Social Psychology Essay

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Social psychology is a scientific study that studies how people think, feel, and how they behave under the influence of other people (Aronson, Wilson & Akert, 2013, p. 2). Thinking about what social influence really means, we tend to think of a person who tries to persuade another person to acting a certain way. It can be a form of peer pressure, like taking that first puff of a cigarette, or it can be conforming to popular societal views, such as obeying the law of the land. Fiction is a great way to learn about social psychological perspectives. Watching popular theatrical films is the perfect way to learn because it illustrates the application of many perceptions within the subject of social psychology. The movie The Hunger Games, originally based on a book by Suzanne Collins, is about a place called Panem, which is ruled by the Capitol and has 12 districts within it. These 12 districts are separated founded on their economic statuses, meaning the higher the district, the more impoverished the residents are. There are 2 tributes that are chosen to participate, forcibly, in The Hunger Games each year. Each competitor is instructed to eliminate one another in order to survive and come out on top. There is only one tribute allowed to come out of the arena alive. Katniss lives in District 12, which is the most impoverished district of them all, and she volunteers as tribute in “the Reaping” when her sister is chosen to participate. She and the other tribute from her district, Peeta, make it into the arena with the hopes that one of them comes out the winner and above all else, alive (Ross, 2012). I will refrain from going any further just in case you have not read the book or have not seen the movie. In terms of soci... ... middle of paper ... ...rate to feel such strong feelings that she has never felt before. Maybe she is just looking for a little bit of comfort and somewhat of a scapegoat to get away from their horrid reality. These kinds of feelings could also be due to deindividuation, which means that when in a crowd a person behaves in a way that they would never behave if they were not in this crowd (Aronson et al., 2013, p. 247). Under the circumstances that Katniss has been forced into, she is doing things that she would not normally do, like kissing Peeta as she is watched by all 12 districts or almost committing suicide while still inside the arena. People tend to adapt to their surroundings and when others around them are doing crazy and unimaginable things, like killing to survive, then they follow suit. Another social psychological concept found in The Hunger Games is cognitive dissonance.

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