Running head: SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR

Social Influences on Behavior Malisha Rochelle Mishoe PSY 300 July 18, 2011 Karin Detweiler

SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR

Abstract Reading this paper it will give you an insight as to how society influences behavior. Pavlov was known for his study of learned behavior with his dog and salvation experiment. This paper will identify situations when parents raise their kids and try to discipline them and not allow their personalities to conform to fearfulness or defiance. Also, you will get a understanding of classical and operant conditioning. This paper will discuss the effects of society and drinking and the effects it will have on a person. What would have the greatest effect on a persons life, to discipline or not to discipline or to describe alcohol as something bad and never give reasoning or to introduce it without warrant?

SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR

Social Influences on Behavior As we grow through life we learn how behavior changes based on our social situations. It is known that social psychology is the scientific study of how peoples thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others (Kowalski, 2009). We begin as a tabula rasa on which various experiences throughout development write behavior and, ultimately, the person him/her self. We will take a look at the relationships which determine behavior of parents and children when it comes to discipline as well as the relationship between persons who are sober and person who are drunk and their different behaviors. Children and Parents When examining parent and children relationship and discipline. We can conclude that parents are more likely to discipline according to how they were disciplined. Because behavior is formed by consequents and punishments and rewards will ultimately influence behavior, discipline is a key component in raising a child. Learning can occur without a change in behavior. Behaviorists say that learning has to be characterized by an undeviating modification in behavior, in dissimilarity social learning theorists say because we can learn through watching alone, their learning may not essentially be shown in their presentation. Learning may or may not result in a behavior change (Ormord, 1999). I will take my daughter for example. She is seven (7) years old and heading to second grade. Disciplining her has been a challenge for me. I have tried the Hitler approach which was what I saw growing up. Either do as I say or get a beating. I knew that time has shown that different discipline methods yield different results. So my delima was do I teach her the rules of good behavior and bad behavior, do I take away privileges, use corporal punishment, yell and/or scold, or do I allow the behavior to go unnoticed? In the beginning I used to spank her without conversation, but with her I have learned that I cant be a

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strict disciplinarian because it forces her to become fearful of situations and persons of authority. This is not the adaptation that I want for her. If it is true that operant conditioning equals strengthening patterns of learned behavior reinforcement (Psych 101 Study Guides Chapter 5, 2010) we want to condition children to be respectful of authority and not fearful. The incident that made me realize my daughter was not respectful of me but fearful of me was when we were home and she was just being rowdy the whole day and I was at that point of no return (which was my fault for letting my frustration build up) I yelled at her and the fear in her eyes made me step back and remember my childhood and discipline. I was fearful of my mom because of how I knew I would be punished. How much of this has become considered classical conditioning. Do we condition our children as Pavlov condition his dogs to respond to the bell and food (Kowalski, 2009)? If I expect her to respect authority figures (i.e. police officer, fireman, and military personnel) then I must exhibit an environment that would allow her to respect discipline as opposed to fearing it. Drinking Behavior as associated with drugs and alcohol differ than that of children and parent disciplining. With all kinds of fads on the rise in society with one of the latest being planking which is when a person lies down flat in a public place to appear dead and the economy continuing to decline it is no wonder the consumption of alcohol is on the rise. Because behavior is learned we know that if children see too much of this behavior displayed they would want to reenact that behavior as well as if it is seen as a bad thing and never discussed (Stacy, 1994). I can remember growing up and my mom was a social drinker, but my father was the owner of a club, so I saw alcohol around all the time. While my brother and sister decided they wanted to try drinking I never did. I would see how my parents would act when they were drinking and when

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they were sober and I knew the difference and determined that it was the drinking that caused them to have the rude behavior and slurring of words. I always wondered why my mother picked up drinking. She was raised in a Christian household with her mother and father and drinking and smoking was never permitted. I asked her and she said because she was not able to experience it in the home it was enticing to her when she left. There was a older man who I will name John. He would drink all the time and always want a drink. Well he ended up having liver poising due to the high consumption of alcohol and died right in front of me. So you could understand my reasoning for not wanting to drink. This was a behavior I learned to not drink due to the infliction caused by a person to himself. Through classical conditioning I realized that the alcohol caused people to behave different and do different and crazy things. When behavior is altered by a drug or alcohol it is no telling what can happen because it is no longer the person acting on their own recognizance but the drug assisting them (Ven, 2009). Social settings and alcohol can cause people to react to situations differently than if they were sober and make them try things as if they were in their right state of mind. Conclusion There are numerous aspects and persuasions which conclude, outline, and pattern the character and actions of persons. While many progressions and innovative perception has been shown throughout theories that have been given concerning individuality and actions, there are still a few areas of psychology that need to be revealed and investigated about the behavior of humans and their personalities.

SOCIAL INFLUENCES ON BEHAVIOR

Works Cited
Kowalski, R. &. (2009). In Psychology (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Ormord, J. (1999). Social Learning Theory. In Human Learning (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Psych 101 Study Guides Chapter 5. (2010). Retrieved from Canyons: http://www.canyons.edu/faculty/labriem/Psych101/StudyGuides/Chapter5.pdf Stacy, A. W. (1994). Attitudes and health behavior in diverse populatins: Drunk driving, alcohol use, binge eating, marijuana use, and cigarette use. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Ven, T. V. (2009). Getting Drunk and Hooking Up:An Exploratory Study of The Relationship Between Alcohol Intoxication and Casual Coupling In A University Sample. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.