Describe_How_Groups_Can_Influence_People_in_Positive_and_Negative_Ways.

A group consists of three of more individuals. They do not necessarily have to have anything in common, but the majority of the time you would find they have a few similarities to help them bond and find common ground with each another. Each group influences us in both negative and positive ways at any stage of our life. It is important to consider the negative and positive aspects of the three most influential aspects of a group which are group roles, group pressure and group identity. I will discuss each of these in turn using relevant evidence to support my discussion. Group roles give us a sense of belonging which positively impacts our self esteem. We feel that the group depends on us to contribute that one aspect of our personality that no other member has. For example if you had the role in a group of ‘the funny one’ but decided to draw back from them, you expect the group to no longer share jokes, laugh and have as much fun as when you were present. However group roles also influence us negatively as we feel pressured to keep to that role and not ‘break character’. If you were ‘the funny one’ having a bad day and wanted to express your feelings, you might feel as though you couldn’t due to expectations from other members to consistently keep up the appearance of your ‘funny’ role. An example of roles taking over our true emotions is displayed in an experiment conducted by Philip Zimbardo (1973, cited in Spoors et al, 2010) where a simulated prison situation was set up and a group of male participants were assigned the role of ‘guard’ or ‘prisoner’. However, the experiment had to be stopped eight days early due to the participants taking their roles too seriously. The ‘guards’ became increasingly abusive while the ‘prisoners’ became passive and emotionally disturbed. We act out our given roles because we think that is expected from us, so we feel pressured to exceed those expectations. I will now follow on to discuss group pressure in more detail. Group pressure is the expectations from group members that the individuals in the group conform to certain group standards and behaviors. Being part of any group immediately exerts pressure to contribute towards the groups ethics, because if we don’t we run the risk of being left out and the possibility of rejection. We form emotional attachments towards group members that sometimes can be so strong we become dependant on the group, which in turn makes us vulnerable of conforming to group pressure. For us to form long term bonds with others we need to find common ground between each other, so when other group members start to have new interests we are expected to share the same amount of enthusiasm. Sometimes the pressure of conforming becomes so overwhelming that we lie, just to feel involved and accepted. A great example of how group pressure influences us to negatively conform is from Asch’s experiments (1955, cited in Spoors et al, 2010) where seven people were shown a picture of a straight line and asked to pick out from three other pictures, which line was equal in length to the original. What wasn’t made aware to one participant was that the other six had been previously told what answers to use, as the experiments aim was whether or not one genuine participant felt the group pressure to conform to the others’ opinions. The experiment resulted with 75% of the participants conforming to an obviously wrong answer given by the majority of the group. This is evidence of group pressure negatively forcing us to make wrong choices that we would not necessarily have chosen if there had not been a group present. Although group pressure is usually presented negatively it is important knowing that without some form of pressure and conformity, society would be in complete anarchy. A positive influence of group pressure working is when we meet somebody for the first time. The pressure from society as a group makes us want to be viewed in a positive way by this new acquaintance, so we act in a polite and formal manner towards them when first meeting. If we weren’t we would find it difficult to make new friends and form groups. I will now move onto how group identity also influences us in positive and negative ways. Group identities intertwine individuals with the social context they are faced with and give us a sense of acceptance from society. We develop new strengths to cope with our group identities, with every diverse situation we find ourselves in. Having a group identity gives us a sense of self-esteem and stable belonging. However, when we are put into a new scenario our group identity evolves to match the setting which then makes us as individuals change accordingly. This is shown in the research study conducted by Japanese American Dorrine Kondo when she visited Japan to be part of the community, whilst acting as a scientific observer. Over the course of 26 months Kondo found herself adopting a new ‘Japanese identity’ and subtly learning new sets of routines and behaviours which became second nature. At the end of her stay she had learnt how to present herself as a ‘proper Japanese woman’ due to her responsibilities and expectations from the Japanese family members she stayed with. Through the new group identity Kondo found in Japan she established acceptance into the close-knit family and gained praise which is an apparent positive influence, however from her story we also see the negative side effect from how she had to conform against her westernised beliefs to be allowed that acceptance and praise. To conclude I have found evidence to support the three main ways groups influence us in positive and negative ways. Group roles give us a sense of belonging whilst also making us feel pressured to live up to expectations, as found by Zimbardo (1973). Group pressure forces us to conform to things we most likely would not have outside of a group, as found by Asch (1955). Lastly group identities can change our lifestyles to match those around us as shown in the research study by Dorrine Kondo