Social Influence on Behavior

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Social Influences on Behavior Social Influences on Behavior Many times the social environment changes the way a person acts. Two examples of this are the riots that occurred in Los Angeles and the social phenomenon known as peer pressure. This paper attempts to detail both occurrences through social psychology. Each behavior will be described, the consequences of each behavior detailed, and determination of therapeutic intervention will be made. Los Angeles Riots In 1992, riots occurred in south Los Angeles. These riots were the result of public outcry and anger about the verdict of four police officers accused of beating Rodney King. This beating was videotaped and televised after the trial. The riot started with a small group of people. As this event became public, more individuals joined the riot. People gave reasons about anger and bad economy for joining. The riot lasted for three days. During that time, 55 people were killed. A televised plea from Rodney King to end the chaos led to the end of the riot (Smith, 2002). Groupthink becomes the major reason for these actions. Groupthink is defined as occurring “when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment. Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions” (PsySR, n.d., para. 1). Consequences in this behavior were individuals possessing a guilty conscious, major property damage, injury, arrests, and even death. Groupthink generally has negative consequences because the group does not think about the consequences but focuses on the actions of the present. Another consequence is therapeutic intervention. Some individuals seek therapy to understand their own actions. The majority of the individuals will cease the groupthink involvement

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