SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OBSERVATION ANALYSIS
Social Psychology Observation Analysis
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SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OBSERVATION ANALYSIS
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Social Psychology Observation Analysis
Option 1: Social Psychology Day of Compassion
Introduction:
One of the most crucial elements in fostering interpersonal relationships and sustaining social stability is compassion. The Day of Compassion assignment required me to intentionally
show kindness to everyone I came into contact with throughout the day. Investigating how interactions with others through acts of kindness affected me personally and using social psychology ideas like empathy, altruism, and conflict resolution were the goals here (Suraweera, 2023).
Methodology:
The schedule was planned with great care to ensure that it would take place on a typical day that would represent various activities, including the workplace, the street, and homes. My objective was to provide support, resolve conflicts, and behave with empathy in any circumstance.
Observation and Experiences:
Morning commute: While on my morning commute, I noticed a worn-out elderly woman standing near the door. I sensed her exhaustion and stood up immediately, offering my seat. She smiled crestfallen, and the room brightened up. However, I was not the only one who took notice; another commuter quickly offered his seat to another standing passenger. The bus was filled with
such instances, with several individuals looking for opportunities to help those around them. The
energy of the bus suddenly shifted from one of perpetual discomfort and animosity to one of
friendliness.
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Workplace: Upon arriving at work the following day, I noticed one of my coworkers, Sarah,
grimacing at the computer screen. She had a presentation to make the following day and was yet
to complete the project. I offered to help complete her slides, and we quickly got down to work.
After around three hours of brainstorming and slideshow editing, Sarahs tensed face seemed more
relaxed. She was genuinely grateful and expressed as much. The following day, I noted a change
in the office dynamic, with more of the team members interacting, albeit somewhat awkwardly.
From a timid assembly of people, the work environment looked more people-oriented and
collaborative.
Community interaction: Once evening fell, I knocked off work and went to the park to meet with
a homeless man, who is a frequent visitor to the vicinity during the evening. We shared a dinner,
and I asked about his experiences on the street and the kind of help he would wish for. My
conversation with Tom was illuminant; he talked about his life on the streets and the compassion,
or lack of it, from the surrounding population. His conversation was inspiring and showed the
effect that kindness or a lack of it has on the overall society. Tom was so grateful during the
conversation, shown by his wide smile as we said our goodbyes. It was a moment of realization
for me, and I could see the human attachment required to address social problems.
Analysis:
Reminiscences about the Day of Compassion and its lessons supported the social
psychological foundation as I witnessed theory being lived out in real-life situations. The human
being has the gift of giving. The commute incident in the morning hours which was full of kindness
is proof of that. The social process called impression, where people pick up behavioral patterns of
the environment they are in, especially when others around them are acting in a similar pattern, is
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an example of the effect of modeling on the community’s behavior (Chartrand & Bargh, 1999).
Doing so, I might have increased social sensitivity to the need for help, which others might have
followed then. I being the role model can set such social norms.
In the course of fulfilling my responsibilities, I managed to finish my colleagues task
before the deadline, thus bringing some diversity to the team dynamics. Such a phenomenon can
be explained by social facilitation, this is when the presence of others around the person positively
contributes to their performance (Zajonc, 1965). Beyond this, my experience taught me about the
necessity for empathic concernthe emotional reaction of this type of compassion, which is what
provokes kindness to other people (Batson, 1991). The supportive attitude could be doubled not
only during the destruction of my colleague’s stress but also could lead to similar behavior patterns
among other team members, uplifting the teamwork spirit.
The homeless man Tom before going to bed in the night had drawn my attention to the fact
that compassionate empathy which simply means knowing about the emotional state of others
could trigger supportive acts. In the depiction of this phenomenon, connection with the social
capital element was also portrayed indicated by the networks, norms, and mutual trust that
stimulates cooperation and collaboration for collective benefit (Putnam, 2000). Possibly, our
conversation increased social capital not only for him but for me as well on the one hand, it
resulted in making his voice heard and understood, on the other hand, it allowed me to look at
social issues from different perspectives.
Conclusion:
World Compassion Day, through being solidly based on real examples, powerfully
demonstrated how compassion and empathy work when applied intentionally to a couple of
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parties. The day-to-day implications of small actions such as smiling and offering assistance taught
me how empathy and compassion can positively impact the community to create a stronger and
more unified connection among its members. This experiment was not only the recipient of
kindness who benefitted from it, but I also came to have that feeling of being socially connected
and satisfied with myself, which falls into the line of research stating selfless behaviors can be as
equally promoting the well-being of the giver as well as that of the receiver (Post, 2005).
Informed by this exercise it is evident that social psychology concepts may be used in
actual, daily life issues to better social interactions and improve the state of social welfare. A
person can achieve this by fostering attitudes that enhance other peoples emotions and thoughts.
This will help build a society where compassion is valued and practiced. The social caste might be
transformed under such societal impacts, resulting in the reduction of social problems, happiness,
and peaceful community relationships.
On the other side, peoples giving and accepting of kind acts generated another feedback
loop that positively influenced the social interactions beyond individual encounters thus, affecting
the social systems as a whole. Therefore, it can be seen that the strategic intervention of the
inculcation of a compassionate nature in citizens could be an awesome tool for societal stability
and cohesion. Through and through, the Day of Compassion represents an example of the
incorporation of social psychologies into everyone’s day-to-day activities, which one can leverage
to build up a better society, one person at a time.
Option 5: Norm Violation Assignment
Social norms are the unspoken rules that determine how members of a community behave.
