Cognitive Dissonance

Group Paper -

Cognitive Dissonance Paper

People can display themselves outwardly in a certain manner although on the inside be completely different. A person’s attitude and behavior can influence each other; a person’s surrounds will also have an impact on how the person is. An example of this can be seen in a person committing a crime such as shoplifting, the person knows this is illegal and not moral but in the right situation the person may forget his or her moral upbringing and commit the crime any way. Influences on the individual can be overpowering, causing the person to behave or act in an attitude different from the person’s normal action and behavior. People tend to suffer from moral hypocrisy, as most people are moral hypocrites. A person who is morally corrupt should not think that he or she can change his or her behavior, when he or she cannot change his or her own attitude. Shoplifting is a crime, but under the right influence a person may be tempted to commit such a crime, moral hypocrisy is one reason a person would act differently than expected, cognitive dissonance is another factor that may persuade the person to forget his or her upbringing.

Shoplifting

A young woman, Carla, walks into a department store. She has many thoughts going through her mind. She is thinking about the items that she wants but cannot afford on her own because she is not quite old enough for a job and her parents will not buy her the outfit she has been looking at for going back to school.

Carla is with a couple of friends, and they say ‘The clip is missing on it, why not just take it. The department store has many of these clothes they will not notice one outfit missing.’ Her friends keep saying that the outfit looks attractive on her and would be perfect for the first day of school. Carla has never stolen anything in her life and does not want to start now, but there is nothing wrong with the outfit the skirt is long enough for school and the shirt matches and covers perfectly. She has thought in her mind again and again why her parents will not purchase just one more outfit. They will not though, even though she has begged them. The only way to obtain the outfit is to take it.

Carla heads back into the dressing room with ideas about how to make it out of the store with the items. She is nervous about getting caught; this is her favorite department store, and she does not want to be banished. She starts contemplating how to smuggle out the items. She places the clothes she is wearing that day over her items and puts on the light jacket she brought. Carla knows that what she is doing is wrong, but with her friends telling her just to take it, her desire for the clothes, and wanting to look cool for her friends she goes against her better judgment and moves forward with the plan to steal the clothes. Many thoughts are going through young Carla’s mind as she is going through this experience.

Influences on the Individual

She is getting pressure from outside sources and her conscience just keeps yelling at her to stop this behavior now. She knows that she does not need the outfit, but her friends keep encouraging her. The influences that a youth in America face today are monumental in comparison to the influences 20, 50, or 100 years ago. Peers are the hardest influence to overlook as most youths are around a peer at all times. They are subject to their friends’ thoughts and desires as well as their own. If an individual knows that his or her friends have done something and have gotten away with the act, be it legal or talking on the phone while grounded, he or she is more likely to perform the act as well. Teens do this because they have an association that “Sam did it and did not get in trouble, I can do it too and not get in trouble.” These individuals see themselves as invincible because they are in a group that performs this kind of behavior at all times, so they think nothing of the repercussions that could come.

Culturally Carla is unsure, her parents have taught her the difference between right and wrong and the thought of taking the clothes is wrong to her. Even while her grandparents were growing up in the Great Depression they never stole, what they did not need to survive. She keeps thinking though that “My friends did it, so can I.” Carla grew up in a religious home, her family attends church every Sunday, and she is very close with her family. People in her family have held honesty and trust to high standards as well as her religion. Stealing is one of the commandments forbidden to be broken as well as lying.

If Carla goes through with taking the clothes what will her parents say? Will she still be able to come to the mall with her friends? Will she be able to participate in the next game at school? Will her friends think she is a loser if she gets caught? Could she become ‘one of them’ by taking the clothing? Carla is also considering how she will feel about herself if she takes the items and how well her conscience will let her sleep at night. Carla is dealing with moral hypocrisy.

