Drawing on Appropriate Evidence from Chapter 5, Describe How Groups Can Influence People in Positive and in Negative Ways.

Drawing on appropriate evidence from Chapter 5, describe how groups can influence people in positive and in negative ways.

We are all a part of groups in some form or another. Belonging to any social groups such as gender, religion and class automatically gives us a sense of belonging. Not only do we therefore tend to behave in an expected manner but are stereotyped accordingly. If we have a sense of belonging, it helps to raise our self-esteem, and promotes well-being and a positive attitude. Whilst these positive influences help us ‘fit in’, being part of these groups can also affect us in a negative way. It can create a ‘them and us’ culture, a competitive nature could emerge, and under these influences, there is often a change of character. By quoting evidence this essay will show that groups can influence us in both positive and negative ways, ranging from high self esteem to the far extremes of death.

The positive influences of a group are evident in several experiments conducted. Good introductory sentence. Sherif’s Robbers Cave was an experiment involving boys at a summer camp. Boys were split into two groups, and evidence showed that the boys in their respective ‘in-groups’ had a sense of camaraderie, team work and even generated their own form of expected ‘normal’ behaviour. These ranged from sharing of secret codes and insider jokes, only known to the individuals that were members of that group. Whilst in their respective groups, they cooperated harmoniously within their own limits and were a cohesive unit. This positive influence of the group gave them not only an identity within the ranks but showed solidarity amongst their peers and a sense of belonging. (Muzafer Sherif et al., 1960 cited in Spoors et al., 2011).

Another example showing how groups can have a positive influence was in March 1997 during the final months of the ‘Heaven’s Gate’ cult, in which a group of people had an extreme belief about Christianity and aliens. (Cited in Spoors et al., 2011). During this time people lived together in tight-knit communities. The positive aspects of this are, the strong sense of security from a large group, a sense of identity, and taking comfort from being surrounded by those who care for one another. It is seen

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