change.
Group Influence
A group is defined as two or more people who interact and influence each other, and perceive each other as “us”. Consider
these three examples of collective influence:
1. Social facilitation- is the strengthening of dominant responses in the presence of others.
 Evaluation apprehension- concern for how people evaluate us
 Distraction- the conflict between paying attention to others and concentrating on the task
 Mere presence- the presence of others can be arousing by itself, even without evaluation or distraction.
2. Social loafing- The tendency to exert less effort when you know there are other people who are also working toward the
same goal. In short, social facilitation occurs when being observed, while social loafing occurs when being lost in the
crowd.
3. Deindividuation- The phenomenon of abandoning normal restraints or forgetting their individual identities as a response to
group or crowd norms.
Do groups intensify our own opinions? Group polarizations is the phenomenon wherein people often associate with those
whose attitudes are similar to their own, which tends to intensify shared attitudes. Informational influence results form accepting
evidence about reality while normative influence involves evaluating our opinions by comparing our views with others’ (social
comparison).
Leadership is the process by which certain people motivate and guide their group. Transformational leadership motivates
others to identify with and commit to the group’s mission. They inspire people to share their vision, which leads to a more engaged
and effective group.
FT1. Identify the following.
1. An enduring way of life that is passed generation to generation.
2. Standards for socially acceptable behaviour.
3. People conform because of _____________ as well as information influence.
4. _______ is used to convey messages that elicit either good or bad judgements.
5. A ______ is two or more who interact and influence each other.
6. Groups intensify our own opinions, a phenomenon called __________.
7. ___________ is how certain people motivate and guide their group.
8. The way the message is delivered.
9. His experiment studied group pressure by having participants determine which of three lines matches the length of the standard line.
10. A natural mimicry of other’s posture ands and language.
FT2. Write an essay that answer the following questions: Are you a leader or a follower? Are you an effective one? Why or why not? What else
can you do to become a more effective leader of follower? PASS THIS ON TUESDAY/ TAKE A PICTURE AND POST IT IN EDMODO
FT3. Answer the following statements with a True or False.
1. Leaders are capable to do anything they like. TRUE/ FALSE
2. Servant leadership is the type of leadership that puts others first before one’s own self. TRUE
3. Leaders should follow ethical principles. TRUE
4. An Ethical Leader is someone who works for other people’s interests and not for his own hidden agenda or ulterior motives as guided
by sound principles. TRUE
5. A servant leader listens deeply to others and empathizes with the people around him/her. TRUE
6. Leaders are to serve others. TRUE
7. Leaders are responsible. TRUE
8. Leaders don’t need to mind their subjects. FALSE
9. Leaders can follow their whims and fancies. FALSE
10. A servant leader puts others’ concerns first and foremost above own self-interests and motives. TRUE
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