Reciprocal Relationship - Moral Hypocrisy

People tend to be creatures of habit. Even people who say they are moral can fail to act morally. This means that a person who says he or she does not approve of stealing even shoplifting, may shoplift. Many people fail to keep their moral standard when faced with temptation. According to Myer (2010) when people are not able to follow their belief’s it is no wonder they fail when attempting to change behavior by changing attitudes (p. 125). Most people are hypocrites, they say one thing with a certain attitude in public but their actions or behavior is completely different when alone. A person’s attitude does affect a person behavior, this can done through social influences, when the person is in a group. The person will play down internal desires toward a situation and assume the attitude of the group, while internal thoughts stay the same.

This downplay can be explained with social psychology. Within social psychology the reason for immoral action is broken into two types. The first is social learning; if a person is not adequate in controlling standards of morality than the person did not learn these standards very well from the beginning or in the right way (Batson, Thompson, Seuferling, Whitney, & Strongman, 1999). The second social influence is from situational pressures, orders from a higher authority, conformity, and even a lack of responsibility. Expressing behavior and attitude appears to be common knowledge; a person’s behavior and his or her outward attitudes differ because of other influences. Such attitudes and behavior could be expressed with faith in a higher power, while the person expressing this faith and devotion to the higher power, the person does not attend a religious gathering regularly. Cognitive dissonance can explain why a person would say or believe in one way yet act in another.

The Relations of Cognitive Dissonance Theory

According to Myers (2010), cognitive dissonance is “Tension that arises when one is simultaneously aware of two inconsistent cognitions” (p. 141). When there is a situation, such as shoplifting, an individual could use cognitive dissonance theory to rationalize his or her behavior. Shoplifting is definitely a crime. Every person realizes shoplifting is not morally correct and has consequences for this action. A man on the news was caught shoplifting food at the local grocery store. He was not happy that he had gotten caught. He had a family that needed his presence back home. He told the police officers he was stealing the food because his family was starving and needed to eat something, anything. The news reporter and the police officers felt sorry for the man but he or she still had to arrest him for the crime. In this situation, shoplifting is understandable. The behavior is not at all justified but understandable. The man was thinking about the welfare of his family. Most likely, this man believed that he has to protect and provide for his family by any means necessary. He probably could not take the begging, yearning, and crying for food from the family. When a person is in a situation to where his or her back is up against the wall, he or she will do what it takes to change the situation. The man did not make his or his family’s life better by shoplifting. If anything, he has worsened the matter. When a person is not thinking rationally, he or she will display behaviors that are inappropriate. Cognitive dissonance is the thoughts of knowing a certain behavior is morally wrong but doing the behavior for a certain situation or circumstance.

Conclusion

In conclusion no one wants to develop into a hypocrite. A person wants to mean what he or she says or does and believes what is said or done is truth. People can become easily influenced and persuaded by their social culture. A situation may arise that an individual may conduct his or her behavior differently from the way he or she would normally display. A behavior that goes against the moral standards of that individual can be cognitive dissonance. Some actions are demonstrated because a person believes the behavior is the right behavior to do at that particular time. People tend to justify their actions. When anyone has to start to justify his or her actions, he or she knows within the situation is wrong. A person must take responsibility for his or her actions, even though take responsibility is a difficult behavior for most to do.

References

Batson, C., Thompson, E. R., Seuferling, G., Whitney, H., & Strongman, J. A. (1999). Moral hypocrisy: Appearing moral to oneself without being so. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(3), 525-537. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.77.3.525

Myers, D. G. (2010). Social psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill

Altruism in Society: Domestic Violence

Altruism in Society: Domestic Violence

Domestic violence has been around for a very long time, and become well-known in the 1970 when the women’s movement was making a change in society and history. Domestic violence is crime that fights for power and control over another individual. This is America’s most common crime, and America’s least reported crime. In the past it was more common for women to be abused by men because of a woman place in the home, and the belief for subordination of women. Domestic violence is not just held to the privacy of a person’s home, it can be seen in the workplace and day-to-day life. Domestic Violence can occur in any socioeconomic group, and does have an impact on society. Persuasion can make the audience more aware of the threat, influencing to take a stand against violence. Domestic violence in a home can start a chain reaction; children who see abuse will mostly likely abuse a significant other. Intervention stops the abuse, and prevention can stop it from ever happening again. Domestic violence can be learned, it hurts everyone involved and affects society, whereas persuasion can eliminate this situation, along with intervention, and prevention.

