Social Relations

How do we relate to others?

Attraction Conflict and Prejudice Altruism and Peacemaking 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 Just-World 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 nearnessMere 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

•Self-disclosure

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).