Group Influence as a Social Psychology Issue Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Introduction

People’s behavior and opinions can be affected by other individuals, mainly if they belong to the same company. Group influence is a phenomenon that occurs when most persons in a group are constantly interacting to affect the attitudes and conduct of others in that team. Groups have many different forms, including family, friends, work, socializing, and more. Teams use their shared beliefs and experiences to strengthen the group, which can be positive or negative. It is important to review my experience and indicate how the group influence has impacted me.

Positive Effect

Individuals who work in social groups have a better chance of achieving improved results than if they operated separately. Accordingly, Triplett indicated that functioning in a group even causes a certain amount of competition, giving the example of bicycle riders (Myers & Twenge, 2019). In other words, they were faster and more efficient when they rode in a team than when they were alone. Subsequent experiments have proven that people in a group are faster at performing mental activities, such as mathematical assignments. It should be pointed out that my experience also supports this concept.

When I do my homework with friends, there is a discussion, and everyone wants to express the proper and best idea. Consequently, I work more quickly and intensively, which leads to positive results. At the time when I practiced this kind of homework, my grades improved, not only for the task I completed but also for my work in class. Robert Zajonc attributed this phenomenon to the fact that the excitement generated by competition stimulates brain performance (Myers & Twenge, 2019). Therefore, it is effective for me to work in a group to maintain an atmosphere of tension that enables me to reach my maximum potential and the class.

Negative Influence

A person can regulate and control his/her own behavior and actions due to his knowledge of himself and his moral, mental, and physical powers. This is where the significant role of consciousness is discovered because it has a considerable impact on the activity and life of each individual. Therefore, it is essential to determine how a group impacts people’s minds and desires. Some theories argue that a powerful collective effect has a negative impact on an individual’s self-awareness (Myers& Twenge, 2019). Thus, human beings who cannot assert their own judgment are subjected to the desires and authorities of the stronger team members. I have my own negative experience; a few months ago, my acquaintances organized a party, and I was invited. I knew a few of my friends there, and other people were strangers. It is worth noting that there were fifteen persons in the house and several of them, who have leadership abilities, started influencing the others. They suggested drinking more alcohol and setting the music louder, and the other people followed their lead.

On the other hand, I expressed my own views, saying that I would not drink anymore and that I could not make the music louder in order not to disturb the neighbors. Accordingly, I did not submit to the pressure and authority of the group but was capable of clearly expressing my vision of the situation. The other members of the party had a low self-awareness and were willing to the negative impact.

Conclusion

Hence, group influence is an interesting phenomenon because it can have both negative and positive effects. Group spirit and competition can encourage team members to join together to achieve a better result or strain their brains to express excellent ideas to others. Thus, it contributes to effectiveness in many areas, such as sports or learning. Although group effect has negative consequences for people easily influenced by others, they generally have low self-awareness. Unfortunately, problems and unpleasant situations often arise in such cases. Therefore, group impact is multi-faceted, from which only the positive aspects that will motivate to develop should be chosen.

Reference

Myers, D., & Twenge, J. (2019). Loose-leaf for social psychology. McGraw Hill Education.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2023, January 11). Group Influence as a Social Psychology Issue. https://ivypanda.com/essays/group-influence-as-a-social-psychology-issue/

Work Cited

"Group Influence as a Social Psychology Issue." IvyPanda, 11 Jan. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/group-influence-as-a-social-psychology-issue/.

References

IvyPanda. (2023) 'Group Influence as a Social Psychology Issue'. 11 January.

References

IvyPanda. 2023. "Group Influence as a Social Psychology Issue." January 11, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/group-influence-as-a-social-psychology-issue/.

1. IvyPanda. "Group Influence as a Social Psychology Issue." January 11, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/group-influence-as-a-social-psychology-issue/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Group Influence as a Social Psychology Issue." January 11, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/group-influence-as-a-social-psychology-issue/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1