Nature and History Domestic Violence

Domestic violence has been around as-long-as people or any group of animals has been traveling together. The definition of domestic violence is “a pattern of coercive behaviors used by a competent adult or adolescent to establish and maintain power and control over another competent adult or adolescent” (Burnett, 2011, p. 4) This type of abuse began as a ‘family matter’, friends, and leaders did not want to become involved because of a belief that it was not enforceable. It used to be that “The Common Law of England permitted a man to beat his wife, provided the diameter of the stick so used was not wider than the diameter of his thumb, hence, the term "Rule of Thumb” (Burnett, 2011, p. 2). How this started is preposterous in today’s world were women are equals and not just used to provide a family and cook the food for men. Then men who did abuse their wives were seeking to dominate the relationship and let their other partner know it was their way or nothing. Women could do nothing to stand up for themselves, or fight back. Today this is how many women and men think while trying to escape or gather the courage to escape the violence.

The nature of domestic violence includes different actions. This type of violence does not always include the physical abuse of the victim but also includes psychological and sexual abuse. Numerous forms of abuse can start from the very beginning of a relationship, or at birth for children born into families that are abusive.

Physical abuse is an individual punching, kicking, pinching, or hitting another individual. This type of abuse leaves the victim with bruises, sometimes broken bones, and can lead to death if the abuse is excessively violent. Many individuals who were abused go to the emergency room to receive care for their injuries.

Psychological abuse is the abuser trying to achieve a mental hold on an individual. They will put them down saying that they can never do anything right, they will do nothing important with their lives, or express general put downs about every day tasks (e.g. dinner not cooked right, laundry not done correctly, or when the victim has exciting news the abuser makes it seem not important).

Sexual abuse illustrates an abuser touching, penetrating, photographing, or forcing their victim to watch pornographic videos or themselves with another individual. Sexual abuse like any other form of abuse does not have an age limit. Abuse can start with infants and range to the elderly. Sexually assault as a child can cause the child to become narcissistic and have him or her reach out to many partners, or cause the victims to recoil inside him or herself while making his or her outer appearance unattractive to prevent any future possible encounters. Sexual assault as an adult can cause the individual to lose sight of what is important until the act consumes thoughts, and can take many years to recover from. This assault affects society.

Domestic Violence’s Impact on Society

Domestic violence has a significant impact on any society. Men battering women, women battering men, or adults battering children will affect the environment of the individuals in that particular society. When there is a situation of people constantly bickering and fighting, those situations causes division and the emotions of hatred. Domestic violence can have a link to an arrest, jail time; hurt loved ones, separation, mistrust, depression, and many other components. First, children can be the victim of domestic violence. A child involved in a domestic matter can impact a society. The child will first believe he or she is the only one receiving the abuse among his or her peers. The child will demonstrate a desire to be isolated of his or peers. Grades and school cooperation may show a steady decline because of the domestic violence. A decline in grades will result in a low grade for the entire school, which in turn affects school funding. If an adult is arrested for domestic violence to a minor, that adult will cause the taxpayers’ dollar to increase because of court cases and imprisonment. Second, disturbance can be in a community from the acts of domestic violence. When there are many domestic violence cases in a certain community, the community will have a drop in the market value of their homes. A consistent of crime in one area will cause renters or owner not to want to lease or purchase in that area. If a person is practicing altruism, he or she would want what is best for the community including his or her immediate surroundings. Nothing good can or will stem from the acts of domestic violence. Someone is always hurt or in pain from a domestic violence situation. The hurt and pain can result in a person needing psychotherapy and a supportive group of family and friends around. Two elements of persuasion can assist with this stopping this violence.

