Social Psych Exam 2- Extra Credit

Persuading the masses through propaganda

The passage explains how propaganda is a powerful tool for mass persuasion, used to shape attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of large populations. While propaganda is often associated with manipulation and deception, it is not inherently “good” or “bad”; its effectiveness depends on careful planning, targeting, repetition, and appealing to emotions rather than rational analysis.

Example of propaganda

Historically, propaganda has been used in wars, politics, and social campaigns. The passage emphasizes Nazi Germany under Hitler and Josef Goebbels as a key example of propaganda’s potential, showing how it exploited existing stereotypes, fears, and social conditions to manipulate the German population.

Propaganda techniques

• Stereotyping and dehumanizing enemies (e.g., anti-Semitic imagery)

• Selective facts, lying, and repetition to control perception of reality

• Assertions, appeals to authority, and glittering generalities to reinforce ideas

• Pinpointing an enemy to unify the masses against a common threat

Propaganda content and psychological factors

The passage also illustrates how propaganda preys on context and psychological factors: it is most effective when individuals are immersed in it and exposed as part of a group, when societal conditions create fear or uncertainty, and when messages are simple and repetitive.

courageous resistance

Selfless behavior involving risk to a helper (and/or family) that is sustained over time, is a product of a deliberative process, and involves a moral calling.

Heroism

Heroism is characterized by courageous resistance, involving selfless behavior that entails risk to oneself or family, is sustained over time, emerges from a deliberative process, and reflects a moral calling, serves from socially valued goal

altruistic personality

A personality characterized by selflessness and a consistent tendency to engage in pro-social behaviors, often prioritizing the welfare of others over one's own. A cluster of personality traits that predisposes a person to acts of altruism

righteous rescuer

The designation bestowed by Israel on non-Jews who helped save Jews from the Nazis during World War II

Autonomous Altruism

Selfless altruism that society does not support or might even discourage.

normative altruism

Altruism that society supports and encourages

Rescuer situational forces

1. Did rescuers know more about the difficulties the Jews faced than non rescuers?

2. Were rescuers better off financially and therefore better able to help?

3. Did rescuers have social support for their efforts?

4. Did rescuers adequately evaluate the risks, the costs of helping?

5. Were rescuers asked to help, or did they initiate helping on their own?

interactionist view of altruism

The view that an individual’s altruistic or selfish internal motives interact with situational factors to determine whether a person will help

Four altruistic orientations (based on nurturance and succorance- the need to receive help)

Altruistic, receptive giving, selfish, inner sustaining

threat to self esteem model

A model explaining the reactions of victims to receiving help, suggesting that they might refuse help because accepting it is a threat to their self-esteem

covariation theory

An attribution theory explaining how person and situational attributions are made

covariation principle

The rule that if a response is present when a situation (person, object, or event) is present and absent when that same situation is absent, the situation is presumed to be the cause of the response.