Psychological Terms

There are many psychological terms that can explain different influences for behavior. For instance, deindividuation in a group setting can influence behavior. Joining a cult or a gang can change one’s behavior entirely, taking away their entire sense of individual identity and get lost within the group.

Social loafing within a group can be problematic and negatively influence a person’s behavior. If a group of students are working together on a project, the students will put less effort in individually to reach the collective goal because they know that that they can shrug off some of the responsibilities because others will pick up the slack.

The door-in-the-face phenomenon is a common tactic for someone to use to get something that they would want. This phenomenon enables even the most honest person to deceive someone into giving in to their wishes or demands. If I wanted money from my mom to go to the mall and I was using the door-in-the-face phenomenon I would first ask her for $100, knowing she would say no. Then I would make a second request, only for $25, knowing that she would find the second request more reasonable, and more likely give in to my request, and I would get the money for the mall.

Social facilitation can either have a positive or negative effect on behavior. If Genna is the top swimmer on the swim team, she is more likely to swim even better when she has an audience. But on the other hand, Genna is not a strong volleyball player, and she only plays for gym class as a requirements. When the entire gym class watches her team’s tournament, she gets nervous, and she is likely to do worse because of the pressure of being watched.

Obedience is a common cultural phenomenon largely related to behavior. People are naturally obedient to an authority figure, so if Brooke’s mother, Cindy, tells her to clean her room, she will go ahead and clean her room, even though she may not want to.

Cognitive Dissonance can be looked at more as a way to make an excuse for one’s behavior. For