Two Elements of Persuasion

Communicating to the public is achievable in several ways; to help those who are and have been abused. The most influential parts in delivering the message of persuading individuals to recognize, report, and cease abuse is the message delivered and the audience intended to receive the message.

Combining the message with feelings of altruistic behavior is the key to a successful campaign. Messages delivered to society in numerous ways. Commercials are an informative way for the messages to reach the public. Not for profit companies can create messages that reach out to children asking them if “mommy and daddy” are mad at each other often talk to a teacher at school. The company’s mentioned can reach adolescents by displaying photographs of individuals who have been abused and ask them to report to a parent or teacher what he or she has seen. To reach victims by letting them know that it is not a normal way of life, there is hope of a stable fear free home.

There does not have to be a cost associated with these advertisements. Companies can ask radio stations, T.V. stations and billboard owners to display the ads between paying customers. This would allow the message to be broad casted and still allowing the owners to make money for their services.

By placing these advertisements in different areas (e.g. billboards, T.V. and radio commercials, emergency room fliers on the walls, school hallway fliers, and possibly speakers reaching out to today’s youth) will ensure that the message of a safe home. A place that a person can look forward to coming home to, and a place that a person would want to come home to. They do not have to be afraid in their own home and that there are people who care about them. These individuals care, not because it is their job, but because they want to see people enjoy the life they have.

By having the message delivered by unpaid spoken people, and numerous other entities providing the information free to the public will let society and those living with abuse know that it is not just individuals caring, but corporations as well. This will change societies view on corporations and invite them into the community, by letting everyone know they care. This could stimulate individuals to buy additional products from the companies and bond the community together to fight the battle against abuse. Even with this persuasive argument, domestic violence has implication.

Implication of Domestic Violence

The implied act of domestic violence is that the spouse of the abuser will be hurt, and if the family has children the children are likely be hurt also. Domestic Violence or Intimate Partner Violence includes four types of spousal abuse, psychological, sexual, physical, and property. To stop this cycle of abuse a plan of intervention and prevention needs to be taken. Social psychology can help as it is part of the ethical obligation to protect the participants and enhance human welfare, by discovering influences upon human behavior (Myers, 2010). The first step in a plan against domestic violence is intervention.

Intervention

Society already accepts elimination of abuse as an important goal, it is illegal in most states, but the problem still remains and is of epidemic proportions. Intervention can come from campaigning. Campaigning is a way for a person to become aware of situations in the world. People will easily stop a neighbor from playing loud music but not many will become involved when he or she hear arguing. Altruism predicts average behavior; conformity is more influential by the situation than by personality traits (Myers, 2010). If the world is to campaign against such violence with the bystander stepping in by ensuring that the violence is reported and the victim receives help (Cismaru, Jensen, & Lavack, 2010). Most reports of domestic violence come from bystanders; a bystander being in the area ensures that the violence is reported to the police. Most reports on domestic violence comes from a third party, making others aware of the importance of their role will help this rate steadily increase. Campaigns can come from small community level programs, to a nationwide advertisement. When more people take a stand against the abuse it will become the conformity and help the prevention of more acts of violence.

Prevention

Intervention normally occurs after the incident of domestic violence prevention can stop the incident from ever happening. Catharsis is way to cleanse or purge, this approach with domestic violence is for a child to vent his or her anger (Myers, 2010). Evidence show a child who is allowed to act out on his or her anger to purge the anger is will most likely be violent or aggressive with others. Social Learning can stop this aggressive behavior. One such prevention method is not to plant false unreachable goals in a person mind, and to reward cooperative, nonaggressive behavior. Children are just as affected by domestic violence as women are many homes that have women suffering from abuse, have children suffering as well (Damant et al., 2010). Children can become less aggressive if the caregiver ignores the aggressive behavior, and reinforces the nonaggressive behavior. Punishing aggression is showing another form of aggression that child may try to mimic. Children living Working on nonaggressive forms of punishment and not exposing children to television shows that have violence is way to stop the cycle of abuse.

