Attitude and conformity
Cognitive dissonance involves a situation where a person’s cognitions contradict. Essentially, this trait results in emotional turbulence, hence changes the attitude that people have. This means that it determines the attitude people may develop.
People are more likely to employ the central route in persuasion when dealing with issues accepted in the society. They are however more likely to see the peripheral route when they address issues that are not accepted. In both routes, their presentation determines the persuasiveness (Aronson et al. 1973).
Whenever attitudes are highly accessible and arbitrary, they are likely to predict spontaneous behaviors. This is despite the fact that attitudes do not always predict behavior, as observed by social psychologists.
Subliminal presentation of stimuli in the laboratory has the effect of increasing favorable attitudes, In the real-world applications of subliminal advertising, familiarity is bred, hence increasing the manner people appreciate something.
Culture plays a significant role in the manner that advertisements are designed and how they perpetuate stereotypes. Advertisements have to be made in such a manner that they conform to the expectations and practices of a certain culture in order to attract people and be more appealing. Similarly, the stereotypes in advertising ought to conform to the cultural practices of the given society (Aronson et al. 1973).
Resisting normative social influence may have its side effects. For instance, this may lead to ridicule, ostracism and negative emotional consequences. Individuals who always go against social influence may find themselves in the edge.
Informational conformity contributes to eating disorders in women in the sense that most women tend to align themselves with what they hear as regards to eating habits. This contributes to the disorders. Similarly, normative conformity forces women to adopt eating habits that they are not used to in order to suit into certain groups (Aronson t al. 1973). This leads to eating disorders.
In Nazi Germany and Holocaust, informational and normative influences played a role in influencing neutral soldiers to take sides, hence promoting Nazism (Hogg, 2001).
Law and Folkways are the two types of social norms. Law refers to the type of social that is written, violation of which leads to punishment that s always defined. Folkways, on the other hand, refer to repeated actions by man, leading to a generally accepted way of behavior. Law is more likely to persuade people to conform since the threat of punishment will dictate their actions.
References
Aronson, E., & Helmreich, R. (1973). Social psychology,. New York: Van Nostrand.
Hogg, M. (2001). Blackwell handbook of social psychology. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell.
