unit 7 set 2

catharsis

a psychological process through which anger or aggressive energy is released by expressing or letting out powerful negative emotions

altruism

unselfishly helping others, often at a cost or risk, for reasons other than rewards

diffusion of responsibility

when the presence of others lessens an individual’s feelings of responsibility for his or her actions or failure to act

bystander effect

the tendency of a person to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

social loafing

the tendency for people to work less hard when sharing the workload with others than when they are working alone

deindividualism

he perceived loss of individuality and personal responsibility that can occur when someone participates as part of a group

attitude

a predisposition to act, think, and feel in a particular way toward a class of people, objects, or an idea

self concept

how we see or describe ourselves; our total perception of ourselves

identification

in psychoanalytic theory, the process by which a child adopts the values and principles of the same-sex parent; the process of seeing oneself as similar to another person or group and accepting the attitudes of another person or group as one’s own

internalizarion

the process of incorporating the values, ideas, and standards of others as a part of oneself

cognitive dissonance

a state of unpleasant psychological tension that arises when a person experiences contradictory or conflicting thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, or feelings

counter attitudinal behavior

the process of taking a public position that contradicts one’s private attitude

self justification

the need to rationalize one’s attitude and behavior

prejudice

preconceived, unjustifiable, and usually negative attitude toward a person or group that has been formed without sufficient evidence

stereotype

a set of assumptions about people in a given category, either positive or negative, often based on halftruths and nontruths

boomerang effect

a change in attitude or behavior opposite to the one desired by the persuader

sleeper effect

the delayed impact on attitude change of a persuasive communication

inoculation effect

a method of developing resistance to persuasion by exposing a person to arguments that challenge his or her beliefs so that he or she can practice defending them