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Social Psychology

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Why people are motivated to do the things they do can be the result of multiple experiences throughout their lives, as well as a combination of countless factors that influence one's behavior and decisions. The circumstances involved in the choices and behavior Sarah exuded throughout the night while she was out with her friends shed quite a bit of light on how an individual's normal behavior can be greatly altered by a number of internal and external attributions.

Sarah's traditional compliant attitude in regards to the strict rules her parents have in place concerning her curfew had been altered by the suggestions of her friends. Several factors contributed to Sarah's decision to go to the party with her friends despite having to break the curfew rules her parents have in place. For instance, Sarah's desire for these friends to continue inviting her out in the future, in addition to the fact she had never been to a party and her friends telling her she would be missing out if she did not go were all contributing factors to Sarah's attitude towards her curfew.

After Sarah and her friends arrived at the party, knowing she should be at home obeying her curfew and the fear of her parents finding out worried her. However, those worries were conflicting for her because in spite of the worry and fear she was still enjoying herself at the party and actually happy she was there. The discomfort she was experiencing form holding the two competing ideas (the worry she feels knowing she should be home and getting caught, competing with the happiness she was feeling because she is at the party) at the same time demonstrates how Sarah is displaying cognitive dissonance. Sarah conformed to her peers' beliefs when she trusted their assumption regarding how much fun she would have if she decided to go to the party. Another instance Sarah conformed to her peers' beliefs was when she considered their claim that she would also be missing out if she decided not to go along. It is possible that Sarah conformed to the beliefs of her peers because she had never been to a party so she had no past experiences to consider before making her choice to go to the party. Sarah's lack of experience added to enjoying the time spent out with her new friends and wanting to have more nights out with them could very well be the main reasons behind her conformity.

Jack and Sarah having similarities, such as liking the same music and sharing some of the same hobbies are just a few of the reasons why Jack was interested in Sarah. The two also attending the same school and living in the same neighborhood suggests that the proximity shared between Jack and Sarah are also possible factors contributing to peaked interest. Similarities and proximity being factors included with possible romantic interests are related to the factors in attraction because we like people who are similar to us.

While Sarah and her friend were at the party they witnessed an interaction between two guys consisting of yelling that quickly turned into a physical fight. Interactions with these characteristics are known as aggressive social interactions and hostile interactions. Aggressive and hostile interactions can affect the entire emotional environment surrounding it. When fights happen they typically ruin the mood and enjoyment everybody else was feeling; which is probably why many of the people attending the party decided to leave after the fight.

Reference

• Carter, K. & Seifert, C. (2013). Learn Psychology. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning

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