Social Psychology Assignment

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Nabil Shukri Robert Zimmerman Psych 105 3/14/2014 Assignment Seven: Social Psychology http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1085869/Return-camp-suicide-30-years-nightmare-Jonestown-happen-again.html When I came across this article, I couldn’t believe what I just read and how something like this could had happen. They followed a guy named Jim Jones and believed he is some sort of messiah. He convinced his followers to kill themselves for unknown reason. To him, their deaths were honourable and act of innovative suicide. This became a shocking news to the world. The story goes that they were The People’s Temple and was founded by Jim Jones. Their based was in Jonestown, Guyana. People who joined it were those who are neglected by their society, without strong family ties, or unsuccessful in dealing with life’s problems. These are possible reasons why, but they may joined for various reasons, but they did have one thing in common: they had Jim Jones. If this tragedy was to look through conformity, cognitive dissonance, and obedience from social psychology, people would understand why the followers followed Jim Jones. The characteristics of his followers were from low income families in which lives were not easy, but tough. So this led them with a desire for better belonging and security. Perhaps some looked for community and acceptance. Even alcoholics and drug addicts joined the group hoping for help and understanding. Jones had a status for socialism. Maybe this fact attracted the people in. As mentioned before, the followers were looking for a belonging. The people were able to create bonds via their work and other stuffs from the group. Then they began to conform under Jim Jones’s rule. They gave up... ... middle of paper ... ...ommunity and belonging that they had wanted. They’d gone through hard times, however they gained a community that they can call “family.” After all, they believed that their hard work benefited the community and enjoyed in knowing that. Because of them, the community became a “family.” The Jonestown is a good example of social psychology and how conformity, obedience, and cognitive dissonance can negatively affect us and everyone. These principals do happen in our everyday life, but people tend not to see them. Works Cited Jones, David. "Return to Camp Suicide: 30 Years On, Could the Nightmare of Jonestown Happen Again?" Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 14 Nov. 2008. Web. 09 Mar. 2014 McLeod, Saul. "Obedience to Authority." - Simply Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014 Myers, David G. Psychology in Modules. Tenth Ed. New York: Worth, 2010.

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