I assume that human violence has become a norm in western culture after looking at the chapter on human aggression.
Aggression is a descriptive concept that influences the environment and culture directly. Aggression as a special trait, which is observed in all animals, is important to consider. I think violence in humans is hardwired behavior and it is a defensive move that is receptive. In reaction to adverse circumstances or events, people become violent.
I appear to disagree with the author by suggesting that while violent human actions are instinctive.
I subjectively do so to some degree. As a result due to the subjective nature of aggression, species are able to respond to danger and defend themselves (Ellliot 255). Moderate aggression is required in humans, and this needs to be enforced to ensure that human’s people do not become defenseless. I think that the measures to curb aggression by reward and punishment cannot be successful in discouraging aggression. Finally, since aggression is a learned behavior all the tools propagating violence should be regulated to keep the vice in check.
Chapter 8: Liking loving and interpersonal sensitivity
Humans are inclined towards being good and nice to others with the hope that they will be liked. The science of attraction is based on the ability to be attractive to other to attract others. Relating the law of attraction to my life, I personally tend to like praises and favors, but one condition that holds is that they have to be genuine praises and deserved favors (Ellliot 359). This emphasizes the value of personal attributes and preferences in shaping what we like or hate, and this extends to loving. I strongly think that self-esteem and confidence remain important attributes in human social interactions. People with low self-esteem tend to have limited affinity to linking and loving contrary to people with highs self-esteem (Mayers). I think that what we present to others is what determines if the individuals can like or even love us. It is interesting to know that love and loss theory applies in close relationships and I think forming stable close relationship is based on the ability to compromise. Finally, I think that communication is special and powerful tools that can help in getting others know how we feel or perceive them.
Chapter 9: social psychology as science
The long believe that I have held is that social psychology is a science rather than an art and I think the chapter confirms my position. However, there are concessions about social psychology that I have struggled to understand how to study on human behavior can be measured objectively. Designing social psychology experiments is a complex process that requires a lot of considerations unlike conducting the normal lab experiments (Ellliot 420). I think that the author should have elaborated more of variable description to enable the audience to understand the process better. I think that doing social psychology experiments in the universal defines social psychology but more needs to be done to eliminate the errors and deceptions. Just like other experiments, social psychology experiments should consider research ethics in their procedure, but also users on the different methodologies need to be ethical. I think that issues like informed consents should have been discussed in this section. Otherwise, the chapter was on point in justifying social psychology as a science.
Works Cited
Ellliot, Aronson. The social Animal. New York: Worth publishers, 2011.
Mayers, D. Exploring Psychology 9th Edition. Michigan: Macmillan publishers, 2009.