Conclusion

In conclusion, no one desires or deserves to be a part of a domestic violence incident. The aggressive anger seen in physical assault from one individual to another describes a case of domestic violence. Domestic violence can wreck a household or relationship within seconds. These disturbing matters can lead to others damaging situations and need handling right away. People can help and stop horrible situation if they are observers of a domestic violence incident by calling their local law enforcement department. The person committing the assault can receive anger management therapies to work through his or her issues. That person will become a better person mentally and socially. As a society, the information about domestic violence should be a priority among the different cultures and communities. Helping out with incidents of domestic violence is the right of every citizen, of every race, and culture. According to Myers (2010), “Helping’s boost to self-worth explains why so many people feel good after doing well (p. 444).”

References

Burnett, L. B. ,. M. E. L. (2011). Domestic Violence. Medscape Reference. Retrieved from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/805546-overview#showall

Cismaru, M., Jensen, G., & Lavack, A. M. (2010). IF THE NOISE COMING FROM NEXT DOOR WERE LOUD MUSIC, YOU'D DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Journal of Advertising, 39(4), 69-82. doi:10.2753/JOA0091-3367390405

Damant, D., Lapierre, S., Lebosse, C., Thibault, S., Lessard, G., Hamelin-Brabant, L., & ... Fortin, A. (2010). Women's abuse of their children in the context on domestic violence: reflection from women's accounts. Child & Family Social Work, 15(1), 12-21. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00632.x

Myers, D. G. (2010). Social psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Domestic Violence Slide Show.

Intro

Domestic Violence is a never-ending battle fought by most Americans. Adults, who abuse, raise children who repeat the same action believing it to an acceptable behavior. Domestic Violence has a very long past, but the hopes are for it to do not have a future. Domestic Violence affects society; more bystanders are watching out and reaching out to help in such situations. Elements of persuasion are needed to stop this abuse in society. Implication in domestic violence is a repeat of from one generation to the next. Intervention and prevention can stop this cycle.

INTERVENTION:

Campaigns are used for the next president, the next mayor, and even to take a stand against taxes. Campaigns can help prevent domestic violence. A campaign can make more people aware of the abuse, and how to report when abuse is seen and how to reach out and help the abused individual. Campaigns can make more people aware of the situation, fighting the belief that domestic abuse is normal or trivial (Cismaru, Jensen, & Lavack, 2010). To fully fight the effects of domestic violence, advice for victims, bystanders, and professionals is needed. This will help combat the abuse. To end to the abuse it needs to stop before it starts.

PREVENTION:

The cycle needs to be stopped before it can start. Making sure children are not exposed to violence will prevent the child from becoming an abuser. Violence is seen everywhere; this can be a difficult task at times but not an impossible one. Children are the key to making sure the next generation does repeat the same mistakes as the previous one. Although some believe catharsis is a way to cleanse, it can cause a child to be abusive (Myers, 2010). Social learning will help prevent, as children what they see. People need to make sure the children are not victims suffering (Damant et al., 2010).

Reference

Cismaru, M., Jensen, G., & Lavack, A. M. (2010). IF THE NOISE COMING FROM NEXT DOOR WERE LOUD MUSIC, YOU'D DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Journal of Advertising, 39(4), 69-82. doi:10.2753/JOA0091-3367390405

Damant, D., Lapierre, S., Lebosse, C., Thibault, S., Lessard, G., Hamelin-Brabant, L., & ... Fortin, A. (2010). Women's abuse of their children in the context on domestic violence: reflection from women's accounts. Child & Family Social Work, 15(1), 12-21. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00632.x

Myers, D. G. (2010). Social psychology (10th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Classical Conditioning

Classical Conditioning

According to Skinner learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior because of practice and experience. Classical condition is learning as a response from a stimulus to another unlearned stimulus. Ivan Pavlov is the founder of classical conditioning and well-known for his experiment with dogs and the bell. Pavlov’s classical conditioning involved salivary glands of dogs. The scenario for this paper will teach a dog to not chew on shoes, using vinegar in a spray bottle, and classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is a type of learning accidently discovered by Ivan Pavlov, using his conditioning learning can teach a dog not to chew on shoes.

