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Psychology
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Topic:

Effects of Peer Influence on Behavior

Essay Instructions:

"If Johnny jumps off a cliff are you going to jump, too"? This is a cliché used often by parents wanting to convince their children that doing what "everyone else does" is not always a good idea.
For example, binge drinking is an increasing problem on college campuses, often with dire consequences (e.g., alcohol poisoning, unprotected sex, expulsion from school). Given the consequences, one wonders what compels college students to engage in such risky behavior. We know that fitting in—being accepted by others—is a primary motive for doing what others do. In this case, conforming to one’s referent group’s norms (i.e., getting drunk is cool) gains one’s acceptance to that group (Talbott, Wilkinson, Moore, & Usdan, 2014; Wardell & Read, 2013). Refusal to comply means rejection by the group.
Binge drinking, clearly, is not in the best interest of individual college students, unless you consider the importance of belonging to and acceptance by the group.
For this Discussion, you explore persuasion strategies with respect to the effects of peer influence on behavior.
References:
Talbott, L. L., Wilkinson, L. L., Moore, C. G., & Usdan, S. L. (2014). The role of injunctive norms and alcohol use during the first-semester of college. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 58(1), 60–81.
Wardell, J. D., & Read, J. P. (2013). Alcohol expectancies, perceived norms, and drinking behavior among college students: Examining the reciprocal determinism hypothesis. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 27(1),
191–196.
Review the Learning Resources for this week and examine how social psychology theory and research explain the effects of peer influence on behavior.
Consider persuasion strategies that a social psychologist might use to convince someone to defy peer pressure.
Post an explanation for how you might persuade someone to "do what is in her or his best interest" when it means defying group demands. Use social psychology theory and research to support your persuasion strategy.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

The Influence of Peers
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When behavior changes entail defying group norms and dictates, I will use social learning theory (SLT) to persuade someone to "do what is in their best interest." SLT builds on cognitive and behavioral learning models and offers a framework to account for different learning experiences. The theory suggests that observing others plays an important role in how people obtain new skills and knowledge, influencing their decisions (Selinger, 2019). Some behaviors, including alcohol consumption in college, are linked to harmful effects on health and wellbeing. When persuading someone to stop college drinking, I must acknowledge the social factors influencing their behavior. Research indicates that perceived peer approval or injunctive drinking norms significantly influence college students' drinking habits (Talbott et al., 2014). Therefore, insights derived from the SLT model can persuade my college mate to control his excessive consumption of alcohol even when it implies defying his in-group norms and dictates.
More specifically, I would employ SLT's reciprocal determinism principle to persuade my college mate to change their understanding of the negative impact of alcohol consumption and embrace behavioral changes to stop alcoholism. The reciprocal determinism principle indicates that behavior and cognitions influence each other within the increasingly complex learning process (Wardell & Read, 2013). Since the friend is getting first-hand experience with drinking after entering college, I can influence his beliefs regarding what constitutes normal drinking behavior. Although I do not recommend alcohol consumption, I would persuade the colleague that other college students typically consume alcohol only during weekends to elicit reciprocal influence. This would allow the student to self-reflect and create friendships with students that take alcohol only during weekends. As the perceived norms change, the student's drinking behavior would likely change for the better as they adjust alcohol consumption patterns to conform to what is perceived as "normal" behavior among drinking college students (Wardell & Read, 2013).
References
Selinger, S. (2019). Social Learning Theory. Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy, 2704-2707. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-49425-8_57
Talbott, L. L., Wilkinson, L. L., Moore, C. G., & Usdan, S. L. (2014). The role of injunctive norms and alco...
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