They contribute to maintaining predictability and order during social interactions by
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accomplishing this (Hechter & Opp, 2001). Because breaking these principles might result in a
variety of reactions, psychology studies have focused on this problem. It ultimately came down to
deliberately defying social conventions to analyze and talk about the results of these kinds of
behaviors. In my instance, I violated the personal space rule by standing noticeably closer to an
acquaintance while we were conversing.
Methodology:
The Norm Violator project essay started with the decision to violate the cultural norm of the needed
personal space during conversations that people generally follow. To lessen the risks of the
unknown that might be present when dealing with a stranger, I chose someone who I know. Such
an experimental model allowed us to carefully measure the nuances of nonverbal and verbal
reactions to the norm being violated.
Before the interaction, I had an action plan in place on how I would approach the
conversation, talk about possible responses, and what would happen if it was for any party that
became too uncomfortable. The purpose was not only to break a norm but to grasp and understand
the dynamics of interaction while the norm is being challenged. Such an equilibrium was very fine
to make sure that the experiment was duly conducted properly and ethically.
On the day of the experiment, I drew a plan for a gradual decrease in the physical space
between myself and my acquaintance and discussed it during the conversation to minimize initial
shock. This incremental method aimed to identify the inflection point of discomfort and the full
extent of change, producing more reliable details for data assessment.
Right after the conversation, I made extensive notes on my immediate reactions
immediately and behavioral changes during the conversation, though. These notes have been
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invaluable for accurate analysis, allowing us to make linkages between certain behaviors with
psychological concepts from social psychology.
Observations and Experiences:
Initial Interaction: The experiment began as I intentionally decreased the space apart from
myself and Mark to six inches, which was closer than the social norm would dictate for a casual
conversation. He had a reaction that was not only visible as a slight form but also as a physical
step back, which was the instinctive move to regain his personal space. Even though he tried to
have a distance between us, I owned the closer distance which led to his visible discomfort. As we
conversed, Marks body language became a clear indicator of his unease: He glanced down, maybe
to send a non-verbal signal of his unease. Also, his responses became noticeably brief and the
mood of his tone became gruff, unlike his usual jovial way of talking.
Progression of the Interaction: Through continued conversation, it became apparent that Mark
was deliberately preparing himself to find more room to move around. The issues with the context
made the situation worse for him: he was in a crowded room with barely any place to move because
there was a table next to him. It is noticeable that he scanned the space more often, maybe looking
for social cues from others or for a way to get out of the awkward closeness. Though Mark looked
very uncomfortable, he still took part in the discussion, even if with much less enthusiasm than
usual, and with a comparably more sedate mannerism. Verbal answers remained as terse as ever,
and the body language indicated that he still felt very uncomfortable invading his personal space.
Long-term Reaction: Throughout our interaction, though, Mark was brusque, and his
characteristic openness was gone, replaced with cautiousness. At last, I began to notice that he
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appeared mildly acquiesced to the situation, though he was certainly not very content with it.
However, this change was subtle but apparent in his ease of the shoulders and fewer stepbacks.
Analysis:
This experiment demonstrated both the psychological process that regulates social
behaviors and the instantaneous uncomfortable response that follows a breach of a socially
acceptable conduct norm (Beauchamp & Rios, 2020). The observed reactions align with the “social
monitoring system,” which, in the words of sociologist Erving Goffman, postulates that people
behave in ways that are socially expected of them because they feel pressured by others to watch
them.
Furthermore, some people’s reluctance to be confrontational in social situations can be
attributed to the social psychology phenomenon known as “non-confrontational culture.” Instead,
to avoid conflict, they often use a deceptive strategy to handle social awkwardness. This aspect of
human conduct demonstrates the innate tendency to reject social strife; in fact, norms are
demonstrated to be social control mechanisms that promote social harmony.
This experiment serves as an additional example of the “spotlight effect,” when an
infringement on custom is brought to light, even though it may not have seemed so to others. Once
more, this tendency may explain why people are reluctant to defy normative norms because they
tend to exaggerate the extent to which the crowd is watching and criticizing them.
Conclusion:
Social norms are essential for maintaining social identity and the stability of the economy,
as demonstrated by the item that was identified as a norm violation. If they are prone to breaking,
social penalties are applied, indicating the methods of enforcement that are used in any given
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community. The lesson that may be learned from this project is that, while defying social norms
might be unsettling, these norms also shape social interactions and govern the maintenance of
social cohesiveness.
On the other hand, the discomfort brought on by the circumstances and personal
introspection suggests that, despite their limitations, norms are constructive and essential to society
because they maintain stability and order in interpersonal interactions. Understanding the
consequences of breaking norms helps us to see how norms affect social change dynamics by
acting as both a source of impetus and a source of stasis.
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References
Suraweera, I. (2023). Navigating the crossroads: health, safety, and wellbeing of workers in the face of
traditional, environmental and emerging challenges. Journal of the College of Community
Physicians, 29(4), 221223. https://storage.googleapis.com/jnl-sljo-j-jccpslfiles/journals/1/articles/8680/659672fdd0cf9.pdf.
Watrin-Avino, L. M., Forbes, F., Buchwald, M., Dittrich, K., Correll, C. U., Bermpohl, F., & Bödeker,
K. (2023). Affect Recognition, Theory of Mind, and Empathy in Preschool Children with
Externalizing Behavior ProblemsA Group Comparison and Developmental Psychological
Consideration. Children, 10(9), 1455.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10529822/.
Hechter, M., & Opp, K. (2001). Social norms. Russell Sage Foundation.
Beauchamp, A., & Rios, K. (2020). Social Monitoring System. In Springer eBooks (pp. 50905093).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353044126_Social_Monitoring_System.
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