Ways which people affect others’ thoughts
There are many ways through which people affect others’ thoughts and behaviors. In this paper, I have used group dynamics as the case study of the social influence research. In most cases people tend to persuade others into acting and thinking similarly within the group. This is done through group cohesion and commitment towards some unified goals and objectives. Such social influence sometimes tends to encourage conformity which the American people view as a negative cultural aspect as it hinders essential community functioning (Greenwood, 58). Conformity also has a normative influence on the group members, as a result, people are usually influenced to conform to suit and attain social acceptance and avoid conflict amongst them.
Connection of individuals through group dynamics
Group dynamics tend to connect individuals and also enable people to establish a working relationship with their colleagues. As a group people are also influenced by the desire to obtain necessary information which can assist them to acquire some appropriate results. Group conformity, therefore, tends discourage minority positions even when they are meant to benefit the company or an organization. The minority influence is in this case considered as defections from the majority position. Individuals also tend to feel more confident when acting and behaving by the majority position.
Consensus Building
It is also evident that the majority of the groups tend to come up with better and more improved decisions since consensus is mainly encouraged. Members exercise groupthink which is done through the polarization process. The group polarization will mostly tend to emphasize some risk shifts through intensive group discussions. Although there is some tendency towards improving the decisions of the group, such collective phenomena reduce the self-awareness as individuals are possessed with a feeling of anonymity.
Interpersonal attractions
Group dynamics are also influenced and determined by the interpersonal attractions between the members. The attraction acts as a driving force that assists people to establish viable relationships in business or social welfare. Such interpersonal attractions enable people to coordinate and work together as a team. It is appropriate to say that group dynamics enhance obedience as members commit their strengths and thoughts towards a unified objective. Members therefore successfully exchange and develop each other’s ideas, something which is necessitated by some group formulation.
A self-fulfilling tendency is usually actualized whenever members coordinate their operations effectively and efficiently (Wegner & Vallacher, 102). In such scenarios, the group establishes proper decisions which work in favor of the larger group. Conversely, the collective participation of the members can have some negative impacts since it may crash the belief systems, lower member confidence, and significantly reduce the overall organization output if not well coordinated. Group conflicts and crashes are also known to be the real causes of behavioral hostility between the group members. Such conflicts should therefore be avoided at all times since more harm may be generated due to it.
Conclusions
In conclusion, the social influence for the group’s behavior and beliefs remain adamant as it significantly contributes either positively or negatively to the group members. It is therefore advisable for the group members to remain flexible and focused in achieving the overall organization’s objectives. Viable and appropriate decisions should always be emphasized through consensus building and interpersonal attraction between members. People should therefore avoid group conflicts and crashes as they have backward developmental impacts.
Works cited
- Greenwood, John. Relations and Representations: An introduction to the philosophy of social psychological science. New York: Routledge.1991. Print.
- Wegner, Daniel & Vallacher, Robin. Implicit Psychology: An Introduction to Social Cognition, New York: Oxford University Press. 1977. Print.