Social Relations
Attraction
Conflict and Prejudice
Altruism and Peacemaking
How do we relate to others?
Aggression
Prejudice
• An unjustifiable
attitude towards a
group of people.
• Usually involves
stereotyped beliefs
(a generalized belief
about a group of
people).
Overt
Subtle
Prejudice Over Time
Does perception change with race?
Is it just race?
NO
• Palestinians and Jews
• Towners and Lakers
• Men and Women
But women have some things going for them like……
Which person would you want to have
a long term relationship with?
Social Inequalities
(A principle reason behind prejudice)
• Ingroup: “us”- people
with whom one
shares a common
identity.
• Outgroup: “them”those perceived as
different than one’s
ingroup.
• Ingroup bias: the
tendency to favor
one’s own group.
Scapegoat Theory
• The theory that
prejudice
provides an
outlet for anger
by providing
someone to
blame.
Why is their prejudice?
• Categorization
• Vivid Cases
(Availability
Heuristic)
• The JustWorld
Phenomenon
Aggression
• Any physical or
verbal behavior
intended to hurt or
destroy.
• In the U.S. we are
MUCH more likely to
be murdered
compared to most
other developed
nations.
The Biology of Aggression
• Genetics
• Neural
Influences (is
aggression in
the brain)
• Biochemical
The Psychology of Aggression
Frustration-Aggressive
Principle:
• the blocking of an
attempt to achieve
some goal
• Creates anger which
generates aggression.
Goals can be:
•Sports or work
•Relationship
•Body Condition etc…
Hot Weather and Aggression
Can we learn to be aggressive
or gentle?
They can be learned but….
Once learned they are difficult to
change.
Aggression and TV
Watches
=
• By the time you are 18, you spend more time in front of TV than in school
•2/3 of all homes have 3 or more sets average 51 hours a week.
•By the time a child finishes elementary school they have witnessed 8000
murders and 100,000 other acts of violence on TV
•Over half of all deaths do NOT show the victim's pain
•As TV watching has grown exponentially, as does violent behavior- a strong
positive correlation.
•How do you think TV has effected sexual aggression?
Conflict
• A perceived
incompatibility of
actions, goals or
ideas.
• Social trap or
prisoner's dilemma.
Attraction
5 Factors of Attraction….
Proximity
Geographic nearness
•
Mere exposure effect:
• Repeated exposure to something breeds liking.
• Taiwanese Letters
• Mirror image concept
Reciprocal Liking
• You are more
likely to like
someone who likes
you.
• Why?
• Except in
elementary
school!!!!
Similarity
• Paula Abdul was
wrong- opposites do
NOT attract.
• Birds of the same
feather do flock
together.
• Similarity breeds
content.
Liking through Association
• Classical Conditioning
can play a pert in
attraction.
• I love Theo’s Wings.
If I see the same
waitress every time I
go there, I may begin
to associate that
waitress with the good
feelings I get from
Theo's.
Physical Attractiveness
The Hotty Factor
• Physically
attractiveness predicts
dating frequency (they
date more).
• They are perceived as
healthier, happier,
more honest and
successful than less
attractive
counterparts.
What is beauty?
• Some people say beauty is facial symmetry.
Beauty and Culture
Are these cultures really that
different?
LOVE
• Passionate Love: an
aroused state of
INTENSE positive
absorption of another.
• Compassionate Love: the
deep affectionate attachment
we feel for those with whom
our lives are intertwined.
What makes compassionate love
work?
• Equity
• Selfdisclosure
Altruism
• Unselfish regard for
the welfare of
others.
• Kitty Genovese case.
• Bystander Effect
(bystanders less
willing to help if
there are other
bystanders around).
Social Exchange Theory
• The idea that our social behavior is an
exchange process, which we maximize benefits
and minimize costs.
Peacemaking
• Give people superordinate (shared) goals
that can only be achieved through
cooperation.
• Win Win situations through mediation.
• GRIT (Graduated and Reciprocated
Initiatives in Tension Reduction).