Hello everyone, this guide was made for students in Professor Fleming's PSYC 220 course, Social Psychology. Here you will find short videos and relevant resources that will guide you as you complete the paper for the course.
#1) Technology & Self-Concept/Self-Esteem (50 points)
The theories of social psychology and the development of identity are still applicable in today’s world, despite technological advances. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, are just a few examples of the ways in which our ideas and connections to the social world have changed. Think of a way that technology has affected your development of self-concept and self-esteem, or that of another individual.
This assignment assesses your ability to describe the influence of technological advancement on the developing self.
Answer the following questions in a Word document (Length: 500 words excluding title page and references):
1. How has technology affected the self-concept of you or the person you chose?
2. How applicable are theories of self-concept and self-esteem in today’s world?
3. Do you feel that it is more difficult to develop positive self-concept and self-esteem today than in the past? Why or why not?
4. Make sure to support your essay with key references related to the topic.
5. Include a title page and a references page.
#2) Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive dissonance makes us justify and rationalize any effort or suffering that we have made. The processes involved in reducing cognitive dissonance can influence us to come into term with our sufferings as well as continue them.
This assignment assesses your ability to describe the cognitive dissonance you experienced and address how you resolved it.
Answer the following questions in a Word document (Length: 500 words excluding title page and references):
1. Describe a time when you personally experienced cognitive dissonance, and explain how you resolved the dissonance.
2. With reference to your example, describe how cognitive dissonance theory explains thoughts and behaviors when people act in ways that are contrary to their personal beliefs.
3. Think of a way in which cognitive dissonance theory can be used as a catalyst to positively impact a change in behavior, and describe your example.
4. Make sure to support your essay with key references related to the topic.
5. Include a title page and a references page.
#3) Social Facilitation & Social Loafing
As you've learned in this topic, groups of people can influence individual behavior in powerful ways. Explicit or implicit pressures from groups can lead people to behave in uncharacteristic ways or not engage in a behavior when it would have been helpful to do so. Not only do groups possess the power to influence how a certain individual behaves, but they can also alter the group’s whole belief system.
This assignment assesses your ability to identify examples of social loafing or social facilitation in popular media, and then sharing some ways you can use this knowledge in your current or future career. Please integrate each of the following components into your essay (Length: 500 words excluding title page and references):
Instructions:
1. Define social facilitation and social loafing in your own words.
2. Identify at least three examples of social loafing and/or social facilitation in books, music, movies, shows, video games, or other popular media, and share them in the form of video clips, audio clips, or other method.
3. For each example, identify it as social loafing or facilitation, and explain what makes it so.
4. What do the concepts of social loafing and social facilitation have to do with “remote work” or people who work from home or outside a typical office setting?
5. What steps would you propose to help reduce the phenomenon of social loafing and increase social facilitation in your current or future job?
6. Make sure to support your responses with key references related to the module.
7. Include a title page and a references page.
#4) Conflict Resolution
Consider the following scenario:
“You run a small company that handles office supplies, and are working on a merger with a large corporation that will prove to be very beneficial both financially and for expansion. To help facilitate the merger, you hire Jane, who has an MBA from Harvard to assist. Dale has been your manager for the last 20 years, and you trust him implicitly. He has a Bachelor’s degree in business, and this has been the only job he has ever had. The other employees are suspicious of Jane, and do not like her high-handed attitude, nor does Dale. The two are both integral to the successful merger, but do not seem to be able to work together.”
Answer the following questions (Length: 500 words excluding title page and references):
1. Using what you have learned about social psychology, explain some of the possible reasons for the conflict that exists between Jane and Dale.
2. Explain the techniques you might utilize with the two of them to resolve the conflict.
3. In your writing, please share a personal example that illustrates your understanding of the issues discussed here.
4. Make sure to support your essay with key references related to the topic.
5. Include a title page and a references page.
