Paper Example on Social Psychology

Almost all social psychology concepts are relevant for this scenario. There is evidence of attitude, aggression, conformity, and prejudice in the case. A social psychologist would call for tolerance amidst all these prejudice. They would call the warring parties to peace and persuade them to conform to one particular norm that unites all of them. They would encourage the country music fandom to preserve their long standing culture and rebuke Beyonce and Dixie Chicks for failing to uphold these norms.

Conformity forms another branch of social psychology. Often, people will try their best to fit in a new society. In the process of acclimatizing to the set norms of a defined society, new entrants may adopt one or more methods of conformity. In social psychology, two broad methods of conformity are studied. They include informational and normative conformity. Fundamentally, a person may either show public or public internalization of the norms belonging to a group they are conforming to. The end result of conformity is the development of socially defined groups that have similar characteristics. Through this lens, sociologists can understand the character homogenization of family members, workmates, and peer group members.

Men and women serving in the military are expected to express the highest level of integrity and discipline. They are required by the law to maintain the code of conduct that applies to their profession. As such, they should refrain from all activities that are generally considered as immoral. The alleged uploading of nude photos showing veteran women and serving female combatants in a closed all-men Facebook page was a breach to this code of conduct. In March 2017, male marines shared different photos of their female colleagues in a Facebook page, an move that came under harsh reproach by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). A report by War House, a non-profit reporting site indicated that the members of the closed group shared nude photos of female marines captured in different times. The Facebook page also had a link to a Google Drive account and a plea to members to upload more photos (Chapell, 2017). Some victims of this dehumanizing act reported that their male colleagues followed them so closely and made undesirable sexual advances on them. The report by the War Horse indicates that immorality has penetrated the uniformed service in an unprecedented magnitude. What was previously unheard of in is not only practiced now but also openly accepted by many marines.

In the light of the theory of conformity, it appears that the moral compass of marines is slowly deteriorating. The new trend is perhaps contributed by the progressive conformity of more marines to what can now be called the group identity. The widespread practice of uncouth behaviors probably started with a few rogue elements within the army and spread slowly to other officers. Men in uniform have identified themselves as cohort that is defined by certain common characteristics. They even have a Facebook page that is open to male marines and veterans only. With reference to conformity, this is a social group that identifies itself on the basis of gender. All the members of this group are now working in unity and are even pressuring their peers to be like them. The Google Drive link that calls for the upload of more nude photos is evident that there is growing pressure among male marines to homogenize their behaviors. The possible conformity pattern in this scenario is normative, since there is no direct benefit of new group members to conform to the established culture.

In the scenario presented here, social psychology would help to establish the vicious path towards the establishment of a retrogressive culture. In turn, this explanation would provide ways to prevent conformity that leads to the recruitment of more marines into a male chauvinist cultural group. Social psychology posits that marines are likely to exhibit immoral character when in the company of other marines. Therefore, disintegrating the peer group will address the female insubordination tendency that the marines are assuming. The NCIS should thus bring down the Facebook page and incriminate all those marines found liable for the sharing of nude photos.

Aggression, as seen in ideological differences between two people or groups, falls under social psychology. It is normally a negative feeling towards another person that may involve physical confrontation. Aggressive behaviors may emerge spontaneously or result from provocation by another group. Aggression may take verbal or non-verbal forms. In a social setup, aggression includes hate speech, cyber bullying, community clashes or political differences. Since aggression is a retrogressive social idea, contemporary communities are structured with laws and regulations to curb aggression and protect member of the minority groups from hostility by other people. The 2016 US presidential campaign heightened the political division and saw a divided nation. Different factions rallied their support behind different candidates up to the primaries. After the primaries, two broad groups of supporters emerged. Some of the Americans supported Hillary Clinton for her lenient stand on immigration and foreign policy, while other threw their weight behind the controversial Republican candidate Donald Trump. Trump faced opposition from many minority groups especially the undocumented Mexica...