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Download Ch. 2: Fundamentals of Social Behavior
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Fundamentals of Social Behavior Chapter 2 Socially-constructed reality We base our behavior on a socially constructed view of reality, e.g., selfconcept. I tells us what things go together, what things mean, etc. What do we know about humans? We are social beings. ◦ Need caretakers ◦ Need others for joint tasks ◦ Need relationships (meaning) What do we know about humans/ How much of our social needs are really biological? ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Preemies grow faster when touched Orphans sometimes fail to thrive Psychosocial dwarfism Core Knowledge Theory – Babies are wired for psychology. What do we know about humans? How about the Brain? Experiences rejection in the same area as pain Inborn readiness to catagorize people Fusiform face area Closeness – friend or foe Sensitive to status or hierarchy Socialization needed and possible Humans are very intelligent Learn automatically – reactive to the environment Have imagination Have symbolic thought and language with a displacement quality Have consciousness Humans have a sense of self Self-awareness Identity Self-evaluation Thinking Conscious and non-conscious aspects Non-conscious includes automatic biological processes Also included automatization – no longer has to come through consciousness Controlled processes The brain is enormously complex, most complex entity in the known universe. Humans are Goal-striving Have needs for competence and relatedness Hedonism – needs to approach pleasure and avoid pain Fundamental motives for security and growth Hierarchy of goals from concrete to abstract Humans are Emotional Beings Emotions are always positive or negative (may be mixed) They are experienced in relation to those things that are perceived to be good or bad. There are Levels of Emotion Background – sense of life, mood Primary ◦ Happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise Secondary ◦ These are variations on primary They are often called self-referenced Include, shame, guilt, fear, pride, empathy, embarrassment Cognitions & Emotions Cognitive Appraisal Theory ◦ Primary appraisal leads to arousal ◦ Secondary appraisal refines, modifies or changes the emotion How do emotions affect cognitions? How does mood affect cognitive performance? ◦ Positive emotion can lead to positive judgments, optimistic predictions, and recall of positive memories. ◦ Negative emotion can lead to negative memories being recalled, more analysis, and negative expectancies. How do emotions affect cognitions? They may be impediments to rational thought. They are necessary for good decisionmaking. What is culture? System of order Self-evidently true Accepted automatically (socialization) Set of beliefs, attitudes, values, norms, morals, customs, roles, statuses, symbols, rituals – shared by a self-identified group whose members think of themselves as a group Elements of a Culture Beliefs – accepted ideas about reality ◦ Cultural truisms are generally taken on faith. ◦ Beliefs are based on learning from others such as parents, teachers, friends, media, cultural authorities. Examples: UFO’s, Global Warming, afterlife, Illuminati, etc. Elements of a Culture Attitudes – preferences, likes and dislikes, opinions about what is good and bad; examples: abortion, transgender bathrooms, building a wall on the Mexican bordor Elements of a Culture Values – principles and goals (text, p. 53) Ten cross-cultural values ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ 1-benevolence 3-universalism 5-conformity 7-hedonism 9-tradition 2-self-direction 4-security 6-achievement 8-stimulation 10-power Individualist vs. Collectivist Cultures Values Collectivist Individualist Group membership Values independence Group harmony Individual Opinions Tolerates self-inconsistency Self-consistency Interdependence Independence Ingroup/outgroup distinction Others as individuals Holistic style Analytical style Culture in the Round Cultures are stable, but they also change. ◦ Once the pattern is formed, cultures tend to stay stable; make members feel secure ◦ Usually when cultures change, it is due to natural or geo-political upheavals (e.g., war, earthquakes). Can also be due to technology or disgruntled groups or individuals. Structural Elements Cultures, or rather societies, have organized ways of meeting essential needs. ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Marriage/family Government Religion Military Economy Education The way these are set up has a profound effect on the way members understand things. Facts about Cultures They include both material and nonmaterial elements. They diffuse or are transmitted. What happens when individuals change cultures? They can assimilate, change to the new cultural ideas and patterns. They can remain multicultural. The balance of same and mixed elements in a culture is correlated with its stability. Most individuals like freedom, but not complete freedom, it is comfortable to conform. How to think about relationships Community sharing ◦ Cooperation; self-sacrifice Authority ranking ◦ Giving and taking orders Equality matching ◦ same rights as friend Market pricing ◦ Economic exchange principles; cost-reward Culture & the Metaphysical Environment Culture influences your understanding of the nature of reality and the significance of your life It also helps us to address the question of where we go from here Terror Management Theory Assumes thoughts of death = terror Worldviews give life meaning, value, order, and assurance by answering questions. Worldview is a theory of reality that provides answers. The worldview may be our own individual or collective creation. Example: Creation Stories Garden of Eden Evolution Ancient Alien ideas These answer questions about who we are and where we came from. This may be the basis for our self-esteem, our standards and values, and the social roles we take. Fear of Death May be more a fear of meaninglessness than a fear of future nothingness. When surveyed, more than half of people say that they believe in an afterlife, and another one fourth say they think there is probably one. Symbolic Immortality People also desire to achieve symbolic immortality or to leave a legacy so that they live on through their children, their works, monuments, or some other means. Cultural Worldview All these things are part of the cultural worldview so that: ◦ Social consensus and validation of our beliefs increases our confidence. ◦ Threats from alternate worldviews are the source of prejudice and conflict. These cause us to be unsettled or insecure.