Theory of Classical Conditioning

Classical conditioning was accidentally discovered by Ivan Pavlov, a Russian physiologist who discovered this type of learning while researching digestion. Pavlov’s classical conditioning is learning through acquired experiences. Classical conditioning is a previously neutral stimulus causing a reflex to a physical response (Olson & Hergenhahn, 2009). From observing dogs drool when food was presented Pavlov could predict other forms of stimulation. As Pavlov researched the response from the dog, he found with the introduction of a bell that he could reproduce the reaction of the dog to salivating with just a bell and no food needing to be present. Pavlov broke his learning into four components.

Classical conditioning involves four components, the unconditioned stimulus, the conditioned stimulus, the unconditioned reflex, and the conditioned reflex. The unconditioned stimulus can be anything that causes a reaction without prior learning or conditioning. The unconditioned response is the unlearned that occurs to the naturally to the unconditioned stimulus. The conditioned stimulus is learned and is not created without prior conditioning. The last step in Pavlov’s classical conditioning is the conditioned response. This is the learned response to the previously neutral stimulus. Classical conditioning is useful for increasing behavior, and also can be used to decrease behavior. The following scenario uses classical conditioning to decrease behavior.

Classical Conditioning Scenario

Teaching a dog (herein will be Zeus) not to chew on shoes, the owner will spray the shoes with vinegar, which Zeus will find offensive to smell and taste. Zeus will attempt to chew on the shoes but upon reaching for it the smell will offend him, and taste will be nasty and Zeus will not want the shoes in his mouth ("Stop dog chewing," 2011). As the Zeus drops the shoes an allowed chewable item will be given in place of the shoe. Eventually Zeus will avoid shoes and go directly for the chewable item knowing that the shoe smells bad and tastes funny. To help reinforce that the shows are bad offering a chew toy will also help Zeus learn not to chew on the shoes when the conditioned response is used. A training schedule will need to be put in place to enforce this behavior.

Classical Conditioning Training

To train Zeus not to chew may be hard; as dog’s natural instinct is to chew. For Zeus the unconditioned stimulus is the desire to chew when he sees a pair of unattended shoes. The unconditioned response would be to lick the shoes or maybe play with the shoes. To stop Zeus when he begins to touch the shoes, the conditioned stimulus would be to spray the shoes with the offensive vinegar that would startle him whenever he touches the shoes. Soon the conditioned response will be that anytime he begins to near the shoes to spray them with vinegar so the shoes become unappealing to him. Because chewing can happen at any time a set schedule may difficult, spraying the shoes a couple of times a day or at times when Zeus nears the shoes will help stop the habit.

Conclusion

Pavlov is the founder of classical conditioning. He found this type of learning when experimenting on dogs, and noticed that the dog will salivate before food is given. Pavlov’s classical conditioning theory has four stages, which can either increase a behavior or decrease the behavior. In providing scenario a way to handles Zeus likes for chewing on shoes and a way to stop this destructive behavior is needed. Learning Pavlov’s four steps will help to teach Zeus not to chew. Training a dog not to chew will be difficult as chewing for an animal; especially a dog is a neutral stimulus. Using vinegar as the conditioned stimulus should help deter this behavior.

References

Olson, M. H. & Hergenhahn, B. R. (2009). An introduction to theories of learning (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

Stop dog chewing dog behavior training. (2011, January 01). Retrieved from http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/stop-dog-chewing.html